An Introduction to Usenet News
An
Introduction to Usenet News
Disclaimer: The original
document is at http://www.islandnet.com/~tmc/html/articles/usentnws.htm (broken as of August 2008), but
since it's a good
document
and the author authorizes its reproduction, consider this as a backup
copy, created in December 2007. For more information on Usenet, Wikipedia and the Open Directory
Project
(aka dmoz) are good resources.
Note that except this part, nothing else has
been added to (or
removed from) the original document, and also that neither I, nor the
original author who hardly knows about this copy make no money at all
with the
ads displayed (which can be avoided by disabling JavaScript). Finally,
give Usenet a try, and you'll discover that
it's far more powerful than all these web forums, although it may look
strange at the beginning.
Join
the Blue Ribbon Online Free Speech Campaign!
 
by Tim
McLellan
Copyright 1997. All Rights Reserved.
This article is available for personal and public
non-commercial use
and may be referenced or reproduced, in whole or in part by any means,
without further permission from the author. We only ask that you
exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials
reproduced and that the author be credited for the work.
Contents
- Introduction
- Newsgroups
- Newsgroup
Names
- Major
Newsgroup
Categories
- Newsreaders
- Subscribing
to a
Newsgroup
- Reading
Newsgroup
Articles
- Posting
Articles
- Cross-Posting
- Identifying
Yourself
See Also
- The
Tos
and Froms of E-Mail [broken as of August 2008]
Most of us have
an unlimited supply of free advice, whether we want
it or not.
It's usually good to hear the thoughts and ideas of other people. When
that
free advice speaks from experience, we tend to listen more intently.
Sometimes
when we're looking for some free advice, we have a hard time finding
anyone
knowledgeable enough. At other times it's possible that our own
experiences
could be helpful or invaluable to someone else, if only they knew or
could ask
us. Connecting with the right people is probably the most difficult
aspect in
trying to share our knowledge and experience. Luckily, the Internet has
a
place where we can gather, question, and discuss our experiences within
a wide
variety of topics. It's called Usenet News. Some
users also
call it
Net News.
Think of Usenet News as a giant, worldwide bulletin board. Anyone
can
freely
post something on this bulletin board. Everyone else can read the
posted items
and add their own items. These voluntary contributions and free
exchange of
information are the foundation of the Internet. Usenet News allows
people on
the Internet to share their opinions and experiences, openly and
freely, on a
level playing field. No one has priority or seniority over anyone else.
Usenet
News gives everyone an equal opportunity to participate in the
discussions.
Newsgroups
When you send an e-mail message, the only people who can read
it are
the
recipients (for the most part). When you post an article on Usenet
News, every
person on the Internet could read it and respond to it. Not that they
ever
would, but they could. That's a lot of people and a lot of opinions,
and only
a few of them come from true experience.
Usenet News consists of many, ongoing discussions, dealing with a
wide
variety
of subjects. The topics relate to both work and leisure. Usenet News
tries to
encompass only those people interested in a particular topic by
dividing the
subject areas into newsgroups. Users also call
them
conferences,
forums, and discussion groups. Each newsgroup involves one subject or
topic.
Some newsgroups deal with very specific topics, for example:
Meso-American
Archaeology (sci.archaeology.mesoamerican). Other newsgroups are more
general
in nature, as in books (alt.books).
There are tens of thousands of newsgroups. Some of them are
applicable
to a
global audience; others are more applicable to a country, city, or
organization. Most of the newsgroups are available to everyone on the
Internet. However, some of the newsgroups have a limited audience. For
example, there may be a newsgroup for Gravel Quarry 101 at the Bedrock
Trades
School, but it is not available or of interest to anyone outside of the
school.
No one on the Internet could possibly read every article, in every
newsgroup,
every day. When you post an article in a particular newsgroup, the only
people
who might read your article are those interested in the subject area of
the
newsgroup. This sharpens the focus of attention and experience on your
posted
article. Instead of generally addressing everyone on the Internet, you
are
reaching out to only those people who have shown enough of an interest
in the
subject to read that newsgroup.
Due to the inherent nature of Usenet News, there are many people who
give
freely of their time and experiences. If you ask a question in a
newsgroup,
you're sure to receive a few answers and perhaps raise some discussion
between
those who did answer. By the time you get a final answer, people may
have
debated the question for quite awhile. It's fun to follow the
discussion for
even the simplest of queries. It's amazing to see how many people
worldwide
have something to say, or at least have something in common with you.
