About joining Fidonet

Fidonet is open to any and all comers who are able to meet the ZMH technical requirement, but is not something you join on the spur of the moment without understanding your responsibilities. You will really need to have at least a basic understanding of how Fidonet and your FTS-0001 compliant software work.

The best way to gain this knowledge is to both participate as a point-user on a stand-alone mailer-system or as a user on an existing Fido-BBS , and to set up your own not-yet-linked-to-Fidonet operation. Once you have a basic understanding of what Fidonet provides and how your software does this, you are ready to proceed with joining as an official member. Don't let this scare you -- virtually nobody knows what's going on when they first join. There will be plenty of time for questions and usually tons of help available to you later. Waiting until you have a little bit of understanding will simply ease the process for both yourself and your Net Coordinator. Remember that your NC is just a hobbyist too and hobbyists do best what hobbyists usually do ... enthusiastically help newcomers.

How To Join Fidonet (Step-by-Step)

1. Gain a basic understanding of Fidonet and your software. Download the POLICY4 document from the homepage of this domain. Read it thoroughly. Do the same with your software's documentation. You will also need a current copy of the Fidonet Nodelist.
2. Set up your mailer or your Fido-BBS. Make sure it operates correctly, to the best of your knowledge.
3. Follow, to the letter, the procedure outlined in POLICY4 for joining Fidonet. The request *MUST* come in as a Netmail message. This shows the NC that your system is indeed capable of exchanging mail -- the basic requirement for membership. Do NOT request a node number in a LOCAL message on your NC's system, it will only delay the process, and may even be simply ignored.
4. Be patient. It may take up to 2 weeks for your request to be fully processed and appear in the Nodelist. Remember that your NC may not be able to contact you at all until your address becomes official.