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From: "Seurat" <seurat7@enter.net>
Subject: {ASSM} Things You Should Know, v2.0
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Things You Should Know
(A help file for alt.sex.stories and other groups)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 2.0
New this issue
--------------
Hello, and welcome to the wonderful worlds of alt.sex.stories.
My name is Seurat, and this is the Things You Should Know
message (TYSK, for short). This message was originally conceived
and developed by Kim (with the help of others), and is now maintained
by myself. Please direct all comment, additions, etc to:
seurat7@enter.net.
The purpose of this file is to give the new reader/poster on
alt.sex.stories
an idea of just what goes on around here. It is a basic primer, and more
in
depth files will be discussed later.
I will only be posting this to ASSM. It will be up to Eli to crosspost
where he will.
Thanks for reading.
Seurat
October 1998
Changes since the last version (v1.3): I've started a complete overhaul
of Kim's writing; it wasn't my style (no disrespect) and I'm changing it
so that it fits my personality.
Contents
--------
Introduction
People, places, and things
Newsgroups Available
How and what to post
Story Codes
Reviews
Other Resources
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Introduction
------------
This is a "help you get started" post, for both readers and
writers, and mentions several of the things you may have been puzzled
about, but didn't know who to ask, or were just unaware of. I hope you
find it of use.
First, it should be understood that any group on usenet is not a
central location. It is not a bulletin board as such. There is no
central authority, and nobody to complain to, other than your own ISP
(Internet Service Provider), who either does or doesn't carry a
particular group. These newsgroups are held by your ISP, but are
filled by being linked to thousands of other newservers around the
world. They are constantly passing posts to each other to update
themselves and keep the groups as up to date as possible. This is how
posts propagate around the usenet system, jumping from server to
server, ISP to ISP.
The length of time a particular story stays on a group, before being
removed, varies between ISPs, and is dependent on such things as
their local disk space, how many posts they receive and their general
"time held" policies. So please don't write to the ASSM moderator
asking him not to remove your stories, or post to the newsgroups
about it. Newsserver administrators probably don't read the groups,
and certainly won't take instructions or requests from them.
This is not, by any means, directions on how to write a story or tips
on grammar or a guide on how to deal with your ISP.
Finally, remember this is a guide only, not gospel or chartered law.
Just read it and make your own judgment on its content and intention.
-Seurat
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People, places, and things
--------------------------
Be aware of the people on the net! Many people do not use their real
name, usually taking a psuedonym which they feel is a bit more
descriptive to some aspect of themselves. Since they can be whatever
people want them to be, some strange ones have come up. Read any
newsgroup for a while, and you will note the personality behind a
poster. Read stories by a certain author for a while, and you will
come to recognize styles and themes. This can help you decide if a
story is worth reading or not, i.e. 'I've always liked Deidre's, I
wonder if anybody else writes like she did?'
Some of the people mentioned in this file go by such names
as 'Eli the Bearded' and 'Celeste'. Their reasons for these names
are their own, and usually is not a point to argue about. However,
it is considered bad taste to use a name already in use.
Sex Story Newsgroups (or 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore')
--------------------
There are few different types of newsgroup in the alt.sex.stories
(ASS) hierarchy.
The main story group is:
alt.sex.stories -- (everything)
with the more specialist groups:
alt.sex.stories.bondage -- (BDSM)
alt.sex.stories.cuckold -- (infidelity)
alt.sex.stories.gay -- (same sex sex)
alt.sex.stories.hetero -- (straight sex)
alt.sex.stories.tg -- (transgendered)
alt.sex.stories.incest -- (incest)
Note: some of these groups may not be carried by your ISP, and you ISP
may carry others not on this list. If you want access to them you'll
have to ask your ISP to add them to their lists.
None of the above groups are moderated. In other words, anyone is
free to post what they like to these groups and nobody can stop them.
Because of this they come under constant attack of spammers (people,
or organizations, that use newsgroups to promote commercial services
with copious amounts of advertising.) To combat this invasion there
is also a story group that is moderated, called:
alt.sex.stories.moderated -- (everything, no spam)
Moderation of a newsgroup means a person, presently Eli the Bearded,
has to approve the posting before it is allowed to appear. He generally
doesn't censor on content of the stories, just makes sure that spam
doesn't get through. Though, I do believe he will not allow material
that will breach certain copyrights. You can either post to ASSM in the
same way you post to any of the groups, or you can mail the story
directly to Eli at: story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us
There is also another moderated group called:
alt.sex.stories.gay.moderated -- (same sex sex, no spam)
The moderator is Mykkhal. Stories for ASSGM can also be submitted
directly to: moderated.stories@bigfoot.com
Another way to combat spam is to use newsreader software that has a
filtering system that can be programmed to eliminate the worst
offenders. It is beyond the scope of this post to attempt to
explain such things, not least because I don't use them myself, I
suffer like most others and just ignore the spam.
