The nz.* Usenet Hierarchy FAQ
                       -----------------------------

            Maintained by Simon Lyall (simon@darkmere.gen.nz). 


Version number 1.57

Created - Jun 1 1998

------------------------------------

Subject: 0.0 Table of Contents.

 0.0 Table of Contents.
 0.1 Recent Changes to this FAQ.

 1.0 What is the nz.* hierarchy?
 1.1 History of the nz.* hierarchy.
 1.2 What nz.* groups are there?
 1.3 Recent Traffic Statistics.

 2.0 Recent Votes.
     - nz.test
     - nz.org.nzcs
     - nz.org.net-society
     - nz.org.isocnz
     - nz.org.ipenz
     - nz.soc.queer
     - nz.net.*
 3.0 Bogus groups
 4.0 Creating a new nz.* group
 5.0 Sample Configuration Files
 7.0 Netiquette in the nz.* hierarchy
 8.0 Other Frequently Asked Questions 
     - posting to nz.test
     - nz.wanted vs nz.forsale
     - Getting nz.* groups overseas
     - IBM
     - What is usenet.net.nz?
 9.0 Credits for this FAQ.

------------------------------------

Subject: 0.1 Recent Changes to this FAQ.

In June 98
- Removed nz.archives

In May 98
- Added nz.politics.announce stuff

In Apr 98
- Fixed nz.soc.queer charter

In Mar 98
- removed reference to other hierarchies (most of them don't exist anymore).
- updated for removal of nz.biz.misc.discuss and creation of nz.soc.religion

In Feb 98
- New section of stats, updated each month.
- New Netiquette section.


------------------------------------

Subject: 1.0 What is the nz.* hierarchy?

 The nz.* hierarchy is a group of Usenet Newsgroups that are primarily 
distributed within and to do with New Zealand, a country in the South 
Pacific near Australia. While the groups are mainly for New Zealanders 
at home they are also exported and can be read by people in other 
countries if their site gets a feed of them.

 This FAQ attempts to document various issues surrounding to nz.* groups 
including voting procedures and charters of various groups.


This FAQ is also available from:

         http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/nz-news-hierarchy

------------------------------------

Subject: 1.1 History of the nz.* hierarchy.

 
 Mark Davies posted the following message (slightly edited) outlining the 
history of the current newsgroups up till March 95.

~From: mark@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Mark Davies)
~Newsgroups: nz.org.net-society,nz.netstatus,nz.general
~Subject: Re: CFV process for creating NZ.* groups
~Date: 27 Mar 1995 23:06:30 GMT
~Message-ID: <3l7gdm$jh1@st-james.comp.vuw.ac.nz>

OK, Here is the creation story for all NZ newsgroups:
   nz.general
   nz.netstatus
The original two. Created with no discussion (there was noone to discuss 
with) when we first started getting news in the country. They will be 10 
years old later this year (happy birthday to you ...)

   nz.arts
   nz.comp
   nz.rec
   nz.soc
   nz.soc.green
   nz.wanted
   nz.archives

Created after a usenet BOF at a Uniforum NZ conference attended by many of
the then news administrators.  We got flamed about creating these without
consulting the masses so introduced a voting scheme of two week period, 20+
votes required, simple majority (I think, something like that anyway).

   nz.alex

The vote was rigged and the newgroup was ignored (you had to be there)

   nz.molbio

voted for and passed under the above voting scheme.  The group was 
eventually removed due to lack of traffic.

   nz.politics
   nz.org.net-society

voted for and passed under revised voting schemes allowing for the growth
in the net population.

   nz.test

A technical group created after discussion when a need was identified.


------------------------------------

Subject: 1.2 What nz.* groups are there?

