Every webtv user can make a news:alt.discuss.clubs newsgroup. At this moment the club groups number in the thousands. It is thought that about 1% of the million msntv/webtv users use the newsgroups.  

           Just because you create a club group does not mean that people are panting to get into it. I hope this doesn't sound too cold, but it is a hard & chilly fact of alt.discuss newsgroups.  

     Your group must be something special, and you must advertise that.  

       Did you know that if there are no new posts in an alt.discuss group for 14 days straight the group will be Deleted? There has to be at least one person posting at least once every 2 weeks to keep the Deletion from happening.  

         This Deletion process is not personal. It is built into the program. It doesn't care if your mother died, you've been in the hospital, or on your honeymoon. It is a necessary part of the program so that the listing is not filled up with thousands of unused groups that no one can moderate (and in the case of private groups, no one can even enter).  

         So, what can you do to keep your group from being Deleted?

ADVERTISE

1) Place a link in your signature to your new group. If you have a link to a website about your group, you can place that in your sig as well, but don't expect people to go to the website to get to the group. Place a Live Link _directly_ to the club in your sig. It is best to write out the whole name, not just "my group here" in html. Use the full name, including the "news:" at the front. news:alt.discuss.clubs.public.webtv.news.robin-of-lox is the full name of my Club Owners Help Group. You will see that it becomes "live" here in the body text because it has the "news:" (that's a colon) in the front of it. This only works if you are not using html in your body, but it will work in the text if you are only using html in your sig and the link is not in your sig.

If you use an html signature, then you must do the a href thing, but still put in the full name of the group. Many people want to see where you placed your group, which Main and Sub Topics you chose.

2) Do _not_ post in every regular and club group with a "come to my NG" post. Many people find it not only Off Topic in their groups but very rude, and they will specifically _not_ visit your group just because they don't like your attitude.

Ask the Club Owners of the groups that you participate in on a regular basis if they will mind your posting an Announcement about your new club in theirs. Most will say it's fine. But it is always best to _ask_ first.

If you don't participate in any newsgroups, then you have no business creating one yet. Get used to what newsgroups are and how they work before creating one of your own. And check to see if there are lots of groups already in the category you want to create one in. Consider, will there be anything new and different and special about _your_ group? If not, then it will be much harder to get people to come and participate in yours.

3) Post in news:alt.discuss.announce and news:alt.discuss.announce.clubs

4) Tell your webtv friends via e-mail and/or in Chat that you are opening a newsgroup. Many of them might not know about NGs and yours may be the first time they are exposed to one.

But be aware, the alt.discuss newsgroups are for webtv users _only_. Computer users cannot get in, so don't bother trying to recruit computer users as posters to your group. They will just get mad because they will not be able to access it. You will be wasting your own time and theirs.

MAINTENANCE  

         You must maintain your group if you want it to live. Just creating it and sitting back and expecting it to magically thrive won't do it.

1) Post at least 5 new articles (thread starters) to your group on a daily basis. You must give others something to talk about. You will probably have to do this for at least 6 months.

2) Respond to every new thread that someone else starts, but you don't have to respond to each and every post by everyone in a thread.

3) Pre Ban anyone you are having fights with in other groups, but do it with the forethought that you two might become friends later on if you allow them into your club. Be balanced and thoughtful about who you PreBan.

4) Clubs gain new posters throughout their lives. People leave, new people come. Word of mouth is the best way for this to happen, and the mouth that must be flapping is yours. Always keep your link in your sig, and never forget to tell someone new about your group.

Good luck with your new club groups!
Robin