Celtic Wolf, Web Design, Fairfax VA | Website Design, Software Development

Original-author: 
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  (Charles Calvert)
Last-change: 5 September 2003 by 
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  (Charles Calvert)

[Change history:

6 June 2000 - first version completed
5 September 2003 - modified URL of FAQ

]

Charter for alt.computer.consultants.moderated

[Note: some parts of sections 1 and 2 were taken from the FAQ for
alt.computer.consultants.  My thanks to the original author of that FAQ.]

Additional contributors:
  Steve Thompson
  Ric Goldman

The newsgroup alt.computer.consultants was created as a place for computer
consultants to discuss their business.  However, for several years there
have been an inordinate number of off-topic posts, mostly from people who
want help with technical questions, recruiters trolling for resumes and
general commercial advertisements (spam).  As a result,
alt.computer.consultants.moderated was created in 1996.

The ISC's Usenet archive does not contain a charter for the group, and
the group has been dead since 1998, so this charter has been created to
define the group's purpose and set rules for acceptable posts to the
group.

1.0  Purpose of alt.computer.consultants.moderated

alt.computer.consultants.moderated is a forum for professional computer
consultants (and other interested parties) to exchange ideas and
information regarding the conduct of their consulting businesses.

A consultant is defined as someone who provides others with advice,
guidance and assistance in his or her professional field.  A consultant
may be self-employed, a principal in a small firm, or an employee of a
larger firm. The scope of the group includes those describing themselves
as contractors and freelancers, and others in similar positions.

The group is intended to foster discussion in all area relevant to
computer consultants, including business, legal, marketing, ethical and
social considerations.  Technical issues may be raised but only as they
relate to doing the business of consulting.  Such relationship should be
specified in the posting.  Acceptable topics include (but are not limited
to): tax rulings, client management, starting out, contracts, clarification
of accounting methods, ethics, networking with other computer consultants,
telecommuting, running a consulting business, general industry trends or
developments, the future of computer consulting, etc.


2.0  Appropriate Topics for alt.computer.consultants.moderated

This section is intended as guidance, not as any definitive or limiting
list of topics.  Here are typical subjects that are considered on-topic
(but first check in the CONTENTS section of the FAQ
(http://timelord01.home.sprynet.com/accm/faq.htm) to see if a question
has already been answered there):

  o How would you handle a client who ... ?
  o Will the tax office require me to ... ?
  o My contract states ... but my client ...
  o I need help in negotiating an acceptable fee ...
  o I want to consult part-time while ...
  o Does anyone know of a ... specialist in the ... area?
  o How can I leverage my current engagement?
  o Where are some favorable and unfavorable areas for ... consulting?
  o I have a client who needs to be able to  ...
    (software/hardware questions) ... where can I find expertise
    on this?
  o Has anyone noticed a trend toward hiring W2/1099/B2B ...

See section 3.0 for a list of topics and types of posts specifically
prohibited.

If there is any disagreement as to the topicality of a particular
subject, this document should be consulted.  In any event, the
moderator(s) of the group shall make the final decision.

2.1  Identifying Location

Posts that deal with a topic that is specific to a particular
jurisdiction (state, province, country) should include the name of the
jurisdiction in the subject line.  This will allow readers to more easily
find or skip posts that are relevant or irrelevant to their jurisdiction.  
The recommended method is to use the domain name abbreviations for the
location.  Some examples are:

  "[US] Tax questions"
  "[PA.US] Questions about incorporation in Pennsylvania"
  "[UK] Contract problem"

3.0  Topics and Types of Posts Specifically Prohibited

3.1  Technical Questions

Technical questions are prohibited in alt.computer.consultants.moderated.  
"Technical questions" means:

  o questions about malfunctioning hardware or software
  o usage questions about hardware, software, or the Internet
  o posts requesting assistance in diagnosing some computer-related
    problem
  o requests for product recommendations of any sort
  o anything else the moderator(s) deem(s) a "technical question"

The comp.sys.* or vendor/product related newsgroups are often better suited
for these.

3.1.1  Exception to the Prohibition of Technical Questions

Technical questions may be posted if they specifically relate to
consulting AND the poster specifies the relationship in their post.  For
example, it would be appropriate for a poster to ask for a recommendation
for accounting software that works best for their specific consulting 
market.


3.2  Advertisements

No advertisements of any sort, even if related to consulting, may be
posted.  This includes advertisements by consultants of their services 
and/or availability as well as "help wanted" posts by prospective clients 
and/or recruiters.  There are newsgroups available specifically for 
advertisements, including alt.computer.consultants.ads and 
alt.computer.consultants.ads.norecruiters.  Ads relating to computer 
consulting should be posted to one or both of those groups.

This prohibition also applies to posts recommending the products or 
services of some entity if the poster stands to benefit monetarily from 
the recommendation.

3.2.1  Exceptions to Prohibition of Advertisements

3.2.1.a  Signatures

Posters may advertise their company and/or services in their signatures, 
provided that the signature does not violate Usenet standards.  See section 
4.0 for more information on Usenet standards.

