About Newsgroups
What Is A Newsgroup?
Newsgroups, also called Usenet groups, are public online discussion areas. There are thousands of internet newsgroups, on topics including everything from computer technology to art to philosophy to business to human sexuality to… well, you get the idea. People all over the world write ("post") questions, comments, articles, and even binary files such as pictures and programs, to newsgroups. These can be read (and even responded to) by anyone with an interest in the topic.
Once you have learned the ropes of dealing with newsgroups, you might find that they are useful to you. Many lively and spirited discussions take place in newsgroups, and you may learn a lot of interesting things, or share many interesting experiences in them.
Can I Use Newsgroups?
Newsgroups are open to everyone with internet access. Well, at least to everyone who has newsgroup access from their internet service provider (ISP). For example, only Earthlink customers can access newsgroups through Earthlink's newsgroup servers. You should ask your ISP whether they provide newsgroup access (most do offer access, as well as instructions on using it). Alternately, you could find and use an independent newsgroup provider that provides access separate from your ISP. You can find these companies by searching Google for something like "newsgroup provider" and looking at the right-hand column of paid advertisements from providers.
How Do I Use Newsgroups?
Unlike chat, newsgroups discussions are not live or in real time. You contribute to a newsgroup by using a program like Windows' Outlook Express (or other software that can post to newsgroups) to write a message, much like you would write an email. When you are done writing it, you indicate that you would like to post it to a particular newsgroup. Within a day or so your posting gets spread around the world for others to read and respond to.
Most experienced users recommend that you watch a newsgroup for a period of time before you join in and participate with your own postings. This will allow you to get a feeling for the participants, and to learn newsgroup etiquette.
Security and Privacy Issues With Newsgroups
Most newsgroups don't have a person (a "moderator") evaluating things that people post to the group. That means any person can post pretty much anything. So read things you find there with a critical eye, keeping in mind that the posted message could be incorrect, and the poster could be biased, irresponsible, or even criminal. Furthermore, people can easily hide their identities or even pose as other people. Thankfully, most postings by most people do seem to be earnest attempts to be helpful and social.
When posting your own contributions, remember that it can be read by anyone. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
- Consider using an alias rather than your real name. Otherwise, people can hold whatever you write against you forever. Some potential employers, journalists, and even potential mates will search for anything you've written to find out more about you. (Note to the cautious: even if you use an alias, someone you know could figure out and reveal your true identity… It's a jungle out there).
- Newsgroup programs that let you post messages can include your email address as part of your post. Consider configuring your newsgroup program to use a "throwaway" mail account (such as a free Yahoo mail account) instead of your normal email account for this purpose. Not only does posting your email account publicly like this invite email abuse from strangers, but it also attracts lots of spam from companies that harvest email addresses from the public newsgroups.
- Don't say anything illegal or incendiary, since whatever you post could live forever. If you're upset, take a few deep breaths before firing off a post which you will later regret. "Whatever you say can and will be used against you."
What About This Site?
This site displays some public newsgroup postings that apply to a particular set of topics or themes, and presents them for easy browsing. It offers a quick way to sample what people are saying about dozens of terms.
