http://www.news.nic.it/news-it/manif/it.cultura.linguistica.inglese.txt

Since its founding, the group has become affectionately known as The Illuminated Realm , and it is our belief that one of our most endearing trademarks is the noticeable absence of arguments, flames, and general ill-will. Which is not to say members do not sometimes hold dissenting views on subjects, merely that we are able to maintain a pleasantly agreeable level of tolerance and decorum when expressing such. We sincerely hope your participation in the group will be in keeping with this spirit.

It is a newsgroup open to all who are interested in the English language; a place to write about and discuss this interest, ask questions, seek linguistic clarification and generally enjoy yourself. (Needless to say, humour is never out of place).

The newsgroup’s home page can be found at:

http://www.TheRealm.knows.it

Thanks for this permanent residence is owed to our most gallant Knight In Shining Armour, Peltio. (Also on the group’s homepage, you will find photographs of some of the members of The Illuminated Realm who held their first real-life gathering in October 1999, in Bologna).
 

Questions relating to grammar, explanations of English phrases/words, discussions of English literature or indeed any matter having to do with English are welcome. Topics which could cause heated debates on matters not related to English (i.e. politics), are not encouraged however.

First Rule of Usenet: Read the FAQ for whatever groups you're trying to start participating in. Since you're reading this, you're already ahead of the game. Congratulations: not everyone does this. Understanding the information contained herein will save you (and the denizens of the newsgroup) some headaches.

Second Rule of Usenet: After you've read the FAQ, lurk. Read the group you want to participate in without posting for a while. How long is "a while"? Six months. If you can't wait six months, wait twelve. Seriously, this piece of advice is group-specific, but the spirit ispretty useful to remember – in all truthfulness, everything you're going to ask has probably been asked before. Watching the patterns in the newsgroup will let you see this for yourself. Moreover, reading the newsgroup for a period of time without posting will help you get a feel for what the group is like as a social entity.

Third Rule of Usenet: Lurk some more. When in doubt as to the reasons why, see the Second Rule of Usenet above.

Fourth Rule of Usenet: Do not take the newsgroup, yourself, or anyone else involved in a discussion too seriously. It's only Usenet after all. You're going to need a thick skin if you're going to survive in the icky cesspool that is Usenet, so get used to being flamed, and try not to take it personally. This particular group however, constitutes an exception in the vast Usenet landscape, for feuds and flames are conspicuous by their absence. Things that will help keep you from getting flamed too badly:

Fifth Rule of Usenet: If you don't know very much about Usenet, ask. But don't ask in it.cultura.linguistica.inglese , you'll be in the wrong place. Try asking in news.newusers.questions , and read the articles in news.announce.newusers . On the Web, you can read about "How to make the best use of Usenet news,'' conveniently located at: 

If you would prefer to talk to your Italian peers, then you can try it.faq and it.news.aiuto
Suggestions on how to use or ‘tune’ your favourite newsreader can be found at it.comp.soft.newsreader . Don’t forget to read the charters of these newsgroups before posting your questions.

Sixth Rule of Usenet: Don't feed the trolls. Trolls are posts that are deliberately inflammatory. If you read something that ticks you off, and it sounds pretty outlandish, don't bother replying. It's just not worth it.

The site provides an option of searching either a "Current" or "Old" database. "Current" contains articles dating back a few weeks, whereas "Old" goes back to the start of the archive in 1995.

The answer to the question is a semi-trade secret. (Hint: Search Engines – See below)

(When the tagline includes a gentleman by the name of Tom, please note that these are known as ‘Tom Swifties’. Also note that once Mary has finished with the aforementioned gentleman, IsabellaZ and Bambi – in that order – have requested the pleasure of the gentleman’s company for their own delectations)

The signature which appears at the end of Isabella Z’s posts is of unknown origin. It was sent to her by a friend who also has not the vaguest notion where it comes from. It is believed to be a verse from a song. If you are able to give a creditable source for it, the group – not to mention HRH Isabella – would be eternally grateful and would very much welcome hearing from you.

Additionally, the following news server from the University of Berlin, which provides access to over 20,000 news groups, has proved a useful alternative for a number of our posters: 

The header/subject of your e-mail should be ‘Registration’. And in the body of the message simply state your name and your e-mail address. You will receive confirmation from them of your username and password within 24 hours. The service is free.