 The following is a list of the currently recognized nz.* newsgroups. These 
groups should be covered by all sites that claim to carry the nz.* 
hierarchy.


nz.arts 
=======

Discussion of television, exhibitions and books etc. Traffic is fairly 
light and as with several of the smaller groups much of the traffic that 
would normally be expected to take place in this group goes on in 
nz.general instead.


nz.biz.misc
===========

This is a moderated forum for the posting of commercial messages including
those advertising Jobs. All messages must follow a set format (see the FAQ 
posted to the group). The group is currently moderated by a team of 
moderators. Submissions should be sent to nbm@usenet.net.nz while the 
moderators can be contacted via nbm-req@usenet.net.nz.


nz.comp 
=======

Anything computer related.
e.g. why modems need telepermits, Good computer companies. 

For-sale and Jobs posts should go to nz.wanted or nz.biz.misc.

 
nz.general
==========

The cesspool of the nz.* hierarchy, Everything tends to be discussed 
here with other groups only picking up the scraps.
Examples: speed cameras, Shortland Street, Current affairs.

If at all possible, you should use a more specialized nz.* group in order
to make sure your post stands out from the clutter.


nz.net.announce
===============

This is a moderated group for posting important announcements on Internet 
links and services in New Zealand. The group is moderated to prevent chat 
and to reduce the number of unwanted posts. All discussion on posts to this 
group should take place elsewhere, usually nz.net.admin. The guidelines
for posting to the group are regularly posted and the moderators' address
is nna@usenet.net.nz.


nz.net.admin
============

This group provides a forum for the discussion of issues surrounding
the Internet in New Zealand. Queries as to the status of various services
should be posted to this group as well as follow-ups on posts to
nz.net.announce. Discussion of newsgroups reorganizations with the nz.*
hierarchy should also take place here.


nz.org.isocnz
=============

This group is for discussion of Internal business of ISOCNZ as well as 
other issues that it is concerned with.


nz.politics.announce
====================

nz.politics.announce is a moderated forum for the posting of official
press releases, election results and announcements by Government bodies and
other entities involved in the political process and government of New
Zealand.

Since the group is not intended as a discussion medium followups must be
directed to another newsgroup (usually nz.politics) or to the poster.
Articles will be crossposted only at the moderators' discretion and normal
official announcements should not be crossposted to nz.politics

The following (or their spokespersons) may post Official Information,
statements, announcements and releases to the group:

* Ministers of the Crown.
* Members of Parliament.
* Registered political parties.
* Candidates in General and by-elections.
* The Electoral Commission.
* The Chief Electoral Officer.
* The Registrar of Electors.
* The Clerk of the Writs.
* The Representation Commission.

In addition the following may be posted

* Administrative posts and Information about the Newsgroup
* FAQs related to politics in New Zealand.
* Announcements of online political resources, mailing lists, newsgroups
  and web sites.

Posts must be in plain text and have a legitimate from address that will
reach the author. Anonymous post are not accepted.

Posts which contain substantially the same text may not be posted more
than once every two weeks and the moderators may place a limit on a
particular entity's posts provided this is not less than 10 posts and/or
30 kilobytes per day.


 
nz.politics
===========

All forms of political discussion relating to New Zealand. 
 

nz.rec
======

Sports, games, and other outdoor and indoor activities.


nz.reg.*
========

Any posts which deal with things of interest to or about the area or
region are welcome and on-topic in this group.  This includes discussions
of local activities and events, local non-commercial buy/sell/wanted
posts, local issues and personalities and anything else that relates to
the area covered by the group.

The following things are not welcome:

Binaries
Chain letters, including "Make Money Fast" articles
Known hoaxes (like the "Good Times Virus")
Articles posted as separate copies to several newsgroups (spam)
Articles excessively cross-posted (see below for details)
Articles containing significantly more quoted than new content
Duplicate/rapidly reposted messages
Commercial messages of any kind.

Also crossposts to any non-regional nz.* group are by definition off-topic
unless a follow-up to only one group is set.  If you are posting
something in nz.general or nz.wanted then there is no need to post it in
say nz.reg.auckland.general

Crossposts to other regional groups may be appropriate if the post deals
with something that crosses some regional boundaries.  An example may be a
post talking about using the Waikato River to supply water to Auckland.
This may be appropriate for both nz.reg.auckland.general and
nz.reg.hamilton.general.

