Archive-name: usenet/nz-news-hierarchy
Posting-Frequency: Monthly (near start of month)
The nz.* Usenet Hierarchy FAQ
-----------------------------
Maintained by Simon Lyall (simon@no-spam
FAQ version number 107
Created - Jul 5 2003
------------------------------------
0.0 Table of Contents.
0.1 Recent Changes to this FAQ.
1.0 What is the nz.* hierarchy?
1.1 History of the nz.* hierarchy.
1.2 What nz.* groups are there?
1.3 Recent Traffic Statistics.
2.0 Recent Votes.
- nz.test
- nz.org.nzcs
- nz.org.net-society
- nz.org.isocnz
- nz.org.ipenz
- nz.soc.queer
- nz.net.*
- nz.reg.*
- nz.soc.religion
- nz.politics.announce
- nz.reg.canterbury.general
- nz.soc.maori
- nz.tech
3.0 Bogus groups
4.0 Creating a new nz.* group
5.0 Sample Configuration Files
7.0 Netiquette in the nz.* hierarchy
8.0 Other Frequently Asked Questions
- posting to nz.test
- nz.wanted vs nz.forsale
- Getting nz.* groups overseas
- IBM
- What is usenet.net.nz?
9.0 Credits for this FAQ.
------------------------------------
In Feb 2003
- Updated for nz.soc.maori vote and addition
- Updated with nz.org.isocnz removal
- root@no-spam pgp key no longer available via finger
- Fixed version number
- Fixed errors in Table of Contents
- Updated for nz.tech vote and addition
In Dec 2001
- Updated where to get access to nz.* groups
- Fixed up error with newsgroups stats.
- Added nz.reg.christchurch.general to bogus groups
- Updated wording on binary posts
In June 1998
- Removed nz.archives
In May 1998
- Added nz.politics.announce stuff
In Apr 1998
- Fixed nz.soc.queer charter
In Mar 1998
- removed reference to other hierarchies (most of them don't exist anymore).
- updated for removal of nz.biz.misc.discuss and creation of nz.soc.religion
In Feb 1998
- New section of stats, updated each month.
- New Netiquette section.
------------------------------------
The nz.* hierarchy is a group of Usenet Newsgroups that are primarily
distributed within and to do with New Zealand, a country in the South
Pacific near Australia. While the groups are mainly for New Zealanders
at home they are also exported and can be read by people in other
countries if their site gets a feed of them.
This FAQ attempts to document various issues surrounding to nz.* groups
including voting procedures and charters of various groups.
This FAQ is also available from:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/nz-news-hierarchy
------------------------------------
Mark Davies posted the following message (slightly edited) outlining the
history of the current newsgroups up till March 95.
~From: mark@no-spam (Mark Davies)
~Newsgroups: nz.org.net-society,nz.netstatus,nz.general
~Subject: Re: CFV process for creating NZ.* groups
~Date: 27 Mar 1995 23:06:30 GMT
~Message-ID: <3l7gdm$jh1@no-spam>
OK, Here is the creation story for all NZ newsgroups:
nz.general
nz.netstatus
The original two. Created with no discussion (there was noone to discuss
with) when we first started getting news in the country. They will be 10
years old later this year (happy birthday to you ...)
nz.arts
nz.comp
nz.rec
nz.soc
nz.soc.green
nz.wanted
nz.archives
Created after a usenet BOF at a Uniforum NZ conference attended by many of
the then news administrators. We got flamed about creating these without
consulting the masses so introduced a voting scheme of two week period, 20+
votes required, simple majority (I think, something like that anyway).
nz.alex
The vote was rigged and the newgroup was ignored (you had to be there)
nz.molbio
voted for and passed under the above voting scheme. The group was
eventually removed due to lack of traffic.
nz.politics
nz.org.net-society
voted for and passed under revised voting schemes allowing for the growth
in the net population.
nz.test
A technical group created after discussion when a need was identified.
