THE OFFICIAL A.A.P.C. GUIDELINES & FAQS (Revised 5/31/2026)

THE OFFICIAL A.A.P.C. GUIDELINES & FAQS

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the Usenet group alt.arts.poetry.comments, or a.a.p.c. Usenet is an unmoderated platform and does not have any hard and fast rules.

However, a.a.p.c. is also a group. And as in any group, there are certain behaviors that are considered to be polite, and others that are considered to be downright rude.

The Guidelines (below) are being offered as advice to members who are interested in treating their fellow members in a polite, considerate, and even friendly manner.

Trolls and other inconsiderate boors are free to skip and ignore them.

1) Treat other members with some semblance of civility. Like generates like. If you treat others with a little respect, they’ll probably return the favor.

2) Post On-Topic. The topic here is Poetry, so post an original poem or comment on someone else’s poetry. If you want to discuss folk music, “Star Trek,” comic books or post videos of the “talent” at your local karaoke bar, you’re in the wrong group.

3) Don’t over post. Limiting one’s posts to 10 per day is greatly appreciated. Making 25 posts per day can be damned annoying; so unless you’re the most interesting and knowledgeable writer on the planet, save it for your personal blog.
4) Don’t hijack other people’s threads. If a thread’s topic is “Walt Whitman,” you should only make a comment pertaining to Walt Whitman. If you wish to discuss a poem you’ve written that was inspired by Mr. Whitman, start your own thread.

5) Flame wars happen " especially in unmoderated groups like this one. However, there are certain lines that no one should ever cross. Don’t attack your opponent’s family members (unless he/she introduces them into the discussion). And remember that what happens on AAPC stays at AAPC. Don’t threaten to contact your opponent’s spouse, employer, etc.

6) Don’t repeat or bump posts. If you post an original poem and no one comments on it… tough cookies. Lack of response means that no one found it interesting enough to warrant one. If you must repost it, at least have the decency to wait a year or seven. While you’re waiting you can write something new and try posting it instead. Similarly, if you must bump, please limit yourself to one bump per poem or post.

Also, any comment that contains "again" should not be sent. If it is, then the poster should get a good thrashing (again and again and again).

*Seasonal poems, however, can be bumped/reposted each year.

7) Don’t respond to a post unless you have something of value to contribute to the thread. One word replies, and generic responses such as "I agree" and "yep" and "You nailed it" and "having another read" should be avoided. Comments mean comments, not clichés.

8 ) Don’t post and run. If you post a famous poem, make an original comment on it. We all have, or are capable of subscribing to, Poem a Day. We don’t need to read (or reread) every single poem that you do. If you like a poem, but can’t think of anything to say about it, don’t post it.

9) Don’t feed the trolls. Restricting the trolls' food intake won't make them go away, but it will thwart their efforts to start, and maintain, flame wars. It takes two sides to have a battle.

10) No AI critiques of poems, no AI poems unless labeled as AI-written. This is a writers' group, after all, so let's leave no doubt as to what is our original content, and what is AI-generated.

11) Always cite the author of a poem. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Poems not crediting the original author will be deleted.

12) Links should only be posted if they are a) on topic, and b) the media platform that they lead to cannot be uploaded to A.A.P.C. (a video). Links to a member's magazine, book, website, blog, etc. are allowed, but should be accompanied by a brief message (such as "Please check out my latest publication").

13) Do not snip or post-edit any statements quoted in the backthread that you're responding to. No one likes having their statements altered; and writers like it even less. If you cannot address what someone else said -- without first altering their words -- you should just STFU.

14) An attack on friends/family members is considered unwarranted when these individuals have not been introduced into the thread by the member who is friends with/related to them. Parody and Satire are legitimate literary genres, and if a poem being lampooned contains a reference to the poet's wife, then the latter would be fair game so long as the parodist keeps within the limits implied by the original poem.

15) There should be no censorship on Usenet. A.A.P.C. is a Usenet group, and crybabies who whine about having received negative comments are mocked accordingly. Had you followed the Guidelines and treated others with a semblance of civility, they wouldn't have made any offensive posts about you.


*Usenet AAPC is not a moderated group, and no one is being forced to follow the Guidelines.


FAQs:

1. WHAT IS AAPC?
Alt.arts.poetry.comments is a Usenet group of poets who share their work
for comments or critiques. Some poets use the group as a sounding board
before submitting their poem(s) to literary magazines. Most are looking
for advice or help in fine-tuning their writing, developing better
images, improving their use of language, and making sure their writing
is clear and enjoyable to the reader.

2. WHAT DOES C&C MEAN?
Generally, Comments & Critiques (or Criticism). Some writers put this
in the header of their post (i.e. "Lazy Day Poem - C&C Please") to
indicate that they want comments on their poem. However, since the
group is devoted to comments, most posts will receive a reply of some
kind even without the C&C designation.

3. HOW SHOULD I POST MY POETRY?
There are no cut-and-dried rules for posting poetry to AAPC. However,
there are a few "don'ts" that are fairly broadly agreed upon:
-- Do not post your poem as an attachment to your message. Most
internet users are aware that dangerous computer viruses can be
contained in Microsoft Word documents, and will ignore .doc
attachments. In general, it is easier on the reader to include the poem
in the body of the post; downloading and opening attachments usually
takes too much time.
-- Do not post using HTML. Some newsgroup-reading software cannot
handle HTML posts, and some automatically reject them, so not everyone
will see your post. They also are larger in size and take up more space
on the computer and more bandwidth in transmission. Most software used
to read and post newsgroups allows you to choose between posting as
plain text or HTML; choose the plain text option.
-- Do not attach pictures (binaries, gifs, jpegs, etc.) or sound files
(wavs, midis, mpegs, etc.) to your posts. Again, some news servers will
automatically reject them, so not everyone will see your post.
-- Do not type your poem or message in all capital letters. Using all
caps is universally considered "shouting" in newsgroups and chat rooms.