If it is cross-posted to more than four regional groups then it should be
in nz.general/nz.politics/nz.wanted etc., as appropriate.  Cross-posts to
every regional group will be regarded as spamming and abusive behavior.

Crossposts to other groups such as misc.transport.urban may be
appropriate but in any case cross posts to more than four groups are
considered unwelcome.

An exception may me made to the crosspost limit for FAQs, CFVs and other
administrative posts.


nz.soc                
======

Social issues, traffic is very light.

 
nz.soc.green        
============

All sorts of 'green' issues relating to the environment, many posts are 
articles forwarded from other publications or electronic forums.


nz.soc.queer
============

nz.soc.queer is a forum for the discussion of issues relating to the New
Zealand queer community. It is a discussion group to cater for people who
feel themselves to be excluded from the "straight" community because of
sexuality or gender orientation issues.  This includes, but is not limited
to: gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and women, transgendered people,
people in multiple-partnered relationships, friends of any of the above, 
and those who are curious or unsure.

This is NOT a valid forum for discussion of the "correctness" or otherwise,
of any of the previously mentioned orientations/preferences. Other
newsgroups exist where this discussion can occur.

This is NOT a valid forum for hate posts against the previously mentioned
orientations/preferences.


nz.soc.religion
===============

Any posts discussing religion generally, specific religions, faiths,
plus philosophy and ethics as it relates to religious backgrounds are
all on-topic for this group.

The following things are not welcome:

Binaries
Chain letters, including "Make Money Fast" articles
Known hoaxes (like the "Good Times Virus")
Articles posted as separate copies to several newsgroups (spam)
Articles excessively cross-posted
Articles containing significantly more quoted than new content
Duplicate/rapidly reposted messages
Commercial messages of any kind.


 
nz.test               
=======

For test posts. See Section 8.0 for more information.


nz.wanted            
=========

The place to post non-commercial For-Sale, Wanted, Looking for people and 
personals. See Section 8.0 for more information.


------------------------------------

Subject: 1.3 Recent Traffic Statistics. 


May 1998 nz.* Hierarchy Postings Statistics


Newsgroup				Articles	Kilobytes
==================================================================
nz.arts                       		86		274 
nz.biz.misc                   		31		82 
nz.comp                       		1653		2661 
nz.general                    		5397		10759 
nz.net.announce               		7		63 
nz.net.admin                  		124		330 
nz.org.isocnz                 		20		44 
nz.politics.announce          		319		1387 
nz.politics                   		5174		11041 
nz.rec                        		248		431 
nz.soc                        		75		138 
nz.soc.green                  		42		265 
nz.soc.religion               		1551		3827 
nz.soc.queer                  		861		1802 
nz.reg.bay-of-plenty.general  		156		391 
nz.reg.auckland.general       		572		1006 
nz.reg.dunedin.general        		278		589 
nz.reg.christchurch.general   		848		1884 
nz.reg.hawkes-bay.general     		40		140 
nz.reg.northland.general      		34		45 
nz.reg.manawatu.general       		29		40 
nz.reg.hamilton.general       		253		505 
nz.reg.nelson.general         		41		191 
nz.reg.gisborne.general       		154		390 
nz.reg.taranaki.general       		75		102 
nz.reg.west-coast.general     		30		42 
nz.reg.southland.general      		44		139 
nz.reg.wellington.general     		189		264 
nz.test                       		103		332 
nz.wanted                     		1327		1725 

Total for all groups:         		15808		32004 

Note: Each group's total counts all articles posted to that group, but
      crossposted articles are only counted once towards the overall total

------------------------------------

Subject: 2.0 Recent Votes.


nz.org.net-society
==================

 This group was proposed by Simon Lyall  in late 1994
to cover non-technical Net issues and also to provide a forum for the newly
created Network Society. The number of votes required for it to pass was set
at at least 50 total and of these two thirds had to be yes. The group easily
gained this and passed by 106 to 6.


nz.org.isocnz
=============

 Don Neal  proposed this group in early 1995 to cover
the New Zealand chapter of the Internet Society that was being setup at the 
time. It's vote was conducted under the same rules as the previous 
nz.org.net-society vote. It failed to be created when despite the large
majority in favor ( 37:2 ) the minimum number of total votes (50) was not
reached. 

