************************************************************************ VampNet Conference Descriptions ************************************************************************ This file will give you some idea of what VampNet is about; what we like to talk about, and what types of conversations to expect in each conference. It may or may not be helpful in making your decision of which conferences to echo (G). You'll notice that VampNet DOES require aliases for most, if not all, of it's conferences. This conscious decision on the part of the Net Administrators was made to encourage thought-provoking, creative, and intelligent discussions of some rather offbeat subjects. It's often easier to write what you really think and feel about a subject if you're "incognito". VampNet is by no means an "adult access" network, but it certainly isn't G-rated, either. PG-13, maybe. You should read NETRULES.TXT for specifics regarding what we'd like our guidelines to be, but just be aware that tolerance is, in our humble opinion, a virtue. Nevertheless, excessive swearing, graphic depictions of sex or violence are, shall we say, frowned upon, and probably unnecessary. Now, before the entire NETRULES.TXT file is re-written here, on to our conferences..... ************************************************************************ VampNet Admin Alias: Not Allowed Conference Moderator: Jack Norton *REQUIRED* This conference is a place for Net Sysops to post suggestions and to look for any changes in policy that might affect them. Note the key words, "Net Sysops". No one but VampNet Hubs and Nodes should have access to this conference. Hopefully, we'll be able to maintain a casual atmosphere here. If you have suggestions, complaints, or whatever, let us know. Just be nice about it whenever possible. ************************************************************************ VampNet Sysops Alias: Not Allowed Conference Moderator: Jack Norton *REQUIRED* This conference in intended to be a public forum for Net Sysops to communicate with each other. Again, the key words are "Net Sysops." As with VampNet Admin, no one other than Net Hubs and Nodes should have access to this conference. ************************************************************************ VampNet Chat Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open *REQUIRED* Pretty much what the name implies, a necessity for any net to use as a catch-all for those discussions that don't quite fit any other conference description. Enough said. ************************************************************************ Anne Rice & Company Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open What self-respecting vampire afficianado isn't familiar with Anne Rice and the Vampire Chronicles? Rice's Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned have reshaped the vampire myth in a way that no other contemporary horror author ever could. This conference is a discussion of Anne Rice, her novels (to include ALL of her works), her characters - her world. ************************************************************************ Bram Stoker Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Bram Stoker was, in his day, the Anne Rice of today. His contribution to literature was, quite literally, to reinvent the vampire - from the pitiable creatures that they were for centuries in folklore to the tragic hero portrayed in _Dracula_. This conference is about Bram Stoker, the man, his life, and his world, without whom society's fascination with vampires might never have existed. ************************************************************************ Count Dracula Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open The other half of Bram Stoker, deserving of it's own discussion. Dracula, the tragic, romantic hero, has been revived in so many ways that he certainly will live forever. From movies and literature to greeting cards and beer ads; ask any five-year old who Dracula is, and that child will point to his or her teeth. Dracula is a part of our society, and the discussions here will discuss the how's and why's of his continued existence. ************************************************************************ Cyber Screams Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Judge This is, after all, a net. The combination of vampires and cyberpunk was inspired largely by a popular RPG published by White Wolf Games; a postmodern world populated by cyberpunks, and yes.....vampires. It's a world of darkness and danger, of high-tech and cold skin. Thus, Cyber Screams is born. This conference is for netrunners and vampires alike. Horror and high-tech, side-by-side in the not too impossible future. ************************************************************************ Dark Shadows Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Who doesn't remember the scariest soap-opera ever to hit daytime television, or it's ill-fated "renewal" over twenty years after Barnabas Collins had taken his last victim? Dark Shadows has a following that is uniquely it's own, all throughout the country. This conference is about the show(s), the actors, the characters, or anything to do with the world of Dark Shadows. ************************************************************************ Folklore & Tradition Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Everyone knows that garlic and crucifixes are effective tools for warding off vampires, but where do these customs originate? Where did the first vampire come from? Vampires myths are almost universal around the globe, and all of them vary in many ways. This conference is a discussion of those myths, traditions, the folklore - anything having to do with the historical origin of vampires, or the folklore and tradition surrounding them. ************************************************************************ General Arts Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Why a conference on general arts on a vampire network? Because many individuals who are interested in vampires are also highly creative, artistic types of people. Painters, sculptors, you name it. And if you doubt it, take a look at some of the art surrounding the vampire myth. This conference is purposefully general in nature, not catering to any specific artistic discipline. To do so would require a completely seperate net (any takers?). Hopefully, conversations between artists not covered by the few special arts categories will take place here. ************************************************************************ General Occult Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Nineveh While vampire afficianados aren't necessarily interested in the occult, many are. It's not such a huge leap, going from a discussion of vampires to one on astral projection, or other such discipline. This very general conference will accommodate a wide variety of discussions. And while not everyone will want to post here, it's here for those who do. A word of warning to sysops: This is not a debate conference, but invariably, you can expect someone at some time with a desire to turn this conference into a religious debate. Come to think of it, this entire net could spawn such reaction (G). Just want you to be warned..... ************************************************************************ Gothic Underground Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open While Cyber Screams is a discussion of postmodernism is the distant future, Gothic Underground is here to discuss the postmodern world of the gothic/vampire of today. This conference is here to discuss the music and lifestyles of today's youth, many of whom live a very literal vampiric existence. By virtue of it's being included, this conference will also no doubt be a connecting point for many - a place