Archive-name: comics/xbooks/welcome
Posting-frequency: weekly (monday)
URL: http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/keweizel/welcome.html


                         -= WELCOME TO RAC.MX! =-

                  A General Welcome and Information Post
                    for rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks

                Copyright 1995, 1996 by Katharine E. Weizel


Archive Name:  /xbooks/welcome

This is Welcome to Rac.mx! Version 2.00
     Last updated October 1, 1996.

Changes since last edition:
     Good God, this thing has been revised!
     We are now approved for posting in rec.answers and news.answers!

The Keeper of the Welcome to Rac.mx! Post is:
     Kate the Short  (katew@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu)


INTRODUCTION
------------

Welcome to rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks, the Official Newsgroup for The 
Mutant Universe of Marvel Comics.  Yup, *all* of the Mutant Universe.  
And then some.

We're generally a fun and happy place, and are here to discuss the 
X-Men and all of their past, present, and future incarnations.  We're 
also here to discuss how these comic books and the characters within 
them have affected our lives.  We're here to discuss the current plots, 
critique the artwork, and convince each other whether or not Jean Grey 
Is Still Dead On The Blue Area Of The Moon.  We're also here to make 
fools of ourselves in as many unique ways possible!  Well, Just kidding 
on that last bit.  Sorta.

Basically, we're called the Friendliest Newsgroup on the Net.  Whether 
that's irony or truth, it doesn't matter-- the end result is that many 
of us are like a big huge family, with all that entails.  We're always 
looking for new family members, so read away!  When you're ready to join 
us, feel free to respond to others' posts with your own opinions, or 
pose a question of your own.  So pull up a chair, hang on to that 
keyboard, and get ready for the ride of your life...


GENERAL INFORMATION
-------------------

There's a couple of things that you should know before you jump in with 
your eyes closed.  You woudn't jump into a swimming pool without 
checking to see if there's water in it, would you?  Hopefully, you 
wouldn't.  Therefore, we've provided a couple of resources for you to 
check out before you dive in headfirst.

<>   First of all, there *are* creators reading this newsgroup.  So be 
nice to them.  Don't just say "I think Artist XYZ Sucks!!!" because 
Artist XYZ might be reading your post in the near future.  If you don't 
like that person's writing or artwork, feel free to say so, but qualify 
your reasons with specific details.  Constructive criticism always gets 
better results than insults.

<>   Secondly, you probably have a lot of questions.  Well, we've got a 
lot of answers!  The following FAQs are posted on a regular basis in 
this newsgroup:

***The General RACMX FAQ:
    http://weber.u.washington.edu/~cal711/faq.html
     Kept by Jane Griffin (cal711@u.washington.edu), these are the 
dozens of Frequently-Asked Questions that rac.mx readers and posters 
have posed over the past few years.  This FAQ is "required reading" for 
anyone who reads or collects the X-Titles.  This FAQ will answer all the 
questions you do have, and will tell you a lot of things that you might 
not have ever thought about!

***The Read Before Posting FAQ:
    http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/keweizel/read.html
     Kept by Kate the Short (katew@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu), this is a 
"netiquette" and "posting difficulties" FAQ.  This FAQ tells you the 
most effective ways and places to post your messages for the best 
possible responses.  It also tells you *why* we sometimes ask you to 
post certain topics in another rec.arts.comics.* newsgroup.

***The "Where Can I Find It?" FAQ:
    http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/keweizel/where.html
     The second of Kate's specialty FAQs, this FAQ answers the question 
"Where can I find this stuff???"  It lists all of the important rac.* 
FAQs, .xbooks FAQs, character and team FAQs, Web Pages, fan clubs, 
mailing lists, MUSHes, ftp sites, and newsgroups.  If you still can't 
find it, just ask Kate;  she can probably find it for you.

***The General Rec.arts.comics.* FAQs:
    http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/
    ftp://ftp.idyllmtn.com/pub/rac/
     Maintained by the rac-faq committee (rac-faq@idyllmtn.com), these 
FAQs deal with netiquette and resources for *all* the rac.* newsgroups.  
Very thorough, and a must-read for anyone who is new to the rac.* set of 
newsgroups.


All of the above FAQs will answer the most general and the most-often-
asked questions of rac.mx and of the rac.* groups in general.  Again, if 
you've still got questions, feel free to e-mail any of the above FAQ-
Keepers or any of the more frequent posters to the newsgroup.  They'll 
be more than happy to help you out!

<>   There are a couple of other things to consider.  Take the time to 
read the newsgroup for a few weeks, and get to know the rest of your 
fellow posters.  We don't usually bite.  

Feel free to post an Introduction-- tell us a little bit about yourself, 
such as who you are, which titles you (used to) collect, who your 
favorite artists and writers are, and which characters you think should 
be seen more often.  An introduction lets us know that you've moved into 
the neighborhood, and are going to stay a while.

Don't flame other posters.  Insulting other people just because they 
have different opinions or post to the wrong newsgroup by accident or 
have unusual linewraps or spelling is rude and unnecessary.  Remember-- 
there's a lot of people out there who are posting from different parts 
of the world with vastly different computers and systems.  Not everyone 
will think the same or talk about the same things.  Learn to appreciate 
differences.

Take care of your posts.  If you use ALL CAPS or don't use standard 
punctuation, your post might look sloppy.  It never hurts to hit space 
after your punctuation, return at the end of a line or to write in small 
paragraphs.  The easier your posts are to read, the more people will 
read them!  And keep your .signature file small, about 4-5 lines only.

When you follow up to other posters, delete the stuff that you aren't 
directly commenting on.  Delete the other person's .sig, while you're at 
it.  Trust me, they won't be offended.  Leave white space after each 
paragraph, and don't type your responses next to those >> marks.  All of 
these things make it easier to understand what you're responding to, and 
make your posts and responses a lot easier to read.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask silly questions.  You should read the 
FAQs to see if it's already in there, but if you still don't have an 
answer (or if you want more information), then ask away.  The General 
Rac.mx FAQ has a list of "Friendly Xbookers" in Part 4.  These people 
are here to help you-- if you can't figure out an answer, they're more 
than happy to give you the information you need.

<>   So find those FAQs, get accustomed to the regular posting styles of 
the newsgroup, and post! 


CREDITS
-------

The Welcome Keeper would like to thank:

* David R. Henry for being so concise in his original Welcomes,
* Jane Griffin for general HTML and moral support,
* Aardy R. DeVarque for critiquing everything under the sun for me,
* and all the RACX'ers who made rac.mx a welcome place to begin with.

--
 | Kate the Short - (katew@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu) - at the U of Chicago |
 | I have a web page! (at http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/keweizel) |
 | Keeper of the RAC.MX Read Before Posting and Where Can I Find It? FAQs |
 | Patron Saint of rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks, and Really Short Person |