 Another vote was held a few months later and the groups was created after 
the vote passed 45:0


nz.biz.misc & nz.biz.misc.discuss
=================================

 These were created under a 2:1 & majority of 20 rule. Both just passed
by 22:2.


nz.org.ipenz
============

 This vote caused some problems. The proponent  
posted a non-standard CFV after very little discussion and mostly 
negative feedback. There were several problems with the voting address 
with several people claiming that their votes did not get through. When 
the result was published there were also several votes from overseas 
addresses and one on behalf of someone else. General dissatisfaction has 
meant that the group has not been created.


nz.soc.queer
============

Mark Proffit  proposed this group in late 1995 
after strong success of a similar mailing list. The vote was under a 2/3 
and 25 rules and passed by 53 to 2.


nz.net.announce & nz.net.admin
==============================

Simon Lyall  proposed these to replace 
nz.netstatus which many felt was becoming to cluttered with chatter 
which made it difficult to find important posts. After much discussion a 
two part vote was held. The first part was to split nz.netstatus into the 
two new groups and passed 58 to 5 while the second part was to moderate 
nz.net.announce and this passed 46 to 13. Both votes were under a 2/3rds 
yes and 25 difference rule.


nz.reg.*
========

The groups were proposed by David Farrar  during late
1997 in order to give a place for local discussion and to replace seval
ad-hoc and poorly distributed local hierarchies. All groups passed under a
a 2/3rds yes and 25 difference rule.


nz.soc.religion
===============

Proposed by Patrick Dunford  and David Farrar
 in early to hold the large amount of relgious
discussion that was dominating nz.general. It passed under the 2/3rds yes
and 25 difference rule.


nz.politics.announce
====================

This group passed 42:4 in early 1998.


------------------------------------

Subject: 3.0 Bogus Groups


The following groups may be present at some sites or may occasionally 
appear in the "Newsgroups:" header. However none of them are currently 
regarded as legitimate nz.* groups and should be ignored/removed.

If you are aware of an ISP that carries these groups please ask them to 
remove them.


nz.forsale
==========

This group is not widely propagated and does not appear on the some of the
official lists of groups. Most of the traffic in the group is international
advertisers crossposting to *.forsale, use nz.wanted instead.

 
nz.gen.kiwi.3tt
===============

This group exists in the imagination of Neville D 
who has in the past put forward a belief that sites should have a 
corresponding newsgroup. This idea has not been well supported among the 
New Zealand Usenet community and Neville is regularly flamed when he 
crossposts his messages to this group.


nz.molbio
=========

This group was originally created to deal with the subject of 'Molecular 
Biology' but it seems nobody was much interested in that subject so after
a couple of years and almost no posts it was removed in early 1995.


nz.org.ipenz
============

Several problems with the vote, see Section 2.0.


nz.org.nzcs
===========

Failed vote, see Section 2.0.


nz.netstatus
============

Replaced with nz.net.*, see Section 2.0 


nz.org.net-society
==================

Removed in late 97 due to lack of on-topic traffic


nz.biz.misc.discuss
===================

Removed in early 98 due to lack of on-topic traffic


nz.archives
===========

Removed in mid 98 due to lack of on-topic traffic


------------------------------------

Subject: 4.0 Creating a new nz.* group
 
The procedures for creating a new nz.* group are similar to that of 
creating a 'Big Eight' (ie news.*,comp.*,soc.*..) group except they are on 
a smaller scale and less formal. Below is a recommended procedure for 
creating a new group.

NOTE: This is only a recommendation, their are *no* formal rules, however 
a group that passes using these procedures has a good chance of being 
accepted by administrators.

