<s>
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated	O
is	O
a	O
moderated	O
Usenet	B-Application
newsgroup	I-Application
that	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
science	O
fiction	O
television	O
series	O
Babylon	O
5	O
and	O
the	O
works	O
of	O
writer	O
J	O
.	O
Michael	O
Straczynski	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
spun	O
off	O
from	O
its	O
un-moderated	O
version	O
,	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
,	O
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
newsgroup	B-Application
counts	O
Straczynski	O
as	O
a	O
frequent	O
contributor	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
internet-based	O
forums	O
where	O
fans	O
interacted	O
directly	O
with	O
a	O
'	O
showrunner	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
,	O
several	O
newsgroups	B-Application
were	O
created	O
that	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
sci-fi	O
show	O
Babylon	O
5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
these	O
groups	O
,	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
,	O
became	O
well	O
known	O
for	O
the	O
participation	O
of	O
Babylon	O
5	O
creator	O
and	O
writer	O
J	O
.	O
Michael	O
Straczynski	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Straczynski	O
interacted	O
with	O
Babylon	O
5	O
fans	O
on	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
and	O
similar	O
groups	O
on	O
GEnie	B-Language
and	O
CompuServe	O
,	O
however	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
slowly	O
turned	O
into	O
a	O
morass	O
of	O
spam	B-Application
and	O
'	O
flame	O
wars	O
 '	O
(	O
usually	O
perpetrated	O
and	O
carried	O
forward	O
by	O
a	O
rather	O
small	O
group	O
of	O
people	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
Straczynski	O
left	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
,	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
moderated	O
Internet	O
based	O
forums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
group	O
of	O
fans	O
then	O
proposed	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
moderated	O
version	O
of	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
resultant	O
Request	O
For	O
Discussion	O
became	O
the	O
most	O
replied	O
to	O
RFD	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
Usenet	B-Application
at	O
the	O
time	O
(	O
surpassed	O
only	O
by	O
the	O
rec.music.white-power	O
newsgroup	B-Application
vote	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
proposal	O
overwhelmingly	O
passed	O
,	O
creating	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
contributors	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Straczynski	O
and	O
other	O
Usenet	B-Application
personalities	O
,	O
flocked	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
group	O
,	O
essentially	O
continuing	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
in	O
a	O
more	O
controlled	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Straczynski	O
continues	O
to	O
post	O
to	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated	O
to	O
this	O
day	O
,	O
engaging	O
in	O
discussions	O
with	O
fans	O
about	O
many	O
subjects	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
answering	O
questions	O
about	O
his	O
works	O
and	O
using	O
the	O
group	O
to	O
make	O
announcements	O
about	O
new	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
various	O
independent	O
websites	O
that	O
archive	O
his	O
Usenet	B-Application
posts	O
or	O
the	O
group	O
itself	O
are	O
usually	O
mis-cited	O
in	O
the	O
media	O
as	O
being	O
his	O
official	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Posts	O
can	O
be	O
made	O
through	O
normal	O
Usenet	B-Application
methods	O
(	O
via	O
a	O
newsreader	B-Protocol
or	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
through	O
Google	B-Application
Groups	I-Application
)	O
,	O
or	O
via	O
e-mail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
things	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
allowed	O
in	O
the	O
group	O
are	O
spam	B-Application
,	O
trolling	O
,	O
story	O
ideas	O
about	O
Babylon	O
5	O
or	O
other	O
projects	O
Straczynski	O
may	O
be	O
working	O
on	O
,	O
and	O
flame	O
wars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jay	O
Denebeim	O
,	O
a	O
volunteer	O
moderator	O
for	O
Rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated	O
,	O
was	O
profiled	O
in	O
a	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
article	O
that	O
covered	O
the	O
travails	O
that	O
beset	O
the	O
Usenet	B-Application
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Straczynski	O
's	O
involvement	O
with	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5	B-Library
and	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated	O
,	O
has	O
had	O
great	O
influence	O
on	O
his	O
works	O
,	O
especially	O
Babylon	O
5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Straczynski	O
began	O
his	O
postings	O
on	O
GEnie	B-Language
with	O
background	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
setting	O
and	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
races	O
and	O
station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
time	O
he	O
began	O
posting	O
to	O
Usenet	B-Application
,	O
the	O
pilot	O
was	O
over	O
and	O
episodes	O
were	O
in	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
