Rob Kelk
1st October 2004, 01:50 PM
Archive-name: <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/faqs/raaf.html>
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Wed 14 Jan 2004
The rec.arts.anime.fandom FAQ
=============================
This document is an attempt to answer some of the more common
questions posted to <news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>.
Comments, corrections, and suggestions for improvement should be sent
to the FAQ maintainer, Rob Kelk, at the address in the signature file.
------------------------------
Subject: Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Where can I find this FAQ?
What is on-topic in rec.arts.anime.fandom?
Can I post my anime-related fanfic here?
All right, where *can* I post my anime-related fanfic?
Can I talk here about fanfics posted to other newsgroups?
What about fan art? Where can I post that?
Where can I find someone else's fanfics?
I'm looking for a ride to an anime convention - can I ask here?
Are there any anime clubs in my city?
Can I sell my old anime fan stuff here?
------------------------------
Subject: Where can I find this FAQ?
This FAQ is currently posted monthly, on the first of the month, to
the newsgroup <news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>.
It is also available on the FAQ maintainer's website, at
<http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/raaf.html>.
------------------------------
Subject: What is on-topic in rec.arts.anime.fandom?
Here's the body of the control message that created
rec.arts.anime.fandom, posted on April 18, 1996:
> rec.arts.anime.fandom is an unmoderated newsgroup which passed its vote for
> creation by 243:89 as reported in news.announce.newgroups on 13 Mar 1996.
>
> For your newsgroups file:
> rec.arts.anime.fandom Important issues concerning Japanese animation fans.
>
> The charter, culled from the vote result announcement:
>
> An unmoderated newsgroup for issues and topics of interest to anime
> fandom. For conventions reports, anime club concerns, and legal matters.
> Discussion of fan artwork, and fan literature. For the organization
> of fan translations projects, and discussion of fansub projects
> (availability, technology, etc). Advice on the creation and maintenance
> of Internet and WWW fan resources, and pointers to the same. For the
> discussion of important fan issues, such as starting a fan club,
> organizing conventions, editing newsletters and fanzines, etc. This
> group should not be used for the trading of fansubs nor for the posting
> of binary files.
Somehow, that "etc." at the end of the list has been read to allow for
what many people call the "Stupid Fight Thread" - discussions of which
character from one anime could beat up which other character from
another anime.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I post my anime-related fanfic here?
We'd rather that you didn't, actually. Fanfics tend to be hundreds,
if not thousands, of lines long, and a discussion group like
r.a.a.fandom isn't the right place for messages that are that big.
Remember, not everyone pays for their Usenet access by the month, and
long posts take more time to download than short posts do.
Besides, while the charter says that discussion of fan literature is
on-topic, actual fan literature is not on-topic for the group.
------------------------------
Subject: All right, where *can* I post my anime-related fanfic?
That depends on whether you think the story is finished.
If your fanfic is still a work in progress, then you want to find some
pre-readers for it. Try posting a short message to r.a.a.fandom
saying that you're looking for pre-readers, and then e-mail a copy of
your fanfic to the people who reply. Alternately, you could subscribe
to the FanFiction Mailing List, or one of the mailing lists that formed
after the first shutdown of the FFML - links to these mailing lists are
available at <http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/Refuge.htm>.
If you consider your fanfic to be finished, then you should post it to
<news:rec.arts.anime.creative> (after reading that group's FAQ, found at
<http://www.gweep.ca/~robomod/rec.arts.anime.creative/>). This is a
moderated newsgroup, so your fanfic won't show up immediately! That
group's moderation team is pretty good about getting fanfics posted to
r.a.a.creative within a week of them being submitted - if it takes
longer than that, then there's probably some sort of problem with the
way your fanfic was posted and they're trying to get in touch with you.
Of course, you can also put a copy of your fanfic on your website,
whether the fanfic is finished or not. Please post a short message to
r.a.a.fandom saying where to find your fanfic if you do this. For
example:
> I've put a copy of my alternate-universe Oh My Goddess / Tenchi Muyo
> crossover fanfic "Ah! Mihoshi-sama" on my website. You can read it
> at <http://www.ottawa-anime.org/fanfics/mihoshi.html>.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I talk here about fanfics posted to other newsgroups?
Certainly. "Discussion of fan artwork, and fan literature" is
specifically mentioned as being on-topic for this group.