I would be very happy to help you if you have any questions.


(Borrowed from the Introduction to rec.arts.comics Newsgroups FAQ)

Any proposed split or new group will have to be well justified:

  A. Is the group easily and clearly defined? Given any post, would it 
     go in the new group or an existing one?

  B. Is current group traffic too high? Will the split reduce it?

  C. Will the split save time? There's no point in splitting if most 
     people will read both the old group and the new group.

  D. Is there sufficient traffic already about the topic? Usenet is not 
     "Field of Dreams".

  E. Will the topic exist for years to come? Newsgroups don't die so easily.

  F. Will at least a 2/3rds super-majority of voters want to create it?


1) Decide what you want exactly. 
================================

This means you should think about what sort of group you are after, 
answer to yourself questions like:

* Does it need to be moderated?
* Would a mailing list be a better idea?
* Does the traffic justify it? 
* Would an International group serve the topic better?
* Where should it roughly go?


2) Post a Request for Discussion (RFD)
=======================================

 This should be crossposted to at least nz.net.announce, nz.net.admin and 
nz.general to insure that everybody will see it. Try an include as much 
information about the group as you can including a possible charter. If 
you want ideas on what to write take a look at news.announce.newsgroups 
and read the various RFDs and CFVs that are posted there.

Note: nz.net.announce is moderated so there may be a delay of a couple
of days before your RFD is sent, the moderators of the group may also 
contact you about the RFD to check some points.

 Don't forget to set your follow-ups to nz.net.admin since all discussion 
should take place there

 With a bit of luck you will get half a dozen people following up your 
RFD with "good idea, go for it" type messages and no critism whatsoever.
However in the real world (or real Usenet in this case) you are likely to
get several people questioning points you raise, pointing out silly 
spelling mistakes and generally trying to pick holes in your proposal.

 The thing to remember is to take account of what these people say. If 
they suggest another name consider the possibility. If they say that your
charter is not clear enough on some point then try to make it clearer. 
Remember some people are naturally suspicious and will make the strangest 
assumptions from they see written in your RFD. The most important thing
to remember is that the RFD has to stand by itself without any other
explanations needed.

 At this point you might also like to consider finding some one to count 
the vote if you proposal goes that far. Ideally the person should be 
neutral on the topic(or at least seen to be), known to a few people other 
than yourself (a academic staff member is a good choice if you are at 
university) and familiar with the basic processes of Usenet and group 
votes.

To assist in deciding what to put in your RFD you might like to check out 
the documents at:

                             http://www.uvv.org/


3) 2nd RFD
==========

 If your proposal is pretty much accepted by everybody then you can skip 
this step and go straight onto the CFV. However usually you will have a 
few changes as a result of feedback from your first RFD. These should be 
incorporated in a 2ndRFD which is posted in much the same way as the first.

 Once again take account of any feedback and if need be you might even 
want to do a 3rd RFD if there are lots of changes in your proposal.


4) 1st Call For Votes (CFV)
===========================

 Once you have arranged everything with your vote-taker you should issue 
the first Call for Votes or CFV. Like the RFD(s) this should be 
cross-posted to nz.general,nz.net.announce and nz.net.admin (and other 
groups as necessary) with follow-ups directed to nz.net.admin. In 
addition the "Reply-To:" header should have the address of the 
vote-taker so people can send in their votes just be replying to the 
message. Take a look in news.announce.newgroups for examples of CFVs and 
how to structure them.


5) 2nd CFV
==========

 This should be sent out about a week after the first CFV and be pretty 
much identical. It is merely to ensure that people who missed the first 
CFV have a chance to vote.


6) Important points for the vote-taker
======================================

* All votes should be acknowledged by Email, this is so that the voter 
knows that his/her vote has got through and been counted by the vote-taker.
If a vote is not acknowledged within a day or two by the vote-taker the 
voter *must* assume that the vote has failed to get through and should 
re-vote. This should be spelled out in the CFV.

