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