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Archive-name: bodyart/netiquette
Last-modified: July 12, 2005 Posting-frequency: yearly See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge --==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==-- This FAQ is not actively maintained by Heidi Anderson <heidi@ bmeworld.com>. Much of it was originally written by Lani Teshima-Miller. It may be out of date. Parties interested in assuming maintainership of this FAQ should contact Heidi at the address above, with a subject line (in all caps) "RAB FAQ DO NOT DELETE", lest your email be lost amongst hundreds of spam emails. This FAQ will be posted only once per year as of July 2005, until such time as someone else takes over mainaining and establishes a new frequency. You can retrieve a copy of the FAQ via anonymous ftp from the MIT FTP server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/bodyart>. The FAQ's are also available on thw World Wide Web at <http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bodyart/> and at the RABbit Hole, the official home page of rec.arts.bodyart, at http://rabbithole.org. Welcome to rec.arts.bodyart! We're glad you're here! Please take a moment to read this file, as it will help you (and other RAB readers) understand the standard etiquette (netiquette) for this newsgroup. This file is posted weekly. Information provided in this file: 1. About rec.arts.bodart 1a. What is rec.arts.bodyart? (includes the charter) 1b. What isn't rec.arts.bodyart? 1b-1. Is RAB moderated? 1b-2. Can I post about bodypainting here? 1c. What types of readers do we have on rec.arts.bodyart? 1d. Where can I get the FAQs? 1e. Does this group have a webpage of its own? 1f. Is there a mailing list, archive site or listserv? 1g. Are there any other related newsgroups? 1h. Are there any bodyart chat rooms? 1i. What is the RAB Survival Guide? 1j. A brief history of RAB 1k. What are/were the Lydia awards? 2. Posting to rec.arts.bodyart 2a. Netiquette on Usenet 2b. Netiquette on rec.arts.bodyart 2c. How to title your message 2d. Acronyms and vocabulary 2e. Trimming postings to save on bandwidth 2f. Using attributions and quotes 2g. Delurking 2g-1. What is a slug/tail/ears? 2h. Getting advice from RAB 2h-1. Using RAB to do research for your school paper 2i. Meeting people and making friends in RAB 2j. Posting binary files on RAB 2k. Advertising on RAB 2l. Related newsgroups. 3. The REALLY FREQUENTLY asked questions 3a. Will it hurt? 3b. How much will <insert mod here> cost? 3c. Why are you so mean to me? I only asked a question! or, Why are you all a bunch of assholes? 3d. Will you email me pictures of <insert flash tattoo here>? 3e. Where can I get pierced/tattooed that won't card me? 3f. Is betadine/ bactine/ peroxide okay for aftercare? 3g. I just got my <insert body part> pierced and now it is red/swollen/pus-filled/etc. What do I do?" 3h. Will my piercing jewelry set off metal detectors? 3i. Can I still breast feed after getting my nipples pierced? 3j. What's wrong with piercing guns? 3k. Where can I find the kanji for ______? 3l. What is SETI? 3m. Can I get a tattoo that is designed to fade in 5 years? 4. Minors accessing RAB 4a. A word of caution to minors 4b. Advice for concerned parents 4c. Suggestions for working with disapproving parents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. ABOUT REC.ARTS.BODYART 1a. WHAT IS REC.ARTS.BODYART? The original charter of the newsgroup: Rec.arts.bodyart (RAB) is an unmoderated Usenet newsgroup for discussing "bodyart." Bodyart here refers to tattoos, body pierces, brandings (on humans; not on animals) and cuttings, although other modifications that involve some *permanent* form of body alteration for decorative purposes also qualify. While temporary tattoos and standard jewelry may be discussed here, they would be discussed in the context of permanent bodyart. Group consensus over the years has helped the newsgroup's original charter evolve to include the following: o No posting of "personal ads" (SWM looking for 20-30 yo SWW, etc.); there is a newsgroup called alt.personals.bodyart for this, as well as the BME personals at http://www.bmezine.com. o No posting of advertisements of businesses (those related to bodyart should contact <purplepages@underwriters.com> for inclusion in the Purple Pages Directory, posted on RAB). "Grand Opening", "Special Event" or "help wanted" announcements for bodyart-related events/ establishments are fine. o No posting of any graphic or binary files. Gifs or jpgs of bodyart should be posted on alt.binaries.pictures.bodyart, with a short text-only announcement on rec.arts.bodyart as a pointer. Or, put your pictures up on a web page and post the URL. o Classified "for sale" announcements by individuals (NOT businesses) are okay, but are limited to bodyart-related items such as tattoo magazines, or body piercing jewelry. Please put "FS:" at the beginning of the subject line. No ads for used cars or concert tickets, please. Those interested in buying/selling on the Internet should read the "How to Buy and Sell on the Internet" FAQ, posted to news.answers. If you post one of the above, expect to get personal email from RABbits telling you not to do so. Persons who continue to do so purposefully and/or maliciously will have their service providers contacted regarding this unappreciated behavior. RAB offers a community and sense of belonging for those interested in bodyart. There are many regulars on RAB who, through their personalities, serve as jester, shaman, den mother, baby, grumpy old man, executioner, etc. etc. Most of all, those on RAB are living, breathing, ALIVE people who love to celebrate their bodies through decoration. Welcome! One of the reasons RAB is so unique, is that it allows lay people to learn and discuss the topic of bodyart----without the traditional constraints of social class, geography, or age. While there are some readers who are professionals or shop apprentices, this is one of the very few open forums in the world where bodyart enthusiasts can speak openly about the subject. There are *NO* commercial interests or ulterior motives in RAB. It is STRONGLY recommended to read the various FAQs prior to posting a query. Your question may already be in the FAQ--in which case you look like a novice just asking it again. Both the tattoo and piercing FAQs carry a list of (recommended) shops in different geographical areas. Check to see if your area is represented. RABbits: When sending private email to posters regarding their off-topic, or netiquette-less posts, *PLEASE be polite*! There is no reason to be rude or personal, especially if the error was made because the poster was a beginner. We would like to provide a warm, welcoming environment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1b. WHAT ISN'T REC.ARTS.BODYART? 