* The vote-taker must not tell anyone (including the proponent) about the 
number or nature of the votes received while the vote is taking place. If 
this is done so the vote is immediately null and void. Obviously is 
some circumstances it may be necessary to discuss the vote with other 
people (such as ones system administrator if possible forged votes are 
being administrated) but in all these cases no indication of the overall 
result should be given.

* Only one vote per person and one vote per account. Anonymous votes
should not be accepted, nor proxies or votes from 'system' accounts (such 
as root or postmaster) unless a name is attached. Also votes where the 
acknowledgement bounces should be treated with suspicion.

* It should be stated before-hand if votes from outside *.nz will be 
accepted.


7) The Result
=============

 After voting has closed the the vote-taker is satisfied as to the 
legality of the votes received (and discarded any illegal ones) he/she 
should determine the result.

Please note: The exact number of votes needed to create and nz.* group is
currently still under debate. These numbers given below are around those 
that have been suggested. In any case the exact numbers for needed for a 
particular vote to succeed should be listed in the CFV.

 The vote should be counted as having passed if the number of YES votes is 
at least twice the number of NO votes *and* there are at least 25 more 
YES than NO votes.

 After the result has been determined the vote-taker should post it to all 
the groups the the CFV was posted to (with appropriate follow ups) and 
list the names of all the voters and which way they voted. 

 If there are no major disputes the group(s) voted in favor of should be 
created.

To make sure you vote has the best chance of being created after a 
successful vote has occurred you should get Mark Davies 
 and root@usenet.net.nz to both send out messages 
to create the group.

------------------------------------

Subject: 5.0 Sample Configuration Files


This section is for news administrators to enable them to carry the correct
nz.* groups. It contains a checkgroups file and for those sites that run INN
control.ctl and moderators file entries are included as well as the PGP key
used to issue control messages for nz.* groups.

The checkgroups entry for nz.* is as follows, in order to run this by hand 
you can use the "docheckgroups" program included in the INN distribution.


--cut-here--
nz.arts 	Discussion on the Arts.
nz.biz.misc 	Moderated group for commercial postings. (Moderated)
nz.comp 	Computing and computers.
nz.general 	General information, announcements, etc
nz.net.announce 	Status of Local & International Networks (Moderated)
nz.net.admin 	Administrative issues to do with the National Network.
nz.org.isocnz 	The Internet Society of New Zealand
nz.politics.announce	 Political and government announcements. (Moderated)
nz.politics	Politics
nz.rec		Recreation.
nz.soc		Social issues.
nz.soc.green	Environmental issues.
nz.soc.queer	Discussion of issues related to the NZ queer community.
nz.soc.religion		Eternal debates and discussion
nz.test		NZ hierarchy test messages.
nz.wanted	Requests for sources, information, ...
nz.reg.bay-of-plenty.general	Plenty to talk about in the BoP
nz.reg.auckland.general		All about the City of Sails and Region
nz.reg.dunedin.general 		NZ's Edinburgh is discussed all right here
nz.reg.christchurch.general 	Tales from the Garden City & Canterbury
nz.reg.hawkes-bay.general 	The sunny wine capital of NZ
nz.reg.northland.general 	Cyberdiscussion of the far North
nz.reg.manawatu.general 	Palmie North and Wanganui on-topic here
nz.reg.hamilton.general 	Where it's happening.
nz.reg.nelson.general 		The top talk of the South Island
nz.reg.gisborne.general 	First to see the sun each day
nz.reg.taranaki.general 	Taranaki - the energy province
nz.reg.west-coast.general 	There's gold in those postings
nz.reg.southland.general 	Net Discussions frrrom the deep south
nz.reg.wellington.general  	Absolutely positively capital posts
--cut-here--


The following are extracts from files used by the INN news-server.

The following should be placed in the "control.ctl" file. This ensures that 
groups will only be created or removed if signed by root@usenet.net.nz.

