Part Two of Two Parts - If any part is missing, email me, I will
  respond.

  A.s.s., a.s.s.d. FAQ Copyright 1996 by [email protected], all
  rights reserved.


  10) Labeling Stories

  With one news group for various sexual preferences, there will often
  be some subject matter that readers would not like to read. 

  For this reason, many of us would like to see that certain keywords
  are put in the 'Subject' line to identify the basics of what occurs
  in the story, plus other information that is helpful when making a
  decision to download, read, or skip.

  The point of a subject line is to convey information to potential
  readers. 

  The story title, author, genre, number of parts, the fact that it is
  an archivists that is reposting the story, etc., are all valuable
  ways of communicating with potential readers. 

  Many authors are willing to post with a standard subject line, many
  are not. 

  If an author declines to post a standard header, others might decide
  to do a Re: posting and put in the missing information that might
  look like this:

     Re: Taming of the Shrew --> Shakespeare [1/1] M/F Rom d/s

  Where the --> clearly shows added information.  

  This is a touchy point.  Some authors might get upset.  There are
  valid arguments pro and con as to whether or not this practice would
  or would not be Acceptable Use.

  Keep in mind the following details should you be tempted to label a
  story when an author fails to do so.

  There are several reasons for NOT labeling stories.

  Some authors do not label their stories because they feel the stories
  should be read for their literary value, and that literary value
  should not be limited to what kind of sex occurs in the story.

  Some authors do not label their stories because they simply don't
  want to.

  Some authors do not label their stories because they don't know how,
  don't want to learn, are new, or whatever.

  Some stories occasionally contain plot twists, such as in "The Crying
  Game", where foreknowledge of what's to come can spoil a surprise.

  Stories posted from an archive may not have the information
  available, and the archivist may not want to take the time and
  trouble to label the stories.  This is a very weak argument.

  However, it is considered bad form to post stories with the following
  unlabeled subject matter:

  Non-consensual, pedophilia, rape, bestiality, necrophilia,
  corprolagnia, water-sports, same sex relationships, religious
  overtones, or any other type of erotica other than plain old adult
  male-female relationships.

  Therefore, at the risk of offending contributing authors who do not
  like to label their stories, certain categories should be labeled,
  and if the author doesn't want to, there should be no objection to
  someone else supplying the information as a courtesy to readers.

  It boils down to judgement.  If an author gets mad, they might quit
  posting stories.  That is bad.  On the other hand, an author who
  posts misleading subject headers, or no headers at all, for stories
  that offend some segment of the most hard core of the readership
  group, should probably go find another forum for their duplicitous
  activities.

  One possible compromise might be the following:

  Taming of the Shrew - Shakespeare [1/1] [NS Genre]

  This label could be used for those cases where the author has no
  intention of labeling his or her story, is a signal that you download
  the story at your own risk, and further, the author doesn't want
  anyone touching his or her story.  NS stands for non-specific.

  The following are certain common keywords that are most often used in
  headers. Sometimes there are variations of these, but most of them
  are usually easy to figure out. 

  This is the original list from Josh Laff's FAQ.  A more complete
  reference is in Dr. Bob's FAQ.  I will included his posting schedule
  and any archive sites for his FAQ upon receipt.

      anal:      anal penetration/fisting
      animal:    bestiality and animals (animal is archaic)
      bond:      bondage (physical restraint)
      fantasy:   non-science based other worlds
      fdom:      domination by females
      f-solo:    female masturbation and other solitary activities
      ff:        female-female contact
      furry:     sentient non-human characters ("Journal Entries")
      gothic:    vampires and other Gothic subjects ("Night Music")
      group:     group sex and threesomes
      heavy:     "heavy" forms of bdsm
      hist:      historical/medieval pieces
      humor:     amusing stories ("Barbeque of Doom")
      incest:    incestuous relationships
      m-solo:    male masturbation and other solitary activities
      mc:        mind control
      mdom:      domination by males
      M/F:       Adult male-female contact
      mild:      "mild" forms of bdsm
      M/M:       Adult male-male contact
      mutual:    mutual "whatever" depictions
      nc:        non-consensual situations
      oral:      mouth-to-genital contact
      pedo:      pedophilia (pre-pubescent) ("Misty")
      poem:      poetry - more information should be included
      rape:      rape scenes/violent non-consensual sexuality
      rom:       heavily romantic pieces
      rough:     rough sex that is consensual but not precisely S&M
      scat:      scatology and coprophilia (corprolagnia)
      series:    long stories split into sections ("Marie") [1/x]
      sexless:   no overt sexual depiction
      sf:        speculative fiction:
      sm:        sadism and masochism
      teen:      consensual sex involving teens 
      tg:        transgender (all stages)
      tv:        cross-dressing, feminization
      violence:  violent, not necessarily sexual/sadistic
      water:     watersports and urolagnia

