From: SHERMAN%TRLN.DECnet@uncvx1.acs.unc.EDU ("Dennis R. Sherman")
Subject: Frequently Asked Questions & Style Guide [last mod 02/11/1992]
Organization: The Internet
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 11:41:00 GMT

                   rec.org.sca and sca@mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
                                     or
                  Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto
                          last modified 1992-02-11

Certain topics come up again and again on this newsgroup.  They are good
questions, but each time they recur much net bandwidth and reader time is
spent on repetitive responses and corrections to incorrect or incomplete
answers. 

This article, which is posted on a regular basis, attempts to cover these
common topics definitively and succinctly, so that discussion doesn't get
bogged down in the repetition.  It also contains an Appendix with suggestions
and guidelines for polite use of the Rialto.

For more complete introductions to the SCA, see the recurring postings "Come
on in -- the water's fine" (by Hal Ravn [whheydt@pacbell.com] ) and "Welcome
to the SCA" (by Arval Benicour [joshua@paul.rutgers.edu] ).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents  (Items changed since last posting marked with *)

Section 1:  The Rialto.
     1.1  What is the Rialto?
     1.2  Why is it called the Rialto?
     1.3  How do I post to the Rialto?
     1.4  Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people...?
     1.5  What is the SCA Digest?  How do I get on/off it?
     1.6  Where can I get back issues of the Digest?
     1.7  Why do I see the answers before the questions?
     1.8  Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?

Section 2:  Other SCA electronic sources.
     2.1  Are there other SCA mailing lists?
     2.2  Are there archives of SCA information?
     2.3  Does anyone have a contact in...?
     2.4  What are the Rolls Ethereal?

Section 3:  Miscellaneous questions.
     3.1  What does AS stand for?
     3.2  Other abbreviations.

Section 4:  Recurring events.
     4.1  What is Pennsic?  When is Pennsic?
     4.2  What is Estrella?  When is Estrella?

Section 5:  How do you join the SCA?

Appendix:  Guide to Posting Style.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 1:  The Rialto.

1.1  What is the Rialto?

          The Rialto consists of a Usenet newsgroup, (rec.org.sca) which is
     propagated to thousands of machines world-wide, and an electronic mail
     digest (the SCA Digest), which is produced on a badly overworked machine
     at MIT, and mailed directly to hundreds of people, also world-wide.  We
     are also connected to Fidonet and other BBS networks.

1.2  Why is it called the Rialto?

          The Rialto is named for a marketplace in Venice in the vicinity of
     the Rialto bridge.  As people gathered there to gossip and exchange
     ideas, so do we gather here.

1.3  How do I post to the Rialto?

          Check with your local system administrator or sysop for
     instructions for your exact machine and software.  Generally, you either
     post a message to the newsgroup rec.org.sca, or send mail to
     sca@mc.lcs.mit.edu.  See the Appendix at the end of this posting for
     guidelines to posting style.

1.4  Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people to wear?

          We have an informal agreement that a piece of netting worn on your
     person or hanging about your camp indicates you visit the Rialto. 
     Remember there are people that have nets around that do *not* visit
     here.

1.5  What is the SCA Digest?  How do I get on/off it?

          The SCA Digest is the electronic mail version of the Rialto.  One
     can subscribe and unsubscribe by sending email to
     SCA-Request@mc.lcs.mit.edu, requesting your addition to or deletion from
     the list.  Expect this to take up to a week - the people running the
     Digest are volunteers with other work to do.  If you read rec.org.sca,
     there is no need for you to subscribe to SCA-Request, as messages are
     gatewayed in both directions.

1.6  Where can I get back issues of the Digest?

          You may ask for back issues of any digests by writing to
     SCA-Request@mc.lcs.mit.edu and specifying the date(s)/number(s) of the
     issue you want mailed to you.  That address is serviced by overworked
     humans so expect any request to take up to a week to process.  Please be
     reasonable about the number of back issues you request.  ("Everything up
     to now" is *not* reasonable :-)

1.7  Why do I see the answers before the questions?

          The short answer is that messages propagate from one system to
     another at varying speeds, and therefore an answer posted on a
     well-connected machine may arrive at a less-well-connected machine
     before the question does.  The longer answer requires paying
     attention to the fact that the Rialto is both a Usenet newsgroup
     and a mailing list, and the gateway between them is another place
     where the ordering of messages can be scrambled.  There is nothing
     that can easily (read cost-effectively) be done about the
     scrambling of message order (it would require a complete redesign
     of the Usenet newsgroups, just to start with) so please don't ask.
     This message scrambling, by the way, is a good reason to paraphrase
     or quote just enough of the message you are answering to make clear
     what you are talking about.

1.8  Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?

