USENET HELP
===========

If you use the Usenet/Internet gateway please read this:

There have been changes to the way that we receive mail.  We no longer
receive the news/mail feed from masnet.uucp and that machine should not
be used.

At the present time, we receive the feeds from two other sources:

               tmsoft and lsuc

Thus, if you indicate the return address to your account here at Rose
Media use either:                                
                 
               tmsoft!rose.uucp!first.last
     or:       lsuc!rose.uucp!first.last
                 
     but preferably:
                 
               first.last@rose.uucp
     or:       rose.uucp!first.last
                 
     where: first.last is your name as used on Rose Media.
                 
Please use the first of the two addressing schemes only if you have
problems in receiving mail. This may be true for people sending mail to
University of Toronto.
                 
If you have any problems with the Usenet gateway or the Internet
gateway, please inform me.
                 
                 
Luis Lopes       
(Rose-Gateway Administrator)
                 
■────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────■

With the many mailing lists available throught the Internet, it is
tempting to subscribe to them.

Unfortunately, it can mean that the same mailing list may be coming here
to a number of users. The problem with this is that many sites receive
the same duplicate mail going to one site which. This is considered poor
practice and is shunned upon.

I do know some users on Rose are on some mailing lists. If you are
please drop me a note indicating which list you are on, and if you do
wish to subscribe to a certain mailing list, please indicate you wish to
do so.  If there are duplicate lists, I'll arrange to get a conference
set up or some other means of you to receive the list.

This way I can reduce the traffic going between Rose and its Internet
neighbours and at the same time keep them happy.

Remeber, using either Usenet or Internet is a priveldge and not a right. 
If someone abuses the system, it can result in either Rose Media being
deined access to the networks or the person being deined access to the
net.

But remeber enjoy the Internet as it is very diverse and rewarding!

Luis Lopes
(UNIX/Gateway Administrator)

■────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────■

If you are a new or expirenced Gateway user please read:

If you are a novice Usenet/Internet Gateway user, please read <B>ulletin
10. It contains information on netequitte as well as using the gateway
(which is the last topic of the bulletin).

Since the change over from gateway provided by masnet to our own, I've
have made some slight changes to the way that it works.

The main change is with respect to the To: line for Internet messaging.
I believe that the old gateway only allowed for one address to be used.

The current gateway allow multiple addresses to be placed on the To:
line.  As with the old gateway, the first line of the body must be the
To: line.  Otherwise, the gateway will simply bounce that message back
to you.

To use this feature, use commas to seperate the addresses. 
Unfortunately, all the addresses have to fit on that one line.

     ie:  To: user1@node1, node2!node3!user2, user4%node5@node6

Also, the To: line should *not* use the "user name <address>" style of
addressing.  The gateway does not currently handle that form.  It will
be in place hopefully next week. (no promises though!)

For best results, use the domain style of addressing "user@node" and let
the UNIX (or someother) system determine the best way to send the mail.

FUTURE CHANGES
==============

The gateway will be changing in the future in the wAay that users send
mail (Internet) or post articles (Usenet).

I plan to remove the neccessity to use UN: in a Usenet newsgroup (in BBS
terminology: a conference) and the USENET GATEWAY account for the
Internet confernce as these conferences are usually dedicated to the
gateway.  Also, RoseMail facilitates the access to these conferences.
I'm willing to hear proposals from you if you have ideas of how to
improve the use of the gateway.  Unfortunately, I have to work within
the confines of PCBoard limtiations: 99 lines per message, 72 columns
wide.

Give it some thought and drop me a note.

Luis Lopes
(UNIX/Gateway Administrator)


ps:  that note should be made public so that other users can see it and
     so that they can either praise it or give some constructive
     criticism.

pps: any flames will be dropped into /dev/null. :-)

USENET ETIQUETTE AND STYLE
==========================
How to send Public & Private Messages:

All of the systems being gatewayed are of a world-wide nature and
message content (in the USENET echos) must be geared towards a large
world wide audience.  All "replies" which would only be useful or
applicable to the original sender should be sent as a PRIVATE reply
which will get sent as Electronic Mail (EMail).  Private mail is
documented later in this bulletin.


