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Irrelevant vs. Inappropriate

Terry Pratchett fans tend to have many interests in common, so as a result, AFPers will often discuss subjects that are not related to the books in any way. If this annoys you, consider subscribing to alt.books.pratchett instead where posting is normally confined to Pratchett related subjects.

It is well worth your while to familiarise yourself with the sorts of subjects that posters to AFP typically discuss before starting any [I] threads of your own.

Here are a few things that you should think twice about posting to AFP.

Fan fiction
If you have written fiction involving Discworld characters, please don't post it on alt.fan.pratchett! There is a mailing list for Discworld-related fan fiction called The History Monks. You can find further details of this list on L-Space Web. Posting fan fiction to AFP means that Terry can not read the group for fear of unintentionally reproducing a storyline in a book and opening himself to lawsuits.
Speculation
As with fan fiction, don't!

In the past, problems have been caused by the posting of speculation about future Discworld events which had all the potential to cause awkward legal situations. As a result, it is possible that Terry could not use these ideas - even if he had developed them independantly - because of possible future litigation. On at least one occasion, his immediate (and very terse) response suggested that this was indeed the case.

Careless speculation doesn't just cause legal problems. Far from it.

There are also journalists who seem to take particular pleasure in implying plagiarism - especially when a famous author is involved. If they have any evidence that an idea was mentioned elsewhere (especially if it predates a story's publication), they will operate under the assumption that there is no smoke without fire. It won't matter that "it was just a concidence" or that you've publically said "I'm happy to let Terry to use my idea/story/character", the damage will have been done.

So don't post speculative stuff! And, if you do inadverently wander into idle speculation, please stop as soon as you're asked to.

Test posts
Don't post them! AFP is not a medium in which you may test to see if your news software is working properly. Newsgroups such as misc.test perform this function. Test posts merely add to download times for many others.
Binary files
AFP is a text-only newsgroup which means that binary file are distinctly unwelcome. It is much better to place the file on an ftp server or a website and post a pointer to it. If you don't have access to these resources, ask if someone will host your file. Or use the services of a free-hosting provider.
Copyright protected material
We all know that there are illegal Pratchett ebooks around. Just because they exist doesn't make them right or legal. Posting links to such material is not welcome and the link in question likely to be reported to some very interested men with very thin watches.
Cross-posts
Cross posting to non Pratchett newsgroups should be handled very carefully, and the Newsgroup header modified as soon as a posting is no longer appropriate to a certain group. This is because AFP threads tend to mutate quickly, and will soon be off topic for other groups.

There are some things which recur and are to be expected after even a short stay in AFP. Such topics include food threads, bra debates, physics discussions, and relentless pedantry.

The Vampire Threads of AFP highlights some topics which have a reputation of being contentious and liable to provoke unfriendly reactions among posters.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, please understand that AFP is a culture in which mutual respect is considered important.

Try not to post anything in anger.

If you are offended by a post, consider sending the poster an email letting them know that this is the case. Conversely, if someone sends you a polite message saying that they are offended by something you posted, please try to take their feelings into account.

If only 2 or 3 people are involved in a thread, consider moving the discussion to email - though be aware that people may be reading a thread without posting, so it's customary to make a 'taken to email' post to alert potentially interested readers