A tip of the hat to alt.folklore.urban, the most literate, witty, cranky and opinionated newsgroup I've encountered on Usenet. It's full of wisdom, humour, irritation, trivia, earnest discussion of important matters and earnest discussion of things that really don't matter very much at all.

I'm constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of knowledge of afuisti both regular and casual. We have contributors who earn their living as herpetologists, geologists, virologists, psychologists, engineers, poets, editors, mathematicians, lawyers, musicians, doctors, writers, butchers, physicists, etymologists, entomologists, machinists, journalists, merchant bankers, veterinarians, and computer mavens. In the six years I've been reading afu, I don't think there's been a single topic  where we couldn't come up with at least one knowledgeable regular. (Of course, the problems begin when we come up with more than one knowledgeable regular: no two experts have been known to agree on afu.)

It's also a group with a heart. Regular contributors raised some $3500 in just a few days to create a fund in memory of Felicia, the daughter of an afu regular. Regular afuisti travel to one anothers' weddings, to afu meetings, to afuisti parties. People come from England, from New Zealand, from the US, from Norway to meet. At least four marriages got started on afu. Three regular afuisti moved everything I own into my house here three and a half years ago. (Yes, Ewan, there are a lot of books. Thanks to Steve and Will, too.)

One of the challenges in the world of newsgroups is maintaining any sort of consistency in a group. It's a radically underbounded environment: anybody can post to a group and, all too often, anybody does. So how can afu manage to keep a recognizable culture and identity year after year? Partly by creative but ferocious meanyheadedness: it's not a group that suffers fools gladly. Partly by behind-the-scenes coaching: regulars frequently email newcomers to welcome them and help them learn the ropes. Partly by the maintenance of an excellent and detailed FAQ and archive for the group.
 

WARNING

It's advisable to read at least the FAQ before posting to afu.

Not doing so may be harmful to your health.

• We know what your high school physics teacher told you. But glass doesn't flow. Nope. No sirree. It doesn't. At least not in shorter than geological time frames. And yes, we've heard about old cathedral windows. They didn't flow either.
• It is customary on afu to insert a phrase or comment between one's first name and last name, thus:
Madeleine "why do people call me an Ice Weasel?" Page
• It is far and away the safest strategy to refer to the above as an internym.
• You can find the afu FAQ and the group's archive at www.urbanlegends.com.