You will find that most people reading and replying in a newsgroup
are
very
helpful and considerate. However, you will also come across a few who
haven't
the patience to deal with your question, or they may be rude in their
replies.
That's the nature of the Internet and Usenet News.
Newsgroup Names
Every newsgroup has a distinct and fairly understood name. The
naming
convention creates the newsgroup names in a hierarchical fashion. That
is,
each name comprises of one or more words; each word separated by a
period.
Each subsequent word clarifies or narrows the subject matter
represented in
the previous words.
For example, look at the newsgroup name "comp.periphs.printers".
First
of all,
the newsgroup deals with computers, and so it has "comp" as the first
word in
its name. Within the broad subject of computers, this newsgroup deals
with
computer peripheral equipment, and so it has "periphs" as the second
word in
its name. Finally, within the subject of computer peripherals, this
newsgroup
specifically deals with printers, and so the last word in the newsgroup
name
is "printers".
If the news administrators felt that an existing newsgroup was
encompassing
too broad a subject matter, they could subdivide it into smaller
newsgroups.
Users can also vote to have a new newsgroup formed. For example, look
again at
the comp.periphs.printers newsgroup. The administrators could divide
the
newsgroup further by the type of printer, for example dot matrix,
laser, and
ink jet. One of the new newsgroup names could be
comp.periph.printers.laser,
for example.
Major Newsgroup Categories
Usenet News divides the newsgroups into major categories by
the first
word or
level in the newsgroup names. Some of the more common first-level
categories
include:
alt. - alternative discussionscomp. - computersrec. - recreational interestssoc. - social discussions
More specific newsgroup categories include:
can. - Canadian discussionsk12. - kindergarten to grade 12 discussions
The newsgroup naming convention makes it convenient for system
administrators
to restrict access to a specific newsgroup or to an entire series of
newsgroups. Some of the newsgroup subjects are controversial. Others
may be
less applicable to a specific community of users. As examples,
administrators
could restrict access to all of the newsgroups that start with
"alt.nonsense."
or "ubedrock.". System administrators are under no obligation to carry
all of
the newsgroups in Usenet News.
Newsreaders
To read and post articles in a newsgroup, you need the
appropriate
software.
We call this software a newsreader. There are
many
newsreaders
available, some are free, others are shareware, and still others are
available
by retail. These newsreaders include WinVN, Agent, NewsXpress, and
Gravity for
the PC, and NewsWatcher, InterNews, and NewsHopper for the Macintosh.
As well,
many Internet web browsers have their own newsreader component as a
part of
their product. Although there are many programs available to read the
news,
most of them provide the same basic functionality and features.
Once you have connected with your Internet service provider, or ISP,
the
newsreader program can request a list of all the newsgroups available
from
your ISP. This may take a few minutes depending on how many newsgroups
your
ISP carries and the speed of your connection. Here are only a few of
the
newsgroups possibly available through your ISP:
can.atlanticcan.forsalecan.generalcan.jobscan.schoolnet.chat.teacherscan.schoolnet.chat.studentscan.schoolnet.math.srcan.scout-guidecan.taxes
Some newsreaders display a description of each newsgroup;
others
display only
the newsgroup names. While browsing through the newsgroups, you can
watch for
ones that you might want to read. These would include newsgroups with
interesting topics, or ones where your own knowledge and experiences
could be
of interest to others. Remember this is a give and take community.
After locating a particular newsgroup, you tell the newsreader to
show
you the
articles in that newsgroup. The newsreader displays all of the current
articles. Most newsreaders indicate which articles you have and haven't
read.
This makes it easier to select the unread articles when you're reading
the
latest news.
