Subject: Usenet Info Center FAQ
From: Kevin Atkinson <[email-masked]>
Date: 19 Apr 2004 12:14:20 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services,news.misc,news.admin.misc,news.groups,news.answers,alt.answers

Archive-name: usenet/info-center-faq
Posting-Frequency: every 35 days
Last-modified: 1995/08/07

                            USENET INFO CENTER FAQ

   This is the FAQ for the Usenet Info Center. The WWW version of the FAQ
   can be found at
   http://www.clark.net/pub/usenet-i/www/info-center-faq.html and the
   text version at ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/usenet-i/info/info-center-faq
   This document is designed to tell you what the Usenet Info Center is
   all about. Suggestions and/or corrections are always welcome. Any
   comments except direct submissions should be sent to [email-masked],
   NOT [email-masked].
   
   This Usenet Info Center Launch Pad (the starting point for the www
   part) can be found at http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/. Various other
   information can be found at
   ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/about-the-net/usenet-info-center.
   
   This is a brand new version on the FAQ, certain information, that was
   a hang over from when the project started, has been dropped. The old
   FAQ should be available soon at the history archives.
   
   Copyrighted 1995 by Kevin Atkinson. You may redistribute this FAQ in
   any way as long as the content is not changed and this notice stays on
   it.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
    1. The Project:
         1. What is the Usenet Info Center?
         2. What is the Newsgroups Info Center?
         3. So what's available? (and where is it?)
    2. The Web Pages:
         1. My Goto Group Link doesn't Work!
         2. Do you know of any good news servers? (and the related
            questions)
         3. Why are there no pictures on your pages?
    3. Helping Out:
         1. With Spelling and Grammar
         2. By Submitting:
              1. Short Descriptions
              2. Long Descriptions
         3. Other Ways.
    4. Misc
         1. Were to get more info.
         2. Credits!

     _________________________________________________________________
   
The Project:

  1.1) WHAT IS THE USENET INFO CENTER?
  
   The Usenet Info Center is a starting place for your information on
   Usenet. I choose this more general name, rather then Usenet Newsgroups
   Info Center, so that I would not limit my self to just information on
   the Newsgroups.
   
  1.2) WHAT IS THE NEWSGROUPS INFO CENTER?
  
   The Newsgroups Info Center is the main part of the Usenet Info Center,
   the area where most of the effort is. The WWW version contains a
   heritage browsable list of the newsgroups and a way to search for a
   group of interest. The Newsgroups Info Center is one of the first big
   attempts to gather all the useful information on a group in one
   location; including a long description.
   
   Specifically Newsgroups Info Center contains:
     * A Short Description of the group.
     * A Long Description of the group
     * Any FAQ's that go with the group
     * The Moderators name and e-mail address if moderated
     * Where and how the group is archived, if at all.
     * Its average volume
     * Its average number of readers
     * Any mailing lists it is gatewayed to
       
  1.3) SO WHAT'S AVAILABLE? (AND WHERE IS IT?)
  
   Lots! To name a few:
     * Pointers to posts on Usenet to help the new and old alike users
       out. (http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/usenet-help.html)
     * A browsable and searchable WWW version of the Newsgroup Info
       Center that is designed to give you detailed info on every usenet
       group (http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/, to get you started)
     * Plain text versions of the Newsgroup Info Center that you can
       download and have available off line for your own use.
       (ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/about-the-net/usenet-info-center
       /report/txt/, ftp://usenet.eel.ufl.edu/usenet/info-center/report/txt/)

     _________________________________________________________________
   
The Web Pages:

  2.1) MY GOTO GROUP LINK DOESN'T WORK!
  
   The most likely reason is that you don't have a news server set up. To
   set up a news server check the docs for your browser. If you still
   can't figure it out check any FAQ's that might have the answer. It
   could also mean that your news server doesn't offer that group.
   