------------------------------------
The following is a list of the currently recognized nz.* newsgroups. These
groups should be covered by all sites that claim to carry the nz.*
hierarchy.
nz.arts
=======
Discussion of television, exhibitions and books etc. Traffic is fairly
light and as with several of the smaller groups much of the traffic that
would normally be expected to take place in this group goes on in
nz.general instead.
nz.biz.misc
===========
This is a moderated forum for the posting of commercial messages including
those advertising Jobs. All messages must follow a set format (see the FAQ
posted to the group). The group is currently moderated by a team of
moderators. Submissions should be sent to nbm@no-spam while the
moderators can be contacted via nbm-req@no-spam
nz.comp
=======
Anything computer related.
e.g. why modems need telepermits, Good computer companies.
For-sale and Jobs posts should go to nz.wanted or nz.biz.misc.
nz.general
==========
The cesspool of the nz.* hierarchy, Everything tends to be discussed
here with other groups only picking up the scraps.
Examples: speed cameras, Shortland Street, Current affairs.
If at all possible, you should use a more specialized nz.* group in order
to make sure your post stands out from the clutter.
nz.net.announce
===============
This is a moderated group for posting important announcements on Internet
links and services in New Zealand. The group is moderated to prevent chat
and to reduce the number of unwanted posts. All discussion on posts to this
group should take place elsewhere, usually nz.net.admin. The guidelines
for posting to the group are regularly posted and the moderators' address
is nna@no-spam
nz.net.admin
============
This group provides a forum for the discussion of issues surrounding
the Internet in New Zealand. Queries as to the status of various services
should be posted to this group as well as follow-ups on posts to
nz.net.announce. Discussion of newsgroups reorganizations with the nz.*
hierarchy should also take place here.
nz.politics.announce
====================
nz.politics.announce is a moderated forum for the posting of official
press releases, election results and announcements by Government bodies and
other entities involved in the political process and government of New
Zealand.
Since the group is not intended as a discussion medium followups must be
directed to another newsgroup (usually nz.politics) or to the poster.
Articles will be crossposted only at the moderators' discretion and normal
official announcements should not be crossposted to nz.politics
The following (or their spokespersons) may post Official Information,
statements, announcements and releases to the group:
* Ministers of the Crown.
* Members of Parliament.
* Registered political parties.
* Candidates in General and by-elections.
* The Electoral Commission.
* The Chief Electoral Officer.
* The Registrar of Electors.
* The Clerk of the Writs.
* The Representation Commission.
In addition the following may be posted
* Administrative posts and Information about the Newsgroup
* FAQs related to politics in New Zealand.
* Announcements of online political resources, mailing lists, newsgroups
and web sites.
Posts must be in plain text and have a legitimate from address that will
reach the author. Anonymous post are not accepted.
Posts which contain substantially the same text may not be posted more
than once every two weeks and the moderators may place a limit on a
particular entity's posts provided this is not less than 10 posts and/or
30 kilobytes per day.
nz.politics
===========
All forms of political discussion relating to New Zealand.
nz.rec
======
Sports, games, and other outdoor and indoor activities.
nz.reg.*
========
Any posts which deal with things of interest to or about the area or
region are welcome and on-topic in this group. This includes discussions
of local activities and events, local non-commercial buy/sell/wanted
posts, local issues and personalities and anything else that relates to
the area covered by the group.
The following things are not welcome:
[Base64 nz.]
As well as general Usenet netiquette (see the introductory posts in
news.announce.newusers) the nz.* groups have their own particular
guidelines for posters.
Finding the right group
=======================
Check through the list of nz.* groups (see section 1.2) for an idea of
what groups there are and where best to post your article. Avoid
crossposting if possible and go for the group most specific to your post,
you should only post to nz.general if no other group covers the subject of
your post.
Crossposts & Multiposts
=======================
Avoid these if possible, if you crosspost your message to more than a
four groups or send the same message several time then it will most
likely violate the charter of the group(s) and annoy people. This could
result in the articles being deleted, people posting rude messages
(flames) to or about you and complaints being made to you Internet Service
Provider (ISP). Depending on your ISP this may result in you losing your
account.
If you *must* crosspost an article you should set the followups to only
one or two groups at maximum. Discussions crossposted to more than a
couple of groups quickly become off-topic for some of them.
Binaries
========
Binaries are forbidden in the nz.* hierarchy. The large number of small
sites that get nz.* groups and high costs of phone calls for many are the
main reason behind this. A single picture can take up more space than a
day's worth of nz.* posts . If you post a binary attachment to your post
such as a picture, sound, movie orother file you will be violating this rule.