  Note that 'heavy' and 'mild' are usually used as modifiers for the
  following keyword, e.g. 'MF mild dom heavy sm'



  11) Anonymous Posting

  The following anonymous posting sites are available, including how to
  get more information on those sites:

  1.  anon.penet.fi - Send mail to '[email protected]'.

  Keep in mind that when posting through anon.penet.fi, an equals sign
  (=) will cause problems.  Certain text editors through in an equals
  sign for reasons I do not comprehend.  Anon.penet.fi will delete all
  that follows the equals, then forward either a blank document, or the
  material that preceded the equals. 

  2.  csua.berkeley.edu - Send mail to [email protected] with
  Subject: remailer-info

  3.  More sites will be listed as information is sent to the editor.



  12) Let's Split a.s.s into Smaller Groups - NOT.

  It has been suggested just a few million times that a.s.s be split up
  into sub-groups based on sexual preferences, such as a.s.s.hetero,
  a.s.s.homo, etc. This has actually happened, and the groups have died
  on the vine, with the exception of the gay story group, which does
  attract a fair number of stories, and more than a few slings and
  arrows.

  There are two main "reasons" for people wanting to do this; to
  eliminate the endless flaming that goes on toward certain people that
  prefer particular preferences, and to accommodate people who don't
  care for those activities. 

  Below is a summary (taken almost verbatim from an article posted to
  a.s.s.d), of why a large percentage of people do not want a.s.s split
  into other groups:

  The proper means to avoid a topic you don't like is to either kill it
  (based on keywords in the Subject line), or skip the article. 

  This is much more practical than creating a new news group.

  Separate groups will not stop flaming. Just as separate groups will
  split up where stories about certain topics go, separate groups will
  also split up where flames about certain topics go.

  Many authors have declared that they will boycott any group which is
  begun for the sake of either supersensitive or hate monger types.

  Having separate groups will allow sys-admins to censor other material
  more easily.

  Starting such a group may begin a ridiculous splintering effect for
  each and every sexual preference.

  It is not always easy to compartmentalize and/or categorize the sex
  in a story; some authors have all kinds in a single story. 

  This may make it very difficult to "confine" stories to a particular
  group.



  13) Kill Files

  Kill files enable news readers to kill posted articles matching
  certain subjects (or parts of subjects), or matching the names of
  certain posters. Thus, you will not see these files when you go to
  read the news group. The problem with kill files is that you risk
  killing actual stories, but a proper setup can minimize the
  likelihood of this. 

  You should read the main pages or help files for instructions on how
  to use kill files for your particular news reader. In general, you
  can filter out a good portion of the garbage by having your news
  reader kill all follow ups, and anything with "request" or "wanted"
  in it. 

  Most readers use a consistent pattern for their kill files, so you
  can add more entries as you see fit.

  See the addendum for detail instructions on how to use Gravity (a
  news reader) to operate an effective kill file in a Win95 environment

  The original Unix based material from Laff's original FAQ is also
  included as an addendum.

  If someone else has kill file instructions, please send them on.



  14)How to contribute if you are not a writer.

  Some figures indicate that as many as 50,000 people take a look at
  a.s.s., each and every day.  This is obviously a lot of people.

  Yet even a well written - mainstream - near novel, scarcely draws a
  handful of comment, much less a thank you or two.  

  This is criminal.  

  When you go into a store and buy a book, the author is amply thanked
  by that coin-of-the-realm.  When you download a story and read it for
  free, the author doesn't even know it.  So without some feedback,
  where is the incentive for a person to continue the laborious task of
  creating written entertainment?  

  At least four really good writers have quit within the past two
  months (July 1996).  All mentioned lack of support and comment as
  their main reason.

  Two simple words - Thank You.

  With most news reader programs it takes scarcely 10 seconds to email
  a simple thank you to an author.  When you think about how many
  hours, days, and weeks it takes an author to create a good story,
  plus the time you spent reading it, then the amount of time it takes
  to send a thank you becomes trivial.

