Warning:
It could be harmful to your health to post to alt.music.nin without
| 1. |
Reading the Frequently Asked Questions and |
| 2. |
FOLLOWING THE RULES! |
The people who frequent this newsgroup do not like trolls, assholes, etc., and will do whatever necessary to remove you from the group if the guidelines set in the FAQ are not followed (including reporting spam and getting you kicked off your ISP!!!)
With that said, here is the FAQ!! (A link to the Newsgroup can be found at the bottom, after you read the FAQ.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1: What's so special about amnin?
2: So what gets me flamed around here?
3: Got any good nin web sites?
4: Got any other sites i should know about?
5: Where was that faq again?
6: And that discography?
7: Does anyone around here ever irc?
8: What's all this NinCon and minicon stuff?
9: What are all the (BST) and (DHP) things i see?
10: When is the new nine inch nails record coming out?
11: When is nine inch nails touring again?
1: What's so special about amnin?
Nothing, aside from the fact that it's an honest-to-goodness online community. many people that frequent amnin socialize in the real world together, and there are a few relationships forged here and four weddings on the horizon. Some people float in and out, some only lurk for on-topic posts, and some live only for off-topic. the attitudes and personalities are as varied as the locations of the members of this digital community. Things in amnin tend to get more personal than in other newsgroups, and that cuts two ways: it can feel better than other places, but when it's bad it can be worse.
It all comes down to this: amnin is what you make of it. And if you want the opportunity to see some of these people in person, minicons and NinCon make that possible. More on NinCon and minicons later.
2: So what gets me flamed around here?
Stupidity. That's the number one killer of usenet. Many of the people that make up alt.music.nin are, shall we say, less than tolerant of things less than intelligent. Some ways to avoid giving the impression that you are just plain ol' dumb:
Always quote enough of the post you want to follow up. Quote enough to make people understand the context, even if this means you have to cut and paste by hand. Nothing gets you flamed then ignored faster than posting seemingly disconnected one-liners. The post you are replying to may be weeks old to the rest of the newsgroup, so if you don't quote it, you look sort of silly. Picture it like a floating head coming down the street with no body attached.
Don't think you have to pick a fight to get accepted. Just be yourself. Coming into a newsgroup and targeting people to get respect only makes you look bad. Just join a conversation...your post will be accepted...if we didn't want an open forum, we wouldn't post on usenet, right?
If one person tells you you're wrong, so what. If ten people say it, so what? But if post after post after post consist of people telling you what your mistake is, why you are wrong and what the correct information/course of action is...it might do you well to at least *consider* the fact that your point of view isn't the only one. Remember, this is an international community, and not everyone is from where you are from, or was raised in the environment you were raised in. Something else we could all stand to remember: apologies are always a good way to patch up a rift or a flame war. If you're wrong, say so.
People take issue with .sig lengths as well. The usenet standard is 80 characters wide, 4 lines long. good luck finding someone who sticks to that constraint, but...an excessive sig is obvious, and should be trimmed!
A word about spelling flames: they're lame. The only circumstance I can think of where a spelling flame is warranted is when someone who makes a spelling flame also makes spelling errors while doing it!
Another thing that makes people crazy is following up a thread just to add "Me Too!" If you want to post an agreement, please edit the post down a bit. Use your judgement, but remember that you need to leave *just* enough of the post before you to show context.
Yet another little item: make sure you pay attention to whom you attribute quoted material. You know the part that says "soandso@internet.com said?" Don't attribute the wrong thing to the
wrong person. They'll not appreciate it!
AND REMEMBER, POSTING IN ALL CAPS IS DUMB! ON USENET, IT'S CONSIDERED YELLING, AND IT'S A STRAIN ON THE EYES, HENCE THE PENCHANT FOR LOWER CASE LETTERS ONLINE.
So don't post in all caps unless you're 12 and this is your first AOL account. Even then, it's good to learn now!