Public "echomail" HINTS
-----------------------

WRITING STYLE:

     Never forget that the person on the other side is human.
     Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them.
     Think about your audience.
     Only post a message once.
     Summarize what you are following up.
     Use mail, don't post a follow-up.
     Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already been said.
     Be careful about copyrights and licenses.
     Cite appropriate references.
     When summarizing, summarize.

     Write *below* the readers' reading level.
          The average person reads at a 5th grade level (11 years of
          age). The average professional reads at about the 12th grade
          level (18 years of age).

     Keep paragraphs short and sweet.  Keep sentences shorter and
     sweeter.  This means "concise", not cryptic.

     White space is not wasted space -- it greatly improves clarity.  A
     blank line only adds a few bytes to the article length, so don't be
     stingy if it will help make your meaning clearer.

     Pick your words to have only *one* meaning.  Vagueness is
     considered artistic by literary critics.  We are not being literary
     here.

     People can only grasp about seven things at once.  This means ideas
     in a paragraph, major sections, etc..

     Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, if possible, and define the ones
     you use.

     There are several variations on any one sentence.  A passive,
     questioning or negative sentence takes longer to read.


NET STYLE:

     Subtlety is not communicated well in written form - especially over
     a computer.

     The above applies to humor as well. (rec.humor, of course, not
     included.)

     When being especially "flame-boyant", I find it helpful to go to
     the bathroom before actually sending.  Then, I often change the
     tone considerably. Take a break before posting something in anger
     or that might hurt or anger others.

     Subject lines should be used very carefully.  How much time have
     you wasted reading articles with a misleadifg subject line?

     References need to be made.  When you answer mail, you have the
     original message fresh in your mind.  When I receive your answer,
     I don't.

     It's *much* easier to read a mixture of upper and lower case
     letters.

     Leaving out articles (such as "the," "a," "an," etc.) for "brevity"
     mangles the meaning of your sentences and takes longer to read. It
     saves you time at the expense of your"reader.

     Be careful of contextual meanings of words.  For instance, I used
     "articles" just now.  In the context of netnews, it has a different
     meaning than I intended.

     Make an effort to spell words correctly.  Obvious misspellings are
     jarring and distract the reader.  Every news posting program allows
     you to edit your article before posting, and most systems have some
     kind of spelling checker program that you can use on your article.

     Remember - this is an international network.

     Remember - your future employers may be reading your articles.


PUBLIC REPLIES:

It is recommended that a full screen ANSI editor be used for messages
because you can then quote messages you are replying to.

There is one (1) way to use the Usenet gateway for public replies.

1)   You can enter messages (PUBLIC) to any USERID and then make the
     first 3 characters of the 'Subject' "UN:" which will signify to the
     Gateway that you want that me{sage to be sent to UseNet. If "UN:"
     are not the first 3 characters, then your message will not be
     echoed over Usenet. It will be a purely local message.

PRIVATE EMAIL REPLIES:

It is recommended that a full screen ANSI editor be used for messages
because you can then quote messages you are replying to.

There is one (1) way to use the Usenet gateway for private email.

1)   You can enter messages (PRIVATE) To: 'USENET GATEWAY' and then make
     the first line of the message 'TO: user@site' where the 'user@site'
     will be from a 'From: ....' line in the message received from that
     person.  You MUST enter in the 'To:' column that the message is
     going to 'USENET GATEWAY'.  Otherwise, your message will not be
     echoed.
Rose Media Incorporated - Usenet Newsgroup Listings

IMPORTANT:     To access these Newsgroups for reading messages and
               entering messages  while you are 'on-line',  type 'OPEN
               10' to get to the Usenet area first and then use the 'J'
               (join) command to get the NewsGroup you wish.  For
               example, 'J 60' will get you to Usenet NewsGroup 60 which
               is 'MISC.CONSUMER'.  If you use one of the off-line
               readers such as 'EZ-Reader', or 'Qmail', (by far the most
               efficient way to send and read E-Mail) type 'OPEN 11' to
               get to the Usenet NewsGroup Qmail door.

