From: MegaMole <mole@lspace.org>
Subject: [FAQ] The One True Afpmeet FAQ
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett.announce,alt.fan.pratchett
Summary: This FAQ documents what you can expect when you attend
or organise one of afp's real-life meets.
Followup-To: poster
Organization: L-Space
Keywords: Pratchett Discworld FAQ afpmeet
Approved: afpa-mod@lspace.org
X-Autoposter: This FAQ was autoposted by <leo@lspace.org>
X-Archive-name: pratchett/afpmeet-faq
X-Posting-Frequency: monthly (on the 14th)
X-Last-modified: 9 May 2001
X-Version: 2.3
X-URL: <http://www.lspace.org/faqs/>
Archive-name: pratchett/afpmeet-faq
Posting-Frequency: monthly (on the 14th)
Last-modified: 9 May 2001
Version: 2.4
URL: <http://www.lspace.org/faqs/>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
THE AFPMEET FAQ, or AFPMEETS - THE FULL MOLE-TY
For the Edification of Confused Mole-titudes
Version 2.4: Revised by MegaMole 9 May 2001 using EditPlus 2 (/plug)
Credits: Mike Knell, Darrell Ottery, Leo Breebaart, Suzi Holyoake,
Patrick Dersjant, Jos Dingjan, and AFP in general.
=====================================================================
0.1 What is an afpmeet?
When Colm Buckley came over from Ireland to London in 1992, he announced
the fact to afpers and they all met up to have a good time. The first
afpmeet. These are where ANYONE who wants to come meet up, drink, laugh,
make new friends, gossip, eat and talk.
Hereafter "afper" means anyone who is, or has ever been, a Comm^W^W
connected with alt.fan.pratchett. Call this the McCarthy Rule if you
like.
0.2 The Scope of this FAQ
This FAQ covers all aspects of meets; organising, announcing and
attending. It mentiones alt.fan.pratchett.announce in passing; consult
the AFPA FAQ for more details at:
<ftp://ftp.lspace.org/pub/pratchett/faqs/afpa-faq>
=====================================================================
CONTENTS
PART 1: ATTENDING AN AFPMEET
1.1 Where is it?
1.2 What do I bring with me?
1.3 What should I not bring with me?
1.4 What should I expect?
1.4.1 Find the Afper
1.4.2 Oi, You! What do you think of the Death of Rats?
1.4.3 Talk to me... I'm only little...
1.4.4 I'm not sho drun' asyouthinkIam, ofisiler...
PART 2: AFTER THE MEET
2.1 I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, YOUNG MAN, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY.
2.2 But Mummy, where am I going to sleep?
2.3 Why is that geek taking down my particulars?
2.4 That's not me with that traffic cone, honest!
PART THE THIRD: ORGANISING AN AFPMEET
3.1 Is there any interest?
3.2 Picking my Spot (urgh)
3.2.1 In Pubs
3.2.2 At Events
3.3 AFPA (alt.fan.pratchett.announce) and Meet Mailing Lists
3.4 What to put in your announcements
=====================================================================
PART THE FIRST: ATTENDING AN AFPMEET
1.1 Where is it?
-----------------
Consult AFP or alt.fan.pratchett.announce (see 3.3). Meet announcements
will be tagged [ANNOUNCE] (and often [F]). If you want to go, contact
the POSTER if you don't understand any or all of the directions.
The afpannounce portal <http://afpa.lspace.org> gives details of all
announced meets.
I reiterate: if you want to know about a meet, mail or phone the meet
organiser.
1.2 What do I bring with me?
--------------------------------
Yourself. Any friends, partners or relatives that you think might enjoy
the experience. Relationships that survive afpmeets are quite robust (I
speak from personal experience). There is a long tradition of bringing
sweeties and chocolate-covered stuff to meets. But see 1.3 below. Mostly
you buy your own drinks. So bring money. Fluffy toys are welcome. The
sillier or slimier the better. A digital camera for those all-important
JPEGs and GIFs (see section 2.4). Pterry books, Con T-shirts and the
like. Valuable recognition signals.
1.3 What should I not bring with me?
----------------------------------------
Into pubs: meals and drink. Staff will disapprove, and may chuck you
out. Not clever. The more anal pubs don't like chocolate, either. Into
any meet: Bad attitude/vibes/karma. Afpmeets are there for people to
have a good time. Anyone turning up and being drunk, (too) loud, rude or
obnoxious may expose themselves to irony, sarcasm or silence. But DO
introduce yourself, or you may get ignored for entirely different
reasons.