to meet new friends and discuss their way of life. ************************************************************************ Internet Chat Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Judge Anyone who has ever been on the Internet can spend countless hours, telling others of the wonders that can be found there - people they have "met", places they have "been", and the friends that they have made. This conference is intended to bridge the gap between those who have been, those who have not, and those who perhaps one day will. ************************************************************************ Modern Music Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open The rhythm of modern music is the heartbeat of the postmodern/gothic world, and if you listen to just a bit of it, you'll feel it's pulse. From the vampiric lyrics of Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, and Concrete Blonde, to the harsh grinding rhythms of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, to the angst-ridden voices of Alice-in-Chains, Pearl Jam, and others, this conference is devoted to a discussion of modern and postmodern music, both new and old. ************************************************************************ Undead Poet's Soc. Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Poetry is said to be the most perfect and exquisite form of language, and there are many who practice and follow this art extensively. Vampire afficianados tend to write rather dark poetry, expressing their angst in the tradition of Percy Shelly, Lord Byron, and Edgar Allen Poe. This conference is intended to accomodate modern poetry, as well as a place to post quotes from the classics. ************************************************************************ Musician's Chat Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Music is such a large part of the Gothic Underground, and many who are a part of that world are musicians. Okay, so even those who AREN'T part of that world are musicians also.....This conference is open to ANY caller who plays an instrument, or for anyone who ever wanted to. It's simply an informal place to hang out, "backstage", as it were, with others who share an interest in music. ************************************************************************ Film/Vid/Multimedia Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open One of the most obscure, yet exciting of artistic disciplines around is that created by the independent producer - underground films, experimental video, or any other type of production. This conference is for anyone involved in, or who would like to be involved in film, video, or other type of production., to include mixed-media. ************************************************************************ Private E-Mail Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Sysops *REQUIRED* This conference is intended to provide a private means for users to communicate with the friends they make on this net. There are no public messages in this conference. Individual sysops are responsible for moderating this conference- meaning basically that the net is not used for any illegal activities. Since all messages are private, anything LEGAL goes here. ************************************************************************ Role Players Corner Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Equus There are many excellent role-playing games on the market, and a LOT of people who play them. This conference is intended primarily to discuss the White Wolf vampire and werewolf games (which are appropriate for this net's theme), but will also allow discussions of other games as well. And don't forget the possibility of an active RPG being played online - many entire nets have sprung up around this idea, and a lot of callers are doing just that. ************************************************************************ Social Issues Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Social Issues is a conference to discuss exactly what the name implies. Departing radically from fantasy, this conference is intended for bold discussions of how all of us are responsible for making the world we live in a better place. Topics might include the morality (or lack of) of war, racism as a social disease, the aids epidemic, the homeless, or any number of social issues that affects all of us directly. ************************************************************************ Vampire Memorabilia Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Collecting things is a hobby to countless thousands, many of whom are fans of the vampire genre. From movie posters, stills, and props, to gargoyles, models, and coffee mugs - the list of collectible vampire merchandise is as long as it is varied. Traders and dealers are welcome here, to share with others bits of the continuing vampire tradition. ************************************************************************ Vampires in Film Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open A conference that is virtually neverending, this is a discussion of the role of the vampire in film. From Bela Lugosi to Gary Oldman, and countless others in between, this conference is open to any discussion of any aspect of the vampire in film. ************************************************************************ Vamps in Literature Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Another conference with limitless potential: who could even begin to tell you how many books, poems, plays, articles, and other forms of written communication have been written about vampires? This conference is open to any aspect of the vampire as a literary figure. ************************************************************************ ThŠ„tre des Vampires Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open Yes, there are vampires in the theater, and this conference is where anyone wanting to share info on their favorite theatrical performance, or just find out what's being done where, and by whom. It encompasses actors, directors, technicians, or any other aspect of the vampire in theater. ************************************************************************ Wicca/NeoPaganism Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Nineveh This conference differs from General Occult in that it focuses on discussions regarding a wide variety of earth religions, including Wicca and Neopaganism. There are no rules regarding what "is" and what "isn't" an earth religion, and there will probably be some crossover between this conference and General Occult. The difference remains in the focus, and it will ultimately be up to the conference moderator to keep the callers on topic. ************************************************************************ Writer's Coffee Shop Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open This conference is for writer's, mainly those into short horror fiction. However, like the other conferences, a wide latitude is given, and so this conference is open to any writer who wishes to post - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenplays, are other disciplines having to do with creative writing are all valid areas of discussion. Not a bad place to just hang out with some friends over a steaming cup o' java, either. ************************************************************************ Contemporary Horror Alias: Required Conference Moderator: Open This conference was created at the request of callers wishing to discuss their favorite horror authors. Originally, it was asked that the name be "Stephen King and Company," but that proved to be too limiting. Contemporary horror, then, is for any discussion on any aspect of the modern horror genre. ************************************************************************ EOF