Subject: the official alt.tv.kids-in-hall FAQ
From:   (superbeth)
Date: 10/1/00 12:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: <>

Part 4
=====
4.01)  What is a FAQ anyway?

A FAQ is a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

4.02)  What is this section of the FAQ about?

This is just to help out newbies getting aquatinted with 
the newsgroup known as alt.tv.kids-in-hall

4.03)  Is the FAQ available on the web?

It is available at https://kithfan.org

4.04)  Is alt.tv.kids-in-hall the only newsgroup dedicated to KITH?

Yes it is, but as discussed earlier there are:
alt.fan.dave-foley: discussion about dave foley's projects, 
appearances, and overall s-e-x-e appeal
alt.tv.newsradio: discussion of the television show which
featured dave foley
alt.tv.snl: discussion of the television show which featured
Mark McKinney for several seasons

4.05)  Should I post to the other newsgroups?

Many people from alt.tv.kids-in-hall post or at least lurk in the other
newsgroups. Definitely consider reading them, but remember while the   
NewsRadio and Dave Foley newsgroups are certainly KITH related, they are their 
own separate newsgroups with their own regular members and attitudes and 
should be treated as such. Also remember cross posting isn't the way to go and 
could be constituted as spamming, especially if the person's not a regular
name around the newsgroups.

4.06)  Why are there so many off-topic posts?

I can't say it any more eloquently that Hannah () so I'm
going to quote her:
"Threads tend to work like conversation; that is, meandering and straying from
the initial topic.  Besides, many of the seemingly off-topic posts are actually
connected to KITH, by way of film or television work the Kids have done, bands
that the Kids are known to be fans of, comedy troupes which are similar to the
style and content pioneered by KITH, or various other degrees of separation."

4.07)  Does alt.tv.kids-in-hall have any commonly used colloquialisms,
acronyms, or slang I should know about?? 

Besides reference back to KITH sketches and other KITH related projects, 
there are some you'll catch around here. You might see people use phrases like
"Jesus Christ on a Bike" or "Fuckin' A, there's gonna be a party", these refer
back to the KITH live show that many members on the newsgroup saw. Also you'll
often see people say thank Scott or oh Scott. Since Scott Thompson is god, so
we use Scott in place of God. Finally you'll catch the abbreviations for:
BC: Brain Candy
SBM: Shame Based Man
SMOASP: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
KITH2K: Kids in the Hall 2000, the live tour
TC: Twitch City

4.08)  What are some commonly used acronyms and slang that appear
on Usenet newsgroups, not just on this newsgroup?

Here are some:

AFAIK: As Far As I Know
BION: Believe It Or Not
BTW: By The Way.
crosspost: a message sent to more than one newsgroup.
FAQ: A Frequently Asked Questions list.
flame: an insult.
: a grin
: an evil grin
: a big evil grin
IIRC: If I Recall Correctly
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion.
killfile: to configure your newsreader so as to ignore every
post by the target of your killfile.
LOL: Laugh Out Loud. What you say when a post made
you Laugh Out Loud.
lurking: reading the newsgroup without posting to it.
netiquette: Net etiquette; polite behavior on the Internet.
newbie: A newcomer.
Ob: Short for obligatory. A grace note put in to an off-
topic post to bring the post nominally on-topic to the newsgroup.
OT: Off-Topic Post. A header in a posts subject line
notifying people that what you are about to post doesnt have much
to do with the subject of the newsgroup. A little-used but
much-appreciated device.
ROTFL: Rolling On The Floor Laughing.
What you post when something someone said was really funny.
RTF: Read The FAQ! A common response to a Frequently
Asked Question.
spam: to post a completely inappropriate message to a
number of newsgroups.
troll: a deliberately provocative post, one guaranteed to
provoke a reaction due to its sheer stupidity or offensiveness. Also
refers to a person who is known to routinely post in this manner.
WOT: Way-Off-Topic Post. When what you are about to
post is extremely off-topic.
YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary. Which is to say, you
may feel differently than I do. And thats okay.

4.09) Who is ?
        
  Often times on the newsgroup you'll run across on-topic and off-topic post on
  
  something you had never heard of. In case you're too embarrassed to ask or
you    
  know who they are and you want more information, here's are some links to 
  check out:  
  Don McKellar: 
  Sloan: http://www.sloanmusic.com/
  Aimee Mann: http://www.aimeemann.com/
  MST3K: http://www.mst3kinfo.com
  The Vacant Lot: 
  The State: http://members.aol.com/thestate/
  Mr. Show: http://www.mrshow.com
  Tenacious D.: 

4.10) What is netiquette?

Netiquette is the slang among the regulars on Usenet for proper
etiquette in on-line usage -- that is, what is and is not considered
polite. The following is a list of basic netiquette that you should
follow on every Usenet newsgroup:

1. DONT post private e-mails without the permission of the
sender. This is regarded as a gross violation of the person's privacy.

2. DONT unnecessarily waste bandwidth with me too posts --
that is, posts that reprint a long post only to add a me too.

3. DO killfile people rather than engage in a public exchange of
insults. Public arguments and unpleasantries waste everybody's
time and bandwidth and make the combatants look stupid and/or
immature. Take any unpleasant discussion to e-mail. Or killfile
them. Please.