  Don't be a passive and ungrateful wretch.  The very next time you
  read a good story, email a simple thank you to the author, plus
  whatever else you feel compelled to say. I assure you, a thank you is
  enough.



  15)Celeste801

  Roughly twice a week, the readers of a.s.s., are treated to something
  called "Celestial Reviews."  Written by a lady who selected the alias
  "Celeste801" because she liked the name, Celestial Reviews consists
  of a synopsis of a variable number of currently available stories,
  editorial comment by Celeste, and a three part rating.  Emphasis is
  placed on grammar and the level of writing skill displayed in the
  story, how much Celeste liked it, and other values.

  Sometimes funny, always informative and never dull, Celestial Reviews
  has become a part of the group culture, to the point where it is
  impossible to imagine this group without her.

  New authors - and a selected group of established ones - should be
  aware that she runs a proofreading and editing referral service.

  You will not go wrong reading Celestial Reviews as a guide to current
  stories, and to preview/screen selections you might want to read for
  yourself.

  For more information, see the Celestial FAQ as periodically posted.



  16) Charter considerations

  As stated elsewhere in this FAQ, there is no such thing as a formal
  Charter for an alt group.  At least that is what I have been lead to
  believe through reading various things on the subject.  If someone
  knows something I should know to present a more factual explanation
  of this process, please let me know.

  That said, a FAQ can provide answers to questions about how the
  group operates.  Often, site administrators will use the FAQ to
  determine what is and is not Acceptable Use.



  17) Suggestions

  Send any and all suggestions to [email protected].

  Consideration will be weighted as follows:

  Established authors, Celeste, Dr. Bob, posting archivists,
  proofreaders, editors, those who post rational comment, those who
  chase abusers away, service providers, and last but not least,
  thoughtful people who provide frequent comment to authors, will all
  receive a personal reply and a thank you for each and every
  suggestion submitted.

  Complainers, whiners, and other such ilk will receive all the respect
  they deserve.



  18) Credits

  Note: The FAQ is based on my interpretation of Usenet policy,
  my understanding of what is and is not acceptable on the groups, and
  my interpretation of suggestions sent in.  None of the following have
  any copyright interest in this FAQ. There is a legal reason for this
  notice that is too complex to be explained here.  E-mail me for the
  reason I had to so state.

  I thank each and every one of the following persons for their input:

  Phil Phantom, Karl Ewald, Leigh Melton, Frank Castle, Steve Fellows,
  Tim Pierce, David Huberman, Richard Shetron, Mike Muise, Stasya, Dan
  Agin, Robin Roberts, Thomas Baetzler (2), Silas Dunsmore, Christine
  M. Faltz, Bill Harvey, Steve McAndrew Smith, Paul Dickie, and the
  original author, Josh Laff.



  19)

  The following caution from the previous keeper of the FAQ is included
  as both a matter of historical record, and a comment upon the state
  of the Usenet system.
     
  *******

  I will warn anyone wishing to take on this endeavor: there are a lot
  of REALLY DUMB, VINDICTIVE people in the world. Much dumber, and much
  more blinded by their morals than you would think. [add IGNORANT -
  ls]

  Because of this FAQ, I was "assumed" by the author of an article
  published in a major British magazine (I think it's called the
  Observer) to be the person who solely decides what is and isn't
  allowed to be printed in a.s.s. Anyone who knows the first thing
  about the Internet knows that isn't true, but facts like this would
  have discredited the author and removed a potential scapegoat from
  the picture. 

  As a result, I actually received a death threat by postal mail from
  someone writing on hotel stationary in Kenya, from someone that
  believed me to be into snuff and rape of children. 

  When congress was discussing the restrictions they wanted to place on
  the Internet, said article, with my name in full, was included in the
  congressional record. All because I simply wanted to try and provide
  some assistance in improving the signal-to-noise ratio of this group. 

  Anyway, I'm obviously still alive (or someone has written a hell of
  an AI program :), so the threat probably wasn't too serious, but the
  point should be well taken - something that seems so harmless, and
  strictly meant to be helpful, can be VERY wrongly taken by people on
  this planet...

  Joshua A. Laff  [email protected]  

  *******



  20) Current Editor's remarks.

  I write stories under several aliases.  I edit stories for a couple
  of authors.  I chase abusers, and send comment to authors whose
  stories I read and like.  From time to time, I post comment to
  a.s.s.d, and rarely to a.s.s.

  Josh Laff was unfairly attacked.  That happens in life.  If it
  happens to me, I will deal with it at that time.  

