From: whheydt@pbhya.PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Subject:  Come on in--the water's fine
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 17:49:12 GMT


[This is a recurring posting on rec.org.sca.  Permission is hereby 
granted for use in any form by any member of the Society for Creative 
Anachronism or by anyone acting to further the goals of the Society 
for Creative Anachronism, including--but not limited to--providing 
copies to any interested in the organization.   --W. H. Heydt, 1 May 
1990, Rev. 3 Dec. 1991, 2 Mar. 1992.]

This posting is intended to allay the fears of those who are new to 
the SCA--particularly those whose only contact so far has been through 
an electronic network.  On these networks, much of the material 
presented consists of folk with years of experience in the SCA 
discussing fine points and obscure details of subjects they are 
familiar with.  None of it represents--unless otherwise stated--any 
form of official SCA policy or publication.  What one reads in such 
places can be rather daunting.

To get a better perspective on what SCA folk are like when they meet, 
there is no substitute for going to SCA meetings and events.  Meetings 
tend to be less formal, so if you are *very* unsure of yourself--that 
may be an easier place to start.  Events tend to be more formal (SCA 
practice requires that people be attired in "some attempt at" pre-1600 
clothing--note the word "attempt") and more structured.  They also--in 
many cases--have a formal way to help those new to the organization.

In these media we see periodic requests for help in finding out what 
the SCA is, and/or how to get in contact with an SCA branch near the 
poster or the person the posting put up for.  In brief--this is a way 
to do so--

If you post--there are those here that will supply as much information 
that they have at hand to get you started.  What we *need* is to know 
the modern location you want for the contact information as SCA 
branches are determined by geography.  We're not asking for a mailing 
address--which you may be hesitant to supply--just city and state 
(and/or country, when outside the USA, though most of us can probably 
identify and locate Canadian provinces without real difficulty).

The most general contact is the SCA Office of the Registry.  if you 
write a letter to the Registry inquiring about the SCA, they will send 
you some general information, plus a copy of the newsletter for the 
major branch (kingdom) that your mailing address puts you in.  
Newsletters contain lists of branches--with both internal and external 
names and locations--and contact information at the kingdom, 
principality, and local branch levels.  The Registry address is--

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

Or you can call her at--

	  408/263-9305

A very good overview of the SCA is a pamphlet from the Stock Clerk
(the same address as for the Registrar, above) called "Forward into
the Past."  As of this writing--it is $1 per single copy.  (It's also
excellent reading for old timers.)

If we can determine what kingdom you are in from a posting, you will 
probably get mail back giving reasonably current information on your 
kingdom Seneschal--the "CEO", as it were, for the region you live in.  
A letter or phone call to that person should get you a local contact.

If you are the same kingdom as the person replying to you, you will 
probably get local contact information in the mail you get back--and,
most likely--an invitation to come to local events and meetings.  
(We're really a gregarious and friendly lot.)

If there are remaining questions--write back (or post) and one or more 
of us will try to find answers or put you in touch with someone who 
*can* find the answer.  There is--like most newsgroups--a lot of 
collective wisdom here.

You will also see debates and comments relating to "members" and "non-
members".  There is no requirement for *anyone* to become a member of 
the SCA (in the formal sense) in order to go to SCA events.  Indeed--
it is frequently suggested that newcomers go to an event or two before 
even *considering* formally joing the SCA.  We would far rather have 
some be able to say--"They're nice folk, but it wasn't for me", than 
to have them say--"They're just out for your money . . ."  The 
benefits of membership are relatively few--but for some it's 
important.  It saves time filling out paperwork at events.  It helps 
pay for the overhead expenses of the organization.  It gets you word 
on when and where events are being held.  It gets you research that 
has been done by others in the SCA.  It may add a feeling of belonging.

If you feel intimidated by what you see in this forum--please bear in 
mind that the SCA has always had a steady influx of new--and 
frequently bewildered--people.  We have created institutions to help 
new people and we have folk whose job within the SCA is specifically 
to help those who are new.  We were all new to the SCA once . . . and 
we owe it to those who follow to help as we were helped.

I urge you not to be afraid to post messages here.  There is no guarantee 
that there will be a response (and it has be noted that true arrival in 
this sub-community of the SCA seems to be when a posting of yours is 
commented upon), but this doesn't mean no one read it.  If you really 
want to get a response--you can take a public, controversial position.  
However, I have found this to be a very polite newsgroup and one *can* 
say controversial things without controversial language.

You can call Seneschals.  You can call other officers.  Those names, 
addresses and phone numbers are printed in the newsletters to be used.  
The folk behind those numbers are just the same as you are.  They're 
there to help.  The only thing we ask is a little consideration--call 
at a reasonable hour.  (The society--as was once noted in a student 
Anthro paper--is a *part*time* society.  Most of us work for living.)

If all else fails--send e-mail to some of us on a network, explain 
your problem and we'll see what we can do to solve it and make you at 
ease within the SCA.

A small note on notation . . .

When sending out contact names (and we get a few requests each month),
it is conventional to supply both the name used internally in the SCA
(the "SCA name" or "ekename") and some form of legal name ("mundane name").
Two forms are prevalent for doing this.  The first is to put the
"mundane name" in parentheses after the "SCA name" as--
	
	Ld. Alfred the Great (Fred Plummer)

The other is to put the "SCA name" on the first line and the "mundane
name" on the second, as--

	Ld. Alfred the Great
	Fred Plummer

Most SCA folk will answer to either over the phone.  If you use the
"SCA name", it makes it pretty plain that you are planning to discuss
SCA affairs (unless you know them so well that you use that form
exclusively, or the given name is the same in both cases).  If doing
so makes you nervous, you can use the "mundane name" and explain that
it's the SCA you're calling about.

         --Hal

        Hal Ravn, Province of the Mists, West Kingdom
        Wilson H. Heydt, Jr.,  Albany, CA 94706,  415/524-8321 (home)
-- 
Hal Heydt                    |    "Boycott Time-Warner"
Analyst, Pacific*Bell        |         --J. Danforth Quayle
510-823-5447                 |    "... kill all the lawyers."
whheydt@pbhya.PacBell.COM    |         --William Shakespeare
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca