Questions Frequently Asked by New Newsgroup Users: Difference between revisions

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== What is a newsgroup? ==
== What is a newsgroup? ==


* A newsgroup is something like a mailbox that the public is invited to use to store e-mail ("posts") sent to the mailbox.  Anybody who wants to look in the newsgroup to read the posts that have been sent to it may do so. 
* A newsgroup is something like a mailbox that the public is invited to use to store e-mail ("posts") sent to the mailbox.  Anybody who wants to look in the newsgroup to read the posts that have been sent to it may do so.
* The [[names|name of a newsgroup]] ''is'' its mailing address.


== What is a newsreader? ==
== What is a newsreader? ==


* A [[newsreader]] is a piece of software that lets users look in the newsgroup, sort the posts that are there, read the posts, or make new posts.
* A [[newsreader]] is a piece of software that lets users look in the newsgroup, sort the posts that are there, read the posts, or make new posts.
* GARNA: "Get a real [[newsreader]], [amigo]."


== What is Usenet? ==
== What is Usenet? ==
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* Exactly how to define it is a matter of much debate.  Here is a classic [ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/What_is_Usenet%3F article on Usenet]; and a [ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/What_is_Usenet%3F__A_second_opinion. reply to that article].
* Exactly how to define it is a matter of much debate.  Here is a classic [ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/What_is_Usenet%3F article on Usenet]; and a [ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/What_is_Usenet%3F__A_second_opinion. reply to that article].
* A brief description of [[usenet|Usenet]].
* A brief description of [[usenet|Usenet]].
* The history of the [[big-8]], which played a major role in the history of Usenet.
* The history of the [[big-8]], which played a major role in the history of Usenet.
* "Usenet is a worldwide electronic discussion community. It dates from before the Internet, when articles were tranmitted with modems over phone lines. Now the Internet is used. Each newsgroup is dedicated to a specific topic. Articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites [news servers]" [http://www.itc.virginia.edu/newsgroups/|University of Virgina ITC].
* "Usenet is a worldwide electronic discussion community. It dates from before the Internet, when articles were tranmitted with modems over phone lines. Now the Internet is used. Each newsgroup is dedicated to a specific topic. Articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites [news servers]" [http://www.itc.virginia.edu/newsgroups/|University of Virgina ITC].


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* An ordered list of newsgroups.
* An ordered list of newsgroups.
* Each of the subsets of the Big-8 is a hierarchy (comp.*, humanities.*, misc.*, news.*, rec.*, sci.*, soc.*, talk.*).   
* Each of the subsets of the Big-8 is a hierarchy (comp.*, humanities.*, misc.*, news.*, rec.*, sci.*, soc.*, talk.*).   
* Each of the subsets of the eight hierarchies may be called a hierarchy if it does have or potentially may have more than one newsgroup sharing the same initial components in the name.  So, for example, the misc.health.* hierarchy is the list of all newsgroups whose names begin with "misc.health":  
* Each of the subsets of the eight hierarchies may be called a hierarchy if it does have or potentially may have more than one newsgroup sharing the same initial components in the name.  So, for example, the misc.health.* hierarchy is the list of all newsgroups whose names begin with "misc.health":  
<pre>
<pre>
Line 40: Line 34:


* Google archives most newsgroups on Usenet and makes the old articles available through a page-based interface.  Most news servers only hold articles for a short time depending on how the news administrator has set up the system.
* Google archives most newsgroups on Usenet and makes the old articles available through a page-based interface.  Most news servers only hold articles for a short time depending on how the news administrator has set up the system.
* Google also provides a method for creating new Google Groups that are Google-specific; such groups do not circulate on Usenet news servers.
* Google also provides a method for creating new Google Groups that are Google-specific; such groups are not a part of the Usenet and  do not circulate on Usenet news servers.
* Google is not a traditional [[NSP|news service provider]].  Neither the newsgroup archives nor the non-Usenet Google Groups can be accessed by a [[news_readers|news reader]].
* Google is not a traditional [[NSP|news service provider]].  Neither the newsgroup archives nor the non-Usenet Google Groups can be accessed by a [[newsreaders|newsreader]].


== What is the difference between a web forum and Usenet? ==
== What is the difference between a web forum and Usenet? ==


* On Usenet, articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites; web forums are hosted by one internet site.  
* On Usenet, articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites; web forums are hosted by one internet site.  
* Usenet groups can be accessed using a [[newsreader]]; web forums are accessed using an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, etc.).
* Usenet groups can be accessed using a [[newsreader]]; web forums are accessed using an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, etc.).
* The person who controls the host site for the web forum controls the forum; there is no such central administration for Usenet.
* The person who controls the host site for the web forum controls the forum; there is no such central administration for Usenet.


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* News administrators.  They decide what newsgroups are carried on their news servers.
* News administrators.  They decide what newsgroups are carried on their news servers.
* Moderators of groups (if the group is moderated).
* Moderators of groups (if the group is moderated).
* Hierarchy administrators.  They make up lists that may or may not be carried by news administrators.  The [[b8mb_members|Big-Eight Management Board]] is an example of hierarchy administration, except that the Board has [[big-8_list|eight lists]] to think about.
* Hierarchy administrators.  They make up lists that may or may not be carried by news administrators.  The [[b8mb|Big-Eight Management Board]] is an example of hierarchy administration, except that the Board has [[Checkgroups|eight lists]] to think about.


== What is the Big-8? ==
== What is the Big-8? ==


* It is a consortium of eight [[usenet|Usenet]] hierarchies.  The eight lists are all managed by [[b8mb|Big-Eight Management Board]].
* It is a consortium of eight [[usenet|Usenet]] hierarchies.  The eight lists are all managed by [[b8mb|Usenet Big-8 Management Board]].


{| {{Prettytable}}
{| {{Prettytable}}
|-
|-
| comp.*|Computer topics, both hardware and software.  
!align="right"|comp.*
|Computer topics, both hardware and software.  
|-
|-
| news.*|Administration of the Big 8, as well as about Usenet and Netnews in general, and related topics.  
!align="right"|news.*
|Administration of the Big 8, as well as about Usenet and Netnews in general, and related topics.  
|-
|-
| sci.*|Science and technology.  
!align="right"|sci.*
|Science and technology.  
|-
|-
| humanities.*|The humanities.  
!align="right"|humanities.*
|The humanities.  
|-
|-
| rec.*|Recreational topics, including music, sports, games, outdoor recreation, hobbies, crafts, ...  
!align="right"|rec.*
|Recreational topics, including music, sports, games, outdoor recreation, hobbies, crafts, ...  
|-
|-
| soc.*|Socializing, society, and social issues.  
!align="right"|soc.*
|Socializing, society, and social issues.  
|-
|-
| talk.*|Endless discussion, largely about politics.  
!align="right"|talk.*
|Endless discussion, largely about politics.  
|-
|-
| misc.*|A mixture of newsgroups that don't fit the other 7 hierarchies.  Many are about the practical aspects of everyday life.  
!align="right"|misc.*
|A mixture of newsgroups that don't fit the other 7 hierarchies.  Many are about the practical aspects of everyday life.  
|}
|}
  * For more information, see the [[big-8|history of the Big-8]].
* For more information, see the [[big-8|history of the Big-8]].


== What is a mail-to-news gateway? ==
== What is a mail-to-news gateway? ==
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* If it is uni-directional, the translation only goes in one direction.  People can read input from one source but not respond to it.
* If it is uni-directional, the translation only goes in one direction.  People can read input from one source but not respond to it.
* If it is bi-directional, the translation goes in both directions.  Users receive all input both from the mailing list and the newsgroup and may reply to any post/e-mail by using e-mail or a newsreader.
* If it is bi-directional, the translation goes in both directions.  Users receive all input both from the mailing list and the newsgroup and may reply to any post/e-mail by using e-mail or a newsreader.
* [[mail-to-news|Links to mail-to-news gateways]].
* [[Gateways|Links to mail-to-news gateways]].
 
== Other questions ==
=== Why can't I see newsgroup XYZ? ===
Check with your Usenet provider. They should have a list of all newsgroups that they provide. Some local groups may not be available from all providers and some providers provide groups that others don't.
 
=== Why can't I see posts that other people see? ===
Check to see if you haven't created a filter to ignore or delete them.
 
=== Why can't I see my posts? ===
If you post to a moderated group, it may take time for that message to be approved and added to the group.
 
=== How do I post pictures to the newsgroup? ===
If it is absolutely necessary to share a picture, a best practice would be to link to a picture on a service like imgur.com. Most newsgroups in the Big-8 hierarchies do no allow anything except text (with a very few exceptions).  