3.2.1.b  Non-Profit Group Announcements

Non-profit groups whose activities are of interest to computer consultants, 
such as the Independent Computer Consultants Association (and its chapters), 
the Programmers Guild, the IEEE, etc., may post announcements regarding 
meetings, conventions, lobbying activities and the like.

3.2.1.c  Requests for Help with Advertisements

Posters may request assistance from other members with the creation, 
refining, improvement, etc. of advertisements for their consulting 
businesses.  It is acceptable for the poster to include the text of or 
a URL to the advertisement in question.


3.3  "Troll" Postings

"Troll" postings are posts which are specifically intended to elicit 
angry or upset responses and do not positively contribute to the group.  
The moderator(s) will have discretion in determining which posts, if any, 
are trolls.


3.4  Flames and Ad Hominem Attacks

"Flames" are messages that angrily attack a person or persons, usually 
in response to a post with which the flamer disagrees.  Messages that 
attack or insult individuals or groups on the basis of personal 
characteristics (a.k.a. ad hominem attacks or flames) are not allowed.  
This prohibition shall not apply to opinions or arguments that are based 
on facts (which must be stated in the message) or previous arguments 
(which must be quoted in context) made by the original poster.

3.5  Anything not Related to Computer Consulting

Any message which is not related to computer consulting in some way is 
prohibited.  It is up to the poster to explicitly specify how their post 
is related to computer consulting.


3.6  Posts with Binary Files or Other Attachments

Posts containing binary files or other types of attachments (such as 
vcards, text attachments, etc.) are not permitted.

3.6.1  Exception to prohibition of Binary Files or Attachments

Posts may be signed using PGP or a similar program in order to ensure 
that the post was indeed created by the author (i.e. is not a forgery) 
or that it was approved by the moderator.

3.7  Posts Containing HTML

Usenet is a plain text medium.  Posts containing HTML are not permitted.


3.8  Posts which are Crossposted to More than Three Groups

Any post which is crossposted to more than three groups (including ACCM)
will be rejected, as such posts are almost always spam or trolls.


3.9  Post not Approved by a Moderator

Any posts not approved by the moderator (or a moderator, should there be 
more than one) is specifically prohibited.  Any such posts that appear 
in the newsgroup shall be canceled by the moderator.

4.0  Netiquette

Posters will observe basic netiquette.  This includes, but is not 
limited to, the following:

  o Read the charter and FAQ before posting for the first time.
  o Lurk for at least a few days before posting for the first time.
  o Signatures should be separated from the text of the message by
    "-- " (two dashes and a space).
  o Signatures should be no longer than 4 to 6 lines.
  o Text should be wrapped at 75 characters or fewer.
  o Do not post a message just to say "me too," "I agree" or something
    similar.
  o When quoting a message, quote only the portion necessary to
    maintain the context for your reply.  Quoting a 100 line message
    to post a 1 line reply is a complete waste of bandwidth.

For a good reference on writing good Usenet posts, see:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/emily-postnews/part1/
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/posting-rules/part1/
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/primer/part1/
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/advertising/how-to/part1/

4.1  Munged Headers

No post will be accepted where the poster's id cannot be
validated.  Specifically, if the headers are "munged" to the
point where the poster can not be responded to via email, any and
all posts from said poster will be ignored.  Should such a post
get on to the newsgroup, then a/the moderator shall cancel it.

5.0  Moderation

The senior moderator shall be defined as the person who manages the 
moderation process and/or moderation 'bot.

The moderator(s) will accept or reject posts based on this charter.  
In cases where the post's compliance with the charter is unclear, the 
moderator should exercise their best judgement.

To be a moderator, one must have the appropriate equipment and/or software, 
depending on the moderation tools currently in use.  Moderators will be 
selected from volunteers by a vote.  Any volunteer who gets at least 60% 
"yes" votes will be accepted.  Only votes from those with an established 
posting history in alt.computer.consultants.moderated or 
alt.computer.consultants will be counted.  Posting histories will be 
verified via Deja (or a similar service in the even that Deja can no longer 
be used).  The posting history must be one of on-topic posts, not trolls 
or off-topic posts.  This requirement will prevent the vote from being 
"stuffed" by proponents or opponents of a volunteer.

Moderators who will be temporarily or permanently unavailable should 
inform the senior moderator.  In the case of temporary unavailability, 
the senior moderator will then temporarily remove the moderator from the 
distro list for posts to be moderated.  In the case of permanent 
unavailability, the senior moderator will call for volunteers to replace 
the person leaving.  After a period of no less than 5 days, a vote will 
then be held.  In the event that no volunteer garners at least 60% of the 
votes, another vote shall be called.  If this subsequent vote fails to 
produce an acceptable candidate, then the moderator(s) may elect to 
continue without a replacement, or appoint one of the volunteers 
(by unanimous agreement if there is more than one moderator).