--cut-here--
## NZ (New Zealand)
# Contact root@usenet.net.nz
# PGP fingerprint: 07 DF 48 AA D0 ED AA 88  16 70 C5 91 65 3D 1A 28
newgroup:root@usenet.net.nz:nz.*:verify-nz-hir-control
rmgroup:root@usenet.net.nz:nz.*:verify-nz-hir-control
checkgroups:root@usenet.net.nz:nz.*:verify-nz-hir-control

--cut-here--


The following key (identified as "nz-hir-control" ) should be added to the
pgpring that your software uses:

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.6.3i

mQCNAzNYhVkAAAEEAMtQi97id2CiV5TFAqB0xWP2S+4+dEx7lqvh/yXdAmMKHgUH
UFckf6+Nm62JGjzAvInoKdRN59zL1dYoAB/ZHzthWOlOaleGWM729txFlk6JBuoW
A/esv+P0BmG/RslIhp7Cyi9oySdFdQvUzd6RFBybJEC+Q0DCvvsII0K45VLFAAUR
tA5uei1oaXItY29udHJvbIkAlQMFEDNYhVn7CCNCuOVSxQEBi/ED/3eZE6LDVYgA
IlGgKn3jXK/vECvE3URq9XKdsBQovxEJz1AQEvhJuHzjap5JfbUTqqITZMfmqL6Z
IOZeCdGGrKw/SqFRM5Knq1Km6uK2D84m2n2zepsvqHb4IDY6j03pZJAd0r2EAMV+
QOVP7HJ8qn7hgFSiZUuu4Afr7v3K2qfb
=aND1
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

You can verify this key by fingering root@usenet.net.nz



You can also place the following entry in your "moderators" file if you wish.
It ensures that all posts to moderated nz.* groups are forwarded to the 
correct moderator at usenet.net.nz.

--cut-here--
nz.*:%s@usenet.net.nz
--cut-here--

This entry should be placed *before* a default entry at the end of the file.

------------------------------------

Subject: 7.0 Netiquette in the nz.* hierarchy.

As well as general Usenet netiquette (see the introductory posts in
news.announce.newusers) the nz.* groups have their own particular
guidelines for posters. 


Finding the right group
=======================

Check through the list of nz.* groups (see section 1.2) for an idea of
what groups there are and where best to post your article. Avoid  
crossposting if possible and go for the group most specific to your post,
you should only post to nz.general if no other group covers the subject of
your post.


Crossposts & Multiposts
=======================

Avoid these if possible, if you crosspost your message to more than a
four groups or send the same message several time then it will most
likely violate the charter of the group(s) and annoy people. This could
result in the articles being deleted, people posting rude messages 
(flames) to or about you and complaints being made to you Internet Service
Provider (ISP). Depending on your ISP this may result in you losing your
account.

If you *must* crosspost an article you should set the followups to only
one or two groups at maximum. Discussions crossposted to more than a
couple of groups quickly become off-topic for some of them.


Binaries
========

Binaries are forbidden in the nz.* hierarchy. The large number of small
sites that get nz.* groups and high costs of phone calls for many are the
main reason behind this. A single picture can take up more space than a
day's worth of nz.* posts . If you post a binary attachment to your post 
such as a picture, sound, movie or "Microsoft Word" file you will be
violating this rule. The result will be that the article will be deleted
and a complaint will be sent to your ISP. This may result in you losing
your account. If you wish to distribute a binary you should use an
alt.binaries.* group or put it on a Web site.


Commercial posts.
=================

These should be restricted to nz.biz.* groups. All other groups forbid
these being posted. nz.wanted should be used for non-commercial
advertising only.


Test Messages
=============

Don't post test messages to discussion groups, use nz.test instead.
Several sites will send you email letting you know that your post has
reached them (this may take from seconds to a day or so). If you don't
wish to receive email include the word "ignore" in the subject of your
tests.


