Starfleet News Network
The Voice of STF
[SNN UPDATE]------[WeBBsights]------[SNN Headline News]------[Other Columns]------[STF Histories]
[Articles of Organization]------[History of SNN]------[How Can I Contribute?]------[Related Pages]
Who We Are
We are variously known as "CNN of STF," "The Starfleet News Network," and simply "SNN."
We write the news as it happens in STF (with an acceptable amount of spin, of course) and distribute the fruits of our labor to the general membership, wanted or not.
We serve as the primary chroniclers of STF's history.
And yes, we are a bunch of nutcases. SNN is the news "network" that distributes and serves as a banner for many independent news-reporting devices, some of them with good intentions, which serve to educate, inform, and entertain STF's populace.
SNN is best-known for its flagship publication, SNN UPDATE, and its widest-circulation newsletter, WeBBsights, although the SNN family encompasses other publications as well.
The Network is led by Executive Editor Mike Ballway and has two Associate Editors, Larry Garfield and Mark Wilson. Our Chief Correspondent for Fleet Three is Seamus Hughes; past freelance writers have included Mike Bourdaa and Jeff Field; our first Editor-in-Chief was Genesun Han, and our current Editor-in-Chief (who no longer wields any power, because he's AWOL) is Mike Cathcart.
SNN UPDATE
Mike Ballway, on 9 September 1994, wrote STF's first wide-circulation newsletter under the working title "SNN News/Announcements Service." The second issue, bearing the now-familiar name SNN UPDATE, was written the next month and Mike soon established a biweekly schedule (never mind the fact that this schedule is almost never adhered to, and the Editorial staff -- namely, Mike Ballway -- goes on frequent long hiatuses). Ever since that day, more than three years ago, SNN UPDATE has endeavored to bring news and entertainment to Prodigy STFers (though not necessarily in that order). The newsletter is distributed to every ship in STF and takes as its motto "Quick, Informative, Totally Biased Reporting of STF Events."
WeBBsights
In the summer of 1997 STF expanded beyond its Prodigy roots when it commissioned the star-fleet.com Web Bulletin Board (abbreviated "WeBB"). As more and more members joined the new Third Fleet, Executive Editor Mike Ballway realized that a new publication designed especially for the web would need to inform this public, and together with then-Lieutenant Laurence Garfield, established WeBBsights, a newsletter devoted to the WeBB. WeBBsights calls itself "Your #1 Source for WeBB Misinformation" and has been published somewhat biweekly since 10 October 1997.
SNN Headline News
In 1997 Mark Wilson joined STF, and by the end of that year he had expressed his desire to write for SNN. His first piece was an editorial about President Greg Hertzsch's administration, but by early 1998 Mark was writing news columns similar to SNN UPDATE.
Other SNN Publications
Genesun Han and Mike Cathcart were the first two Editors-in-Chief of SNN (in fact, since Mike Cathcart never formally resigned from STF, he still is; Commodore Ballway fashions himself "Executive Editor" to this day). Both Genesun (known by his RPG name, Larimda ME) and Cathcart wrote many articles for the Network, most of which unfortunately have been lost to the seas of time. However, a we have rescued a few and have compiled a collection of SNN articles by Cathcart, Larimda, Mike Bourdaa and some early work by Mike Ballway and Mark Wilson, and the latest in SNN antics from Mike Bourdaa and Jeff Field.
STF Histories Archived by SNN
In a club with a history as long as STF's, keeping an eye on the past is never easy. Fortunately, many STFers have taken the time to publish memoirs, and SNN has gladly archived whatever it finds in this respect (as part of our duty as chroniclers of STF history):
- Jim Midyette, one of the founding members of STF, wrote "No Regrets" as a history of STF that traced his life in the club. Covering STF's early history from 1991 through 1994, No Regrets spanned 14 screens on Prodigy Bulletin Boards and is required reading for any STFer who wants to know how the club got started.
- In 1997, in response to SNN's republication of "No Regrets," Mike Bourdaa -- also a founding member of the club -- published what came to be known as "The Bourdaa Papers," a clarification of a few "No Regrets'" passages.
- In early 1998, STF President Greg Hertzsch published a "The STF WeBB History," documenting STF's expansion onto the Internet, including the failed Web Colony and the immensely-successful Web Bulletin Board (WeBB).
- Former President and current Fleet Five CO Randy E. McCullick is currently in the process of writing his "REMoirs," which will undoubtably include sections on early STF history, the STC Defection of 1992, and Randy's sudden and active reappearances in STF life in 1995-96 and 1998.
- Forthcoming in mid-1998, SNN Executive Editor Mike Ballway is expected to publish his memoirs, tentatively entitled "In This Reporter's Opinion." More to follow.
The Articles of Organization
SNN Executive Editor Mike Ballway took the initiative, in late 1997, of proposing an "STF Charter" to serve as a supreme law for STF (STF has been without any sort of constitution since the first one was lost; thus, we have relied on easily-changeable Presidential Edicts since at least 1993). For lack of a better place, the Charter -- which was renamed "The Articles of Organization" when it was revised in early 1998 -- was archived at SNN Center on the Web.
The AO spans five Articles, dealing with such diverse topics as RPG Rules and Club Government; the underlying philosophy is less government, greater fleet autonomy, and more emphasis on role-playing. The five Articles can be accessed individually or as part of one large master document. It is recommended that STFers with slower Internet connections download the Article pages one at a time; the two versions' contents are identical.
- View the Articles one at a time, starting with the Introduction; or
- Access the larger page with all five Articles in one spot!
History of SNN
SNN started out its life a very long time ago (sometime around late 1991 or early 1992) under the leadership of Genesun Han, who would write a comedic column under the name "CNN of STF." Later that tradition was taken up by Mike Cathcart, who by 1994 was writing brilliant pieces about STF's social and political aspects.
In mid-1994, then-Captain Mike Ballway, impressed with Cathcart's wide exposure, decided he would write a news show for STF and would base it at Cathcart's network. The new show, dubbed "SNN UPDATE," would eventually succeed Cathcart's column when he left STF.
In 1996, SNN's new Executive Editor -- Commodore Mike Ballway -- tried his hand at publishing a satiric/humorous column called "Kent's Corner." The column lasted for three issues but never quite achieved the same success as Mike Cathcart's work had. In October 1997, SNN expanded in recognition of STF's Web Bulleting Board with a new newsletter called "WeBBsights," while continuing to publish SNN UPDATE as its flagship program, and expanding -- in 1998 -- to a second Prodigy newsletter, Mark Wilson's SNN Headline News.
So You Wanna Write For SNN, Eh?
Well-- you're in luck! SNN welcomes any and all would-be writers to send their stories and columns to Executive Editor Mike Ballway, who (if he likes it) will post it on this site and publicize it in SNN publications. SNN asks that prospective writers stay short and concise wherever possible, double-check any facts, and only write on topics impacting STF or Star Trek in general (e.g., please no "here's why Bill Clinton stinks" diatribes). Also, STF members only, please.
Those wishing to contribute to WeBBsights as a regular news correspondent should contact either Mike or Associate Editor Larry Garfield. This "next level" of SNN participation comes with the additional duty of meeting deadlines, so make sure that you're up to the task before signing on.
Related Pages
The Starfleet News Network
Other STF Pages of Interest
Page Created on 19 July 1997 -- Last Updated on 13 March 1998
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