There is also a discussion group called:
alt.sex.stories.d -- (discussion about everything)
ASSD is for the discussion of writing about sex, and in general terms
is for readers and authors to talk about stories, and what you liked
or didn't like about stories that have been posted to the other story
groups etc. Though often the threads (related posts on one topic)
will be of a more general nature, but usually relating to sex in some
fashion. It is NOT a place to post stories. As this group is not
moderated, a convention has been established to insert {ASSD} in the
subject line, so that posts can be easily differentiated from the
spam. Some people use the same convention for posting to the other
groups, though it is less common; albeit a sensible idea.
Another convention you might find useful to follow, is to put the
author's name at the beginning of the subject line, such as {Kim}.
There is also a group called:
alt.stories.erotic -- (everything)
So called, in an attempt to avoid spam, on the theory that spammers
only target groups with the word sex in the title. Unfortunately this
is no longer true, and this group gets its share of spam too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
How and what to post to ASS and the other groups
------------------------------------------------
It has been established that only plain ASCII text should be used to
post to any of the groups. This means that the following are all
unacceptable: zip files (compressed), native word processor files
(such as Word, Word Perfect, etc), or any attachment file such as
graphics files like GIF of JPEG, or HTML (web pages).
Believe it or not, there is a group set up for such posts called:
alt.binaries.stories.sex -- (everything)
It does allow the posting of all of the above, so if you wish to post
such things, then that is the only acceptable group to do it to.
If you write a story in a word processor, but intend to post it to
any of the non-binary groups, then it must be converted to plain text
and pasted, or loaded, into your newsreader/emailing software before
sending.
Due to the varied reading software, it is also considered polite to
add carriage returns at the end of each line. Failure to do this will
result in one long line on many readers' screens. Lines should be
kept to no more than about 75 characters in length. 72 is a
reasonable length to aim for.
Most word processors allow you to output a file in plain text with
line feeds. It may be a good idea to choose a non-proportional font
before you do this, to ensure a more uniform line length.
If your story is very long (over 100k), it is a good idea to split
it into sections, with an appropriate numbering system in the
subject line to indicate the sequence, such as 1/3, 2/3, 3/3. Many
authors will spilt at much smaller sizes (say 30k), due to
limitations with their software or their ISP's requirements. If
possible the parts should be posted in sequence too. This will mean
they will likely arrive at the news servers in sequence and can then
be downloaded by the reader in one file, if they have the software to
do that.
If you post a story to alt.sex.stories.moderated then Eli will also
cross-post it to alt.sex.stories automatically. He also sets any
followups to go to alt.sex.stories.d.
If you intend to post a followup to thank an author, having hit the
reply button to say "Hey, I liked that story, thanks", take the
trouble to edit out the story before you post it. It is not necessary
to post the entire story to ASSD, and would not be welcome there
anyway. In fact a simple "I like it" would be better posted
to the author directly, if that's possible. A post on why you thought
the author did, or didn't, succeed would be very welcome in ASSD.
One thing you should be aware of is that if you post with your own
normal email address you will be leaving yourself open to junk mail.
To combat this you can either alter you real address, obtain a
mailbox such as found at Hotmail, or obtain for yourself an anonymous
email account. Full explanations of any of these tactics is beyond
the scope of this post.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Story Codes
-----------
There are also established story codes that should be used in the
subject line of a story. There is a separate FAQ (frequently asked
question) file maintained and posted by Uther Pendragon on a regular
basis to ASS and ASSD, both for readers and authors.
The FAQ for writers can be obtained at:
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/austen/104/faq_writ.htm
And the FAQ for readers is at:
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/austen/104/faq_read.htm
The necessity of using codes has been debated a lot on ASSD, so it is
up to you as a poster to decide if they are useful or not. Their main
aim is to alert the reader to the content of the story, so that they
may make an informed choice as to what to pay for, in terms of
download time which may well be costing them money. Many readers do
not download stories without codes unless they recognize the author
and appreciate his/her work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews
-------
Anyone is free to write a review of any story and post it to any
group. However, the best place to post it is probably ASSD. Some
authors do not wish their work to be reviewed, and so state that in
the header or introduction of their stories. Failure to state that
means they are fair game.
Two people have managed to establish themselves as well-known
reviewers, simply by being regular posters of reviews. They are
Celeste and Lady Cyrrh. Neither of them should be considered in any
official light. They are simply self-appointed reviewers and hold no
more sway than anyone else. Should you wish to set yourself up as a
reviewer then just do it. Becoming accepted as "worth reading" is
only a matter of perseverance, nothing more. Many folks have tried,
but only these two have so far succeeded.