Most ISPs will filter out the post and complaints may be sent to your ISP.
If you wish to distribute a binary you should use an alt.binaries.* group or
put it on a Web site.
Commercial posts.
=================
These should be restricted to nz.biz.* groups. All other groups forbid
these being posted. nz.wanted should be used for non-commercial
advertising only.
Test Messages
=============
Don't post test messages to discussion groups, use nz.test instead.
Several sites will send you email letting you know that your post has
reached them (this may take from seconds to a day or so). If you don't
wish to receive email include the word "ignore" in the subject of your
tests.
General Guidelines
==================
* Try to write your posts in clear english, don't forget to use a
spell-checking program on your post before you send it.
* Don't use HTML, and format each line to 75 characters
* Be accommodating to other posters, remember that not everybody may share
your beliefs, experiences or lifestyle.
* Think before you flame someone or post when angry, remember that all
posts are archived and something you post now can come back to haunt
you in years time.
* Respond via email if what you have to say is mostly if interest to the
author of the original post. To that end you should post using your real
email address.
* Ensure that the newsreader you use generates standard conforming posts
but remember that others may use newsreaders that lack useful features
such as killfiles and threading.
* Read a newsgroups for a week or two before you post anything. This helps
you to get an understanding of the culture of the group. Read the
charter and FAQ (if it exists) for the group as well.
* Avoid sending messages or posting articles that are no more than
gratuitous replies to replies.
* Read all of a discussion in progress (thread) before posting replies.
Avoid posting "Me Too" messages, where content is limited to agreement
with previous posts. Content of a follow-up post should exceed quoted
content.
* If you've posted something and don't see it immediately, don't assume
it's failed and re-post it.
* If you post to a moderated nz.* group remember that it may take a day or
more before the moderator processes your article.
* Keep your signature file short, about 2-4 lines. You can use this space
to tell a little more about yourself, to add witty sayings to your
articles, or to advertise your web site or business.
------------------------------------
Here are a few FAQs relating to Usenet in New Zealand, please let me
know if you are aware of any others or have additional info on the ones
already listed.
How do I post to nz.test?
=========================
nz.test may be posted to the same way as another unmoderated nz.* group,
however there are several sites ( Waikato, Victoria & Auckland
Universities plus others) that automaticly send you a message so that
you know that your posting software/newsfeed is working. To prevent
these sites from responding to your posts include the word "ignore" in
the Subject.
If the article leaks overseas you might also get responses from many
sites around the world to you post. To prevent this you could try setting
the distribution of your article to "nz".
Should I used nz.wanted or nz.forsale?
======================================
You should use nz.wanted for all posts including 'For-Sale' notices.
nz.forsale is a bogus group is carried on very few sites. Messages of a
commercial nature should be avoided in nz.wanted. The nz.biz.misc group was
created for these.
How do I get nz.* groups outside of New Zealand?
================================================
Google provide a web based interface to most newsgroups via
http://groups.google.com/ , The nz.* groups are under:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&group=nz
Most pay Usenet providers carry the nz.* newsgroups, A list of them
and a guide to using them is provided by Jeremy Nixon at:
http://www.exit109.com/~jeremy/news/providers/
The Open Directory also has another list at:
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Usenet/Feed_Services/
Usenet New Zealand will also provide cheap/free read access or feeds of the
nz.* hierarchy (and others), contact Simon Lyall <simon@no-spam> for
details.
What is usenet.net.nz?
======================
The alias usenet.net.nz has been created to help with some admin issues
with nz.* groups. So far it is only used for moderated nz.* groups but
in the future other services will hopefully be based from it.
------------------------------------
* Simon Lyall <simon@no-spam>
Maintainer and misc text.
* Mark Davies <mark@no-spam>
Providing a history and statistics also helping to get Usenet started in
New Zealand in the first place.
* Lin Nah <l.nah@no-spam>
General comments.
Other Information from:
David Chamberlain <david@no-spam>
Ash Nallawalla <ash@no-spam>
Terry Bowden <bowden@no-spam>
Alan Brown <alan@no-spam>