idoGazette Article Submission Guidelines
Updated 13 January 2021

FidoGazette, founded in September 2007, is an alternative newsletter
of the FidoNet computer network, for both its Sysops and users. It
is passed to its readers electronically via the FidoNet and other
computer networks and to non-network readers as well as to the
InterNet. FidoGazette welcomes articles, editorials, and features of
interest to the Fidonet Community. To have your article included in FidoGazette, simply send it via netmail to 1:18/200 or via internet
email to sean@outpostbbs.net.

To help me make it easier to format your article for FidoGazette:

1. Use standard ASCII text. Most word processor formats can't be used
by the FidoGazette software. In addition, the FidoGazette software
won't accept most ASCII control characters nor any characters above
ASCII 127 (this, unfortunately, includes all those neat box drawing characters). No UTF-8 encoding please.

2. Start your lines at the left of your screen when typing. The
software puts in a left margin automatically and I have
to manually remove any left margin appearing in your document.

3. Keep your line length to under 70 columns for tables or charts (or
if you include an ASCII illustration). Regular paragraphs exceeding
this 70 column limit can be reformatted during the editing process
but tables and charts are normally distorted beyond recognition by a
simple reformatting.

4. Separate paragraphs with a blank line. This is how my text editor recognizes paragraph endings so I have to add blank lines manually if
you don't.

5. Title your article as you'd like to see it in the Table of
Contents. If you don't, I'll make up a title for you, but I'd rather
have the article appear as you wish.

6. Format your article like the below at the top of the article:

* Your Title Here

Your Title Here
By Your Name, YourNodeNumber

Please align all of that against the first left column as the
software I use for the newsletter will auto-format the text
itself.

7. Check your own spelling and wording. Though I feel free
to reformat your article so it conforms to technical requirements, I
generally leave the wording (and spelling) alone as I don't want to
distort what you have to say.

8. Send your article before Sunday in order to see it in that
Monday's edition. Normally I put the newsletter together Sunday
evening and send it out and I normally check email and netmail
before I finalize the edition. So if I get your article before
Sunday evening, I'll include it but send it by Saturday to be safe.
:)

9. If you're not sure whether you should write or send in your
article, I would encourage you to send it anyway. Chances are, if you
write of something of interest to yourself, it'll be of interest to
others. Besides, FidoGazette is a better publication when it's
written by a variety of people. We're all in this together and
remember, knowledge is power!

Sean Dennis, FidoGazette Editor
1:18/200

Thanks to, and in fond memory of Douglas C. Myers for the bulk of the
above text.

===

FidoGazette Submission Catagories

There's quite a few catagories you can put your article into to be
published. Below are all the catagories with explainations. If
you're not sure, just save it as <name>.MSC and I'll try to put
it in the appropriate catagory.

*.GUE Guest Editorial
----------------------
Have a comment, gripe or want to air your opinion about something
in Fidonet? This is a forum for you, the Fidonet sysop, to do
just that. There is to be no flaming, personal attacks or vulgarity
in your editorial. (I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS
OR REJECT YOUR SUBMISSION with or without reason.)

*.COR Corrections
------------------
Did you submit an article that needs a correction? Did I write
something that wasn't correct? This is the place to do it.

*.RTX Retractions
------------------
A place to put article/submission retractions.

*.LET Letters to the Editor
----------------------------
Want to let me know what you think about one of my editorials, a
guest editorial or an article that ran in the Gazette? Let me
know here so everyone can see.

*.FNF Fidonet News Flash
-------------------------
Current happenings in Fidonet. This could be anything, including
a node going down for a while, a node leaving or better yet, a node
joining Fidonet. This is for any sysop who has something important
about Fidonet to put out to avoid technical problems.

*.ART Articles
---------------
This is for things that just don't fit in any of the other
catagories. This is for general articles that aren't specific in
any way, but fit into the Fidonet spectrum.

*.COL Columns
--------------
Would you like to be a regular columnist for the Gazette? Send me
a note and we'll talk. I'm sure other sysops would enjoy a regular
columnist or two.

*.BIO Fidonet (Auto)Biographies
--------------------------------
Tell us your story about how you got into Fidonet.

*.TRU True Stories of Fidonet
------------------------------
Have an interesting, funny or unusual story to tell that involves
Fidonet directly? Here's the place to share it.

*.HIS Fidonet History
----------------------
A column where you can discuss Fidonet history.

*.FFT Food For Thought
-----------------------
One of my personal favorites. This column is all about food!
Anything having to do with food is welcome here, such as:
recipes, how-to, unusual food/ingredients, recommended stores
and/or websites concerning food-it's all welcome. I would ask
that if possible, you could submit the recipe in MealMaster
format if possible. If you're not sure what MM is, ask in the
COOKING or HOME_COOKING echoes.

*.REV Reviews
--------------
Read a book, watched a TV show, viewed a website, use a program or
something else that would be of interest to other Fidonet sysops?
Submit your honest reviews here and let the rest of us know what
you thought.

*.FTC Getting (Fidonet) Technical
----------------------------------
Technical issues dealing with Fidonet, such as FTSC specifications,
setting up/using programs, et al.

*.ZRC Coordinators' Corner
---------------------------
This column is for any *C that needs to get word out to the general
Fidonet population. I will check the nodelist to make sure that
anyone who submits to this article is a nodelisted *C. If you're
not, I will return your submission.

*.JOK Clean Net Humor
----------------------
Yeah, we can all laugh at ourselves sometimes or if you have a good
funny joke (or puns, I /LOVE/ puns-the punnier the better! :), tell
it here. Please keep it clean (PG-rated) and no vulgarities.

*.ASA ASCII Art
----------------
Have some cool ASCII art? Let us see it!

*.AD Advertise Your Free Service/Event ----------------------------------------
Have a free service to offer or a free event that might be of
interest to fellow sysops? Let everyone know in here.

*.SAL For Sale
---------------
This is for items that you have for sale. No commercial ads,
please! Remember, caveat emptor (buyer beware).

*.WAN Wanted
-------------
Need a piece of equipment you just can't find? Let the Fidonet
sysops know and the chances are good that someone will have what
you need.

*.QST Question of the Week
---------------------------
Have a question you just can't answer? Submit it to the Gazette
and the crack knowledgeable staff *cough*, er I'll try to hunt
down and answer for you. Better yet, you put it in here and
one of our crack knowledgable sysops can help you.

*.ANS Answer of the Week
-------------------------
The companion column to the above column. I'll publish the best
answer(s) here to the Question of the Week.

*.NOT Notices
--------------
This is where you can let people know something's happening that
you need to let a lot of people know about.

If you can't find a catagory to put it under, put it under *.MSC
and I'll try to find a catagory to put it under.

Thanks for your interest in writing for the FidoGazette!

Sean Dennis (1:18/200)
FidoGazette Editor

<EOF>


--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Outpost BBS (1:18/200)