1.4 What should I expect?
-----------------------------
This section outlines the things any novice afpmeeter may find when they
venture into the unknown.
1.4.1 Find the Afper
You're in a strange place; you know nobody. But you are aware that there
are Pratchett fans about. What do you do?
Possible answers:
Look for the meet organiser as described in the announcement;
Look for anything listed in 1.2 above.
1.4.2 Oi, You! What do you think of the Death of Rats?
Occasionally you may be recognised as an afper by a complete stranger.
So don't be offended if someone asks you who and what you are, and then
starts wibbling, geeking or being [R]elevant. Again, introductions help.
1.4.3 Talk to me... I'm only little...
A note for more established afpers - if you see a lonely newbie or
otherwise unrecognised personage looking like he/she wants to belong,
do make the effort to say hi and include them. Hugs can do wonders.
A guide to the topics of conversation can be found by reading afp.
Similar things are frowned on - politics, religion, outrageously
inflammatory views. People may not appreciate complete strangers
pontificating about their exhaustive knowledge of a given subject (e.g.
computers) in their spare time.
You'll probably find lots of conversations going on at once. Don't be
overawed or put off. Clearly, if several afpers are in a "closed group"
huddle talking about intimate personal details, don't butt in. Many
afpers are good friends in real life, and often spend large parts of
meets gossiping. Just use a bit of common sense, and join less risky
conversations. If those afpers aren't being welcoming now, pick a
different time; if they never take the trouble to welcome you, kick them
;-).
1.4.4 I'm not sho drun' asyouthinkIam, ofisiler...
People enjoy themselves at meets. But they don't usually get so drunk
that they need to be carried home, or to use their hosts' bathroom as a
dumping ground for the contents of their stomach. Again, use common
sense.
Whatever happens, stick close to your host(s). Especially in unfamiliar
towns and areas. You may end up being accommodated by Her Majesty's
Constabulary or other such nice people.
=====================================================================
PART THE SECOND: AFTER THE MEET
You've done the meet. The pub has closed. Now what?
2.1 I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, YOUNG MAN, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes meets will end up going somewhere for food when the drinking
establishment closes (about 11.30 in the UK, later elsewhere). But go
with the flow and check with your host(ess) before zooming off. Food can
often be the best part of the meet, but it's no use doing it unless
other people come along. And don't miss the last transport home!
2.2 But where am I going to sleep?
--------------------------------------
If you're travelling any sort of distance, you should have arranged
somewhere to sleep beforehand if you anticipated staying the night.
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. It's not worth it.
If crashing, remember that in general all that is offered is a roof, the
space (often shared with other afpers) and perhaps tea and toast in the
morning. So bring your own sleeping bag/bedding, and be nice to the
room. It's also considered polite to thank your hosts, treat them to
things, and reciprocate if they're coming to a meet in your area.
2.3 Why is that geek taking down my particulars?
----------------------------------------------------
At meets there will usually be one or more people with Psions, notebooks
or other devices. An official meet report will almost always be posted
to AFP and be accompanied by a quote file containing all the
incriminating, silly or dirty things people said. It can be wise to get
in first with your version of events... and not to end up with books
about mammoths.
2.4 That's not me with that traffic cone, honest!
-------------------------------------------------------
There may also be digital cameras at meets. They have a habit of going
off at inopportune moments. The GIFs generated may appear later on
websites, and be announced as available for general viewing.
=====================================================================
PART THE THIRD: ORGANISING AN AFPMEET
Guidelines for anyone rash enough to organise one of these things. It
doesn't matter if you've only been on afp a week or 5 years, Go ahead.
Make my day, punk.
3.1 Is there any interest?
------------------------------
The first thing to do is check there aren't any competing meets in your
area at similar dates, either via AFPA or the Holyoakes' meetc
chronicles page. A reminder of the URLs:
<http://afpa.lspace.org>
<http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~gidnsuzi/afpmeets.html/>
If you want to invite specific people, give them enough time to think
about it and guess, or negotiate, a mutually convenient time. Statements
of intent to hold a meet should be posted AT LEAST ONE MONTH before the
meet is scheduled to happen. This allows busy afpers time to decide
whether or not they want to come, and doesn't leave them dropping
everything (tinkle) for the coming weekend.
Note that a statement of intent is often not an official [ANNOUNCE] -
it's just a sounding-out process.
Remember to remind people when the event approaches. Reminders should be
posted one month, one week, and perhaps even one day before the event.
Decide whether you can offer crashspace. It would be appreciated by
those people, but not necessarily by the neighbours.