          The legalities of copyright ownership in an electronic medium
     are currently murky.  The polite thing to do, regardless of whether
     a lawyer would tell you it is necessary, is to contact the
     author(s) of the article(s) in question, and ask for permission to
     publish.  Abide by their wishes.  Assuming permission is given, you
     (or your chronicler) probably want to save a hardcopy of the
     message giving you permission.

Section 2:  Other SCA electronic sources.

2.1  Are there other SCA mailing lists?

          SCA-WEST is a mailing list for people to discuss topics of interest
     to those in the West Kingdom.  To subscribe, send mail to
     sca-west-request@ecst.csuchico.edu with "help" in the subject line, and
     further instructions will be sent to you.  For questions not covered by
     the automagic mailing, email to sca-west-owner@ecst.scuchico.edu.

          Sorcha ui Flahairteaigh (lgrant@lanczos.maths.tcd.ie) moderates a
     "low volume mailing list for those interested in the Shire of Lough
     Devnaree (Dublin, Ireland), Ireland, or Celts in general."  Please "give
     us a nice address our system will like."

          There is a heraldic mailing list.  Contact
     atterlep@vela.acs.oakland.edu for more information or to subscribe.  The
     Great Computerized Heraldry Project mailing list contact is
     gchp-request@math.harvard.edu.

          The Barony of Carolingia (Boston, MA) has a mailing list. 
     Subscriptions to carolingia-request@bloom-beacon.mit.edu, submissions to
     carolingia@bloom-beacon.mit.edu.

          There is a Bardic mailing list.  Send mail to
     bardic-request@carleton.edu to subscribe.

        The EK Northern Region distribution list is now available.  Send
    subscription requests and other administrivia to
    north-request@bransle.ucs.mun.ca. To send a submission to the list,
    mail to north@bransle.ucs.mun.ca. The list is unofficial, and is
    meant to facilitate communication about the East Kingdom northern
    region, and perhaps also nearby areas. Anyone is welcome to
    participate, regardless of where you live.

2.2  Are there archives of SCA information that I can access? 

          Here are some anonymous FTP sites for SCA information.  Contact
     your local system administrator to learn how to use anonymous FTP. 

     meadow.stanford.edu [36.64.0.20, subject to change] directory /pub 
          maintained by aluko@portia.stanford.edu (Iulstan Sigewealding)
     rainbow.cse.nau.edu [134.114.64.24] directory /public/sca
          maintained by wew@naucse.cse.nau.edu (Bill Wilson)
     bransle.ucs.mun.ca [134.153.2.24] directory /pub/sca
          maintained by andrew@bransle.ucs.mun.ca (Miklos Sandorfia)
 
2.3  Does anyone have a contact in ...

          There are files at meadow.stanford.edu available for anonymous FTP
     that may be useful in finding people in various places.  They are
     currently out of date, but could be of some use.  Also see the Rolls
     Ethereal.
          /pub/couriers.txt        last update 1/15/1991
          /pub/findsca.txt         last update 2/8/1991
          /pub/rolls.txt           last update 8/28/1990

2.4  What are the Rolls Ethereal?

          The Rolls Ethereal list people on the Rialto, at least name and
     electronic address, and often interests, location, and awards.  The
     Rolls are maintained by Justin du Coeur (justin@inmet.camb.inmet.com)
     and are distributed at intervals of anywhere from 6 to 12 months.

Section 3:  Miscellaneous questions.

3.1  What does AS stand for?

          Anno Societatis, or Year of the Society, counted from May 1, 1966
     CE.  (CE = Common Era, used to avoid the religious connotations of AD,
     or Anno Domini)

3.2  Other abbreviations you may run across:

     A&S  -    Arts and Sciences (not to be confused with AS, above)
     BTW  -    By The Way
     CMA  -    Current Middle Ages
     FAQ  -    Frequently Asked Question(s)
     FYI  -    For Your Information
     IMHO -    In My Honest/Humble Opinion
     MKA  -    Modernly (or Mundanely) Known As
     OOP  -    Out Of Period

Section 4:  Recurring events:

4.1  What is Pennsic?  When is Pennsic?

          Pennsic is an annual war, with the main contenders being the East
     and Middle Kingdoms.  It is the largest recurring event in the Laurel
     Kingdoms, with attendance in 1991 of about 7800.  It has taken place
     since 1972, and has been held at Coopers Lake Campground near Slippery
     Rock, PA since 1977.  The main battles of the war are held the third
     weekend in August, with other activities taking place the week and
     weekend preceding that.

4.2  What is Estrella?  When is Estrella?

          Estrella is an annual war, with the main contenders being Atenveldt
     and Caid.  The West and Outlands often contribute to the mayhem :-)  It
     has taken place since 1985, and is held at Estrella Mountain Park near
     Goodyear, AZ, west of Phoenix.  It is held on President's Day weekend
     (February).