======================================================================
540 Private Message Replies     All responses to private messages from
                                all Usenet Newsgroups are sent here.
======================================================================
541 news.announce.important     General announcements of interest to
                                all.
                                Moderated.
542 news.announce.newgroups     Calls for newgroups & announcements of
                                same.
                                Moderated.
543 news.announce.newusers      Explanatory postings for new users.
                                Moderated.
544 news.config                 Postings of system down times and
                                interruptions.
545 news.groups                 Discussions and lists of newsgroups.
546 news.lists                  News-related statistics and lists.
                                Moderated.
547 news.misc                   Discussions of USENET itself.
548 news.newsites               Postings of new site announcements.
549 news.newusers.questions     Q & A for users new to the Usenet.
550 news.software.anu-news      VMS B-news software frod Australian
                                National University.
551 news.software.b             Discussion about B-news-compatible
                                software.
557 news.software.nn
552 news.software.nntp          The Network News Transfer Protocol.
553 news.software.notes         Notesfile software from the U. of
                                Illinois.
555 news.admin                  Comments directed to news
                                administrators.
554 news.sysadmin               Comments directed to system
                                administrators.
556 news.announce.conferences   Calls for papers & conference
                                announcements.
                                Moderated.
======================================================================
560 misc.consumers              Consumer interests, product reviews,
                                etc.
561 misc.consumers.house        Discussion about owning and maintaining
                                a house.
562 misc.emerg-services         Forum for paramedics & other
                                first responders.
563 misc.forsale                Short, tasteful postings about items for
                                sale.
564 misc.handicap               Items of interest for/about the
                                handicapped.
                                Moderated.
565 misc.headlines              Current interest: drug testing,
                                terrorism, etc.
566 misc.headlines.unitex
567 misc.invest                 Investments and the handling of money.
568 misc.jobs.misc              Discussion about employment, workplaces,
                                af` careers.
569 misc.jobs.offered           Announcements of positions available.
570 misc.jobs.resumes           Postings of resumes and "situation
                                wanted".
571 misc.kids                   Children, their behavior and activities.
572 misc.legal                  Legalities and the ethics of law.
573 misc.misc                   Various discussions not fitting in any
                                other group.
574 misc.rural                  Devoted to issues concerning rural
                                living.
574 misc.security               Security in general, not just computers.
                                Moderated.
576 misc.taxes                  Tax laws and advice.
577 misc.test                   For testing of network software.  Very
                                boring.
578 misc.wanted                 Requests for things that are needed.
                                (NOT software).
======================================================================
580 can.ai
581 can.francais
582 can.general
583 can.jobs
584 can.politics%
585 can.sun-stroke
586 can.usrgroup
587 can.uucp
======================================================================
590 ont.archives
591 ont.conditions
592 ont.events
593 ont.general
594 ont.jobs
595 ont.micro
596 ont.sf-lovers
597 ont.singles
598 ont.test
599 ont.uucp
======================================================================
603 tor.general
604 tor.news
605 tor.news.stats
606 tor.test
609 junk
======================================================================
610 sci.aeronautics             The science of aeronautics & related
                                technology.
611 sci.aquaria
612 sci.astro                   Astronomy discussions and information.
613 sci.bio                     Biology and related sciences.
614 sci.bio.technology          Any topic relating to biotechnology.
615 sci.chem                    Chemistry and related sciences.
616 sci.crypt                   Different methods of data en/decryption.
617 sci.econ                    The science of economics.
618 sci.edu                     Science education.
619 sci.electronics             Circuits, theory, electrons and
                                discussions.
620 sci.energy                  Discussions about energy, science
                                and technology.
621 sci.environment             Discussions about the environment and
                                ecology.
622 sci.lang                    Natural languages, communication, etc.
