From: j-peal@uiuc.edu (peal james r) Subject: The Official cmi.general FAQ Date: 2000/05/17 Message-ID: #1/1 Expires: Tues, 04 jul 2000 00:00:00 -0500 X-header: X-headers are lame X-Complaints-To: abuse@uiuc.edu X-Trace: vixen.cso.uiuc.edu 958574674 128.174.5.53 (Wed, 17 May 2000 09:44:34 CDT) Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign X-note: There is nothing here NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 09:44:34 CDT Newsgroups: cmi.general A List of Frequently Asked Questions about cmi.general Here are some basic guidelines for using cmi.general. As you see, pretty much anything goes here. Enjoy, and welcome to cmi.general. 1. Is it ok to post my "For Sale" and "Want to Buy" ad's to cmi.general? It would be great if you did. You may even want to forget about posting to any of the number of cmi.classifieds.* newsgroups and simply post all your ads exclusively on cmi.general. You will reach literally thousands of potential customers. 2. I'm not very bright, and everything I write is utter nonsense. Are my posts welcome on cmi.general? cmi.general was created with people like you in mind. We welcome all forms of nonsense and foolishness. Please make yourself comfortable. 3. Should I include my social security number in my articles? Yes, please do. That way everyone will know it's really you and not merely someone posing as you. 4. How about crossposting? Crosspost crosspost crosspost. Please crosspost to as many groups as possible, that way more people will get to see your articles. 5. I've noticed how articles on cmi.general expire after ten days or so. Doesn't that keep the volume kinda low on a fledgling newsgroup? Is there anything I can do? Good point. Please set your articles to expire thirty days or more from the original date. Simply type the following into the header before posting. -- Expires: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 00:00:00 -0500 If you do this it will help us to achieve our goal of the most posts ever! Wouldn't that be wonderful? And you can be a part of it! 6. Wouldn't it be easier if I just re-posted the same article all over again? Sure. If you post the same thing over and over everyone will have the opportunity to see your article. 7. Are test messages welcome on cmi.general? I love test messages, don't you? Please remember to use a subject line other than "Test". Instead, say something more intriguing such as: "Interesting News - Please Read". By doing this, other users will be more likely to read and respond to you test message. 8. As I said before I'm not too smart. Can I still participate without adding anything productive or original to the thread? Please followup. I can't stress this enough. Even if you're a drooling moron you should still say something. After all, cmi.general was made for people like you. Most of the followups I get are from morons, and I think they are fine upstanding people with good hearts. 9. Should I post email? Oh yes. People love to see your private email. I know I sure do. Why don't you post some for us here? 10. I'm bitter and caustic. Should I post flames? Absolutely. Flames, trolls and other mayhem are perfectly acceptable. p.s. Most of all, please don't be boring -- Prepared by, James R peal promotion volunteer, cmi.general jamesp@prairienet.org