Section 5: How do you join the SCA?

          Find your local group and show up.  To attend an event, you must
     wear some attempt at pre-17th century clothing.  If you like it, you may
     want to become a registered member, which among other things gets you
     newsletters.  The Office of the Registry will provide basic introductory
     material, including a copy of your kingdom newsletter, on request:

               The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
               Office of the Registry
               P.O. Box 360743
               Milpitas, CA   95036-0743

     They also have packets of material available for teachers.

========================================================================
APPENDIX: Guide to Posting Style

     Each line of text posted to the Rialto is stored on thousands of
Usenet machines, and is also processed through the digestifier software
and mailed out to every recipient of the digest.  Many of the readers of
the Rialto must pay for disk space and connect time.  Keeping this in
mind, here are some common-sense guidelines for polite use of the
Rialto.  These are just suggestions: there are no rules.  However,
following these guidelines would be a courtesy to your fellow Rialtans,
and to the good and generous institutions whose machines support our
communication.

     Many of these suggestions are adapted from regular postings on
news.announce.newusers, notably "Rules for Posting to Usenet," "What is
Usenet?", "A Primer on How to Work with the Usenet," and "Hints on Writing
Style for Usenet."  If you have access to that newsgroup, please take the
opportunity to read these postings.

* Keep it short.  Say what you have to say, but in the fewest words  
     possible.

* Quote only what you must from previous articles.
     - Don't quote someone's entire signature, or blank space.
     - Don't include an entire article in order to append a single line of
          text.
     - Often a paraphrase will be clearer and more succinct than a quote.

* Use white space as necessary for clarity in your posting, and no more.

* Keep your signature short.  Usenet etiquette frowns very strongly on many-
     line signatures or signatures with graphics.  People do not appreciate
     paying the phone bills to transmit them.  But, people DO appreciate
     knowing who and where you are (SCA and modern).  It helps people
     contact you if you include your email address in your signature.

* Reply by mail, unless your message is going to be of general interest.  Of
     course, the Rialto is eclectic enough that a serious discussion of  
     almost any relevant topic will interest some people.  Use your best 
     judgement to balance the level of general interest against the cost of  
     posting your message to the Rialto.

* If you have a problem reaching someone by e-mail contact your system  
     administrator, write to postmaster at your correspondent's node, or ask  
     someone on the net who seems to know a lot about e-mail.  Please avoid
     posting a message about it - you are trying to send something to someone
     on ONE system.  Posting sends it to all the thousands of systems
     throughout the world that make up the Rialto - which is going to cost
     someone, even if not you, a lot of money.

* Please don't post local event announcements. This is another "balance the
     general interest value against the cost" issue.  Local event
     announcements probably will be of interest to only a small fraction of
     the readership of the Rialto.  A brief mention of an event in a
     signature, or a 2 or 3 line summary with "email for more information" is
     perfectly in order.

* Use smilies.  People reading your postings can't hear your tone of voice,
     can't read your expression, and probably don't know you well enough to
     know whether you are serious or joking.  If you are joking, even if you
     think it's obvious, it's best to say so by using a smiley face :-)

* LOTS of people read the Rialto, and the newsgroup is completely public. 
     Don't post anything you wouldn't want to say in a room filled with
     complete strangers, your boss, your parent's relatives, reporters from
     the National Inquirer, the peerage and royalty of your kingdom, etc. 
     They might well be reading.  Take the time to re-read your posting, and
     to think whether you *really* want to say that.  

* Don't get offended, and don't offend others - most of the people reading
     the Rialto are SCAdians, and would prefer being your friend to the
     alternative.  Treat people well and they will assuredly respond in kind.

* Use the subject line.  If you can describe your topics in the subject line
     of your posting, please do so.  Posting with Subject: Various is pretty
     pointless, isn't it? :-) If you are replying to a previous posting, and
     you have shifted the topic, please correct the subject line.  Some
     people will make note of the previous subject like this:
          Subject: Two-sword technique (Was Re: Pennsic)

========================================================================
Thanks to all who have contributed to this article.

This article is a work in progress.  If you have other topics you'd like to
see included, send me email with the question(s) and your suggested
answer(s).  If you have comment on the items included, please send me
(polite) email.

          PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE RIALTO! ! !

The whole point of this effort is to reduce traffic.  I will summarize
comments sent to me, if it seems necessary.

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Robyyan Torr d'Elandris   Kapellenberg, Windmaster's Hill    Atlantia	 *
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Dennis R. Sherman  	             Triangle Research Libraries Network *
* dennis_sherman@unc.edu           Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill *
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca