Here is the list of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Hopefully it will help you get a better grasp of what we're about and what we're like... It is also posted on our Web Page, but I know not everyone has access to a Web Browser. Please read through them when you get the time. Some of the stuff you may already know, but that is not the point. You NEED to know ALL the stuff in here. If you break the rules, you may be removed from the list, and saying "I didn't know" is not an excuse. *****READ THE FAQ****KNOW THE FAQ****LIVE BY THE FAQ****LOVE THE FAQ***** *****IMPORTANT!!!*****IMPORTANT!!!*****IMPORTANT!!!*****IMPORTANT!!!***** ******************PLEASE KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE!!!******************** 1) Q: What is this list all about anyway? A: On October 23, 1995 the Xanth Thread's founder, StormWing Centaur, decided to form a Xanth/Piers Anthony E-Mail Thread. In the beginning, we were just a group of people who had each other's e-mail addresses all collected in one address book/distribution list sharing a common interest (this one being Xanth/Piers Anthony), thereby creating a "thread" of people. Now, we have an automated list, so that we only have to send each message to one address, and it gets automatically distributed to all of the members. But the idea is still the same. A group of people talking about one central topic - Xanth and Piers Anthony! There is *usually* one or more topics being discussed at random between whoever feels like commenting, although sometimes the entire thread is very quiet simply because no one is presently commenting on anything. When you want to comment on a topic, just send your comments out to the entire thread... and you can bring up a new topic (within the common interest of the thread) any time you want to. Those of us who care to participate are taking on new "Xanth names/personas" strictly for use on this thread - and strictly for fun. 2) Q: How do I join? A: First, read the Info Letter! It details what you should do to join the list, such as writing up a bio. You will not be approved to be added to the list, until you have followed the steps outlined in the info letter. You must read the entire FAQ, and at the beginning of the bio you submit, you must include the line: "I have read the ENTIRE FAQ, and promise to abide by it!" If you follow all the steps outlined in the info letter, and read both the info letter and FAQ, then all you need to do is send me your bio, with the required info. When I receive your bio, I will read it, and if it is acceptable, I will reply and ask you to subscribe to the automated list. At this point, you need to send a subscribe request to the automated list's command address. Send a mail to majordomo@router.minot.com with the following line: subscribe xanth <email@address>. This will send an approval request to the listowner. 3) Q: How do I get off the list? A: This is very simple! Just send a mail to majordomo@router.minot.com, and in the body of the message, type the following: unsubscribe xanth <youremail@address> It will send an aproval request to me, and I will send in approval, and then you will be removed. You will NOT receive any confirmation that you have been removed. You will know that you have been removed, because you will stop receiving mail from the list. Q: Why are there TWO addresses, and what do they each do? A: There are two different addresses to use with our list. The first is the address is the one you send mail to, to get it on sent to the list. DO NOT SEND MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN SUBSCRIBED TO THE LIST!!! You're mail will not go through! That address is for use by current members only, and if you have not subscribed to the majordomo, and received a welcome/intro letter, you are NOT a current listmember. When you do get subscribed to the list, and receive the intro letter, it will tell you what the list address is, so you will know where to send your list mail. The other address is majordomo@router.minot.com and it is our server command address. This address is used for sending in commands, such as subscribe, unsubscribe, who, info, etc. These are all automated commands, that are instantly taken care of by the automated list. However, subscribe and unsubscribe commands must be approved by the listowner before you are actually added to/removed from the list. Please, try to keep these two addresses straight! Do not send list mail to the command address, and do not try to subscribe by sending mail to the list address! 5) Q: What other commands can I use to get more info? A: There are a number of commands you can send to the server command address, to get info, etc. The best thing you can do, is send a HELP command to the command address, and it will send you information about what you can send for there. Send mail to majordomo@router.minot.com with the words: help xanth You will receive a message telling you all the commands you can send to the majordomo. Briefly, you can send a "who xanth" for a list of members, "info xanth" to receive the info letter, "intro xanth" to receive the welcome letter, and "index xanth" to get a list of files that you can also ask for from the majordomo! 6) Q: What do you talk about? A: Anything you would like that is related to Xanth or Piers Anthony. We discuss characters, particular books, plots, writing styles, series, Piers in general, possible future Xanth directions... many different things. We often have stories being passed around between members, or quests, or story posts. 