Top:Newsgroups:uk.rec.scouting:faq

Top:Newsgroups:uk.rec.scouting:faq

(last modified June 2003 following a request for feedback from the newsgroup)

This is the latest copy of the uk.rec.scouting FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions document).

This document can be found on-line at faq.php

David Laird's "uk.rec.scouting Abbreviations and Acronyms Guide" is also posted to uk.rec.scouting on a regular basis and is available on-line at ursag.php

CONTENTS:
1: Welcome (what this newsgroup is for!)
2: Frequently Asked Questions
3: Netiquette (guidelines and etiquette for the newsgroup)
4: Official Charter

1: WELCOME

Welcome to uk.rec.scouting, the newsgroup for discussion of all aspects of UK Scouting and Guiding for boys, girls, Leaders, and anyone else with an active interest.

This newsgroup, by charter (see FAQ part 4) and in spite of its name, is open for the discussion of both Guiding and Scouting, centred on the UK. It covers programme activities, administration, equipment, etc. It is also used to solicit advice from other members on what to do in certain situations; and generally seek and provide support and encouragement with respect to Scouting and Guiding in the UK and its associated dependencies.

Therefore... "The Scout and Guide Laws are the Laws of this Newsgroup." Please post within the spirit of the Laws and the Spirit of Scouting and Guiding.

This is a group intended for both youth members and adults. Although most of the posts are from Leaders, younger Members are encouraged to use this group to exchange ideas and ask questions. Therefore, older (i.e. "non-youth"!) posters should bear in mind the possible presence of younger members when posting.

2: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"I keep seeing references to UKRSA and UKRS Archive. What is it?" The "uk.rec.scouting Archive" (UKRS Archive) group was created in April 2003 and can be found at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKRSArchive It is a place where members can share photos and other computer files and is not meant to replace uk.rec.scouting. Prospective new members need to create a free Yahoo ID for themselves, if they don't already have one. Membership will be confirmed once identity has been verified. When placing files and photos in the archive please follow the guidelines in the HQ Factsheet FS295207 Developing a Scouting Website, which can be found at http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/facts/pdfs/fs295207.pdf

"I can't find uk.rec.scouting in my newsgroup list?" - uk.rec.scouting should be available for all to read. If your Internet provider doesn't carry it, e-mail them and ask them to add it. There should be no problems. uk.rec.scouting can also be found on Google (formally Deja) at http://groups.google.com/

"I subscribe to uk.rec.scouting and have noticed some 'adult' and inappropriate messages being posted. Are these permitted?" - NO! But unfortunately there is little that can be done about them. The important thing to remember is NOT to reply to any 'adult' or inappropriate messages (see the next question about trolls). Sometimes the messages are removed from servers, but if you reply to them before this happens your reply (along with the 'adult' message) may remain available for all to see.

"I have seen posts about something called a troll. What is a troll?" - A troll is a post to a newsgroup or message board which has the primary aim of causing arguments and upsetting people. This can either be done by deliberately ignoring the netiquette or guidelines for posting on a particular newsgroup, or by posting something that is deliberately inflammatory or contentious. The best thing to do if you see a troll is to ignore it, since the posters of troll messages feed off the replies that it generates. In general, if nobody replies to a troll then the person who posted it will simply go away and bother a different newsgroup instead.

"I am new to the net and don't know where to look for Scouting- related materials." - There are plenty of sites in the UK that support Scouting in different ways. You should try pointing your browser at the following pages.

ScoutBase UK is the Scout Association's official website:- http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/
Baloo is the UK's premier Scouting search engine. Why not add a link to your site? http://www.baloo.org.uk/
Escouts offers free, fully featured web hosting to UK Scout Groups http://www.escouts.org.uk/

"I am new to the net and don't know where to look for Guiding-related materials." - Why not visit the UK Guide Association's homepage at:- http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/

3: NETIQUETTE GUIDELINES

Most of the guidelines here were originally taken from news.announce.newusers and have been adapted over time for the needs of this uk.rec.scouting newsgroup. However, they bear repeating from time to time.

• Please do not "flame" (insult) anyone in this newsgroup. Flames belong in private mail. Discussions in the newsgroup will naturally bring disagreements, however, rebuttals should always be made in a rational, logical and mature manner.

• Please limit the amount of material included from previous postings as much as possible, and try to be concise. However, make sure that you include enough of the previous post so as to make your follow-up sensible. Top-posting is discouraged as it often leads to over-quoting.

• Please re-edit your Subject line before sending a follow-up that is not directly related to the preceding messages in a thread. Replies in the third round rarely have a direct relation to the original subject.

• Cross-posting to other newsgroups (including other Scouting groups) is strongly discouraged. Multiple posts to other newsgroups are also discouraged.

• All forms of spam and junk mail are forbidden in this newsgroup; this includes commercial advertisements, get-rich-quick schemes, chain mail, and all "adult oriented" posts.

• English is the preferred language of this newsgroup. Postings in other languages should be accompanied by an English translation.

• BINARIES, ETC Only plain text material is to be posted here. Please do not post HTML, multipart/alternative, base-64 encoding, binaries, graphics, sounds, VCards, WP formats; ECP/EMP, or Web pages. Scouting-related files, etc, should be placed on a Web site, on FTP sites, or in "pictures"/"binaries" newsgroups and just cited in this newsgroup.

• The bottom line: post intelligently, and make this newsgroup worthwhile to read through.

Charter of uk.rec.scouting    (Not Moderated)
The newsgroup is for discussion of all matters to do with the youth development programmes known generically as Scouting and Guiding, as practised in the UK, and for discussions on both the aim and the method of the Scout and Guide Movements in the UK, including the exchange of programme ideas and practical information on campsites, etc. The terms 'Scouting' and 'Guiding' refer to the programme which follows the principles laid down by Sir Robert Baden-Powell in 'Scouting for Boys' in 1908.

Advertising:
No commercial advertising will be permitted, people who wish to swap badges and sell or buy memorabilia will be asked to use e-mail addresses only.

Newsgroups line:
uk.rec.scouting      Discussion of Scouting and Guiding in the UK

If you have a useful item that hasn't been included in this FAQ, please do all of us the favour; write it up and post it on uk.rec.scouting. Drop us a copy too at <webmaster@baloo.org.uk> to make sure that we include it in this file.

End of uk.rec.scouting FAQ