Within the list of articles, some newsreaders show the original
article
and
all of the people who replied to it. Other newsreaders simply display a
number
indicating how many replies exist for an article. Each newsreader
displays
this information slightly different. The following is a partial list of
articles in a WordPerfect newsgroup from one newsreader:
1 Loading WordPerfect Rez2 + 2 popce.exe patch for WP6.1 Bill Garland3 + 5.1 Dos tables look and print differently in Judy Dillard4 + 3 WP Mag for Windows.... arrived in the Bronx Roz Fruchtman5 + Headers vs. Page Numbering - WP 6.1 Marcy Shain Messa6 + WP6.1 Win Quick Data Entry macro coding ahlrothe@who.ch7 + 4 WPWIN 8 and legal version Richard Georges8 + WP WIN 6.1 (Corel) -Reply Joy Gonzalez9 + 4 Watermark & Redline won't print Gary L. Menne
When the newsreader lists the articles, it usually displays
the subject
of the
article, the author, and the date the author posted the article to the
newsgroup. You can browse through the articles and choose which ones
you want
to read. You do not have to read all of the articles in a newsgroup. If
an
article's subject isn't of interest, you can skip over it. This is why
it is
important to provide a good subject line when posting an article. If
the
subject does not reflect the content of your article, or if the subject
provides no hint of the article's content, people may not read your
article.
Your ISP determines how many days' worth of current articles it will
keep on
its news server. Some ISPs might keep the articles for only a couple of
days,
while others might keep them for a week or longer. It often depends on
how
much storage space or system power your ISP has available for the news
system.
So even if you don't read all the articles in a newsgroup, they will
eventually disappear from the list of current articles.
Subscribing to a Newsgroup
After browsing for a while, you will have seen all of the
newsgroups
either by
name or by the articles posted in them. You will have also identified
the
newsgroups that are the most interesting and applicable to you. These
are the
newsgroups that you will want to read on a regular basis.
If the newsreader displays your regular newsgroups close to each
other
within
the long list of newsgroups, you won't find it difficult selecting each
of
them for reading. When the newsreader displays your regular newsgroups
far
from each other, you may have to scroll up and down the list until you
find
the next one. Your scrolling might be a little easier if the newsreader
lists
the newsgroups in alphabetical order, but the scrolling can still be
tedious
for regular news reading.
Most newsreaders have some capability for remembering those
newsgroups
you
identify as your regulars or favorites. Imagine your own collection of
books
where you have your most read, most favorite books together on one
shelf or in
a special pile. To tell the newsreader to treat a particular newsgroup
as one
of your favorites, you subscribe to the
newsgroup.
When you subscribe to a newsgroup, the newsreader distinguishes it
from
the
other newsgroups. It might put the subscribed newsgroups together in a
separate area or display them at the top of the newsgroup list. In any
case,
the subscribed newsgroups are usually easier to access. You can still
read
from the other newsgroups, even without subscribing to them.
As easily as you subscribe to a newsgroup, you can also unsubscribe
from a newsgroup. This makes it convenient to have a newsgroup close at
hand
for a while, and then later put it back with the other unsubscribed
newsgroups.
Reading Newsgroup Articles
Reading newsgroup articles is similar to reading your e-mail.
After you
see an
article with a subject that interests you, you tell the newsreader to
show you
the entire article. Here is an article taken from a newsgroup:
Subject: Re: Toolbars change when I open someone else's documentDate: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 20:07:20 -0400From: "Steve Millet" <millets@as4.nyd.edu>Newsgroups: bit.listserv.wpwin-lOn Tue, 22 Apr 1997, Mhampton wrote:> On a seemingly random basis, the icons on my toolbar change when I open a> document created by someone else. I know that this happens if I use> another template, but it is sometimes happening when I simply open another> document. Is there a way to always keep my toolbar when opening another> document and/or template?It may be that the toolbar definitions are coming over with the docs.Simplest workaround is to import the file into a new doc, which shouldstrip off the old header, and leave you in your own standard template.Steve Milletmillets@as4.nyd.edu
The newsreader may display the author of the article and when
they
wrote it.
It may also show some text quoted from a previous article. Some
newsreaders
identify the quoted text with a greater than sign (">") along
its
left side.
Others may display the quoted text in an italic font. In either case,
you can
distinguish between the text the author wrote, and the text they quoted
from a
previous article.
When a subject or question is being discussed at length in a
newsgroup,
and
there are many posted articles, we refer to them together as a
thread. Within a newsgroup, the participants may
be carrying
on
numerous threads. Sometimes a discussion can get quite heated or very
specific. It can be quite exciting.
Your newsreader program remembers which articles you read, so you
don't
have
to read them again. No one else in a newsgroup knows that you are
reading the
newsgroup's articles. You can stay on the sidelines as long as you
like,
watching the action, being an anonymous observer. We refer to this as
lurking. It is up to you to decide if and when you
want to
participate in a discussion, or ask a question. When you finally post
your
first article, we say that you are delurking
yourself.