1b-1. IS RAB MODERATED? This newsgroup is not moderated. This means inappropriate or off-topic posts are occasionally posted on RAB. However, the noise level is kept down thanks to the continued vigilance of RAB regulars ("RABbits"), who will privately email those who do not follow netiquette. This means you may get email regarding an inappropriate post. Please do not take these personally; we are just trying to provide a safe-space community where we can feel free to talk about bodyart. If you have any questions about what might be appropriate or not, please ask. We'll be glad to help you. 1b-2. CAN I POST ABOUT BODYPAINTING HERE? Short answer, no, please don't. If you would like to discuss bodypainting, please post to alt.art.bodypainting. The exception to this is the discussion about henna, which stays on your skin for a long time. Some people assume we discuss bodypainting because "bodyart" *can* include bodypainting by some (i.e. _Body Art_ magazine in the UK covers this subject). Since rec.arts.permanent-bodyart is an overlong and clumsy title, the founders of this group chose the simpler newsgroup title. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1c. WHAT TYPES OF READERS DO WE HAVE ON REC.ARTS.BODYART? There was a time when the majority of RABbits were related to university institutions, or to computer jobs or companies. This has changed in the few years, with most new readers who have accounts with Internet Service Providers. Be warned: It is more difficult to learn the true identity of a poster for this reason. It is impossible to determine the average age of our readership. We do have some minors, while many are in college. However, there are quite a few readers who are in their 30s and 40s, and older. Basically, age is a non-issue on RAB. There are, however, some groups associated with certain types of bodyart. Some pierces (nose, cartilage) may be common among the younger "grunge" set. Navel pierces are the height of hip for the trendies. Cuttings have been popular among lesbians, while body piercing has been popular with the gay/les/bi/transgendered pop- ulation. For this reason, RAB is *very* GLBT-friendly. There are now a number of professional body piercers tattoo artists who read and post to RAB regularly, or at least have email access. A note to professionals: RAB is a forum for all readers, and clients/ customers have just as much a voice on RAB as piercers and tattooists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1d. WHERE CAN I GET THE FAQS? This "Welcome & Netiquette FAQ" file is posted weekly on rec.arts.bodyart, and monthly on rec.answers and news.answers. The tattoo FAQs, alternative bodyart FAQ and body piercing FAQs are posted monthly in RAB, news.answers and rec.answers. If your system doesn't retain posts in RAB, check in news.answers or rec.answers. PLEASE NOTE: The maintainers of some of the FAQs do not post as frequently as they are supposed to. Be aware of this, and that the copy you locate may be somewhat out of date. If you are reading a printed copy of this, or are reading this in any format other than in the original posted in rec.arts.bodyart, news.answers or rec.answers, this may not be the most recent copy. The tattoo and piercing FAQs are approved for distribution through news.answers and rec.answers -- this means that you will now be able to retrieve them using the following methods as well. Hopefully the other FAQ maintainers will also get their FAQs re-approved, so that all r.a.b FAQs will be automatically archived. There are several FAQs available for perusal: o Tattoo FAQ: A very comprehensive multi-part FAQ that includes extensive information about tattoos and tattooing. Maintained by Stan Schwarz <stan@cco.caltech.edu> o Piercing FAQ: A very comprehensive multi-part FAQ that includes extensive information about piercing. Maintained by Anne Greenblatt <ardvardk@best.com>. o Alternative bodyart FAQ (brands, cuttings). Maintained by Shannon Larratt of BME <bme@freeq.com>. o Purple Pages Directory FAQ (Professionals on the 'net). Maintained by Sara Mitchell <purplepages@underwriters.com> o Welcome & Netiquette FAQ. Maintained by Heidi Anderson <heidi@bmeworldcom> You can retrieve a copy of the FAQ via anonymous ftp from the MIT FTP server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/bodyart>. The FAQ's are also available on the World Wide Web at <http://rabbithole.org> or <http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bodyart/> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1e. DOES THIS GROUP HAVE A WEBPAGE OF ITS OWN? 1e-1 THE OFFICIAL WEB PAGE OF REC.ARTS.BODYART: The RABbit Hole Maintained by Kate Pohjola <katester@katester.net>, the RABbit Hole's URL is: http://rabbithole.org. All links to updated FAQs, as well as links to RABbits are available here. 1e-2 THE PARTNER WEB SITE OF REC.ARTS.BODYART: The Body Modification E-Zine (BME) Maintained by Shannon Larratt <bme@freeq.com>, BME's URL is: http://www.bmezine.