7) Q: Can I pick my own Xanth name/persona, and if so, how? A: Yes! By all means, please do. If you wish to participate (and we hope you do), please either choose or create a name/persona that has not already been used. The complete list of the current members' Xanth names/personas is posted on our homepage, or it can be obtained through email, by writing to the ListKeeper, and requesting a copy. After you join us - if you need to - feel free to ask the Thread members for advice on your new Xanth name... your bio will help give them ideas. If you want a list of the members on the list, at any time, simply contact the listkeeper. 8) Q: Is there an age limit to join? A: No. Anyone who can read and write e-mail can join us. 9) Q: How many members are there? A: We started with a small handful of five members and have grown to an average of over two hundred (200) members currently. This number fluctuates a little as people come and go, as people do. 10) Q: How long has this E-Mail Thread been around (in existence)? A: The Xanth/Piers Anthony E-Mail Thread was launched on OctOgre 23, 1995. And it has been growing steadily since then. We have seen many members come and go, and have seen a change in the ListKeeper of the list, but the list lives on, and will hopefully continue to do so, for some time. 11) Q: Why does some of my mail not go through, and what do I do? A: If you ever have a problem with your mail not going through to the list, the first thing you should do is to notify the listkeeper. It could be any number of problems which are causing your mail to not go through. The listkeeper will find out what is causing the problem, and get back to you. Please let the listkeeper know *exactly* what is going on. If you are getting an error message, or a bounced mail message, forward that to the listkeeper. The more precise you are in explaining the problem, the easier it will be to find the solution. 12) Q: Can I say whatever I want to, no matter if it includes profanity, and references to nudity and/or sex? A: In a word - NO! The Adult Conspiracy is to be protected at all costs on this Thread - at all times - by all members!!! If you are still new to Xanth, and are unfamiliar with the adult conspiracy, it simply says that children should be kept from certain information until they are of adult age. This includes using profanity (cursing), or discussing how to "summon the stork" (talking about sexual issues). We have members as young as 10 years of age, and we must remember this. 13) Q: Can I possibly send out, or receive, through the thread, xanth materials, such as a copy of the Companions of Xanth game? A: Definitely not!!! Any copying and/or distribution of copyrighted materials, without explicit consent, is **against the law** and WILL NOT BE TOLERATED ON THIS THREAD. The Companions of Xanth game, as well as Piers Anthony's books, the cover art from those books, and other related materials, are all copyrighted materials. They are protected by law from reproduction and distribution, without consent. Any such activities are an illegal act, and are equivalent to stealing profit from Piers Anthony and Legends Entertainment (the company that created Companions of Xanth), as well as others, such as the cover artists. This thread does not allow any and all such activities, and any member involved in any of the aforementioned will be kicked off the list, and their activities reported to Legends Entertainment. 14) Q. How much of my time will this thread take? A. That depends on how much time you have to give. A little or a lot. It's whatever you want to make of it. We do produce quite a lot of mail, so consider that, when considering how much time we take. You do not have to write to the list, and participate in the conversations, but you will have to take care of your mail, and this can be quite a chore for some folks (like me!). 15) Q. What if I'm a new user? How friendly and tolerant of little mistakes are you? A. Although it is impossible to speak for all current members or any future members, at this time, most of the members of this thread are generally very tolerant of others' little innuendoes. We are all human, and all make mistakes. However, to avoid making *big* mistakes, be sure to read this entire FAQ, and pay attention to the things you are NOT allowed to do. And remember them! 16) Q. Do I have to type in English? What if I only speak broken English? A. As long as you can get your point across and understood, broken English is no problem. However, it is recommended that everything be typed in some form of the English language. 17) Q. Are there people from countries besides the U.S. on this thread? A. Yes. We have had members from many of the United States, as well as Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and Sweden, just to name a few. 18) Q. Are there cliques or favoritism on this thread? A. Favoritism is not tolerated well and is avoided on this thread... however, cliques can happen anywhere, anytime. These are usually unavoidable, but currently we don't have any "little cliques". Of course, you can expect to form friendships with some of the people you meet here, which will take you far and beyond this actual thread. That is what is so wonderful about the XanThread. Meeting people with similar interests! 19) Q. Is there a limit to the number of people on this thread? A. Currently, no. We have recently hit the 200 member mark, and will likely go beyond. Until people start to complain, we will continue to allow new members. This may be necessary for discussion between thread members in the future, if the list grows too big. 20) Q. How strict are you about staying on the subject? A. We pretty much prefer to remain on subject or at least near it. This list was created with the intent to discuss Piers Anthony, and the Xanth series in particular. Remember why we are here :) We do try to keep things a bit open. HOWEVER we do NOT like to get into periods of complete non xanth discussion. If you begin to notice a thread of conversation that is non xanth related, try to take it into private mail so that you will not occupy the thread with non xanth related material. Also, unrelated mail such as jokes, and forwarded messages, will not be tolerated. 