The facts about alt.fan.art-bell (afa-b)

by Bruce Kettler
 

Update: June 2005


The history of the afa-b takeover:

The newsgroup "alt.fan.art-bell" was founded by Peggy Hall, a real fan. She had been a fan since Art
was at KWDN in Las Vegas, in 1988.

In May 1994, when it became intolerable because of the abuse from the haters of Art Bell and his fans,
Keith Rowland formed a mailing list and Peggy had the group deleted. Later, Tim Hill restarted it.

This link shows what Keith Rowland, WEBMASTER of the Art Bell Web Site, wrote about the invaders who
have occupied alt.fan.art-bell (afa-b).

This indicates who some of the "afa-b bullies" are. "afa-b bullies" is a term of Raymond Karczewski and others.

Later, a group calling themselves "Skepticult" formed, branched off from the the invaders of alt.fan.art-bell.
Tim Hill had been the "afa-b bullies" original leader, but the skepticult organization was started by Jon
Walsh.  This group announced they would be taking over alt.paranormal.  I had originally coined the
word, "skepticult."

Tim Hill claims he founded the newsgroup afa-b, though he only restarted it.

Similarly, Blaine Henry, (aka "digger") blatant censor, (another censor link) claims
he founded alt.paranormal.

It is understood by the author that these people have not legally taken over anything.  There are many
new people on the net, and such propaganda as the above, makes the claims a reality to them.

This page gives a clear indication of the destructive activities of the anti-art-bell fanatics.  Check out the links.

This page is my commentary on an alt.fan.art-bell FAQ.



"Anti-Art Bell" people occupy alt.fan.art-bell with writing that the major content of Art Bell's program, or Art's personality, is something they don't like. Why listen then? They listen to Art Bell for no other reason than to repeatedly look for things to complain about. When such people call themselves "fans," they show even greater delusion. A realistic solution would be for them to start a newsgroup called alt.basher.art-bell, oralt.hate.art-bell.

Why would anyone want to post to a newsgroup with people in it who hate Art Bell?  Indeed, that is why so many who look at the newsgroup do not want to post.  However, change can be brought about, and you can help.

You can start an alt.fan.art-bell.moderated group, so that the contents are examined before they can be posted, without affecting the existing alt.fan.art-bell group.

It is possible, but difficult, to get alt.fan.art-bell converted to a moderated group, while keeping the same name.   That would stop the "targeting" of people who innocently post, thinking it is a predominantly "fan" newsgroup.

"alt" groups do not have the same procedures as the other heirarchies of USENET.  There is no voting, and whether a majority of people in a newsgroup are posting a certain way, or not, is not the criteria for change.  However, if an attempt to moderate a group is thwarted by people opposing, it is helpful, though not necessary,  to have a majority of people posting your view that the group should be moderated.  This is what is known as changing the culture of a newsgroup.

For an overview of the newsgroup situation, or to join with a group centered around alt.paranormal (which could also include afa-b) see this page.

For a person, or persons, to bring this change into effect, that will require you to follow procedures written in USENET FAQS.  Usenet FAQS are found in the newsgroup, news.admin.net-abuse.usenet.  Use DEJANEWS and look up "faq" and faqs" in the subject area.  There is a history of abuse of posters to alt.fan.art-bell, which is recorded in the USENET archives, obtainable from DEJANEWS .  The predominant activity in the newsgroup is presently contrary to the title of the newsgroup, and that is obviously because the newsgroup was overrun by those who dominated it in 1997, and apparently still do.

You can take many of the same steps recommended for alt.paranormal and other newsgroups outlined at the HOW TO RECLAIM site, and be sure to look at the pages referenced from it.  Nothing is included about changing a newsgroup to a moderated status there, but such a change may not be necessary for either afa-b, or a.p.

As of April 1997, there were not a majority of actual Art Bell fans posting.  Tim Hill claims he founded the newsgroup, though he only restarted it.   Peggy Hall has not expressed an interest in assisting in making changes, but as the original founder, she could prove useful if she consents to help.  I suggest you contact Keith Rowland, Webmaster of the Art Bell Web Pages to reach Peggy Hall, and tell him what your interest is in changing the status of alt.fan.art-bell.

If someone reading this is willing to have alt.fan.art-bell converted to alt.fan.art-bell as a moderated group with the same name, and expend the necessary finanical/time resources, here are ways you can make the attempt.

  • Either you, or someone you hire, can access the USENET archives, http://www.deja.com/home_ps.shtml, and compile a number of e-mail lists of actual "fans" of Art Bell from alt.fan.art-bell. All these posts should be read, to decide who is a fan, and who is not. Each list should consist of about 30 people. You write to one 30 person group at a time, telling each to have their address removed, if they wish, by just returning e-mail to you with "remove" in the subject. You ask them to return mail to you, confirming that they wish to be on the list. From then on, those who did reply to you favorably will no longer be "unsolicited." Each 30 person group should be separated by one week. This is a non-spam method.