The rec.arts.anime.creative newsgroup sets the "Followup-To" header in
posts made there so that discussion of the fanfics is automatically
sent to rec.arts.anime.fandom.
------------------------------
Subject: What about fan art? Where can I post that?
Like fanfiction, that depends on whether you think the artwork is
finished.
If it is a finished work, then you can post it to
<news:rec.arts.anime.creative>, exactly the same as a finished work of
fanfiction.
If it isn't a finished work, then you can post it to
<news:alt.binaries.pictures.anime>, then post a short message to
rec.arts.anime.fandom saying that you've done so.
And you can always put your fanart on your web site. Again, please
post a short message saying you've done this.
------------------------------
Subject: Where can I find someone else's fanfics?
They could be in any number of places.
The first place to look is in the rec.arts.anime.creative archives,
found at <ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/>. Every
fanfic posted to <news:rec.arts.anime.creative> can be found there.
There is a list of fanfic sites in the DMOZ Open Directory Project, at
<http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Anime/Fandom/Fan_Works/Fan_Fiction/>.
The Anime Web Turnpike also lists fanfic sites at
<http://www.anipike.com/index.php?cat=60>.
------------------------------
Subject: I'm looking for a ride to an anime convention - can I ask here?
Certainly. While asking for a ride to a convention isn't specifically
mentioned in the charter, it is a fan activity and is thus on-topic.
Just be warned that you're going to be asking everyone in the world
for a ride, so be careful about how much personal information you give
when you ask. The safest way to ask for a ride is to say which
convention you want to attend and which city you're leaving from, and
ask people to e-mail their ride offers to you. You can then learn
something about the person offering the ride, and if you decide to
accept it, then you can set up a mutually-agreeable place and time to
be picked up.
------------------------------
Subject: Are there any anime clubs in my city?
That's a short question, but the answer is far too long to give in a
FAQ. The Anime Web Turnpike lists anime clubs at
<http://www.anipike.com/index.php?cat=25>.
Readers in the United Kingdom will likely find it easier to use
BritAnime's list of anime clubs, found at
<http://www.ryouko.demon.co.uk/ukclubs.htm>.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I sell my old anime fan stuff here?
No. You're looking for <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace>, which is a
much older newsgroup than r.a.a.fandom.
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Wed 14 Jan 2004
The rec.arts.anime.fandom FAQ
=============================
This document is an attempt to answer some of the more common
questions posted to <news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>.
Comments, corrections, and suggestions for improvement should be sent
to the FAQ maintainer, Rob Kelk, at the address in the signature file.
------------------------------
Subject: Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Where can I find this FAQ?
What is on-topic in rec.arts.anime.fandom?
Can I post my anime-related fanfic here?
All right, where *can* I post my anime-related fanfic?
Can I talk here about fanfics posted to other newsgroups?
What about fan art? Where can I post that?
Where can I find someone else's fanfics?
I'm looking for a ride to an anime convention - can I ask here?
Are there any anime clubs in my city?
Can I sell my old anime fan stuff here?
------------------------------
Subject: Where can I find this FAQ?
This FAQ is currently posted monthly, on the first of the month, to
the newsgroup <news:rec.arts.anime.fandom>.
It is also available on the FAQ maintainer's website, at
<http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/raaf.html>.
------------------------------
Subject: What is on-topic in rec.arts.anime.fandom?
Here's the body of the control message that created
rec.arts.anime.fandom, posted on April 18, 1996:
> rec.arts.anime.fandom is an unmoderated newsgroup which passed its vote for
> creation by 243:89 as reported in news.announce.newgroups on 13 Mar 1996.
>
> For your newsgroups file:
> rec.arts.anime.fandom Important issues concerning Japanese animation fans.
>
> The charter, culled from the vote result announcement:
>
> An unmoderated newsgroup for issues and topics of interest to anime
> fandom. For conventions reports, anime club concerns, and legal matters.
> Discussion of fan artwork, and fan literature. For the organization
> of fan translations projects, and discussion of fansub projects
> (availability, technology, etc). Advice on the creation and maintenance
> of Internet and WWW fan resources, and pointers to the same. For the
> discussion of important fan issues, such as starting a fan club,
> organizing conventions, editing newsletters and fanzines, etc. This
> group should not be used for the trading of fansubs nor for the posting
> of binary files.
Somehow, that "etc." at the end of the list has been read to allow for
what many people call the "Stupid Fight Thread" - discussions of which
character from one anime could beat up which other character from
another anime.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I post my anime-related fanfic here?
