alt.babylon5.uk Posting Rules

****PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE POSTING TO THIS GROUP****

POSTING RULES AS OF 4/7/99

HELPFUL POSTING INFO

CURRENT UK EPISODE INFO
To ensure you don't drop a spoiler by accident, here is the situation regarding what we have seen in the UK at the moment:

EPISODE NUMBERS

To help identification of individual episodes, we number episodes using the following method:

1. The first number indicates the season. '5' for season five, for example.
2. Then put a slash symbol. This looks like '/'.
3. Finally write the broadcast number. So, for the fourth aired episode write '04'. Note it always has to be two digits.
4. So, the episode number for the fourth season five episode, "A View from the Gallery", is 5/04.
5. If the episode is one from crusade simpaly just use the letter C followed by the episode number eg "C 1/02"
*IMPORTANT NOTE* - make sure that you do include some indication that the eppisode is from the crusade series.

SPOILER SPACE

This a is a system used to ensure people do not accidentally read about stuff they don't yet want to.

It consists of a warning at the top of your post, followed by approximately 30 lines of 'spoiler space', after which you write your text. This ensures that any potentially spoiling material is not on-screen as soon as a post is viewed.

Spoiler space is used because there are a number of people that have not seen Crusade as they don't have Sky1 and so will be getting videos from friends. So spoiler space should be used when discussing ALL eppisodes of Crusade and also when discussing all films (as they are only avalable on video) and books/comics etc, which many will not have read yet.

LAWS OF THE GROUP

NO SPOILERS FOR UK VIEWERS

Do not post *ANYTHING* that could be construed as being a spoiler for B5 stuff we have not yet seen in the UK. That includes episodes, books, comics, TV movies etc...

NO CROSS-POSTING

Do not cross-post to other groups, be they Babylon 5-related or not. They may have different Posting Rules to this group, and you'll probably get in a lot of trouble. DON'T DO IT!!!!

NO BINARIES

Do not post binary files to the newsgroup. This is a text-only newsgroup, so programs, images, sounds, html etc...are not allowed. If you wish to make a binary available to members of the group, do the following:

1. Either:
a) Post the binary to alt.binaries.multimedia.babylon5 or
b) Send an e-mail to the webmaster of the group website (webmaster@altb5uk.freeserve.co.uk) with a description of the file. Only send the file after you have been given the OK.
2. Then: Post a message to the group giving details of the binary and where to find it.

SPAMS AND TROLLS

Never reply to a piece of spam or a trollish statement (a deliberately antagonising post). It will only prolong the thread. Just ignore it.

GUIDELINES TO POSTING

SUBJECTS

Whenever posting about an episode, always ensure that you put the episode number of the relevant episode at the start of your subject, and do not include any spoiler information in the title if the episode is yet to be screened.. For example:

1. Say you wanted to write a thread entitled "Alien fleet attacks B5 - cool FX!", referring to "A View from the Gallery".
2. Before posting, change the subject to read "[5/04 - "A View from the Gallery"] - cool FX!".

SPOILER WARNINGS

If you spot a spoiler on the group, quickly post a warning message to the group to stop others from coming across it.

1. Write the warning message, without quoting or giving details of the spoiler itself (very important!).
2. Use the following subject heading: '!SPOILER WARNING! In thread "Thread's Name"'.
3. Replace "Thread's Name" with the subject of the offending post, as long as it does not constitute a spoiler itself.

SPOILER SPACE

[See above for details of why spoiler space is used.]

1. Check if your posting contains any material about episodes which are covered under Spoiler Space in 'LAWS OF THE GROUP'.
2. If so, write at the top of your post 'SPOILERS FOR EPISODE X/XX "Episode Title"', replacing X/XX with the episode number.
3. Leave 30 lines (with at least one character per line) before commencing the main bulk of your text.

QUOTING

Try to keep your quoting to a minimum. Only quote what is relevant to your reply, and cut out irrelevant text.

Also, quote material at the top of your relies, with you reply interspersed throughout the quote, or underneath it.

This makes reading the group a lot easier.

ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

alt.babylon5.uk is an unmoderated group; consequently you can theoretically post whatever you like. However, certain things are either banned or frowned upon, such as binaries and spoilers.

Abusive language is something of a grey area. Whilst freedom of speech is encouraged on the group, please be considerate towards others who may find certain forms of the written word offensive.

HELPFUL NEWSGROUP INFO

THE OFFICIAL ALT.BABYLON5.UK WEBSITE

This is run by the newsgroup's very own Callum, and is contributed to by members of the group. The website can be found at: http://www.altb5uk.freeserve.co.uk or http://alt.b5.net
It always contains an up-to-date version of these Posting Rules, Details of members and lots more.

THE OFFICIAL ALT.BABYLON5.UK IRC CHANNEL

Members of the newsgroup meet regularly on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). This is a medium whereby people can 'talk' in real-time, by typing messages to each other. Imagine a conversation between 20 people at a time!

Channel name - #altb5uk
Server - Use an IRCnet server. Ask on the group or see the website for more details.
Time - 8pm UK time, Saturdays and Sundays.

THE OFFICIAL ALT.BABYLON5.UK MYTHOLOGY AND IN-JOKE COMPENDIUM

This is written by Mark Dunne (aka MarkWCats) and it contains details of the many and varied in-jokes and mythologies of the newsgroup.

It is regulary posted to the group and an up-to-date version can always be found on the group website.

THE UK MINI-FAQ

This FAQ is maintained by Anthony Naggs (amn@ubik.demon.co.uk) and can be found at http://www.ubik.demon.co.uk/babylon5. It contains the latest scheduling information for B5, plus news on Crusade and the merchandise releases. Check this out before asking a question that might have been asked before on the group itself.

ALTERNATIVE US NEWSGROUPS

Although viewers from outside the UK are welcome to the group, they may also wish to subscribe to a newsgroup specific to their country, so they do not have to worry about posting spoilers all the time. Try one of these: alt.tv.babylon-5 or rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5

THE POSTING RULES

That's what you're reading right now. If you stick by 'em, you'll get along fine in the newsgroup.

They are written by Callum Noble (original by Simon Jones). Suggestions for improvements should be either posted to the newsgroup or emailed directly to him at: rfp@altb5uk.freeserve.co.uk

Enjoy the group!