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1f. RELATED NEWSGROUPS While RAB is an international forum, it can be somewhat US-centric at times, particularly when all one wants is a recommendation for a professional in, say, Germany. There are a couple of options for Euorpeans. In 1999, uk.people.bodyart got it's start; for more info on that group, check out their webpage at http://www.ukbodyart.org. The German-speakers also have their own group, de.rec.bodyart. As mentioned above, RAB is not an appropriate place to post personal ads. However, alt.personals.bodyart is a perfect place to do so, although it tends to be overrun by porn and spam. There do exist long- term couples who met through this newsgroup, so it might be worth your while to post an ad or wade through the junk to find someone else's. Also, RAB is for discussion of permanent (or at least, long-lasting) modifications, and as such is not the place to discuss bodypainting, which has it's own newsgroup, alt.art.bodypainting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1g. CHAT OPPORTUNITIES There are several forums for chat about bodyart: BME (http://www.bmezine.com) has both live chat and BBS chat. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) has a number of options On EFnet, #bodyart, #ink&steel, #piercing, #bodyart.de On DalNet, #bodyart-uk On UnderNet, #tattoo ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1h. Is there a mailing list, archive site or listserv? There is no bodyart listserv. Most news sites expire their articles after a week or two, although some are even shorter than that. If your site doesn't allow you access to the rec.* usenets, or you do not have a full Internet gateway, you will not be able to participate in the discussions. If this is the case, we suggest you look into private online companies that provide full 'net access. The FAQs for the group are archived (see the next question), and Google <http://groups.google.com> archives all (well, a significant subset anyway) Usenet posts, but there is no independent r.a.b archive site that I know of. As of August 31, 1998, Emily Tessier <EmilyUTS@webtv.net> has created a mailing list for bodyart professionals. The list is C_PAT@onelist.com (C_PAT stands for Concerned Piercers and Tattooists) and anyone interested should email Emily for inclusion in the list. It is unmoderated, but is restricted to professionals (over the age of 17). As of February 5, 2000, this list still exists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1i. WHAT IS THE RAB SURVIVAL GUIDE? A humorous FAQ written by much-loved and much-hated longterm RABbit yttrx. It may even be of more use in understanding the ways of the group than this document. Though pithy, it nevertheless contains much truth. It used to be found (but no longer is) at http://www.mutilation.net/yttrx/rabsurv. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1j. A BRIEF HISTORY OF RAB [To conserve space, I have hacked Chris' original post, entitled "Reflections,"--and by doing so, have taken out much of the emotional impact it had on me initially. --Lani] [I edited a bit as well, removing a few parts that weren't relevant to the history of RAB. --Heidi] "Reflections," from Chris Wayne (cwayne@unm.edu): RAB is now over six years old--I never thought it would last this long. In 1990, I got on a primitives mail-list, which a gay friend pointed me toward. I wondered why most on the list seemed to be gay (I am straight and a Christian). I wasn't really sure what "Modern Primitives" was. While I noticed the ritualistic aspects, my interests lay more in the actual art of tattooing (not yet piercing). I do have an open mind and being a tattoo enthusiast, I guess my friend thought I'd fit in. I was curious why the GLBs should have all the fun. Why was there no primitives newsgroup? Karl [MacRae] said there wasn't one because it would probably open people up to unwanted attacks and stupidity--but I thought I'd give it a try. Karl gave me his blessings. In November I called an RFD [Request For Discussion] (now a CFD [Call For Discussion]) on creating a new group. What came of the few responses was a name (rec.arts.bodyart). I wanted it to be apart from the primitives mail list, which included all the different permutations--with focus on the actual art and not necessar- ily the ritual, and general enough to have a wide appeal still fit into the philosophy of Modern Primitivism. I was looking for accept- ance and education, to teach people that it's OK to accept those that are different, and that tattooing is not disgusting. The CFV produced a close vote, but in March 1991, RAB was created. At first, those on the prims list were cautious for fear of getting dumped on--but there hasn't been any of this bashing on RAB Here's an open forum that doesn't care what your color or orientation is, or even if you're not tattooed and can share in a common passion on neutral ground and have no fear of being bashed. I wanted someplace to hear about all aspects of tattooing without having to worry about someone harassing the people. I think that this group is a beacon to the rest of the Internet, showing that there's nothing sinister or evil in tattooing and that criminals, queers and bikers aren't the only ones that get tattoos. Being tattooed does not make the person; getting tattooed reflects who the person is--good or bad. Karl, Jeff, Lance, Ray & Barb and many others no longer here, migrated over from the prims list and became the local experts. They were willing and capable of answering any question. Mostly, only those that had tattoos would post questions, but eventually as word of this group spread, those that were just curious were reading and posting questions. Interest grew. "Where can I get tattooed?" "Where can I get pierced?" "What should I look for?" "How much will it cost?" And of course "Does it hurt?" The Internet was being introduced to Modern Primitives and being educated that tattooing is not a fad or trend, but a commitment (a conscious decision) for life, the courage to be different--to stand out. Then came Lani and Ardvark and their FAQs, which are