through normal Usenet methods (via a newsreader or the World Wide Web through Google Groups), or via e-mail. Moderation Per the group's charter, no topic is "off topic". Most discussions at first naturally focused on Babylon 5, and since the show ended, on Straczynski's recent works in comics, film, radio and television. The group can be looked at as more of a general discussion group. The only things that are not allowed in the group are spam, trolling, story ideas about Babylon 5 or other projects Straczynski may be working on, and flame wars. Posts from new contributors or new threads go through the moderators for approval first ("hand moderation"). Posts to existing threads from experienced contributors are automatically allowed through by computer. Discussion threads on particularly heated subjects (usually politics) are continuously hand moderated to prevent flame wars from occurring, and if they do, the thread can be shut down. The system is not perfect: posts can be lost and the group can be down to new posts if the moderation computers are being moved or during power outages, etc. Appearance of new threads are dependent on the availability of the moderators, and may sometimes take more than a day to appear. Occasionally, complaints of censorship arise, though these complaints are often from people who were making posts that violated the clearly set rules. Nevertheless, the forum is still a popular discussion ground for Straczynski's fans, with the main selling point being the opportunity to interact with Straczynski. Jay Denebeim, a volunteer moderator for Rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, was profiled in a Wall Street Journal article that covered the travails that beset the Usenet in the late 1990s. Legacy Straczynski's involvement with rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 and its successor, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, has had great influence on his works, especially Babylon 5. Straczynski's involvement on these groups also paved the way for similar online discussion involvement by many artists and celebrities today. At the time, the word "blog" had not yet been coined, and yet Straczynski's discussion of every episode of the show prior to its airing remains a critical milestone in the history of production-related blogging. Straczynski's contributions Straczynski began his postings on GEnie with background information about the setting and history of the major races and station. By the time he began posting to Usenet, the pilot was over and episodes were in production. Discussion of upcoming projects was a frequent topic throughout, and began