In General:
These groups are not 'trade groups' as everything here is freely given, be it books, advice, insults, or flames.
If you're reading this, you should already know how to behave on the 'Net. Common sense, general courtesy and respect for others is the rule, not the exception. However, you should realize that there are already established friendships, associations, and standards that the groups as a whole may have adopted - and if you want to start frequenting them on a regular basis, you are expected to respect those standards. As a general rule, do not post technical questions to the group on a regular basis, (i.e. asking for help with software settings, newsreader software, ISP issues, etc.) The e-book* hierarchy is not a technical support group, and there are much better places for you to find the answers that you need. Watch and listen for awhile to observe how others interact in the group(s) for pointers on what is and is not expected of you. Don't be annoying and ask/post questions that are already covered in this FAQ. That's the entire reason WHY this site exists to handle all of these common questions. If someone flames you for something, don't take it personally - listen to what the poster has to say. If it's from one of the regulars in the group(s), it's more than likely that you have made an error/transgression of the accepted group standards, and they're letting you know that you're being annoying by not bothering to learn better than to do something stupid. Don't start posting 100 messages whining about "how mean" that person(s) is. No-one in these groups cares, or gives a damn if your feelings have been hurt. Usenet is a fast-paced, rough and tumble playground - we don't have much sympathy for whiners.
To further educate yourself about what "Netiquette" is, you can read the Netiquette: Frequently Asked Questions
If you want to make any REQ in the groups:
Never, ever ask for ANYTHING to be sent to you via e-mail.
Before you even think about doing this, you need to read the Security and Encryption FAQ.
It just might save you from unnecessary legal troubles. (seriously)
General Procedures:
Q: What is Rule #1?
A: Lurk, watch, read the FAQ and learn before jumping in.
If you are new here, this will require a certain amount of
restraint. Just relax, sit back, and pay attention.
These guidelines are for the benefit of all.
Most of all, you
MUST learn to be
patient. e-books are NOT available on demand.
Q: What is Rule #2?
A: Get a well-connected server. Not only will this benefit you (because you will be able to get complete posts), but it will also benefit the group as a whole (since you will have fewer repost requests). How good is your present server? If you are missing more than 10% or so of the parts of multi-part messages, not good. Local ISPs have notoriously bad servers. You have two upgrade paths:
Get a new ISP with a well-connected news server.
Get an additional stand-alone subscription to
another news server.
Whatever you have to do or spend will be well worth it in the end. But still, be patient.
Mindspring (in the opinion
of some, this one has been falling in quality)
Newsguy
(was Super Zippo)
Remarq (was Supernews)
Q: What is Rule #3?
A: BE PATIENT! The point is that, if you don't follow the FAQ, no one has to be patient with you.
Q: How long should I wait to REQ a repost?
A: DAYS, not hours.
Anything less than a minimum of **5** days will
be ignored or flamed by most experienced posters.
Remember: No-one owes you anything
Q: What is Rule #4?
A. PLEASE avoid
posting materials found freely on the 'Net or Websites. Usenet is a limited resource, and thus, we make
an effort to use it wisely.
ABEB does not have the
retention of larger binary groups, and thus, if something can be
found elsewhere, post a LINK,
not the material!
The random nature of NNTP
propagation means that parts of messages may come in days
later.
Requesting files to be reposted before they have a chance to
expire from servers only places redundant files on the servers and
drives up expiry rates. Be patient (also see
Rules #1, 2 & 3). Furthermore, if you have
a weak news server, don't ask for reposts! Go
get a new server instead. (see Rule #2)
Make sure no one else has requested the materials
you're looking for before you make any REQ.
Do not make multiple requests in a row, or make
daily requests for the same
thing.
This is considered to be extremely rude, and/or a sure sign
that you have no idea what you're doing in the groups.
If someone has what you're looking for, they'll most likely post
it for you quickly enough.
Support your FAQ! Please refer to it when responding to a newbie question.