posted on other important, mainstream groups. These FAQs even help some people along the three steps of acceptance in getting a tattoo :-) 1) I never want one! 2) It looks good on someone else, but I still don't want one. 3) I want one! There isn't a session that goes by that I don't see someone asking about getting their first tattoo or where the nearest shop is, what questions to ask and what to look for. There are also RAB socials, get togethers at conventions, and even a wedding invitation! There are discussions on why we get tattooed and how a tattooed person is perceived by the public. People are now getting tattooed because they're getting more familiar with this art form, and the fear of an unknown is removed. Their inhibitions and preconceptions are being changed. People are understanding what it means to be tattooed. I guess there are still those that think that getting a tattoo is a fad or kewl (cool), but that's their problem. If everybody is getting tattooed--that's not the reason to get tattooed. Everybody eats and makes love, but that's not the reason we do it. I don't think anybody would call sex a fad--I believe that getting tattooed fills a basic need. Unlike most groups that are for just discussion, RAB is also a support group with a sense of community. Truly, one can find Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations in this group. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1k. WHAT ARE (WERE) THE LYDIA AWARDS? For more information on the beginnings of the RAB Lydia Awards, please go to Lance Bailey's Lydia web page. The URL is: http://www.lydia.org/theawards. These were awards for various categories of posts to the newsgroup, and the event was only held twice, in 1994 and 1995. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Posting to rec.arts.bodyart 2a. NETIQUETTE ON USENET If you are new to usenet newsgroups in general, read the 20 or so posts in newsgroup news.announce.newusers for proper net behavior, or "netiquette" before you consider posting at all. In particular, the following postings are especially useful for new users: A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette Hints on writing style for Usenet Rules for posting to Usenet What is Usenet? If you cannot find these topics in the newsgroup, you can get copies of them via email by sending a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu containing any or all of: send usenet/news.answers/usenet-primer/part1 send usenet/news.answers/usenet-faq/part1 send usenet/news.answers/emily-postnews/part1 send usenet/news.answers/usenet-writing-style/part1 send usenet/news.answers/posting-rules/part1 send usenet/news.answers/what-is-usenet/part1 Other good sources of usenet information are the newsgroups news.newusers.questions (be sure to read its weekly FAQ before posting a question yourself), and news.answers which contains most of the FAQs posted to each newsgroup, including the rec.arts.bodyart FAQs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2b. NETIQUETTE ON REC.ARTS.BODYART If you are new to rec.arts.bodyart, the rest of this Welcome FAQ should be read thoroughly before you consider posting to the group. You can save yourself alot of time and heartache by being well- informed, and learning the ways of the group before jumping in. It is generally recommended that you "lurk" (read without posting) for awhile before making your first post in any newsgroup, and RAB is no exception. As far as RAB netiquette goes, be prepared to be flamed if you: -Post an empty message because you don't know what you're doing. -Post the same message more than once because you don't know what you're doing. -Do not quote the message you are responding to. -Top post -Post a message in all caps (because caps are usually reserved for use with acronyms and for emphasis, when you post with the CAPS LOCK key on, it looks like you're screaming). -Post a classified ad. -Post a personals ad -Post a binary file. -Post in HTML. -Post in a language other than English. -Post a question that is already answered in the FAQ (frequently asked questions) files. -Ask for information to be emailed to you because you "don't have time to follow the group". -Use a .sig that is more than 4 lines long. -Post private email to the entire newsgroup. -Flame someone else on RAB without knowing who the other person is (e.g., there may be an inside joke you're not familiar with yet). -Post a commercial message with very little relevance to RAB -Post messages that contain various "isms" (i.e. sexism, racism, homophobism, religionism, and otherisms.) because of ignorance, stupidity, or malice. In particular, threads on "left vs right lobe piercings and whether one means you're straight or gay" types of posts can get heavily roasted, especially if you emphasize that one is better than the other simply because of your sexual orientation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2c. HOW TO TITLE YOUR MESSAGE If you want to post a query (instead of replying to one), try to be as descriptive as possible in your subject heading. A subject like "Tattoos" or "Body pierce" don't help readers, since RAB *is* mostly about tattoos and body pierces. A better heading might be something like "Need a piercer in Atlanta, Georgia" or "Infection with eyebrow pierce--help!