We'd rather that you didn't, actually. Fanfics tend to be hundreds,
if not thousands, of lines long, and a discussion group like
r.a.a.fandom isn't the right place for messages that are that big.
Remember, not everyone pays for their Usenet access by the month, and
long posts take more time to download than short posts do.
Besides, while the charter says that discussion of fan literature is
on-topic, actual fan literature is not on-topic for the group.
------------------------------
Subject: All right, where *can* I post my anime-related fanfic?
That depends on whether you think the story is finished.
If your fanfic is still a work in progress, then you want to find some
pre-readers for it. Try posting a short message to r.a.a.fandom
saying that you're looking for pre-readers, and then e-mail a copy of
your fanfic to the people who reply. Alternately, you could subscribe
to the FanFiction Mailing List, or one of the mailing lists that formed
after the first shutdown of the FFML - links to these mailing lists are
available at <http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/Refuge.htm>.
If you consider your fanfic to be finished, then you should post it to
<news:rec.arts.anime.creative> (after reading that group's FAQ, found at
<http://www.gweep.ca/~robomod/rec.arts.anime.creative/>). This is a
moderated newsgroup, so your fanfic won't show up immediately! That
group's moderation team is pretty good about getting fanfics posted to
r.a.a.creative within a week of them being submitted - if it takes
longer than that, then there's probably some sort of problem with the
way your fanfic was posted and they're trying to get in touch with you.
Of course, you can also put a copy of your fanfic on your website,
whether the fanfic is finished or not. Please post a short message to
r.a.a.fandom saying where to find your fanfic if you do this. For
example:
> I've put a copy of my alternate-universe Oh My Goddess / Tenchi Muyo
> crossover fanfic "Ah! Mihoshi-sama" on my website. You can read it
> at <http://www.ottawa-anime.org/fanfics/mihoshi.html>.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I talk here about fanfics posted to other newsgroups?
Certainly. "Discussion of fan artwork, and fan literature" is
specifically mentioned as being on-topic for this group.
The rec.arts.anime.creative newsgroup sets the "Followup-To" header in
posts made there so that discussion of the fanfics is automatically
sent to rec.arts.anime.fandom.
------------------------------
Subject: What about fan art? Where can I post that?
Like fanfiction, that depends on whether you think the artwork is
finished.
If it is a finished work, then you can post it to
<news:rec.arts.anime.creative>, exactly the same as a finished work of
fanfiction.
If it isn't a finished work, then you can post it to
<news:alt.binaries.pictures.anime>, then post a short message to
rec.arts.anime.fandom saying that you've done so.
And you can always put your fanart on your web site. Again, please
post a short message saying you've done this.
------------------------------
Subject: Where can I find someone else's fanfics?
They could be in any number of places.
The first place to look is in the rec.arts.anime.creative archives,
found at <ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/>. Every
fanfic posted to <news:rec.arts.anime.creative> can be found there.
There is a list of fanfic sites in the DMOZ Open Directory Project, at
<http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Anime/Fandom/Fan_Works/Fan_Fiction/>.
The Anime Web Turnpike also lists fanfic sites at
<http://www.anipike.com/index.php?cat=60>.
------------------------------
Subject: I'm looking for a ride to an anime convention - can I ask here?
Certainly. While asking for a ride to a convention isn't specifically
mentioned in the charter, it is a fan activity and is thus on-topic.
Just be warned that you're going to be asking everyone in the world
for a ride, so be careful about how much personal information you give
when you ask. The safest way to ask for a ride is to say which
convention you want to attend and which city you're leaving from, and
ask people to e-mail their ride offers to you. You can then learn
something about the person offering the ride, and if you decide to
accept it, then you can set up a mutually-agreeable place and time to
be picked up.
------------------------------
Subject: Are there any anime clubs in my city?
That's a short question, but the answer is far too long to give in a
FAQ. The Anime Web Turnpike lists anime clubs at
<http://www.anipike.com/index.php?cat=25>.
Readers in the United Kingdom will likely find it easier to use
BritAnime's list of anime clubs, found at
<http://www.ryouko.demon.co.uk/ukclubs.htm>.
------------------------------
Subject: Can I sell my old anime fan stuff here?
No. You're looking for <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace>, which is a
much older newsgroup than r.a.a.fandom.