This article is from the Science Fiction Fandom FAQ, by Vicki Rosenzweig vr@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
Any way you like. You can do a formal delurk--"Hi, I'm Z, I've
been reading this newsgroup for a while. I have three children,
live in a tree in Maine, and want to be a tiger when I grow up"--or
just jump into the conversation. If we might know you from other
contexts, you can include your name or nickname if your email address
is less than informative. ("Mike3765@aol.com" won't help us know
which Mike you are.) If, on the other hand, you want to be known only
as "Purple Rain" and by your yahoo address, you can do that, but
some people may not take you seriously.
 
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