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2d. ACRONYMS AND VOCABULARY People save bandwith by using acronyms for oft-used phrases. There are some terms you may encounter on RAB that you may not see in the "real" world. :) The colon and close-parenthesis characters are used to show a smile (tilt your head to the left and read sideways. Other smileys include ;) :-) 8-) <g> grin, used to indicate humor AFAIK: As far as I know BB: BarBell BCR: ball closure ring, used in Europe instead of CBR BH: Butt-Head or Better Half BME: Body Modification Ezine (http://bme.freeq.com) BTW: By the way CBR: captive bead ring CBB: circular barbell, or curved barbell FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions. Most newsgroups have FAQ files to help lessen the amount of traffic. FWIW: For What It's Worth FYI: For Your Information ga: Short for "gauge", measurement of the thickness of jewelry. IDTS: I Don't Think So IIRC: If I remember/recall correctly IMHO: In my humble opinion IMNSHO: In My Not So Humble Opinion JTYLTK: Just thought you'd like to know JTYMLTK: Just thought you might like to know LITHA: Leave it the hell alone. A method of healing piercings. LMAO: Laughing my ass off MOTOS: Members of the opposite sex, as in soc.motos MOTSS: Members of the same sex, as in soc.motss Ob: Short for "obligatory." A person who posts something remotely related to a newsgroup topic may add "Ob..." at the end of their post so they put in an obligatory word about the pertinent subject. ObBodMod:See above, as applied to a note about body modification. OT: Off-topic (also sometimes used for On-Topic) OTF: On The Floor OTFL: On The Floor Laughing OTOH: On the one hand; or, on the other hand. PA: Prince Albert. A pierce through the urethra of a penis. For more info on PAs, please refer to the body piercing FAQ. There are many terms specifically regarding body pierces but this one seems to come up most often. RAB: Rec.Arts.Bodyart RABbit: One who hangs out in RAB RANA: Daver, the king of the RANA's, has not told anyone what this stands for, to my knowledge. In any case, RANA awards are given by Daver most Fridays (starting Feb, 2000, and continuing sporadically throughout mid-2000), to the funniest, lamest and bitchassiest posts of the previous week. ROTFL: Rolling On The Floor Laughing RTF: Read the FAQ, often put at the beginning of posts directing a reader to the FAQ. RTFFAQ: Read the *friendly* FAQ. SO: Significant Other SSS: Surgical steel. Commonly used for body jewelry. TAFN: That's All For Now TTFN: Ta-Ta For Now TTYL: Talk To You Later WTF: What the f*ck YMMV: Your mileage may vary. blank: One who has no bodyart. Celtic: A style of tattooing that incorporates the delicate knotwork designs of the Celts (pronounced with a hard "K" and not a soft "S" as in the basketball team). Conch: The "bowl" of your ear. delurk: To post a first message in a group, or to post an introduction to yourself and/or your mods, or to post only very infrequently in between "lurking". Flash: Tattoo designs that you find stapled to the walls of tattoo studios. The opposite of this would be a custom design you bring in on your own. Frenulum: The web of skin that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth. Frenum: A specific type of piercing on the penis. Gun: Either a tattoo gun (modern tattooing machine) or piercing gun. In RAB, tattoo guns are good, piercing guns are B-A-D and should be used only for earlobes. geoff: To geoff someone is to cause real-life implications for bad on-line behavior. It was widely believed that the infamous Dawn lost her job after Geoff informed her bosses of her tendency to post inflamatory material from her work account. (The truth may be more along the lines of "she quit", but the term lives on) Lurk: Lurking. Reader of RAB who doesn't post. The act of "delurking" involves a reader who posts for the first time, or once in a great while. mary: code for anatometal. Barry of Anatometal coined the term himself, I believe, to prove that he wasn't here just for the free advertising. munch: meet + lunch. A gathering of RABbits. mink: meet + drink. A gathering of RABbits. navel: Please note spelling. It is not "naval". Niobium: A type of metal that is "electrified" to produce any number of combination of rainbow hues. Also an inert metal used for body jewelry. penis wrinkle: An insult once wielded by an inept self-flamer that became a favorite in RAB. Now used to refer to a poster that, in the process of trying to defend zirself after doing/saying something particularly stupid, ends up digging zirself deeper and deeper into a hole. perforink: Combination of perforate and ink. One who is perforinked is both pierced and tattooed. plonk: Sound of someone being dropped into a KillFile. Septum: The tissue between your nostrils. Site of a pierce. Sludge: The name of the ASCII slug with which delurkers were once greeted by Jay "Golgotha" Eaton. slug: Refers to an unpierced tongue. Denise Robinson once made the comment that kissing someone whose tongue was not pierced was like licking a slug. Ever since, slug has been used synonymously with tongue. Squick: Verb: To gross out, feel revulsion. Alt.sex.bondage has been cited as its origin, and comes from the sound made when one copulates with the space between the 2 halves of a brain after a hole has been bored into the skull (trepanation or trephination). Tat: Short for "tattoo" tongue: Please note spelling. It's not "tounge". troll: Posting deliberately inflamatory remarks to a newsgroup for the sole purpose of stirring up controversy or trying to see how big a thread will ensue. Obvious trolls, like "you are a bunch of sickos" should be ignored. Tragus: The triangle of cartiledge in the front of your ear. Tribal: A tattoo style that's sometimes confused with Celtic. Often called "blackwork," involves geometric primitive designs. Uvula: The little dangly piece of flesh that hangs down the back of your throat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2e. TRIMMING POSTINGS TO SAVE ON BANDWIDTH Some people pay for their online time. If you are posting a response to another person's posting, try to trim down their quote. This gets worse as people quote upon other people's quotes, and so on and so forth, until the quotes alone fill up a few screens. The reader can go back and read the original posting if s/he wants to. Posting a response to someone else's long posting, with just a short "I agree entirely!" is a waste of bandwidth. Refrain from posting something like this unless you have something more to contribute to the discussion. But if you MUST, then at least delete the bulk of the quote. Try to indicate that you are omitting parts of the post by using the mark of ellipses, etc. (i.e. [...], [extraneous stuff deleted], [snip snip]). Please delete other people's signatures. And keep yours to four lines or less; this is standard netiquette. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2f. USING ATTRIBUTIONS AND QUOTES If you are publicly responding to someone else's post, please include the name and email address of the person you are referring to, as well as an appropriate amount of their post to which you are responding. Rules 2e and 2f can be summed up with: "Please quote the relevant part, and ONLY the relevant part, of the post to which you are replying". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2g. DELURKING As the statistics indicate, there are apparently tens of thousands of readers of RAB. With only an average of 150 posts per day (many by the same people), the number of "lurkers" who read but don't post is very high. You can "delurk" by the simple act of posting a message, whether it is in response to a thread, a simple question, or an introduction (telling us who you are, what bodmods you have, or what you JUST got or will soon be getting). If you mention that you're delurking, you'll be welcomed into the RABbit community by others, including Heidi Anderson, who changes the subject heading to read "Welcome! Re:..." There was some debate as to the benefits of these welcome postings, which used to be done by former RABbit Pirate Nick Baban. The consensus is that it helps to keep our family spirit. However for those who have no desire to read such posts, please include this subject heading in your killfile. 2g-1. What is a slug/tail/ears? From a post by Heidi Anderson: >Well, once upon a time in a newsgroup much like this one (oh, heck, >who am I trying to kid, it *was* this one), a RABbit named Pirate >Nick began welcoming delurking newbies. At first, it was a blast of >the love hose with which they were welcomed. This eventually gave >way to an ASCII pair of RABbit ears (examples to be found in >dejanews). Years passed, and the fearless Pirate moved on to have >a Real Life (tm), i.e. he disappeared from RAB. Others welcomed >newbies in their own special ways, and then the slug appeared. >Golgotha and myself both began welcoming newbies with ASCII slugs >(Gol's being far superior to mine, and it was dubbed Sludge, and >had it's own fan club. The slug story is another altogether...). >Sludge disappeared. Months passed. I started welcoming newbies >again, this time with RABbit tails. Who knows how long these will >last? The tails didn't last more than a few months, but the welcoming of newbies is a tradition which hasn't died. Hopefully there will always be someone around to greet the newcomers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2h. GETTING ADVICE FROM RAB While RAB offers a forum for discussion, many posts originate from people who have very specific questions. Most on RAB are not professional tattooists or piercers; their advice usually comes from personal experience or shared information. If you have a serious medical concern, you may want to see a medical professional. The advantage to posting on RAB regarding a medical inquiry is that there are many here who have already gone through the same problem, and may be able to suggest a bodyart-friendly doctor in your area. Don't forget that professional, experienced tattooists and piercers are also good sources for queries regarding infections. Please use the resource of the RAB FAQ to do some basic research on your question before posting to the group. BME (www.bmezine.com) is another source of information. 2h-1. Using RAB to do research for a school paper If you need to do a school paper on bodyart, your most important step is to go to the various libraries in your community. One can easily perform bibliographic searches on tattoos and body piercing, and can find many citations for articles in both popular and academic media.. Basic questions about the history of tattooing, etc. should be done on your own at the library. Start with the major encyclopedias. Before you post a "survey" to RAB for your class paper, please think very carefully about the validity of such a survey. Unless you are studying the behavior of bodyart enthusiasts in an electronic community, you will be obtaining your data from a very skewed population. Depending on the thoroughness of your data, your teacher may not consider it valid. Remember that regular readers of RAB see quite a few surveys posted here--most people are pretty jaded because posters don't follow up by posting their findings, or make their papers available online via email to the survey respondents. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2i. MEETING PEOPLE AND MAKING FRIENDS ON RAB Do you live in a rural area where it is difficult to meet other bodyart-friendly people? Are you tired of being rejected by your dates, who find your tattoos and/or pierces repulsive? Looking for others who can relate to your desire for bodyart? Rec.arts.bodyart is a *GREAT* place to meet people and make friends who understand and relate to your interests! However, you might be wondering *HOW* it is you can actually meet these people. Whatever you do, do *NOT* post a personal ad. This is a no-no in rec.arts.bodyart. The readers of RAB decided that personal ads didn't belong in the newsgroup, because there are many other newsgroups (in the alt.personals.* hierarchy) that exist specifically for this purpose, including alt.personals.bodyart. Where does that leave a lonely person? Here are some suggestions! 1. Go to the tattoo conventions and meet people (but you have to be very friendly and outgoing). 2. Become great friends with your tattooist, and volunteer to work there cleaning floors and you'll meet others. 3. Read and post regularly here on RAB, but have something to say. Make sure you follow netiquette. Don't turn other readers off. Try to let your personality show through. 