General Guidelines
==================

* Try to write your posts in clear english, don't forget to use a
  spell-checking program on your post before you send it. 
* Don't use HTML and format each line to 75 characters.
* Be accommodating to other posters, remember that not everybody may share
  your beliefs, experiences or lifestyle.
* Think before you flame someone or post when angry, remember that all
  posts are archived and something you post now can come back to haunt
  you in years time.
* Respond via email if what you have to say is mostly if interest to the
  author of the original post. To that end you should post using your real
  email address.
* Ensure that the newsreader you use generates standard conforming posts
  but remember that others may use newsreaders that lack useful features
  such as killfiles and threading.
* Read a newsgroups for a week or two before you post anything. This helps
  you to get an understanding of the culture of the group. Read the
  charter and FAQ (if it exists) for the group as well.
* Avoid sending messages or posting articles that are no more than
  gratuitous replies to replies.
* Read all of a discussion in progress (thread) before posting replies.
  Avoid posting "Me Too" messages, where content is limited to agreement
  with previous posts. Content of a follow-up post should exceed quoted
  content.
* If you've posted something and don't see it immediately, don't assume
  it's failed and re-post it.
* If you post to a moderated nz.* group remember that it may take a day or
  more before the moderator processes your article.
* Keep your signature file short, about 2-4 lines.  You can use this space
  to tell a little more about yourself, to add witty sayings to your
  articles, or to advertise your web site or business.


------------------------------------

Subject: 8.0 Other Frequently Asked Questions


Here are a few FAQs relating to Usenet in New Zealand, please let me 
know if you are aware of any others or have additional info on the ones 
already listed.


How do I post to nz.test?
=========================

nz.test may be posted to the same way as another unmoderated nz.* group, 
however there are several sites ( Waikato, Victoria & Auckland 
Universities plus others) that automaticly send you a message so that 
you know that your posting software/newsfeed is working. To prevent 
these sites from responding to your posts include the word "ignore" in 
the Subject.

If the article leaks overseas you might also get responses from many 
sites around the world to you post. To prevent this you could try setting 
the distribution of your article to "nz".


Should I used nz.wanted or nz.forsale?
======================================

You should use nz.wanted for all posts including 'For-Sale' notices. 
nz.forsale is a bogus group is carried on very few sites. Messages of a 
commercial nature should be avoided in nz.wanted. The nz.biz.misc group was 
created for these.


How do I get nz.* groups outside of New Zealand?
================================================

UUNet provide full nntp feeds for US$98 per month. Contact Chris Berry 
 on 1800-488-6384x5859 for details.

Joe St Sauver  has offered to arrange feeds of 
nz.* with people in the Western USA, contact him to arrange something.

AltNet provides access via nntp to a full range of groups. Feeds are 
US$50 per month and the cost for individual readers is $5 per month. 
Contact Chris Caputo  for details.

In Australia, the nz.* hierarchy is available from most
sites that take news feeds originating at harbinger (Monash U)
or munnari (Melbourne U). This implies a near-total availability
on the Telstra (formerly AARNet) backbone although not all
second-tier sites carry it automatically.

Akiko currently archives soc.culture.new-zealand. The archive is  
accessible from the search engine at http://nz.com/cgi-bin/look just 
select the little button next to "soc.culture.new-zealand netnews archive" 
to include it in your search.

The public news-server pubnews.demon.co.uk also carries the nz.*
hierarchy.  It is free though at times can be slow - best to use it
during the hours the USA is asleep as it also carries the full
alt.binaries.* and alt.sex.* hierarchies.


What about users on the IBM Global Network?
===========================================

IBM's Internet service offers all the nz.* groups.


What is usenet.net.nz?
======================

The alias usenet.net.nz has been created to help with some admin issues 
with nz.* groups. So far it is only used for moderated nz.* groups but 
in the future other services will hopefully be based from it.

------------------------------------
 
Subject: 9.0 Credits for this FAQ.
 

* Simon Lyall  
Maintainer and misc text.

* Mark Davies  
Providing a history and statistics also helping to get Usenet started in 
New Zealand in the first place.

* Lin Nah  
General comments.

Other Information from:

David Chamberlain 
Ash Nallawalla 
Terry Bowden 
Alan Brown