RFD for unmoderated group: uk.rec.pets
Rationale:
Many issues related to pets are best handled at a local level;
for example, it is pointless trying to find a home for a kitten
by global advertising, and in many cases it would be illegal to
import or ship animals overseas, due to problems with
quarantine, the CITES regulations (re. endangered species), etc.
Similarly, discussion of problems with veterinary surgeons, pet
shops, and pet products are largely irrelevant if the service or
product is unavailable.
At present the main Usenet forum for discussion of pets is the
rec.pets hierarchy, consisting of sixteen newsgroups, mostly
specialised, all experiencing heavy traffic. A sizeable
proportion of this traffic consists of private "for sale" and
"wanted" advertisements, which are usually only useful in the
country of origin. While messages related to animal care and
behaviour are sometimes applicable regardless of location, it is
very difficult for UK users to find postings relevant to
products and events in this country. Many of the UK-sourced
messages on these newsgroups are of the "looking for a UK
source for...." type, and often receive answers which are
unhelpful or irrelevant to the UK.
A non-specialised newsgroup for discussion of pets in the UK.
would be a useful adjunct to the existing hierarchy, without
supplanting it, and might encourage more UK pet owners to
participate. Similar groups have been set up in other countries,
such as Australia (aus.pets), Fiji (fj.rec.pets), etc.
CHARTER
Summary:
uk.rec.pets Pet care and related issues in the UK
Subjects for discussion:
Pet-related activities, events, and products which are mainly of
interest to pet owners in the UK. Examples could include:
Availability of pets, supplies, and pet housing in the UK. Pet
shows and events in the UK. Helpful vets etc. UK pet magazines,
TV programmes, etc. Private advertising of pets etc. wanted or
for sale.
Postings relevant to animals in general, and not specifically to
the UK scene, may best be handled by the existing rec.pets.*
hierarchy. Political matters related to animals and their
welfare in the UK may be more relevant to uk.politics.animals.
The activities of wild animals are more suitable for
uk.rec.birdwatching and/or the sci.bio hierarchy. Items related
to horses and ponies etc. are likely to be most relevant to the
uk.rec.equestrian newsgroup.
Posters are asked to include a reference to the general class of
animal involved, and the type of post, by including one or more
of the following codes in the message title:
[AQ] Aquaria, Fish etc.
[BIRD] Birds etc.
[CAT] Cats etc.
[DOG] Dogs etc.
[FS] For sale.
[HERP] Herpetology; snakes, reptiles, amphibians, etc.
[INV] Invertebrates (insects etc.)
[MAM] Other mammals; Rats, mice, ferrets, etc.
Short (less than 20 line) on-topic private advertisements and
announcements of events relevant to readers are permitted, at
intervals of at least a week; off-topic or commercial
advertising is not, except as part of a signature.
Binaries are not permitted on this group, however references to
on-topic FTP-able material and Web URL's are welcomed.
This group will not be moderated.
Proponent
Marcus L. Rowland (mrowland@ffutures.demon.co.uk)
Procedure:
This RFD will be discussed in uk.net.news.config for 14 days. If
there is a large degree of support for the group it will be
fast-tracked otherwise a vote will be asked for.
--
Marcus L. Rowland
"Enjoy your drink, dude. Act sociable. Then, if we don't get what we want, we
kill some customers and set fire to the place" (Illegal Aliens, Foglio/Pollotta)
This document contains some minor errors (most notably, .fj newsgroups are from Japan, not Fiji), and the request for a fast track procedure renamed the group as uk.rec.pets.misc