4. DONT post trolls.  Trolls are universally seen as a pain in the
neck, because they annoy everyone on the newsgroup and dont
produce anything positive. And please DONT feed the trolls by
responding to them; they become dependent on us, keep coming
back for more, and then we just have to take them out back and
shoot them. (Sad, really)

5. DO be careful of crossposts.  In rare cases a crosspost may be of
interest to every newsgroup that the post is sent to; but usually the
crosspost is relevant only to one newsgroup, or (more often) the
responses to the original crosspost are relevant to only one
newsgroup. Always edit the To: or Newsgroups: line post to
make sure it goes only to those newsgroups to which it is relevant. And
remember that everyone owns their posts; to hijack someone else's
post(s) without their permission and to crosspost it or them is not only
a gross violation of netiquette but is in fact illegal.

6. DO be careful about the wording of your posts. Remember,
people can't see your face when you post; all we have to go on is
the phrasing of the post. So what you may intend to be humorous
may not be taken that way and what may be an unconscious error
on your part may be taken as a deliberate insult by somebody.
Basically, be careful in what you say and how you say it.

7. DO edit out material, in an article to which you are replying, that
is not relevant to your answer; that is, dont include 80 lines of text
and respond only to the last line. That wastes time and bandwidth.

8. DONT post binaries to non-binary newsgroups.

9. DO put in spoiler space if what youre posting about is
relatively new, or unlikely to have been read/seen/heard by
some of the people on the newsgroup.

4.11)  Are there any taboo topics?

Rather than taboo topics, let's call them overdone topics:

Is Bruce/Dave/any of KITH gay?: It's in the FAQ and its been
asked far too many times. 

Any reference to the Michael Musto article: It's also addressed in 
the FAQ and it could be the most asked question

Who is your favorite kid?: This question has been discussed over
and over again. Asking many newsgroup posters about their favorite kid
is asking a mother who her favorite child is, you just don't have one. If
you decide to write an introduction post, you can include this, but don't ask
the newsgroup, it's just bothersome.

What does (enter Kid's name here)'s girlfriend/boyfriend/wife look like?: Does
it really matter? As long as that member is happy with their significant other,
we shouldn't gossip about it.

What's (enter Kid's name here)'s address/phone number?: Just because the
members of KITH appear on television and in the movies, it doesn't mean they
should give up their right to privacy. If you'd like to write them use the
address mentioned earlier.

4.12) Are you trying to control what I talk about? What about my right to free
speech?

Of course you have the right to post about anything KITH related, but 
if you ask one of those questions, we have every right to either ignore you,
or comment on it.

4.13)  You guys are kinda cliquey, arent you?  

Well, yes and no. We're a community of friends, many of whom 
know each other (or have at least met) in real life, and the threads 
on the newsgroup are, in essence, ongoing conversations between friends. 
This does not mean we are hostile or unwelcoming to newcomers. 
*EVERYONE* was a newbie at one point or another, the FAQ-mistress
included. Many of the most popular/famous/well-received people
were newcomers.  They were welcomed with open arms, and will similarly welcome
you. There are a few folks who would object at this point, saying
that they were treated rudely by the regulars, or ignored, and that
they didn't feel at all welcome here.  That is unfortunate, but in
almost every case the newcomers did something to deserve their
poor treatment -- usually not following the Newsgroup Dos and
Donts.

4.14)  You guys are kinda geeky, aren't you?

Yes.

4.15) I'm selling a rare collection of kith episodes on ebay, can I post about
it?

 Please don't, we don't take kindly to people trying to make a quick buck off
of KITH. Try tape trading, we can support that.

4.16) Any tips for first time posters?

It's always a good idea to introduce yourself in your first post, to be nice,
and to follow common netiquette.

4.17) I've posted and nobody's replied, what should I do?

I'm not very eloquent so I'm going to quote a regular Celia ():

"Please don't take it so much to heart that you haven't had the responses you'd
like -- you'll only hurt yourself. Often posts are regional or specific enough
in nature that one reads them but does not feel moved to respond to them. I
read plenty of posts that are very enjoyable/informative/what-have-you, but I
really don't have the energy to reply to everything. I'm sure almost everyone
experiences this.
 
I think the best approach to posting is to do it because you want to, because
it gives you pleasure. Post purely for the sake of posting! That way there's no
disappointment, only pleasant surprise -- replies become like icing on your
cake, instead of a much needed dinner. If you really don't find it fun to post
without the guarantee of replies, then it probably is best that you stick to
just reading the group.
 
Its no fun for you if you are dependent on us to answer you, and its no fun for
us if we feel obligated to answer. You know how it is if someone expects to
have regularly scheduled sex with you every Friday night, and then suddenly its
not fun anymore? Well, I think its kind of the same thing with posting and
newsgroups.
 
Also, don't feel you have to come up with hard news to justify your posts --
the newsgroup is not meant to be a labour intensive kind of ordeal. Its pure
unadulterated bubble and squeak stimulating fizzy fun! I count my lucky stars I
found the ng, because life before alt.kids/dave/newsradio was just a bit less
sparkly. At the same time if I "needed" a reply to everything I wrote in order
to feel good, well I'd have locked myself in the bathroom ages ago. 
 
If you want to make your presence felt more...expose yourself to us, let us
know how your mind works, paint us a word picture of how you and Kith all fit
together...play with ideas, posit a possibly controversial theorem about
something Kithy..but whatever you decide to do, just be yourself. 
 
If you want to be here, I hope you won't throw in the towel just yet. Give
yourself a bit more time to organically merge with the group mind."
 
4.18) Who are the regulars?

 A regular can be defined as anyone who posts regularly and/or has a history
with 
 the newsgroup. To get a feel for the regulars, lurk for a short time before
posting or  
 check out the deja archives.

4.19) Any final notes?

Okay little newbie, have fun, ramble frequently, and leave your clothing in the
pile 
next to the tree fort's ladder. :)

--
End of alt.tv.kids-in-hall FAQ Part 4/4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Back to kithfan.org