4. HOW MANY POEMS SHOULD I POST AT A TIME?
While there is no limit to the number of poems you can post at a
sitting, people are most likely to read and respond to your poem if you
post no more than two or three at a time. And as mentioned above, since
there are many poems posted each day, a shorter work is more likely to
receive comments.

5. WHAT KIND OF HEADER SHOULD I USE?
Use the title of the poem, if it has one. If you can't decide on a
title, try a header like: "Need a Title..." to let the reader know you'd
appreciate comments on that subject. If it is your first poem-post, it
is fine to use the header "First Poem" or "First Post". Do not use
headers designed strictly to get attention, and it is preferable not to
use headers that have nothing to do with your poem.

6. DO I HAVE TO HAVE A TITLE FOR MY POEM?
Not necessarily - see #5.

7. DO I HAVE TO WRITE A CERTAIN KIND OF POETRY?
AAPC has poets who use all forms and styles of poetry. The group
includes but is not limited to free verse, tanka, haiku, sonnet,
sestina.... Feel free to use the poetic form you are most comfortable
with, or to post experiments in forms. There are several poets who are
quite knowledgeable and can help you with the rules of certain poetic
forms.

8. WHAT IF I DON'T GET ANY COMMENTS?
There could be several reasons for the lack of comments. Most likely it
is because the group is following the old rule: "If you can't say
nothin' nice, don't say nothin' at all." The readers might not have
understood your poem or liked it. Sometimes posts are ignored because
of too much bad spelling, grammar or punctuation, which can distract the
reader from the content of the poem and make it frustrating to get
through.
Check your post again; look for typos, correct any errors that you find,
and repost it in a few days with the note that it has been revised.
It is an (until now) unspoken rule, though, that it is best to read the
group for a few days, contribute some comments of your own, then post
your poem once people have noticed you and gotten to know you. Many
readers are more comfortable commenting when they've seen you around for
awhile and know that you are interested in what they have to say.
Also, consider the length of your post. Since there are many poems
posted every day, a shorter work is more likely to receive comments.

9. SHOULD I RESPOND TO THE COMMENTS I RECEIVE?
Definitely! Even if you don't agree with the comment, it is a courtesy
to make a brief response to show you appreciated the time taken to read
and reply to your poem. If you repeatedly do not respond to comments on
your work, you may find that readers stop commenting altogether.

10. WHEN AND HOW SHOULD I COMMENT ON OTHER PEOPLE'S POSTS?
All posts are open to comments. Feel free to point out what
specifically you liked about the poem: what lines, images, words did you
find particularly interesting or captivating? At the same time, you can
also point out any changes you feel might enhance the poem. If you feel
a word in a certain place is awkward, feel free to comment on it and
suggest a suitable replacement word if you can. It isn't necessary to
give a detailed commentary on each poem, though; in general, the poet
will appreciate knowing you read the poem, so a few words to indicate
you read and enjoyed it are always nice.

11. IS IT OK TO EMAIL MY COMMENTS DIRECTLY TO THE POET?
This is usually a matter of personal preference. If you have become
familiar with the poet through other posts to the newsgroup, it is
generally acceptable. If you do not know the person, they may ignore
your email, so it is preferable to post to the group.

12. CAN I REWRITE SOMEONE'S POEM FOR THEM?
If you feel comfortable doing so, the poet will usually appreciate the
effort involved. Rewriting sections or giving comments on specific
lines are welcome as well.

13. DO YOU HAVE IRC CHATS OR OTHER SCHEDULED GATHERINGS?
Not as of this writing (February 1999). There is a semi-official AAPC
chat room but it has never been used for a formal AAPC chat. There has
also been some banter on having a picnic in the summer of 1999, but no
volunteer hosts as of yet.

14. ARE THERE ANY AAPC-RELATED WEB SITES?
Many of the poets have their own sites, and most list them in their
signature files or post notices of updates to the newsgroup.

15. ARE THERE ANY PUBLISHED / FAMOUS / INFAMOUS POETS IN THE GROUP?
Depends on who you ask! The vast majority of the poets have had some of
their work published. Some are published widely in anthologies and
well-respected poetry journals. No one has made a million from their
poetry, but we have our suspicions on who will be famous someday.

16. DO POETRY EDITORS READ THE NEWSGROUP?
Some participants are editors of poetry journals, both on-line and
print. Quite possibly there are other editors who "lurk" (read but
don't post).

17. MIGHT I BE OFFERED A BOOK CONTRACT BY POSTING MY POETRY HERE?
Not likely. If you are, be very suspicious of it.

18. WHAT IS CONSIDERED "OFF-TOPIC"?
Poets by their nature enjoy tangents. You'll see a lot of threads
beginning with a poem and going off in a sometimes bizarre, completely
unrelated direction.
By and large, keep your original posts (not part of an existing thread)
limited to your own poetry, or questions about poetry.

19. DO I HAVE TO USE MY REAL NAME?
Internet handles are okay, many regulars use them. To build
familiarity, stick to the same one, or use your real name.



GUIDELINES OFFICIAL FAQS


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