[SFRG] Science Fiction Resource Guide [Update Log] [What's New]

Updates are handled by Chaz Boston Baden. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions before you write.

03-Oct-2001

SFRG FAQ

Some Frequently Asked Questions about this Resource Guide

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* "May I put in a link to the Science Fiction Resource Guide on my page?"
Please, go right ahead. You don't need to ask permission. I even have a couple of graphics and some pre-written descriptive text available for your use, see the middle of our Introduction.

* "How do I find information on So-and-So?"
Look under Authors and also under Bibliographies.

* "So-and-So isn't listed (or, "I'm So-and-So") and I'd like you to put all this information about So-and-So's books into the Science Fiction Resource Guide, please."
I'm sorry, I can't do that. We have limited space for the Science Fiction Resource Guide - it's already over 500K with just what you see here. Your best bet is to put it on-line yourself - see the next question for more info.

* "I want to put a Home Page for So-and-So on the net. How do I do it?"
Well, if you've made it this far, you can have a home page. Your Internet Service Provider may have web space available; AOL and Compuserve have even gotten into the act. So check with your own provider first. If you've already done that, and you've got a service that won't give you personal web space, there are other alternatives.

* "I'm a published author/artist and I want my own home page. Can I get one for free?"
Yes. You could get a home page like everyone else (see previous question), or you can take advantage of one of the other offers available to professionals in the field.

* "I have a web site for So-and-So, or about such-and-such, how do I get the URL listed?"
Send me E-mail with the following: the URL of the site, the title of the site, a short description, the name of the maintainer and their e-mail (if known), and which Science Fiction Resource Guide category you think it might be appropriate for. I update the SFRG in my spare time, so be prepared to wait; you should eventually get some kind of response from me.

* "The first chapter of So-and-So's new book is available on-line. Will you list it, please?"
Okay. If the entire work will eventually be on-line, we'll list it under Serial Fiction and Ongoing Stories, otherwise it'll go in Sample Chapters and Incomplete Works.

* "Here's something I wrote, or a description or blurb for my work. Please put it in the Science Fiction Resource Guide."
You'll need to find someplace to store it first. I don't have the space to store it for you! If you find an ftp site for it, or put it on a web page, or tie it into a gopher server, let me know where it is (i.e. the URL) and I'll consider putting in a link to it. It might help if you think of the Science Fiction Resource Guide as being a catalog, or a phone book or other directory. I have short descriptions for many of the items, but the actual content is stored Somewhere Else.

* "I sent you a URL last week, and you still haven't added it to the SFRG. What's the delay?"

I work on the Science Fiction Resource Guide in my spare time. I have a day job now, and I'm also webmaster for two major s.f. conventions, so I have to prioritize my time. It may take from a week to three months to get to your site. if you addressed your e-mail to me, though, you will (eventually) get a response.

All of the e-mail that I get, is saved into a bunch of folders. If you just send me the bare URL, it goes to the bottom of the heap. If you include the name of the site, the maintainer's name and e-mail address (if you're not the maintainer), a brief description, and your suggestion as to which section of the SFRG it should go in, it goes to the top of the heap. URL changes take the highest priority, especially if you list both the old and new addresses. All of the piles of e-mail sit on my desktop, sorted by category - I have a mail folder for each of the SFRG categories. When I get an hour or two to rub together, I go through some of the folders to the best of my ability.

* "I redesigned my web page and/or moved it to a new address. Why did you delete it instead of updating it?"
Because I'm allergic to frames. If you quietly revamp your web page so it no longer works on Lynx and other text-only browsers, you might stay "grandfathered in" but once I go to update your listing in the SFRG, it's subject to summary removal. Usually this only happens when someone writes in to tell me that your page has moved, but exceptions can happen. Ironically, most of the pages that fall in this category use a "menu" frame - which could have been used as the entry point by means of a "NOFRAMES" arrangement. On the other hand, some people feel that their page should be viewed with a "modern" browser or not at all. I'm happy to oblige them. (See also Things that make me cranky.)

* "I have been looking for a book whose title I only know approximately, and I have had no luck finding it. The name was something like Such-and-Such. Have you heard of it and/or do you know where it is available?"
No, I have no idea. Your best bet is probably to ask around in the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.written and see if anyone there recognizes it.

* "I'm searching, without success so far, for such-and-such book, by So-and-So, I believe. I read it 30 years ago and haven't seen it since. Any ideas?"
Try a bookstore, especially one that specializes in used books. Most of them are willing to notify you when the title you want comes in, if they don't have it on hand. Check our Bookstores section. There are many bookdealers on-line, and even more that don't have e-mail - remember, not everyone is on the net. (As far as I know, Chris Drumm isn't on the internet, and he has an incredible stock of used paperbacks. Just to give one example.) If you're really interested in the title, you might invest in a stack of postcards and go through the lists of bookstores... Finally, there's always the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.written to consider. Have you already posted a note there?

* "May we send you a complimentary copy of our new book(s)?"
I don't review books, but I'm perfectly willing to accept free stuff. Most books I receive will be donated to either the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (lasfs.org) library when I'm through with them. Ship 'em to P.O. Box 17522, Anaheim CA 92817-7522. And thank you! [Updated 02-Oct-2001] [Updated Oct 2001]

* "Could you please also add our upcoming convention to the SFRG con listing?"
Nope. And I'll give you three good reasons why.

  1. There are plenty of people putting together hot link lists of cons, and doing a very competent job of it. I don't feel like competing. (Incidentally, I'm also webmaster for two major s.f. conventions, and resisted the temptation to list their home pages here. If I can turn down my own convention's page...)
  2. The conventions I have listed are actually convention reports - i.e. the past, not the future.
  3. I'm trying not to list sites that are known to be as ephemeral as a convention's home page. Most conventions take down their home page after their convention is over, and if they're running the convention the next year it usually has a completely different URL.
N.B. If you're talking about the SF-Lovers Conventions Listing, which resides on the same server as the SFRG, you need to write to Saul Jaffe at sf-lovers-cons@sflovers.rutgers.edu.

* "Can we use a screen-shot of the SFRG in our book of web pages along with the site's URL and our review?"
Just make sure you list the primary site http://www.sflovers.org/SFRG/ (sflovers.org) [Updated 03-Oct-2001] (it's okay to list one or more of the mirror sites - in fact it's probably a good idea given how long a lead time most book publishing projects have, as insurance against shifting web addresses). If possible, I'd like to have our contact e-mail address listed, and it would be nice if you'd send a copy of the book to me at C.S.F. Boston Baden, P.O. Box 17522, Anaheim CA 92817-7522 - or at least let me know when it's out, so we can mention in it in our Introduction.

* "Can we include a complete copy of the SFRG in our CD-ROM?"
E-mail or write to me and we'll talk. The size of the site is about 600 K. I will require a sample to be sent to me upon publication; please confirm this when you write to me. C.S.F. Boston Baden, P.O. Box 17522, Anaheim CA 92817-7522 (E-mail SFRG).

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Chaz Boston Baden (boston-baden.com) - E-mail SFRG.

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