4. Attend a RAB munch (success rate is higher if you do #3 first). First of all, the way you meet people is NOT to barge into an ongoing cocktail party and say "Hi! I'm so and so and oh boy, I'd really love to meet a nice person with a nose ring from Oregon!" Do THAT, and the Oregonian with the nose ring is liable to hide behind others! :{ This extends to the newsgroup environment as well. What you should do is to read the newsgroup regularly. If you find threads that are of interest to you, pipe in with some interesting comments of your own! What I mean is, don't just say "I agree!", but include some of your own opinions. If you start posting occasionally (and I recommend you get yourself a nice four-line .sig file so people recognize you), people will start warming up to you as a regular and you won't feel so much like a stranger. That *doesn't* mean post 50 posts in two days. That means post at least weekly with something significant to say (or something funny; that's always good) that contributes to the ongoing discussions. After a while, you'll feel comfortable being a regular--enough to where OTHERS may email you with private email. Otherwise, YOU can send private email to others whom you think you connect. If you *do* connect, you can continue with the private email and take your friendship from there. With most RAB couples/friendships, they started by knowing each other online, and taking it to private email from there, *or* by meeting in person at a munch. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2j. WHY WE CAN'T POST BINARIES on RAB? Rec.arts.bodyart was set up as a discussion-only newsgroup, and is not the appropriate place to post pictures (gifs, jpgs). If you would like to share your photo, please post it to alt.binaries.pictures.bodyart, with an announcement to RAB informing posters of your gif/jpg. Or, put it up on a web page and post the URL. Many sites carry alt.binaries.pictures.bodyart. If your site doesn't carry it, talk with your sysadmn about getting it. Even if you have been refused, you are not allowed to post gifs to RAB. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2k. ADVERTISING on RAB If you are a bodyart professional, please contact Sara Mitchell at <purplepages@underwriters.com> about inclusion in the Purple Pages Directory. In the meantime, please refrain from posting ads in RAB. If you work for a bodyart-related company or shop, you are encouraged to participate in RAB as with everyone else. If you wish to let your professional affiliations known, your best bet is to include this information in what is called a .signature file. The standard accepted length of .signature files is four lines of text. Feel free to include your shop name and URL in your .sig. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. The REALLY FREQUENTLY asked questions ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3a. Will it hurt? Yes. No. Maybe so. There is no good answer to this question besides YMMV (your mileage may vary). It is dependent on any number of factors, including but not limited to: your personal pain tolerance, the skill of the bodyart professional (tattoo artist or piercer), the quality of the needles, the body part in question. Most mods hurt at least a little, some hurt alot. The definition of "little" and "lot" is solely up to you, and you are going to have to decide for yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3b. How much will <insert mod here> cost? Please call your local shop for an estimate. The answer depends on the shop, the artist/piercer, your local economy, the size of the tattoo or the type of jewelry, and the price of tea in china. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3c. Why are you so mean to me? I only asked a question! or, Why are you all a bunch of assholes? This gets asked quite often. RAB has developed a culture that has a low tolerance for twits. If you find yourself asking this question, instead ask yourself "have I been a twit lately? did I just ask a group of strangers to do my research for me or choose my tattoo for me? did I ask for info to be emailed to me since I can't be bothered to look back at the group for the answer to my question? did I just ask a question that gets asked on a weekly, or even daily basis and/or is answered in the FAQ? did I post a binary when this is clearly a non-binary group?" etc, etc, etc. People who immediately go on the defensive and start lashing out at the regulars are the most likely to ask this question. So, don't be a twit, and read the FAQ, and you'll surely find that RABbits are not, in fact, all assholes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3d. Will you email me pictures of <insert flash tattoo here>? No, we won't. Go to a tattoo shop and look on the wall. Go to a library. Go to www.anysearchengine.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3e. Where can I get pierced/tattooed that won't card me? While you might be able to find such places, consider this: is a shop that is willing to break the rules regarding working on minors going to be reliable on other, more critical issues like cleanliness and sterilization? The "professionals" willing to work on you without carding you or asking for parental permission are probably hacks and scratchers, and you're much better off waiting until you're legal or getting permission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3f. Is betadine/ bactine/ peroxide okay for aftercare? While betadine, bactine, and other similar products were once recommended for use on fresh piercings, they are no longer. Peroxide was never a good idea, since it kills healing cells; don't use it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3g. I just got my <insert body part> pierced and now it is red/swollen/pus-filled/etc. What do I do?" See your piercer. And next time, follow his or her aftercare instructions (unless your piercer is Todd Bertrang...) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3h. Will my piercing jewelry set off metal detectors? For the most part, this will not happen. There are isolated incidents where someone or other has set off a detector that is set to be particularly sensitive, but the majority of the time pierced individuals sail through metal detectors with nary a problem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3i. Can I still breast feed after getting my nipples pierced? Yes. Please see the site put together by Denise Robinson: http://www.ambient.on.ca/bodmod/breasts.html (no longer available) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3j. What's wrong with piercing guns? So many things, where do I begin? Lish Daelnar has written a piece on the subject, found at http://compunction.dyndns.org/guns.txt ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3k. Where can I find kanji? http://www.google.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3l. What is this SETI business? Back in 1999, RABbits were helping to find ET with Seti-at-home. See http://www.setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu. There was a rec.arts.bodyart team. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3m. What about tattoos that fade in five years? There is no such thing. It doesn't exist. It's a lie. It is physically/biologically impossible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~#*~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. MINORS ACCESSING RAB Please be aware that in most areas, at least in the United States and Canada, professional tattoo artists and body piercers will not pierce or tattoo minors. There is no national law regarding this, though, as each locality and/or state/province has its own regulations. It is your responsibility to be aware of the laws regarding piercing and tattooing in your area. It is impossible to monitor which of the RAB readers are minors. In fact, we can't even tell who the minors are unless they announce it to the newsgroup. The general consensus on RAB is that it is far better to help minors make informed decisions about what to do to their bodies rather than deny information to them and risk them damaging their bodies permanently. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4a. A WORD OF CAUTION TO MINORS Unmoderated usenet newsgroups are completely open, and it is impossible to control who participates. Just as you can participate in RAB, so can opportunistic adults who may prey on minors. Although the numbers are very small, pedophiles or child molesters may lurk in the newsgroup, hoping to develop a relationship with you. Please use common sense in protecting yourself. -Do not give away your home phone number or home address. -Do not give people personal information that will help them track you down. -If a person wants to meet you, meet in a public place and do not go alone. The following link offers some suggestions for online safety. http://www.yahooligans.com/docs/safety/ If you are in high school or secondary school, you may be quite mature. However, the law does not reflect this. Please be aware that if you reveal your minor status on RAB, and then ask for information about piercings, some people on RAB may decline to help you. Please be aware that much of the information you may be seeking is available in the piercing and tattoo FAQs (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bodyart), or at BME (http://www.bmezine.com). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4b. ADVICE FOR CONCERNED PARENTS If you are a parent, please don't be alarmed that your child is reading rec.arts.bodyart. It's a great arena in which your child can obtain factual information about body piercing and/or tattooing which otherwise may not be readily available to them in any other manner. If you don't want your child to have access to this newsgroup, please discuss this with your child and their account system administrator. It's important to know that just as it is your responsibility to protect your child from things in your material world, you also need to be responsible for protecting your child from inappropriate adult material online. Please consider learning about the Internet with your child, and help your child learn why some areas may not be safe or appropriate for them to visit. 1997 Link for parents to consider: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/internet/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4c. SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH DISAPPROVING PARENTS If you're a minor interested in getting bodyart, the idea of tattoos or body piercings can be a very frightening thought to your parents. These pointers may be useful in having a discussion about bodyart with your parents or guardians. If your parents are Internet savvy, point them to the RABbit Hole (http://www.rabbithole.org) and show them the rec.arts.bodyart FAQs. If your parents are uncooperative due to lack of information, you can provide them with articles currently available in the mainstream media. If your parents are against your getting bodyart because they think you would suffer permanently from a passing fad, you can offer a compromise. Offer to wait six months, and pay for your bodyart with your own money. While this may seem like an eternity, it may also be long enough to convince your parents that your desire for bodyart is serious. If your parents are dead-set against piercing and/or tattooing, then the best thing to do is to wait until you are at least 18 years old and/or on your own. Many people on RAB have personal experience with this situation, and the consensus is that "it's not worth the grief-- just wait a couple more years." --==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==-- Welcome to the wonderful world of rec.arts.bodyart. "Poke around and think ink!" --==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==--==*-< >-*==-- This ends the "What is rec.arts.bodyart?" file. 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