Posting Articles
Posting an article to a newsgroup is similar to sending an
e-mail
message.
Many newsreader programs have a facility that allows you to post a new
article
or reply to an existing article. For a new article, you supply an
informative
subject line and enter the text of the article.
When you post a reply to an article, many newsreaders start your
reply
by
quoting all of the text of the original article. This allows you to
include
the relevant pieces and delete the rest. It's a good habit to limit the
amount
of quoted text in your article to only that which is applicable to your
reply.
This shows you to have good netiquette, that is
good network
etiquette. No one wants to re-read an entire article before they read
your
reply.
Once you have prepared your article, you tell your newsreader to
post
it to
the newsgroup. Within a short time, your article appears in the list of
newsgroup articles. It is then available for everyone to read. Some
newsreaders also allow you to e-mail your reply directly to the author
of the
original article.
If someone ignores the netiquette of Usenet News by posting an
offensive
article, they may find themselves the target of a flame.
A
flame is a
reply that lashes out at what was posted. A flame war can develop if
people
throw further barbs at each other. There are even newsgroups set up
specifically for flames and flame wars.
Cross-Posting
Sometimes you might not be sure which is the best newsgroup to
post
your
article. There may be a couple of newsgroups that are applicable. Most
newsreaders allow you to post your article to more than one newsgroup.
Before
you post your article, you specify all of the newsgroups to which you
want to
post.
Cross-posting is posting an article to more than
one
newsgroup. The
newsreader simply posts the same article to each of the specified
newsgroups.
The article looks exactly the same as if you had posted it to each
newsgroup
yourself. Most newsreaders list the cross-posted newsgroups with the
article.
People replying to your cross-posted article will find their replies in
each
of the listed newsgroups, unless they remove some of them first.
Spamming is posting an article to many or all of
the
newsgroups. This
is similar to a mass mailing in the regular mail. Spamming often
happens when
someone sends out advertising for their product or service or as a
marketing
ploy. The article has little in common with any of the posted
newsgroups. This
is not the proper way to use Usenet News.
After noticing a spam, some people might organize themselves and
send
many
e-mail flames to the spammer. We sometimes refer to these e-mail
messages as
mail bombs. A sudden, large amount of e-mail sent
to one site
often
catches the eye of the spammer's ISP. The administrators might take
action
against the spammer. In some cases, they may even pull the plug on the
spammer's Internet account. However, there are some ISPs that provide
their
services specifically to spammers, and ignore the mail bombs.
Identifying Yourself
There are a few unscrupulous people out there, as well as
money-hungry
businesses. They use computer programs and scan the posted articles,
looking
for e-mail addresses. This opens the door for their unsolicited e-mail,
not
unlike junk mail or phone solicitations.
Most newsreaders automatically include your name, e-mail address,
and
an
optional signature as a part of your posted articles. The newsreaders
usually
put your name and e-mail address at the top of your articles, and your
signature file at the bottom. Depending on your newsreader program, you
might
be able to specify your name, e-mail address, and signature. Other
newsreaders
might get this information directly from your Internet account.
If your identity in Usenet News is a concern to you, or you don't
want
unsolicited e-mail, you might consider using a pseudonym and a less
than
accurate e-mail address. If you disguise your e-mail address, those
businesses
scanning for e-mail addresses might not get a correct e-mail address
for you.
For example, if Fred Flintstone included the word "nojunk" in his
e-mail
address, it might look like this:
fred.flintstone@bedrock.nojunk.com
Since there is no such site as bedbrock.nojunk.com, any e-mail
sent to
that
address would bounce back to the sender, and never bother Fred.
Fred's signature file could include a reminder for people to delete
the
"nojunk" portion from his e-mail address before they try to send him
legitimate e-mail. Those computers scanning for e-mail addresses won't
be
reading or following those instructions. This procedure will at least
stop
some of the unsolicited, automated e-mail you receive.
Usenet News offers us
a wealth of free resources. It also provides a
sounding
board to share our opinions. It's a place where we can offer our
knowledge and
experience to others. As long as the users maintain good manners, and
are
willing to give and take, the Usenet News community is a very valuable
source
of free advice.
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