Creating a Jane Austen Newsgroup
Topic 63 · 15 responses · archived october 2000
~geekman
Wed, Dec 4, 1996 (06:49)
seed
Amy suggested I create this topic here as a way of keeping you all informed of the progress in forming a Jane Austen Newsgroup. A couple of weeks ago I proposed to the alt.config people an "alt.jane_austen" etc newsgroup. The topic received a couple of responses but has since sunk like a lead balloon. I have reposted my original message but couching it in terms of an "alt.books.jane_austen" newsgroup suggesting that this appears to be the most appropriate place as there are also other authors under the
"alt.books" group such as Isaac Asimov. But as HC said, getting official sanction could take months!
~terry
Wed, Dec 4, 1996 (07:02)
#1
Getting a newsgroup officially santioned isn't that easy. And then you have to pump it up after you get it, but that would be the easy part for this group.
~churchh
Wed, Dec 4, 1996 (08:40)
#2
Ian, that would have to be "alt.books.jane-austen", not "alt.books.jane_austen".
Not that I care myself, but those people on alt.config are incredibly picky -- their attitude is "Give me some good reasons why yet another newsgroup should be created", and they tend not to be impressed if you haven't read up on newsgroup creation and mastered some of the details...
Actually, creating an alt.books.jane-austen group could be done fairly quickly if you manage to win over people on alt.config -- it's getting the group propagated to many sites that would be slow.
It's groups in the Big-8 hierarchy that have to go through a formal voting process.
Ian, I just don't think that Usenet is a very viable alternative to this board, though a "Big-8" humanities.lit.authors.austen newsgroup could be a good supplement to AUSTEN-L...
~Zimei
Wed, Dec 4, 1996 (22:06)
#3
How about alt.fan.jane-austen ? this will allow a wider range of topics - you can talk about the books, the movies or any Jane Austen related, therefore will probably attract more sites to carry it. I'm all for a JA newsgroup, I think it's a ahame that we have literally thousands of newsgroups on usenet and none is JA-related.
If I remember correctly, creating an "alt" hierarchy newsgroup takes about 4 weeks; a more controlled hierachies like "rec" takes much longer (3 month from
what I read), could be because of the voting procedure ? the downside of "alt"
hierachy is that not all sites carry them. There is really NO ONE in charge in "alt" hierachy. After proposing it in alt.config and at least a week of discussion (not strictly required), the proposor (or someone else) writes up a special "control message" and the newsgroup is theoretically created, I think, then it's up to each site to decide to carry it or not. For more information, go to
http://cs1.presby.edu/~jtbell/usenet/newgroup/
A good control message is very important in convicing thousands of sites to carry the new alt newsgroup. For more information see:
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/edmonds/usenet/good-newgroup.html
Ian, I will definitely voice my opinion in alt.config. What do you think of
alt.fan.jane-austen ?
Zimei
~geekman
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (02:51)
#4
Zimei and HC: I'm not fussed on what the group is called. My proposal was just to get some debate going. But the alt.config people seem to be stuck in a debate about whether David Copperfield is gay! I say who cares really. It's hard to convince them about more serious stuff. Are you both able to support me there? I don't mind if you make alternative suggestions to alt.config.
~Anna
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (03:56)
#5
I also don't much care what name we pick for a Jane Austen newsgroup, but if we agree on one first we'd be more sucessful at getting it through alt.config
Based on recent experience with web servers I'm sure we could come up with the volume.
~churchh
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (06:28)
#6
Actually "alt.fan" is something of a ``junk'' hierarchy, with a lot of groups created to make fun of people in Usenet flamewars, such as alt.fan.steve-winter.
"Alt.books" is a slightly tonier hierarchy, and I think it would be understood that movies could be discussed in alt.books.jane-austen...
~churchh
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (06:31)
#7
P.S. Also, "alt.fan.jane-austen" would be appropriate if we were focusing more on the personality and life of Jane Austen, and "alt.books.jane-austen" if we are focusing more on Jane Austen's works (which I think is in fact the case...)
~Amy
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (07:26)
#8
Let's just forget about it
~Cheryl
Thu, Dec 5, 1996 (16:51)
#9
(insert Lydia snort here) ;-p
~geekman
Fri, Dec 6, 1996 (16:38)
#10
Re: Response #8: Amy is that so? I was really only looking for an alternative
place we could all visit should your board or (God forbid) Terry's platform broke down. If both your services continue to work, along with Alicia's E-mail server, chats in Pemberley, and the AUSTEN-L, all avenues of sharing and informing of Jane Austen, her works (literature and letters), film and mini-series spinoffs and other asides are already in "abundant measures". So I won't mind if the newsgroup doesn't succeed. But I also won't die wondering if I should have tried... Cheerio!
~Amy
Fri, Dec 6, 1996 (18:55)
#11
Ian, sorry I was so blunt.
~geekman
Sat, Dec 7, 1996 (19:17)
#12
That's OK Mom! ;)
~Katrina
Thu, Feb 6, 1997 (11:55)
#13
Hello All!
~Katrina
Thu, Feb 6, 1997 (11:58)
#14
Well I can't quite work out how this goes, so I will leave you all!!!!
I believe it is the established mode to say I don't understand!
~Amy
Thu, Feb 6, 1997 (12:27)
#15
What are you having trouble, with Katrina?