Do not post binaries in amnin! (or any other non-binary newsgroup for that matter). Some people download all messages in a newsgroup and read them off-line either to save time or money. If someone is paying a per minute charge for internet access, downloading a large binary file costs them money. if you feel you have something that people would like to see or hear, post it to alt.binaries.sounds (or .pictures) then post in amnin saying where it is or upload on the web somewhere and post a link or do both. Just don't post it in amnin!
The bottom line is, the best way to learn is to lurk (read for awhile without posting) and take note of what the people who get flamed do. If you are looking to avoid it, avoid their behavior!
for more on netiquette please see: www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html
3: Got any good nin websites?
Why yes, we do. There are MANY nin websites, some good, most not. This list is short and very incomplete, but from here you can find them all.
http://nothing.nin.net -unofficial nine inch nails homepage
http://baby.nwlink.com/nin.htm -above the trees
* http://www.madison-web.com/ninfaq -the nine inch nails FAQ
* http://www.burningsouls.com/discography -nine inch nails discography
(* = a must read page for every newbie)
4: Got any other sites i should know about?
A few...here they are:
http://www.nincon.com - NinCon, the annual gathering for amnin
http://www.amnin.com/jojo - irc #amnin rogues gallery
http://www.amnin.com - links to amnin-related sites (currently being renovated)
http://www.nothingrecords.com - the official nothing records website.
this site is not yet active. no one knows when it will be. for more
information please see http://news.nin.net.
5: Where was that FAQ again?
http://www.madison-web.com/ninfaq
6: and that discography?
http://www.burningsouls.com/discography
7: Does anyone around here ever IRC?
You could say that. Or you could say that some people around here NEVER STOP irc'ing. Or you could say that some people that irc in #amnin have never even seen the newsgroup. In otherwords, yes. If you want to join the fun, point an irc client toward efnet and join #amnin. Some decent efnet servers are:
irc.sprynet.com
irc.psinet.com
ircd.txdirect.net
irc.ais.net
irc.prison.net
becker1.u.washington.edu
and a random server connection: irc.chat.org
8: What's all this NinCon and minicon stuff?
From the NinCon website:
For those of you who don't know yet, NinCon is the annual gathering for the subscribers to the Internet newsgroup alt.music.nin and IRC #amnin. This gathering is for, by, and about the members of this newsgroup and channel, and is not supported by or related to the band Nine Inch Nails or (surprise!) Nothing records. The convention is run by NinCon International, Inc., a company formed to create and organize these annual conventions. NinCon 99 will be held Memorial Day weekend (May 28-31) in San Francisco, CA. More to come.
Minicons are smaller regional gatherings that pop up all across the continent. Loosely based on geographical location, people at any given moment may decide they need ninnies and put out the word. Keep your eyes peeled for posts!
9: What are all the (BST) and (DHP) things I see?
Thread markers! Little things added to the subject header to let the reader know what type of post to expect. Headers used in the past have been:
BST: Bullshit Thread - off topic crap
BFPT: Butt Fuck Parlor Time - generally a spoof/parody post
DHP: Drunk Haaz Post - self explanatory if you know haaz!
NCP: NinCon Post
CF: Cyberfootsie - flirty stuff
FHT: Feminine Hygiene Thread - trust me it comes up!
FAQ: important. read it.
DGP: Droolin Girl Post. fantasize to your heart's content, just please mark the thread accordingly.
10: When is the new Nine Inch Nails record coming out?
When it's ready. The 'net is full of speculation, but the truth is, no one except Trent really knows. If you want to speculate, feel free, but don't ask if anyone knows *again*...
11: When is Nine Inch Nails touring again?
When Trent's ready. The 'net is full of speculation, but the truth is, no one except Trent really knows. If you want to speculate, feel free, but don't ask if anyone knows *again*...
Usenet Nine Inch Nails Newsgroup I am ready to visit the Newsgroup!!!
Planetall I am not ready to go to the Newsgroup. I want to join this NIN discussion instead!
Nine Inch Nails-Recession through Pain Send me back to Stiver24's Nine Inch Nails page!
