We're supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, but I was surprised to find that there was no Usenet newsgroup for the discussion of pet problems, events, and activities in the UK. The main rec.pets. hierarchy is extremely busy, and largely preoccupied with the American scene; not much use if you want to find a sympathetic vet in London, or a new home for a cat in Dundee.
In march I began the process which led to the formation of a uk pets group. I began by asking for its creation as uk.rec.pets, but it ended up as uk.rec.pets.misc, to simplify the addition of more specialised topics at a later date.
The discussion document, RFD for uk.rec.pets, was posted at the start of April 1997 and attracted a moderate amount of support, with no negative responses. Accordingly I submitted an application for "fast track" creation of the group, fast track proposal for uk.rec.pets.misc. This succeeded in May, and the newsgroup should now be carried by most Usenet service providers, especially those serving the UK.
If you are interested in the process of newsgroup creation, uk.net.news.config and its equivalents in other countries are fascinating. Find out now what your service provider may offer in a few months, or find a cause to support - or oppose.