Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 23:45:43 -0700 From: [m--r--o] at [shell.portal.com] Subject: Welcome to self-defense -- Welcome to the self-defense mailing list! If you ever want to remove yourself from this mailing list, send the following command in email to "[m--r--o] at [shell.portal.com]": unsubscribe self-defense [j--r--y] at [pwa.acusd.edu] Here's the general information for the list you've subscribed to, in case you don't already have it: SELF-DEFENSE NETWORK -------------------- Introduction and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) Last Revised 15 May 1995 PURPOSE The Self-Defense Network (SDN) provides a zero-cost, fast-response reporting channel for self-defense incidents occurring nationwide. STATEMENT OF NEED SDN fills a gap left open by existing media channels. According to oft-quoted studies and statistics, self-defense incidents vastly outnumber criminal uses of firearms. Despite this, traditional news sources (print media, radio, television) give more frequent and intensive coverage to criminal incidents than to self-defense incidents. Many possible reasons for this imbalanced coverage have been suggested, and large amounts of time, energy, and resources have been wasted arguing those theories without doing anything to actually resolve the problem. In contrast, SDN provides an affirmative, proactive SOLUTION: An actual increase in coverage of self-defense incidents, nationwide. HOW IT WORKS SDN works by giving national exposure to local events. Most self-defense incidents ARE reported in local media. Members of the community are nearly always aware of self-defense incidents in their neighborhoods, because they qualify as "big news" on the local level. However, networks and newswire services seldom cover such stories. It's no wonder, then, that media sources outside the IMMEDIATE vicinity don't cover self-defense incidents... they probably never hear of them. SDN solves that problem - by connecting informed community members to local media sources nationwide. When a self-defense incident is reported in local media, local community members quickly submit the important details to the Self-Defense Network. SDN's editors confirm the story, then swiftly forward the incident to all SDN subscribers, nationwide. When SDN subscribers in other communities receive the story, they contact THEIR local media sources and ask when they will be running their coverage. This creates demand and an interested customer base. Best of all: If their local media has not yet heard of the incident, SDN subscribers are ready to supply the important facts. This makes it possible for the local media to follow up through their own contacts - while subtly encouraging them to pay closer attention to future self-defense incidents. OPERATION SDN is operated as a moderated network to maintain professionalism and reliability. Each incident report passes through three phases: SUBMISSION: ANYONE may submit a report to SDN upon learning of a self-defense incident anywhere in the United States. Reports may be submitted 24 hours a day. An individual need not be a subscriber of SDN to submit an incident. Anyone in the United States can be an "SDN reporter." APPROVAL: Reports are verified by SDN's editors. Editors are distributed across several time zones to improve response time, reduce the impact of local equipment problems, and eliminate dependency upon "key" individuals or groups. DISTRIBUTION: Approved reports are forwarded to all SDN subscribers. Disqualified reports are discarded without comment. Reports delivered to subscribers are thus pre-qualified, and "garbage" messages are completely eliminated. The goal of SDN is rapid response. EVERYONE learning of a self-defense incident should report it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, preferably within 12 hours of the actual event. Don't assume "someone else" will do it. FREE USE OF INCIDENT REPORTS Incident reports appearing on SDN are placed in the public domain. Individuals, groups, and organizations are free to use them in any manner. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: "How do I join the Self-Defense Network?" There are three steps: * Subscribe to SDN's output list by sending a message to [self defense] at [shell.portal.com] with the body of the message as: subscribe [y--u] at [address] ...where "[y--u] at [address]" is replaced with your complete network address. This should be the ONLY line in the entire message. * Obtain the phone numbers for the news desks at your local newspaper(s), radio stations, and TV stations. Write these numbers down and keep them near your computer for quick reference. * Identify five of your friends and neighbors WITHOUT SDN ACCESS who are also willing to call the local media. This multiplies the number of calls that the media receives about each event, and again helps to build demand and an interested customer base. ---------------------------------------- Q: "What do I do when an approved incident appears on SDN?" Simply print out or copy down the important details and make a few phone calls. First, call each of your local media news desks and ask them when they will be covering the story. (If they don't know about the incident, tell them the important details.) Next, call your list of helpful friends, give them the data, and ask them to call each news desk too. ---------------------------------------- Q: "What do I say when I call the media people?" Using a friendly, sincere voice, say something like: "Hello! I was wondering if you'd heard about the burglary in San Francisco, and when you'd be running your coverage of it. I want to be sure to watch/read/listen to it." If they don't know about the event, they'll probably ask where YOU heard of it. That gives you the chance to tell them: "Well, I heard about it on the Internet. A woman woke up and found a burglar in her home. She held him at gunpoint until police arrived." Short, sweet, and simple. You don't have to say much, and that's generally all they'll ask. Be sure they understand how interested you are in seeing their coverage - and remember to say "Thank You." ---------------------------------------- Q: "How do I report a self-defense incident?" Send a message to [self defense editors] at [shell.portal.com] which contains as much of the following information as you can provide: * Date incident occurred * Time (approximate is OK) * City and state where incident occurred * Area code of that city * How you learned about it (TV, radio, saw it, ???) * Description of what happened This can be a VERY short message. Don't worry about your writing skills, spelling, grammar, etc. The editor(s) will modify the message during verification, and your name will be removed to preserve your privacy. Use SDN REPORT as the title of your message, so the editors will know to process it immediately. Here is an example of a short message about a ficticious event: April 6, 1995 at 1:15pm, San Francisco CA, area code 415. Saw a TV news report about a woman who woke up and found a burglar in her home. When he came into her bedroom, she pointed a revolver at him and called the cops. They took the guy away and the woman is fine." Even that much information is enough. If you can supply more, please do. But don't waste a lot of time trying to dig up data... that's the media's job. We just need to make sure they know SOMETHING happened. Most importantly: REPORT INCIDENTS AS FAST AS YOU CAN. The news media likes "fresh" stories. Anything over 24 hours ago is "old news." ---------------------------------------- Q: "My friends want to help watch for and report incidents, but they don't have network access. How can they help?" Right now, by calling YOU and having you send the information to [self defense editors] at [shell.portal.com.] We are working on setting up a phone number to make it easier for those without online access to report incidents to SDN. For now, though, please encourage your friends to contact you. ---------------------------------------- Q: "I'm not interested in another 'chat area' that's full of opinions." That's why SDN is a MODERATED network. Submissions go only to SDN's editors and are not 'broadcast' until they have been verified and approved. If a submission is not specifically about a verifiable self-defense incident, it will be discarded by the editors and you'll never be bothered with it. ---------------------------------------- Q: "How can I identify SDN messages in the middle of all my other mail?" All approved SDN messages use a title in the following format: [SDN] date, city, state ...with the sender's name of "self-defense...". Even if your mailbox is packed, you can quickly find approved SDN incidents. This makes it easy to "process" SDN messages IMMEDIATELY while leaving other messages for later.