REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION (RFD) rec.aquaria reorganization Author: Dustin Laurence, laurence@alice.caltech.edu Co-proponent: Wayne A. Powell, wap@inforamp.net (Note: while Dustin is happy to answer e-mail about this RFD and will do his best to do so in a timely fashion, other committments may limit his e-mail activity during the discussion period. We suggest that e-mail be directed to Wayne unless there is a specific reason to do otherwise.) Summary: (All groups to be unmoderated) RENAME rec.aquaria -> rec.aquaria.misc CREATE rec.aquaria.marketplace CREATE rec.aquaria.tech CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants CREATE rec.aquaria.marine.misc CREATE rec.aquaria.marine.reefs Each newsgroup in this RFD will be voted on separately and will pass or fail independent of the other newsgroups. PROCEDURE After discussion and approval in the *.aquaria groups, this RFD will be officially posted to news.groups, news.announce.newgroups, rec.aquaria, alt.aquaria, sci.aquaria, alt.aquaria.killies, rec.ponds, sci.bio.fisheries, bionet.organisms.zebrafish. In addition, copies will be mailed to the managers of the following mailing lists for reposting: AQUARIUM, BETTAS, CICHLIDS, DISCUS-L, GOLDFISH, AQUATIC-PLANTS, and KILLIES. Subsequent discussion will be directed to news.groups. After a discussion period of 21-30 days, if there are no overwhelming objections to any of the proposed groups, there will be a Call For Votes (CFV) posted to the same groups as this RFD. If significant changes are necessitated by that discussion, the revised RFD will be posted for another discussion period before the CFV is distributed. After the official posting of the CFV, the voting period will be at least 22 days. The actual vote will be counted by a neutral votetaker. Each group that passes, by receiving 100 more YES votes than NO votes *and* twice as many YES votes as NO votes, will be created five days after the end of the voting period unless the vote is deemed irregular. Any group which fails a valid vote may not be voted on again for six months. BACKGROUND The usenet aquarium newsgroups, rec.aquaria, alt.aquaria, and sci.aquaria have maintained a steady, sizeable message volume since their creation. They enjoy an enthusiastic and dedicated readership whose long-term committment is evidenced by the amount and complexity of material that has been made available. The existing (already >200k) FAQ for rec.aquaria has just been expanded and rewritten, a >150k FAQ for reef aquarists is maintained separately, an ftp site and several web sites provide permanent reference material, and recently a hard disk to provide a permanent home at Caltech for the archive and the Krib web pages (which were losing their former site) was purchased with donations from the net. For those interested, these documents are available at: WWW: Pointers to various web pages, including the regular aquaria faq and the archive: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aquaria/ Ftp: Regular FAQ: ftp://ftp.cco.caltech.edu/pub/aquaria/FAQfiles/Usenet/ Reefkeeper's FAQ: ftp://ftp.cco.caltech.edu/pub/aquaria/FAQfiles/Reefkeepers/ ftp://percula.acs.uci.edu/reefkeepers/faq/ Aquaria ftp archive: ftp://ftp.cco.caltech.edu/pub/aquaria/ ftp://ftp.sun.ac.za/pub/misc/aquaria/FAQfiles/Usenet/ (South Africa mirror) There are also many active mailing lists on various aquarium topics (the addresses listed here are the contact addresses, not the list addresses themselves): The bitnet AQUARIUM mailing list (listserv@emuvm1.cc.emory.edu) 241 subscribers, many messages per day. The BETTAS list (listserv@listserv.arizona.edu) 135 subscribers, a few messages per day. The CICHLIDS list (mail-server@mailmill.com) >200 subscribers, many messages a day. Requested a specialty newsgroup. The DISCUS-L list (listserv@mitvma.mit.edu) ~150 subscribers, ~10 messages per day. The GOLDFISH list (howardr@col.hp.com) ~90 subscribers, ~7 messages per day. Requested a specialty newsgroup. The AQUATIC PLANTS list (majordomo@actwin.com) ~200 subscribers, ~9 messages per day. Requested a specialty newsgroup. The KILLIES list (no information was provided) The fact that several of these lists would prefer to move to a newsgroup (often because the workload is too great for the list managers) demonstrates that a reorganization of the aquarium newsgroups is long overdue. A reorganization was discussed at length in these newsgroups starting in April of 1994; much of the discussion is archived at http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aquaria/Archive/Net/reorg or ftp://ftp.cco.caltech.edu/pub/aquaria/incoming/reorg . While the aquaria newsgroups have in the past been resistant to a split on the grounds that it would inhibit cross-fertilization between specialties, this discussion made it clear that the newsgroup volume had become great enough to be problematic for a large majority of readers. Early on it was agreed that only rec.aquaria would be reorganized. The redundancy in the current scheme with three groups should be reduced rather than increased, and because rec.aquaria receives the greatest volume (In March 95 it carried over 3000 messages) it should remain the primary usenet aquarium newsgroup. However, because every possible combination of these groups are received at various sites, alt.aquaria and sci.aquaria should remain as they are rather than be removed. Finally, this reorganization provides an appropriate framework for the addition of more specific newsgroups at a later date. The results of Michael Sawyer's straw poll were posted on May 3. Out of 62 votes, 60 were in favor of a reorganization. Similar majorities supported the creation of two main rec.aquaria subgroups: .freshwater and .marine . (The corresponding groups in this RFD appear with a .misc suffix only because of the non-requirement requirement that this be so.) The poll results, further discussion, and the judgement of the author leads to the proposal for the creation of three additional groups. It should be noted that the year delay in producing this RFD is a result of the author's outside commitments, not a lack of interest on the part of the long-suffering readers who have waited patiently for its completion. PROPOSAL: GENERAL charter The rec.aquaria.