  2.2) DO YOU KNOW OF ANY GOOD NEWS SERVERS? (AND THE RELATED QUESTIONS)
  
   NO! Not off hand. Check out the "How to Receive Banned Newsgroups FAQ"
   for some light on this topic at http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext
   /faq/usenet/usenet/banned-groups-faq/faq.html or http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk
   /internet/news/faq/archive/usenet.banned-groups-faq.html for some
   light on this subject. Please DO NOT ask me about this. The only answer
   I will give you, if any, is to check out this FAQ.
   
  2.3) WHY ARE THERE NO PICTURES ON YOUR PAGES?
  
   Well, because I don't have any. My pages would serve no real benefit
   to having pictures (other than making it more attractive) so it is a
   rather low priority. If you know of any good graphics or would be
   willing to create some I would be more than willing to look them over.
   If I like what I see there is a good chance of them be incorporated
   into my pages in the near future.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Helping Out:

  3.1) WITH SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
  
   As you have probably figured out by now: I am a horrible speller. I
   would appreciate any corrections you may have. I honestly don't mind
   corrections, in fact I greatly appreciate them. I do however hate it
   when people just give me a list of words that need corrections with no
   clue as to where the mistake was.
   
   If you do send corrections to me PLEASE at very least include:
    1. The Title or URL of the page with the mistakes
    2. The word or phrase that needs corrections
    3. The correction.

   
   Send the corrections to [email-masked] NOT [email-masked].
   
  3.2) BY SUBMITTING:
  
    Short Descriptions
    
   I now have a way to overrule the descriptions I get for alt.* groups
   or any of the other groups in the " Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies"
   post to news.lists.
   
   If you are unhappy with the description for any of these groups send
   the corrected descriptions to me a [email-masked] and if I like the
   new desc. better I will add it to the database. (There is no special
   format you need to use, for now.)
   
    Long Descriptions
    
   Due to a problem at clark.net I lost all my scripts. If you have a
   great description you are dying to send me send it directly to me at
   [email-masked] for the time being.
   
   The former instructions will appear when the scrip is back on line.
   
  3.3) OTHER WAYS:
  
   If you can think of some let me know...
     _________________________________________________________________
   
Misc:

  4.1) WERE TO GET MORE INFO.
  
   This FAQ only gives you the very basic information. The following
   information pages are also available.
     * History Archives (The Best thing available until I get a History
       FAQ together)
       http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/about-the-net/usenet-info-center/
       history/INDEX.HTML, or
       ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/about-the-net/usenet-info-center/history/
     * Detailed Information on the format of the individual group data
       http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/info/format.html, or
       ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/about-the-net/usenet-info-center
       /info/group-data-info
     * Information on how it is all done, the guts
       Coming soon!
       
  4.2) CREDITS!

People who submitted a good number of descriptions:
        Neil Pawson <[email-masked]>
        Daniel Barrett <[email-masked]>

Mirroring my site / letting me use it:
        Jonathan Magid <[email-masked]>  (WWW pages &
                                           (sunsite.unc.edu)
        Mahesh Ramachandran <[email-masked]>  (usenet.ufl.edu)

Giving me some sound advice:
        Robert E. Maas <[email-masked]>  (desc-have, desc-still-needed)
        Jeff Dege <[email-masked]>  (Suggesting change of name)
        Steve Fenwick <[email-masked]>  (Suggesting change of name)
        Jim Jewett <[email-masked]>  (making me aware of news.g'.reviews)
        Cameron Laird <[email-masked]>  (pointing out 'g'_arc'.h')
        All those people who corrected spelling and grammar errors

The authors of the Post on news.lists:
        *.answers moderation team (List of Periodic Info' Postings, Part *)
        David C Lawrence <[email-masked]> (Mailing Lists Avail' in Usenet
                                List of Moderators for Usenet,
                                List of Active Newsgroups, Part *, &
                                Alternative 'group Hierarchies, Part *)
        Brian Reid <[email-masked]> (USENET Readership report for *)
        Gene Spafford <[email-masked]> (Original author of List ' Mod',
                                List of Active 'groups, &  Alt' 'group Hier')
        John Gilmore <hoptoad!gnu> (Another Original author of
                                Alt' 'group Hier')

Other:
        Thomas A Fine <[email-masked]>  (faq's via WWW)
        Jose Marques <[email-masked]> (faq's via WWW)