  •  

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Further, an additional, and very large list can be obtained.

    Pay for, and have placed, a banner ad at www.artbell.com. Have that ad persuade the  people to your web site, which informs them that, if they wish, they may have their e-mail  addresses placed on a mailing list, and outline the reasons as shown above regarding activity on alt.fan.art-bell. They will send e-mail to you.

    Place Banner Ads at YAHOO ($1000.00) per week, and other high-traffic WEB sites such as Cable News Network (CNN)

    Be courteous, by informing people who answer you, that they will be included in a mailing list, and always offer the option to be removed from it. This is not "spamming" as these people will have been informed, beforehand, that they will receive mail from you, and they will have given consent.
     

  • Have your WEB SITE listed under the name "Art Bell" on all SEARCH ENGINES. You can follow my examples, such as my reply to the FAQs, which include "paranormal" and "entertainment" as subjects.
  • There are several companies that offer mass-mailing, and they ususally have their own list. If  you use their list, it will be "spamming," and the list will not be a proper target. You hire one of these companies to send e-mail to your list - and that is not "spamming." Unless you have your own server, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) will drop you for mass-mailing in a second, even if the list consists of people who asked to receive the mail.
  • Avoid the remove my name from your list demand by sending short e-mail no more often than 1 time per week, You just tell people the progress that is being made on the newsgroup, and when you expect to have alt.fan.art-bell converted, and how. If not enough thousands are posting during certain 2 week period, tell them.

    Inform readers of private matters about appearing in the newsgroup in large numbers, who to send mail to, etc.

  • Maintain a LIVE CHAT and a Bulletin Board System BBS at your WEB SITE, so people  may exchange information and ideas publicly. This should be a secured system, which only allows people to post or chat that you want on there. You keep the readers informed at the  BBS, with public announcements. Advise people, on your BBS, to use the existing newsgroup to exchange between actual fans, and to ignore the non-fans. It's possible to block out certain non-fans in alt.fan.art-bell, or to allow only certain persons or subjects to appear, with a  newsreader like FORTE AGENT. Suggest they use the newsgroup like fans, discussing matters of the Art Bell show, such as guests who appeared, the subjects discussed, and to not write of, or to, the non-fans, or about the newsgroup unless they are posting about the subjects covered on the Art Bell show.
  • Thousands of postings from "fans" can show at any one time within a span of about 10 days on alt.fan.art-bell  Each of these people need only post 1 time in that 10 day period. They will then be seen as actual fans, and it is conceivable that the highest number of people from those against Art Bell and what he does, generally, to post continuously would be no more than 20, as usually 10 of such people posted in 1997.
  • Use this link if you wish to send e-mail to the author of this page: Bruce Daniel Kettler (aka Dan Kettler)

    My advice, if you are interested in making this change, is to contact Art Bell, Keith Rowland, or any Art Bell fan organization to help change alt.fan.art-bell, and if they don't help, begin your own organization. People who have been involved in fighting the Art Bell haters had, in 1997, had enough.  That could change.

    Contact Keith Rowland, webmaster, through the Art Bell Web Pages  to attempt to reach Peggy Hall and  ask her about helping with changes regarding moderation.  I do not guarantee he will help by writing to Peggy Hall, but this is my suggestion.

    If you are anywhere in the world, and are reading this on the Internet, you probably have direct access to USENET. If not, DEJANEWS has a way that you can post to USENET. To see my most recent postings, click here for DEJANEWS and enter the appropriate search data.

    There are alleged Art Bell postings on the alt.fan.art.bell newsgroup. The Art Bell haters have been known to write posts that were, supposedly, written by Art Bell. Imagined conversations have been invented by the bashers of Art Bell. Forgeries of Art Bell have been potentially destructive.  Impersonation posts of myself, Dan Kettler (aka Bruce Daniel Kettler), have been placed.  See this page for information about that.

    As of April 1997, more people were posting to alt.fan.art-bell than during previous months. When a large number of actual fans contribute to the newsgroup, it is difficult for people to write nasty remarks about all of them.  It is then that the culture changes.

    Some archived subjects headers of interest, that you can initiate:

    UFO'S over Arizona...

    Remote Viewing (which has Lyn Buchanan's direct contribution)

    Art Bell's UFO Telepathy Experiment

    Rods -- New Data

    How to get a new affiliate station

    or

    What new guests I'd like to appear
     

    See the search engine at the Psicounsel site, for links to pages about the above.

    To get an overview of recent activity on alt.fan.art-bell go to the DEJA archives.

    If you are NETSCAPE compatible, you may access the alt.fan.art-bell newsgroup here.

    Please do not cross-post to any designated "skeptic" newsgroup, like "sci.skeptic."
     
     

    MAY 2005 COMMENT:

                      UFO'S people visiting the earth are demons.

                      Spirit contact is of the devil.

                      Bruce Daniel Kettler
     
     

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