21) Q. Can I send posts which I deem are important, but are not in any way related to Xanth or Piers Anthony? A. In a word, NO. We have had far too much trouble in this area. However, if you feel that your message is important, and is relevant to the members, and if it is not lengthy, you may send a post to the listmembers, with the NXC in the subject line, asking for anyone who is interested in receiving your post, to reply to you in private E-mail. Keep these rules of thumb in mind. If the post is lengthy, DO NOT send it to the group. If it falls into one of the following categories, DO NOT send it: attached files, ascii art, petitions, promotions, jokes and stories, advertisements, etc. If it has a large amount of names, from obviously being forwarded many times, it is likely to be a chain letter. DO NOT SEND CHAIN LETTERS. This will be discussed more later. Please use your best judgement, and moderation. Do not just send out just anything, and remember *When In Doubt, Ask!* Just mail me, and ask me if your post is acceptable. I will tell you what action to take. 22) Q. Do I have to have read all the Xanth novels to be eligible for the thread? A. Absolutely not. But it would help if you've read or are currently reading at least one of them. :) 23) Q. Can I send (binary) attached files to the people on the list? A. ***NO!!*** You *may* send them to some of the listmembers through Private email, ***ONLY*** if the person on the receiving end has been informed and given permission. DO NOT just send them out randomly, and do not send them out to the entire list! Again, send a letter asking for anyone interested in receiving your attachment to respond to ou privately. Sending attached files, especially binary files, can cause all kinds of problems with incompatible software AND hardware! 24) Q. Can I send chain letters to this thread to get them forwarded? A. NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is a Xanth/Piers Anthony Thread and such things are not only discouraged, but NOT ALLOWED! How do you know if it is a chain mail... Does it have a large number of email addresses in the text, showing that it has been forwarded many times? Does it, anywhere in the message, tell you to forward the message to as many people as you can? Does it say something bad will happen if you don't, or good things will happen if you do? Does the subject line say "This is not a chain letter"? These are all clues that your letter *IS* a chain letter. Even if your post seems to have good intentions, any mail asking to be forwarding to as many people as possible is not a good thing. It simply clogs people's email programs, unnecessarily. DO NOT SEND CHAIN MAIL TO THE LIST. You will be removed from the list, if you do. Again, if you are unsure, check your message with the listkeeper. Do not take the chance of being removed from the list! This is your only warning. Sending chain mail constitutes immediate removal from the list!!!! 25) Q: Is Spamming allowed on the thread? A: No! This question reflect previous questions regarding staying on subject, and sending chain mail and/or attached files. Spamming, in short, is sending completely off subject, unrelated, often large posts to the group. Chain Letters are an example of what would be considered "Spam". Anything unrelated to the thread would be, in a sense, considered spam. Spamming is usually meant to describe using one mailing list, to send some message, like "buy my book", or "get involved in this make money fast plan", to a large number of people. This thread was created to allow people to discuss Piers Anthony, and his writings, especially his Xanth novels. Unnecessary, extremely unrelated posts are not allowed. Some exceptions are made, but we do not allow members to send in anything they find interesting or amusing. When In Doubt, ASK! 26) Q. How much mail does the list produce? A. It is hard to give a simple answer to this question. Sometimes the list is slow, and there is not a lot of mail, but be forewarned! When we get some hot topics, we can produce A LOT of mail. We can receive up to fifty pieces of mail per day, on a good day! That is quite a bit of mail. Please think about this before joining. If you can't handle that much mail, than please don't join. You will just end up quitting later. 27) Q. Is "lurking" allowed? A. We have a lot of members on our list, and many of them are too busy to write to the list with any regularity. "Lurking", or being a member of a list, and reading posts but not posting messages, is common on many E-mail lists/ threads. We welcome all members, who are truly interested, and we do not require you to post to the list with regularity. In short, yes. 28) Q: Is "flaming" allowed? A: No! Flaming is a derogatory type of complaining or yelling at another person. This type of activity is not allowed on the thread. If any problems or disagreements arise between thread members, they should either be taken up with the list keeper, or resolved privately, in a polite manner. Thread members are expected to treat one another with respect and understanding at all times. If you cannot do so, then you are unwelcome here. Anyone caught flaming will be kicked off the thread. 29) Q. What is this "NXC" in the Subject lines all about? A. "NXC" stands for "Non-Xanth Content", for when you are posting something off-topic. That would be anything that has nothing to do with Piers Anthony (PA) or Xanth. Using the acronym NXC does NOT give you the freedom to say anything on the thread. PLEASE REMEMBER we are the xanth thread, and try to stick to the subject. 