Celeste has been doing it for several years and has written over two
thousand reviews. An amazing achievement by any standards. It was she
who developed the "BlowJob Principle." This is the idea that if you
wish for authors to keep writing the stories you like to read, then
you might like to write and tell them so, with a few words of
encouragement from time to time. It would probably also be nice for
the authors to acknowledge the support with a reciprocal thank you
note. Some authors will be very happy to enter into a chain of
correspondence with a reader, others won't have the time or
inclination. You'll just have to try it and see what develops.
Celeste has also instigated a system of guest reviews, and they
appear alongside her own reviews under the heading of "Celestial
Reviews."
Lady Cyrrh has been doing reviews for about a year. She does all her
own, though I believe she has help with some of the reviews that are
to be found on her own website at http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh/
should you want to read her past reviews. She tends to review stories
in the more esoteric genres, but both she and Celeste have been known
to stray into each other's territories. She has also suggested
that you may want to check out the following groups for the occasional
story you might find there, in amongst the earnest conversation.
soc.sexuality.spanking -- (spanking)
soc.subculture.bondage-bdsm -- (BDSM)
Many consider it an honor, and mark of success, if their stories rate
an A+ from Lady Cyrrh, or a triple ten from Celeste. Many others
think it a waste of time and effort, and will have nothing to do with
them. Like most things in usenet, it's for you, the reader, to decide
for yourself on such matters. If you feel an urge to voice your
opinion on such things, then ASSD is the place to do so. Remember,
there is no right or wrong, only individual opinion.
Should you want to try your hand at writing a review you might like to
read Kim's 'self-opinionated' guidelines on how to do that too. You can
find them at: http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh/Other/rules.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Resources
---------------
The newest version of the ASS FAQ (frequently asked questions) file,
curently maintained by anon747b@aol.com, has found its way back on to
the newsgroup. It is called the 'Free Stories FAQ', and is posted at
the beginning and middle of each month. It is worth reading if you
intend on posting, and can be found at: http://annejet.pair.com/fs-faq.html
One of the most amazing pieces of scholarly endeavor is the work of
Ole Joe. He has created nothing less than an encyclopedia of the sex
story world, which he has called "Alt.sex.stories - A Subculture." It
can be found at: http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/austen/104/hello.htm
Eli the Bearded keeps an archive of all the stories that pass through
ASSM. It can found at: http://www.qz.to/erotica
Stories to ASSM can be mailed to: story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us
Mykkhal keeps an archive of all the stories that pass through
ASSGM. It can be found at: http://www.assgm.com/
Stories to ASSGM can be mailed to: moderated.stories@bigfoot.com
Most posts that go to any of the ASS* groups get archived at DejaNews.
It can be found at: http://www.dejanews.com/
Don't forget to set the archive to "adult."
An FTP archive of some stories from ASS also exists. It can be found at:
ftp://asstr.ml.org
One of the old ASS FAQs (there have been more than one) can be found at:
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~mozart/assfaq.txt
The Story Codes FAQ for writers can be obtained at:
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/austen/104/faq_writ.htm
And the Story Codes FAQ for readers is at:
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/austen/104/faq_read.htm
Celeste's review archive can be found at:
ftp://asstr.ml.org/pub/Collections/Celestial_Reviews
Lady Cyrrh's archive can be found at: http://members.aol.com/ladycyrrh
Mailbox accounts can be found at: http://www.hotmail.com
A large collection of information about all things sexual is held at
http://library.gaycafe.com/nifty/information
To understand the abbreviations, acronyms, emoticons and the like, often
used in stories and posts to the newsgroups try:
http://www.netlingo.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The End
-------
Kim's original thanks went to Uther Pendragon, Eli the Bearded, BitBard,
Greybeard, Maff, Steven S Davis, Apuleius of Madaura, Lady Sara, See-El,
Lady Cyrrh, Watcher, MC Woodsmoke and Felix Lance Falkon for comments
or help with the creation of this post, as well as all the regular
contributors to ASSD who inspired her to do it. My additions include
Anne Thorpe, Tigger, sfmaster, and a few unmentionables who, through
comments not always related directly to this file, have kepy up my
interest.
This new and slightly improved version of "Things You Should Know" was
written by Kim and edited with comments by Seurat. While Kim no longer
has a known e-mail account, you can contact Seurat at: seurat7@enter.net
--
+----------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `--------------+
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| Archive site +----------------------+--------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ |
<http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/>----<http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/faq.html>