This month' s Speakeasy was written by webtv.users newsgroup moderator Kieca Mahoney. She would like to let you all in on the best way to get your post past a moderator! Much of this advice goes for unmoderated groups as well.

When you post to a moderated newsgroup, there are a few things you should know, and as one of the moderators for the group webtv.users, who better than I to help your submission make it to the board? Contrary to some popular beliefs, moderators are not put on this earth to make you miserable or censor you; we are just trying to keep the newsgroup we moderate on topic and vaguely civil. We don't really sit around with our slippered feet on our desks, laughing at the computer screen, saying, "Oh, that Bob, I'm never going to post his stuff!" We can even be helpful sometimes; when we can answer a question we will add a moderator's note in brackets at the bottom of the post. [Moderator's Note: And when we do so, it looks something like this.]

Before the word 'post' even enters your mind, you will want to read the Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ, for the newsgroup. You should try to read the FAQ before posting to any newsgroup, not just the moderated ones. In the case of moderated groups there may also be a group charter that will let you know what the group is about, and what kinds of posts will be accepted. If you peek at the group itself you can usually find out where the charter and FAQ are; sometimes they are posted right in the group, and sometimes they are on a web site. FAQs are posted every month or so in most groups, but if there is no info on the group you can also try doing a search for the word FAQ and the newsgroup name to find it. The FAQ for webtv.users is on the group and also over in the group webtv.announce.

Once you have read the FAQ and the charter, wait! Before you leap on that Post button, read the group for a few days or weeks until you get a feel for how things are done. You may find that the question you had in mind has already been answered! For webtv.users, you can bet that someone has already asked when printers/video/IRC/Java will be coming, and you can find out by reading the responses to those posts. Reading the group will also give you a better idea of what kinds of posts are accepted. For instance, if our webtv.users group is about WebTV (which it is), posts asking for relationship advice, good motor oils, and "sexy friends" will most likely get the virtual axe.

When you do decide to take the plunge and post, make sure that the post is coherent, to the point, and not chock full of obscenity. DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING AND YOU PROBABLY WON'T GET POSTED. See? You may want to make sure that you have something to say as well. Posts that say "Me too" or "I want to know this too" are not good candidates for Newsgroupsville. If someone asked a question and you would like to know if she found the answer, you might want to email her personally to ask, rather than posting to the group. Think about it. If you were someone else, would you want to read the potential post in front of you?

Even if your post meets the above criteria, it may not make it through the last trial: sometimes submissions won't be posted just because they are repetitive. If someone asks "How do I turn on my WebTV?" and 100 people post "Use the Power button!" we probably won't post all 100 of those responses. Remember, it isn't personal -- there just aren't many people who want to read 100 posts that all say the same thing. This way, only the moderators have to do that! ;)

Finally, there is a nit-picking detail that won't keep you from being posted, but that would be a good idea for everyone. Title the post in a way that indicates the question asked or comment made. This way people looking through the group will know that it is a question about the keyboard keys or the phone line specifically, rather than being confronted with a newsgroup full of postings that all say "Help!" or "Question".

If you follow the above guidelines, you should be able to avoid having your hapless posts fall under the axe of most moderators, but I can't vouch for all of them! Good luck and happy posting!