On Sun, 11 Jan 2004 17:03:00 -0500 (EST), Ground_Zero_2012@webtv.net
(Jimmy D) wrote:

} It looks very successful with it's thousands of postings. ... Bravo to
} all of you.
} When was if formed? 
} Who was it's creator ... please?
} Just curious! :)
} I admire success.
} 
} Jim in Pa.

The Paranet newsgroups were a crossover from a Fidonet-based hobbyist
BBS network called Paranet (that is, it ran on the same software as
Fidonet, but was considered its own lnetwork). Paranet Information
Services was originally a BBS, then the head node of the Paranet
network, and finally they got their "echoes" (Fidonet term for
"newsgroups") ported to usenet.

The person in charge of most of it is Michael Corbin. He, and the
evolutionary result of his original effort, are on the web at:

http://www.paranetinfo.com/

He didn't actually start it. James Speiser started it in 1986. Corbin
took over in 1989. He oversaw its merger with usenet.

More can be picked up from the "Vault" link on their main page.

I couldn't find the actual "newgroup" control message that created it,
but there's an archive of such things on a machine at MIT. That's the
official usenet creation message with date. Obviously the discussion
group existed prior to joining usenet.

The only FAQ I could find was originally the alt.alien.visitors FAQ.
Apparently it was/is posted here. 

Here's a link to an archive of the FAQ:
http://www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/ufos-and-aliens/.html

Here's the first post in alt.paranet.ufo (let's have a hand for
Google's usenet archives and the avdanced search functions)::

===

Newsgroups: alt.paranet.ufo
From: rodb@slugo.corp.sgi.com (Rod Beckwith)
Subject: FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
Message-ID: <1993Mar19.191254.7671@odin.corp.sgi.com>
Sender: news@odin.corp.sgi.com (Net News)
Nntp-Posting-Host: slugo.corp.sgi.com
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1993 19:12:54 GMT
Lines: 10


The subject says it all.........ye ha!!!!!!!!

Rod

-- 
Rod Beckwith     |$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$|
The Datacom I/S      |"The great obstacle of progress is not
ignorance,| Nite
rodb@corp.sgi.com|but the illusion of knowledge."                  |
Net
                 |$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$|
Knight

===

So I've been around a while. Why do you think they call me DynaSoar?
Previous sysop of Radio Free Earth (Fidonet)
Past moderator of Fidonet APPLE and WRITING echoes.