30) Q. Can I talk about other science fiction writers/books? Only in private e-mail between individuals. If you are interested in starting an off topic conversation, perhaps about some other science fiction writer, send out an inquiry letter, asking for anyone who is interested in being involved in the discussion, to respond to you in private E-mail. Then you can discuss it amongst only those who reply. If it seems that some off subject topic you brought up, has sparked a lot of conversation, please make the effort to take it off the thread, and into private mail. 31) Q. What is the "XT in the Subject lines all about? A. "XT" stands for us, the XanthThread! It is automatically placed in the subject line, by our automated list, so that members can identify list mail. This makes it much easier for the thread members to spot and sort their Xanth mail! 32) Q. Can my friend/brother/sister/etc. join without an e-mail account and just share mine, since s/he is also a big Xanth fan? A. This is okay, as long as you remember to inform the listkeeper exactly who will be participating in the thread. If there will be more than one person participating, inform the listkeeper, and give the names of all the people who want to join. When writing to the list, ALWAYS sign your name at the bottom of your letter, because if more than one person is using the account, we need to know who is doing the talking! This has been allowed before and caused problems, so the practice was disallowed, but I am reallowing it, because I believe it is not problematic, if the members are careful. Please, however, do not simply allow someone else to post to the list, if they did not join in the proper manner. It causes a great deal of confusion when a person other than the listmember posts to the list from your address. 33) Q. What is the Xanthread homepage and how do I get involved? A. The Xanthread homepage is our own turf we have staked out in Cyberspace. You can visit it at the following URL: http://www.mosquitonet.com/~eteel/xtmain.htm Currently, one of our listmembers, the lovely Lady Blue is maintaining our homepage, and she does a beautiful, wonderful job!!! :) Becoming a member of the list does NOT immediately put your info onto the page. If you want your bio, e-mail, or photo added to the page, send mail to the Lady Blue at: , and ask her for more info. Also, if you want to contribute to the page in any way, including adding artwork or some such, again contact Lady Blue for details! 34) Q. What is "Fateful Wishes" and what is "The Golden Locks of Hare" and how do I get involved? A. "Fateful Wishes" is a short story being written by the members of the Xanthread. Essentially, the story gets passed around between members, who each add a scene or chapter, creating a story made by all the members! "The Golden Locks of Hare" is the first story written by the thread, and is available to be viewed at our homepage. You can also request to have a copy sent to you through E-mail from the ListKeeper, cHaMeLeOn at: . "Fateful Wishes" is our currently in progress story, and is also viewable in its current stage of writing, on our homepage. If you would like to be involved in the writing of "Fateful Wishes", the person who is now in charge of its maintenance is Darius, another of our most noble listmembers! :) For information on writing in the thread story, mail to Darius at: . 35) Q. What is the Writers' thread??? A. The writers thread is a side thread, which split apart from the Xanth thread. As you know, off topic conversation is avoided on the thread, so often when people of like interests begin talking to each other off the thread, side lists occur. This side thread is for members who are interested in writing. The listkeeper for the Writers Thread is also Darius, that friendly guy. For more information on what the Writers Thread is about, and how to join, email to Darius at . 36) Q. What is the Modge Podge Thread? A. The Modge Podge Thread is another one of our wonderful side threads, dedicated to off topic posts. This thread was started so that members who wanted to be able to talk about anything at all (in other words, other stuff besides Xanth) could do so, without swamping the Xanthread with non-xanth related material. So, this thread discusses anything from hobbies, to movies, to other books and authors, to pets, to hair color. The only limits for the Modge Podge are the Adult Conspiracy, and no spam (get rich quick scams, etc)! So, if you want to be able to tell everyone about your sea-monkey's latest antics, or how your mom drives you up the wall, send an e-mail to the current Modge Podge listkeeper. Right now, the Modge Podge is using a free automated list service. So, there are, in essence, two listkeepers. Send your email to MPD at: . and she will forward your address to the Lady Blue who will add you to the list. MPD takes care of the list, and moderates. Lady Blue adds members to the list. And if you think that is confusing, right now, MPD is away, for an unforseeable amount of time, so the current head man in charge, is Roan Werehorse. So, for now, send your mail to Roan at: . if you want to get involved in the MP! 37) Q. What is the Xanth Zone? A. The Xanth Zone is a great Xanth homepage, created by one of our own listmembers. Many of the members of our thread have homepages of their own, and many are either related to, or devoted entirely to Xanth and/or Piers Anthony. Many of the member homepages are linked at the Xanthread homepage, so you can go there to get linked! Otherwise, you can send a query out to the list, asking for any members to send you the URLs for their own Xanth pages! 38) End notes and links That is all. If there is anything you are confused about, or if you have any questions/comments, please feel free to drop me an E-mail, and let me know. cHaMeLeOn... XANTHREAD list keeper Last edited: 10-19-97 Any problems with this page, please send mail to cHaMeLeOn, XanThread ListKeeper. Any problems with any of the other xanth thread web pages E-mail The Lady Blue (What a gal!)