623 sci.lang.japan              The Japanese language, both spoken &
                                written.
624 sci.logic                   Logic -- math, philosophy and
                                computational aspects.
625 sci.math                    Mathematical discussions and pursuits.
626 sci.math.num-analysis       Numerical Analysis.
627 sci.math.stat               Statistics discussion.
628 sci.math.symbolic           Symbolic algebra discussion.
629 sci.med                     Medicine and its related products and
                                regulations.
630 sci.med.aids                A       @S: treatment, pathology/biology
                                of HIV, prevention.
                                Moderated
631 sci.med.physics             Issues of physics in medical
                                testing/care.
632 sci.military                Discussion about science & the military.
                                Moderated.
633 sci.misc                    Short-lived discussions on subjects in
                                the sciences.
634 sci.nanotech                Self-reproducing molecular-scale
                                machines.
                                Moderated.
635 sci.philosophy.meta         Discussions within the scope of
                                "MetaPhilosophy."
636 sci.philosophy.tech         Technical philosophy: math, science,
                                logic, etc. 
637 sci.physics                 Physical laws, properties, etc.
638 sci.physics.fusion          Info on fusion, esp. "cold" fusion.
639 sci.psychology              Topics related to psychology.
640 sci.research                Research methods, funding, eth`cs,
                                and whatever.
641 sci.skeptic                 Skeptics discussing psuedo-science.
642 sci.space                   Space, space programs, space related
                                research, etc.
643 sci.space.shuttle           The space shuttle and the STS program.
644 sci.virtual-worlds
======================================================================
650 soc.college                 College, college activities, campus
                                life, etc.
651 soc.couples                 Discussions for couples (cf.
                                soc.singles).
652 soc.culture.african         Discussions about Africa & things
                                African.
653 soc.culture.arabic          Technological & cultural issues,
                                *not* politics.
654 soc.culture.asean
655 soc.culture.asian.american  Issues & discussion about
                                Asian-Americans.
656 soc.culture.british
657 soc.culture.celtic          Group about Celts (*not* baskexball!).
658 soc.culture.china           About China and Chinese culture.
659 soc.culture.esperanto       The neutral international language
                                Esperanto.
660 soc.culture.greek           Group about Greeks.
661 soc.culture.hongkong        Discussions pertaining to Hong Kong.
662 soc.culture.indian          Group for discussion about India and
                                things Indian.
663 soc.culture.japan           Everything Japanese, except the Japanese
                                language.
664 soc.culture.jewish          Jewish culture & religion.
                                (cf. talk.politics.mideast)
665 soc.culture.korean          Discussions about Korean & things
                                Korean.
666 soc.culture.latin-america   Topics about Latin-America.
667 soc.culture.misc            Group for discussion about other
                                cultures.
668 soc.culture.nordic          Discussion about culture up north.
669 soc.culture.sri-lanka       Things & people from Sri Lanka.
670 soc.culture.taiwan          Discussion about things Taiwanese.
671 soc.culture.turkish         Discussion about things Turkish.
672 soc.feminism                Discussion of feminism & feminist
                                issues.
                                Moderated.
673 soc.human-nets              Computer aided communications digest.
                                Moderated.
674 soc.men                     Issues related to men, their problems
                                and relationships.
675 soc.misc                    Socially-oriented topics not in other
                                groups.
676 soc.motss                   Issues pertaining to homosexuality.
677 soc.net-people              Announcements, requests, etc. about
                                people on the net.
678 soc.politics                Political problems, systems, solutions.
                                Moderated.
679 soc.politics.arms-d         Arms discussion digest. Moderated.
680 soc.religion.christian      Christianity and related topics.
                                Moderated.
681 soc.religion.islam
682 soc.rights.alien

683 soc.rights.human            Human rights & activism (e.g., Amnesty
                                International).
684 soc.roots                   Genealogical matters.
685 soc.singles                 Newsgroup for single people, their
                                activities, etc.
686 soc.singles.nice
687 soc.women                   Issues related to women, their problems
                                and relationships.
========================================================================
