Frequently Asked Questions
                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charter: biz.comp.accounting provides a forum for discussion of topics
         pertinent to general accounting procedures, accounting
         software problems and solutions, accounting software issues
         related to newer hardware, new OS environments, and features
         such as electronic commerce.  Bonafide new product press
         releases relevant to accounting, and occasional new job
         postings, are permitted.  Commercial advertising is
         prohibited.  It is the moderators sole responsibility and
         unquestioned authority to ensure that articles adhere to the
         charter.

Q:  Is advertising allowed on biz.comp.accounting?

A:  Only new product press releases related to the accounting industry and
    accounting job opportunities of a national interest.  They should only
    be posted once.  

    The best way to get a reader's attention is through a good discussion
    thread.  Very few will buy a magazine just to read advertising.  It's
    the interesting articles and new product bargains that get pages turned
    and TV channels tuned.

    Anything that sounds remotely like it may be a Chain Letter, Ponzi, or
    other unethical business practice may be selectively forwarded to NFIC
    for investigation.  If your message qualifies for alt.make.money.fast,
    it doesn't belong anywhere on the biz groups.

Q:  Is there any specific format which messages should follow?

A:  Articles should reflect a professional and business like attitude and
    be limited to plain text and the upper 128 IBM ASCII characters.
    Messages that contain HTML or MIME encoding waste space and limit your
    readership.  Set your margins for a maximum of 80 characters per line
    so everyone can easily read your posting.  Setting a line width of 75
    characters allows room for easier quoting of your message.

Q:  Do all messages have to be in English?

A:  Although most of the messages you see on the biz groups are in English,
    it's not a requirement.  Messages in other languages are welcome as
    well as using the entire IBM ASCII character set so you can spell your
    name properly.  Posting in your language, with a translation in
    English, will give you the widest audience.

Q:  What's the best way to present my business on the newsgroups?

A:  Folks you'd like to be doing business with will make their decisions
    based on their impression of your messages.  During a discussion, you
    may read messages from someone who has an opinion totally different
    from yours.  Feel free to discuss the difference of opinion but try
    to avoid getting hurt feelings involved.  You will be asked to use
    E-Mail if messages are personal attacks or the language belongs
    elsewhere.

Q:  Why do my messages sometimes not appear in the newsgroups?

A:  If you cross-post to a Moderated newsgroup such as biz.comp.accounting,
    the message is sent to the Moderator as E-Mail instead of being posted
    to the newsgroups.  The Moderator then decides what will appear in the
    newsgroup itself.  If accepted, you may not see your message until the
    next day or so.  Please do not cross-post to Moderated newsgroups and  
    post to them only as individual messages.

Q:  What if I want to avoid the E-Mail spammers?

A:  Messages are expected to come from legitimate addresses.  Posts with
    forged or fake "From" E-Mail addresses may be rejected at the discretion
    of the moderator.  Attempts to avoid E-Mail responses and anonymous
    messages are not a good business practice.  It's like trying to do
    business with an unlisted phone number.  We also encourage the use of
    real names in From lines rather than funny handles or trying use it as
    advertising.

Q:  Is it okay to advertise MLM opportunities?

A:  Because of the tendency for MLM'rs to over saturate, make exaggerated
    earning claims, and drive off newsgroup readers, Multi-Level Marketing
    ads are discouraged and belong only on newsgroups which are chartered
    specifically for MLM purposes.

Q:  How can I advertise without getting into trouble?

A:  Some newsgroups, like this one, accept limited advertising.  Don't go
    by the messages you see.  Check the charters to be sure and what you
    wish to promote fits within the topic area before posting.  For the
    "biz" hierarchy in general, please refer to the biz meta-FAQ posted on
    biz.config periodically by Ed Hew, the biz Newsgroup Authority.  You'll
    also find good advice on biz.general and biz.marketplace.discussion.

We hope you find biz.comp.accounting both enjoyable and profitable,

    Chris Gunn
 <cg...@bizynet.com>
 http://bizynet.com