3.2 Picking my Spot (ewww...)
---------------------------------
Afpmeets are usually held In The Pub or At an Event. Meets may also take
place in afpers' houses; this is more common in Forn Parts (.de, .nl,
.au, .za, Wales). Holders of HosueMeets will describe crash space
arrangements in their preliminary announcement.
But always think carefully about where you want to meet and stay with,
often, complete strangers.
3.2.1 In Pubs
Make sure the pub you pick has:
* A beverage popular with afpers;
* Seating for however many afpers you think will come;
* An atmosphere conducive to animated and silly discussions.
The pub landlord and/or -lady will no doubt be thrilled at the level of
custom; however, take care not to offend their delicate sensibilities by
doing anything too outrageous. It may also be sensible to choose a pub
that is not your local if you fear for your future drinking. And to
avoid spekkie fights.
3.2.2 At Events
Events concerning Pterryplays, signings, chocolate, music, SF, fantasy
and other such things (read: subjects frequently discussed on AFP) are
good value for afpmeets. Non-UK afpers often use events as excuses for
meets of geographically separated folk.
So you've planned your meet and prepared all the groundwork. Now you
need to tell people about it. Otherwise nobody will turn up.
3.3 AFPA (alt.fan.pratchett.announce) and Meet Mailing Lists
-------------------------------------------------------------
Luckily, we have our own newsgroup, alt.fan.pratchett.announce, where
you post to announce things. It has its own FAQ (blimey!) at
<ftp://ftp.lspace.org/pub/pratchett/faqs/afpa-faq>.
What do I mean by announcing things? Using the [ANNOUNCE] tag together
with the [F], or occasionally [R] or [G], tag to reflect the content of
your announcement. Please do not use the [ANNOUNCE] tag if your
announcement is not going to be posted to alt.fan.pratchett.announce.
This can confuse afpers and irritate the moderators.
CC your post to <afpmeet@lspace.org> to make sure that Suzi and Gid
publish the details.
AFPA is moderated by Andy "Tap" Fawcett and Rob Collier, who can be
contacted on <afpa-mod@lspace.org>. They do this in their spare time
and cannot always approve an announcement instantly, or even soon.
Benelux afpers:
See the Benelux meet mailing lists maintained by Jos Dingjan
<jos@lspace.org>. Send an email to <benelux-meets-request@lspace.org>
for more info, or visit the URL
<http://library.lspace.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/benelux-meets>.
This list covers all sorts of afpctivities in Belgium, Holland and
Luxembourg. Announcements can be seen on
<http://www.kronto.nl/lspace/fandom/afp/meets/benelux/>.
German afpers:
See the German meet mailing list maintained by Uwe Milde
<umilde@gmx.de>. To join the list, write an e-mail to
<de-meets-admin@lspace.org>, preferably with 'Subscribe' in the Subject
line. Simple but meaningful message titles will be understood as well.
Submissions for the list should be sent to <de-meets@lspace.org>. The
administrative address for requests etc. is <de-meets-admin@lspace.org>
XXXXians:
Contact Meg "The Magpie" Thornton on <magpie@megabitch.tm> for more
info.
Azerbaijanis:
I am still waiting for the Azerbaijani meet organiser to come forward.
3.4 What to put in your announcements
--------------------------------------
The general rule, enforced by the moderators, is that at least the
following must go into an [ANNOUNCE] subject line:
[ANNOUNCE] [F] $meet_title $date.
Meets are usually given a title ($meet_title) relevant to either their
location (say AFPCam), or their theme (say Meet inna Queueueue).
E.g. '[ANNOUNCE] [F] AFPOxford 2.3, 18 June 1999'
The text of the announcement should contain the date, time, location,
directions by road (if applicable), directions by rail or tube, e-mail
of meet organiser, how to recognise meet organiser (see section 3.1,
crashspace information (if applicable), ticket cost of event (if
applicable) and anything special to bring.
The moderators will usually send you a polite reminder if you've left
anything out. Help them by being complete and succinct. Format your
posting clearly and keep within 65 characters per line; your words may
well be quoted in future.
The full postal address and/or phone number of the venue should also be
included if possible. If you use map images, DON'T post them on afp:
supply the URL, or invite interested parties to e-mail you. If you don't
have space for maps, use Mapquest or Streetmap to supply URLs.
Wait for your announce to appear on <http://afpa.lspace.org>...
And that's all.
=====================================================================
* This FAQ written by MegaMole (<mole@lspace.org>,
<megamole@lspace.org>) *
Distribute freely as long as all credits and attributions are left
intact.
* Please feel free to contact this mole for more guidance if required. *
=====================================================================
--
Paul Smith