  While I have no intention of getting into a fight with someone who
  buys ink by the barrel, or a politician with a big mouth (same
  thing), I am not without resources to defend myself should the need
  arise.

  If anyone has the original reference to the article that appeared in
  the British newspaper, I would appreciate a copy, along with the
  editorial reference and addresses of the publisher.

  [email protected]



  Addendums:

  Addendum A. Free Archive service.

  If you do not like the following part of the FAQ, simply don't read
  it.  It is information about how to get free return stories from a
  story archive.  There is also information on how to join the BBS that
  performs the service.  I think this is an acceptable trade off.  A
  free ad that is on topic, in exchange for a free service on the off
  chance that some people will join.  I have no commercial connection
  with the service.  

  This simply meets my own definition of Acceptable Use, and I have
  told the owner that I will back him up if he wants to post an ad once
  a month to a.s.s.d., discussing what he does.

  I will continue to post the complete information here for some period
  of months, then edit it down somewhat, and refer people to the help
  email address.  

  Here is how to get free return by email stories from the listed
  archive.

                           The BackDrop Club
                       File Requester Help File

     The "[email protected]" service has been designed to fill
  a specific need: to help people who are looking for a specific file;
  story; or a chapter or section of a story. This service is provided
  as a free service by the Staff of The BackDrop Club to all adults of
  the InterNet community.

     We are not an FTP site: we act as an Archiving BBS. We download
  and store thousands of files from books, UseNet Groups, CD-ROMS's,
  Authors, books and magazines, and other BBS's.

     If you know the name of the file you wish, send a request using
  the following format:
  ===============================================================
  TO:       [email protected]
  SUBJECT:  (the name of the file you wish as a single word)
  ===============================================================

     If the story or file you want is an adult-oriented file, you MUST
  state your age in the body of the message.

     If you don't know the name of the file, place "ARCHIVE SEARCH" on
  the Subject: line, and give as much information as you can about the
  file (author, first line of story, file size, creation date, or any
  other information available) in the body of the message.

     Due to the high amount of traffic, we currently limit each person
  to three file requests per person per day. (This does not mean three
  files per account per day!)  If you are wish to build a library, log
  onto any BBS, or look into purchasing a CD-ROM.

    We currently have over 450,000 files available for "E-mail FTP".
  Our catalog file is dynamic so we do NOT publish an "AllFiles.ZIP"
  We have six directory/file listings available for on-line download:

      Drive-G.ZIP -- 22,000+ stories, utilities, adult faq's
      Drive-H.ZIP -- Bondage and X Rated Pictures
      Drive-I.ZIP -- R-Rated Pictures
      Drive-J.ZIP -- Bondage & Private Photo Collection
      Drive-L.ZIP -- Bondage & Private Photo Collection
      CDROMINF.TXT - Information about ordering CD-Roms.

     We have also compiled these files into five 600M CD-Roms. For
  more info on CD's, send e-mail with "CDROMINF.TXT" as the only
  word on the Subject: line. Preferably, you may anonymous login to
  ftp.backdrop.net or www.backdrop.net and then download files and/or
  information directly.

  The word "HELP" on the Subject: line will get the help file;

  "PLEASE" will get a human being (instead of our auto-responder)
  to handle your request.

  Besides the usual news, story, picture and catalog files, several
  special interest files about our bbs and club are listed below:
  cal-1996.txt     1996 Calendar of BackDrop Club Events
  catalog.inf      How to obtain on-line/hardcopy catalogs
  clubinfo..zip    Information about BBS and/or Club Membership
  newscurr.txt     Current Monthly Newsletter

  Direct access can also be made by calling our BBS at 415-964-3100.
  Although our board is not a "free bbs", we do allow people a chance
  to log on and "check out" our board.

  *************************** W A R N I N G **************************
     We are providing a free service. It is a "privilege", not a right.
  We will ignore all requests unless you indicate that you are an
  adult.
  ********************************************************************

  I guess this means that you must state your age as part of any
  request.



  Addendum B.  How to format using Word Perfect

  I use Word Perfect 7, which is a little easier than WP6 or WP6.1 in
  that the print file is easier to access.

  The first thing you do with any Word Perfect program is change the
  smart quotes to ASCII standard.

  Go to Quick Connect under the Tools menu.  Click on options.  Click
  the cursor on each window under single and double quotes.  With the
  cursor blinking in a window, hit ctrl w to bring up the Word Perfect
  Character Set Window.  Go to ASCII and insert either a single ASCII
  character or double, as the case may be.  If you do not do this, your
  quotes will not convert when you download or print to a text file.