* hierarchy provides the primary USENET home for discussion of all topics related to home aquaria. Discussion of other closed aquatic and marine systems such as public aquaria, ponds, aquaculture, and mariculture are also welcome, though these topics may be better served by other newsgroups, such as rec.ponds; further afield but still relevant are sci.bio.fisheries and bionet.organisms.zebrafish (all of which are unrelated to and unaffected by this RFD). However, the primary focus of the rec.aquaria.* hierarchy is to support the private aquarist. The divisions into topic specific subgroups is meant help the reader find discussions on the topics that they are interested in, not to inhibit them, so the charters of these newsgroups should not be interpreted too narrowly. Crossposting is discouraged unless absolutely necessary; if a post is of potential interest to aquarists in both .marine and .freshwater then it probably belongs in .misc instead of either. Sometimes crossposting to two groups is fine, but otherwise posts should simply go to .misc instead. However, crossposting is never appropriate between .marketplace and the other groups. (The following section is conditional on the passage of rec.aquaria.marketplace; if that group fails, then the current consensus-defined commercial posting policy will stay in effect and apply to all groups on this RFD.) Commercial postings Advertisements and other commercial posts are a contentious issue on the aquaria groups. Since the following may be unfriendly-sounding, it should be emphasized that companies are invited and encouraged to maintain a presence on the net, and if you avoid these pitfalls you can expect a lot of appreciation for your efforts to be more accessible through the net. For more useful information on advertising on the net in general, see the Advertising on Usenet posting in news.announce.newusers . Non-advertisement posts from companies and their representatives (including ongoing individual moneymaking ventures) require special consideration as well as actual advertisements. Both are governed by the Golden Rule of commercial posting in rec.aquaria.*: The newsgroups exist for the benefit of their individual readers. Companies and individual moneymaking ventures are _invited guests_ of the individual readers. As guests they receive special consideration (rec.aquaria.marketplace), and are expected to take special care not to interfere with the normal workings of what is essentially a meeting place for private hobbyists. One corollary of this rule is that readers should have a choice as to whether they see (and often pay for the downloading of) ads, which is what motivates much of the following. Advertisements are restricted to rec.aquaria.marketplace, as provided in that groups charter. Companies and their representatives are encouraged to contribute to discussions in the other aquaria groups; however, it should be understood that criticism of companies and products is part of the purpose of those groups. If your company or product is discussed, you are welcome to post your side of the story. You should definitely not reply to every article or insist on having the last word--a good rule is that you should post to the thread no more often than other individual contributors. E-mail advertising is never acceptable unless explicitly requested. If a reader didn't specifically ask for your advertisement, don't send it. The above guidelines should eliminate most problems before they arise. Companies that abide by the spirit, not the letter of the law and keep the "guest" aspect in mind should find the rec.aquaria.* hierarchy a friendly place to advertise their products and a uniquely valuable way to obtain feedback and meet their customers. For more general guidelines on what types of advertising are and are not acceptable on usenet, see the Advertising FAQ in news.announce.newusers . Unwelcome posts Flames, while never on-topic, are particularly harmful when directed at new readers. The aquaria groups were once one of the friendlier places on the net for beginners. This is no longer true in many people's minds because of the responses that are often aimed at newbies (either to the net or to the hobby). Flames and other non-constructive criticism aimed at those seeking help are unwelcome and should be directed elsewhere (try alt.flame, /dev/null, or shout at your monitor). Binary files, even those related to aquaria, are generally not appropriate (though _very small_ files may be ok). The correct procedure is to make the file available by ftp, by WWW, or post the file to an appropriate alt.binaries group (for pictures this would probably be alt.binaries.pictures.animals or alt.binaries.pictures.misc), and then post a short note in the aquaria groups explaining where your binary post can be found and what its subject line is. Companies with hundreds of items to sell will have catalogs that outgrow rec.aquaria.marketplace, and should instead maintain an ftp or preferably web site and post its location (if done properly, this is more convenient for your customers as well). Advertisements disguised as advice ("your problem can be solved by our widget, as I've said to everyone who has posted about this problem"), non-ad ads (.signature files that advertise, for example, though short unobtrusive contact information is OK), and ads for non-aquarium products are never welcome; the net does not generally take kindly to this sort of transparent subterfuge. Neither is e-mail advertising; interested readers will read rec.aquaria.marketplace . SPECIFIC NEWSGROUPS: (All distributions WORLD) RENAME rec.aquaria to rec.aquaria.misc (Unmoderated) Rationale: A general discussion group is needed, and to avoid heavy political fire it must be named .misc . Charter: Topics not covered by the other groups, and topics that are appropriate to more than one group (rather than crossposting). Not all topics fit neatly into the usual freshwater/marine division (notably brackish aquaria), not all topics have a large enough following to warrant a separate newsgroup at this time, and some topics are of broad interest to many types of aquarists. Also appropriate are such things as pointers to more specific newsgroups, ftp and web sites, and other "meta-issues." If you don't know where to post it, it probably belongs here. The only things that do not belong here are those that clearly fit well into one of the other groups; subjects that are popular enough to warrant their own group should not drown out smaller specialties in rec.aquaria.misc . CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc (Unmoderated) Rationale: Mandated by an overwhelming majority. Charter: Topics specific to freshwater aquaria which do not fit into one of the more specialized newsgroups, as well as topics which fit into multiple specific freshwater newsgroups. CREATE rec.aquaria.marine.misc (Unmoderated) Rationale: Mandated by an overwhelming majority. Charter: Topics specific to marine aquaria which do not fit into one of the more specialized newsgroups, as well as topics which fit into multiple specific marine newsgroups. CREATE rec.aquaria.marketplace (Unmoderated) Rationale: Needed to avoid disputes over the appropriateness of advertising, allow ads to be found easily without burying or being buried in general discussion. Charter: Ads related to aquaria and aquarium products and inhabitants by private individuals and businesses. Companies with hundreds of products must share the newsgroup with hobbyists trying to unload their spare tank, so care may be needed to avoid posting too often. Posting once a month or so would nearly always be unobjectionable; regularly posting every week would almost certainly be too often. More important than numbers is simple courtesy; if a post from somebody trying to sell their living room tank is lost in a hail of commercial ads, then the newsgroup cannot serve one of its primary audiences. Similarly, huge catalog listings are inappropriate. (Instead post pointers to ftp and web sites with your on-line catalog; this works very well.) Discussion of ads posted here should also take place here, and posts should never be crossposted between rec.aquaria.marketplace and another rec.aquaria.* group. CREATE rec.aquaria.tech (Unmoderated) Rationale: There are many topics which are common across the freshwater/marine dichotomy, and this split is not meant to interfere with the interaction of the two branches of the hobby. Many of these topics relate to the technology of aquarium keeping. While the organisms and special techniques vary, both freshwater and marine aquaria face a similar set of fundamental problems and often rely on similar devices in their solution. This newsgroup also allows those not interested in the gritty details to avoid them. Charter: Discussion about the technology of aquarium keeping, including homebuilt gadgets as well as commercial devices. Discussions of the technical details of such devices belong here, though the rationale for their use may be just as appropriate in another newsgroup. CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids (Unmoderated) Rationale: Cichlids are a large specialty within the freshwater hobby, and have an active mailing list with over two hundred subscribers. This mailing list has specifically requested a dedicated newsgroup. Charter: All topics related to both old- and new-world cichlids. CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish (Unmoderated) Rationale: Goldfish are the stereotypical beginner aquarium fish, but they also enjoy a dedicated following of skilled aquarists and an active mailing list that has acquired ninety members in about two months. This mailing list has specifically asked for a dedicated newsgroup. Charter: All topics related to goldfish and their kin. CREATE rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants (Unmoderated) Rationale: Planted tanks have an enthusiastic and voluble following among freshwater aquarists (much like reefs have in the marine branch). This group provides a home for planted tank specialists and also allows the large number of non- plant aquarists to avoid the many strictly plant posts (a subject of some grumbling in the past). In addition, there is a large, active plant mailing list which has specifically requested a dedicated newsgroup. Charter: All topics related to planted (freshwater) tanks. CREATE rec.aquaria.marine.reefs (Unmoderated) Rationale: The fundamental division of the marine hobby is into reef and non-reef aquarists. This group provides a home for reef specialists while allowing non-reef aquarists to avoid the large number of reef related posts. This newsgroup is the single most requested specialty newsgroup in my private e-mail, and I fear violence if it is not included! (Not really, but the support is large and vocal--I would sooner worry that there would be nothing left in rec.aquaria.marine.misc .) Charter: All topics related to marine reef aquaria. Dustin Laurence, laurence@alice.caltech.edu Wayne A. Powell, wap@inforamp.net