  For WP7, select the generic text file printer, and print to file. 
  For WP6.0 or .1, you will have load the ASCII WP printer driver and
  that process is too cumbersome for me to detail herein.

  Set the margin to .2 on the left, and about 1.8 on the right.  You
  will have to play with this to get it right.  I use the .2 because I
  want two spaces on the left as indenting.  The 1.8 should give you 80
  characters, but this can vary, as I have found.  So you should
  experiment with the right margin setting.

  If you want paragraph indenting, go to Format, paragraph, and format,
  to get a window that allows you to set the first line of a paragraph
  as indented.

  Use Courier, 10 point, 12CPI.

  Print to a file.  You have to name the file and location.  Use a 8/3
  naming convention, and make the /3 TXT. Example, Story.txt.  Go to
  DOS and edit the file using the DOS editor Edit.com.  Erase all of
  the page breaks.

  If you see a problem with the right hand margin, go back to WP and
  try again.

  Edit.com allows you to look at your file exactly as most text readers
  will see it when someone downloads and reads your story.

  Import the file you have created into your favorite news reader using
  the import function that is there.  Many will not import over about
  600 lines.

  Any Questions?  Email me.



  Addendum C.  How to format using Word.

  I haven't a clue.  I tried Word, and finally gave up and went back to
  Word Perfect.  Word kept creating documents that looked terrible when
  converted to ASCII for posting.



  Addendum D.  Kill files using Gravity.

  How to filter using MicroPlanet Gravity, a news reader program.

  All of the filtering in Gravity is done through the Rules System.

  To kill a simple phrase like "John Spamm", you can use the Bozo Bin

    Go to the Tools Menu and choose Bozo Bin...
    Type in "John Q. Spam", without the quotes
    Click the Add Name button
    Click OK to leave the dialog box.

  Gravity will search incoming articles for "John Spamm" in either the
  From line or the Subject line and automatically mark them read.

  The Bozo Bin is actually a simplified way to make a rule.  The main
  Rules dialog box is more complicated, but also gives you more choices.

  Here's how you make a rule to kill all articles with the subject:
  "FAST CASH"

    Go to the Tools Menu
    Click the Add Button
    Type in a name for this rule: "kill FAST CASH"
    You will see a 3-tabbed dialog box
    We want this to apply to all newsgroups, so leave the tab as it is
    In the Conditions Tab, choose the first radio button and type in
    "FAST CASH" for the phrase.

    It should read: Subject does contain phrase FAST CASH
    Click the Add Condition button

    Move to the Actions Tab
    check "Throw Away"

    Click the OK button to accept the rule; you will return to your
    list of rules.

  Gravity's rules can run manually or automatically.  If you want
  this rule to run automatically, select "kill FAST CASH" and click the
  Enable/Disable button.  This will allow the rule to apply to article
  headers as they are downloaded.

     Click OK to exit the rules dialog.



  Addendum D.  Kill files using Unix.

  Extract from Josh Laff's original FAQ.

  Following is a list of various news readers, where the kill file is
  located, and how you can kill the above recommended entries. (Anyone
  who
  wants to convert these to other news readers and send them to me,
  feel
  free to do so). Under some of the news readers listed below are also
  instructions on how to add articles of entire current subjects so
  that you
  won't see them, or any of their follow ups (also useful for a.s.s.d).

    A) NN (~/.nn/kill)

  alt.sex.stories:!>s/:.
  alt.sex.stories:!s:wanted
  alt.sex.stories:!s:request

  To kill a particular subject, while in the main menu (the one where
  you press
  the letter of the article you want to read), hit 'K', followed by a
  return
  (assuming you want to kill a subject for the default period). You
  will then be asked what article you want to kill. Press the letter
  of the article you want to kill, and you won't see any more articles
  with that subject (for the default period of days).

  To kill a particular author, you can use the following line:

  alt.sex.stories:!n=:name of author as appears in the subject listings

    B) TRN (~/News/alt/sex/stories/KILL)

  /.*Re:/:j
  /wanted/:j
  /request/:j

  Also, the following entry will kill all posts with less than 10 lines
  total:

  /^Lines: [0-9]$/HLines:j

  The following line can be used to kill posts from a particular
  author:

  /address@host/h:j

  End of Part Two of Two Parts - If any part is missing, e-mail me, I
  will respond.

  ///End of FAQ - August 26, 1996