== How do I get answers to my other questions? ==
=== What is HTML and why don't people like it in on Usenet? ===
* Why can't I see the newsgroup?
HTML is that code that looks like <nowiki><h>hello world</h></nowiki>. It makes your message hard to read. It's best to just use plain text.
* Why can't I see posts that other people see?
* Why can't I see my posts?
* How do I post pictures to the newsgroup?
* Why is everybody yelling at me for posting pictures to the newsgroup?
* What is HTML?
* Why don't people like HTML?
* WHAT IS A 'CAPS LOCK KEY'?
* Can't somebody get rid of all that spam?
* How do I post a message to every newsgroup in the world?
* How do I keep from seeing all the pornographic pictures?
* How do I get to see all the pornographic pictures?
* How can I post my pornographic pictures to a newsgroup?
* Is everybody as sarcastic and short-tempered as you are?


=== Can't somebody get rid of all that spam and trolls? ===
Because Usenet is de-centralized, it is up to you to filter out any kind of content that you don't like. See our tutorial: [[Filtering_Spam_with_Thunderbird | Filtering Spam with Thunderbird]]
=== How do I post a message to every newsgroup in the world? ===
Don't. It's a good way to get banned by your provider.
=== How do I keep from seeing content that I don't like? ===
Don't subscribe to groups with that content and filter any content that happens in groups that you are subscribed to?
=== How can I post pictures to a newsgroup? ===
Find an alt.binaries newsgroup where your pictures will be on-topic and post them there.
=== Is everybody as sarcastic and short-tempered as you are? ===
No, I'm super chill and level headed. I don't know what you're talking about.
== Other Websites ==
{| {{Prettytable}}
{| {{Prettytable}}
|-
|-
!Visit Other Websites
|colspan="2"|[https://web.archive.org/web/20160821073815/http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/usenet/guide/index.html The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Usenet]
|-
|-
|[http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/usenet/guide/index.html The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Usenet]  
|colspan="2"|[[Getting_Started_with_Usenet|Getting Started with Usenet]]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GAPB,GAPB:2005-09,GAPB:en&q=%22getting+started+with+newsgroups%22 Getting Started with Newsgroups]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.catb.org/%7Eesr/faqs/smart-questions.html How to Ask Quesions the Smart Way]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.catb.org/%7Eesr/faqs/smart-questions.html How to Ask Quesions the Smart Way]  
|colspan="2"|[http://slash7.com/2006/12/22/vampires/ Help Vampires: A Spotter’s Guide]  
|-
|-
|[http://computer.howstuffworks.com/newsgroup.htm How Newsgroups Work]  
|colspan="2"|[http://computer.howstuffworks.com/newsgroup.htm How Newsgroups Work]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ Internet FAQ Archives]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ Internet FAQ Archives]  
|-
|-
|[[ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/Introduction_to_the_*.answers_newsgroups Introduction to the *.answers newsgroups]]  
|colspan="2"|[ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/Introduction_to_the_*.answers_newsgroups Introduction to the *.answers newsgroups]
|-
|-
|[http://www.newsgruppen.de/nnqlinks.html news.newusers.questions Links Page]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.newsgruppen.de/nnqlinks.html news.newusers.questions Links Page]  
|-
|-
|[[ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/  MIT news.announce.newusers archive]]  
|colspan="2"|[ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers/  MIT news.announce.newusers archive]
|-
|-
|[http://www.newsreaders.com/guide/netiquette.html Newsreaders.com Introduction to Netiquette]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.newsreaders.com/guide/netiquette.html Newsreaders.com Introduction to Netiquette]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.newsville.com/news/usenet.faq.html Newsville FAQ on Usenet]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.newsville.com/news/usenet.faq.html Newsville FAQ on Usenet]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.povray.org/resources/newsgroups/oetut.php Outlook Express Newsgroup Tutorial]  
|colspan="2"|[[RFCs|RFC 1855: Guidelines on Netiquette (1995)]]
|-
|-
|[http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/ie/community/columns/newsgroups101.mspx Outlook Express newsgroups 101 (Microsoft)]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.itc.virginia.edu/newsgroups/ University of Virginia FAQs]  
|-
|-
|[[faqs:rfcs  RFC 1855: Guidelines on Netiquette (1995)]]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.newsville.com/cgi-bin/getfaq?file=news.groups/FAQ:_User_s_Guide_to_the_Changing_USENET Stanley: User's Guide to the Changing Usenet]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.itc.virginia.edu/newsgroups/ University of Virginia FAQs]  
|colspan="2"|[http://www.usenetsupport.com/ UsenetSupport.com (Giganews)]  
|-
|-
|[http://www.newsville.com/cgi-bin/getfaq?file=news.groups/FAQ:_User_s_Guide_to_the_Changing_USENET Stanley: User's Guide to the Changing Usenet]
|colspan="2"|[http://www.patik.com/guides/usenet Using Usenet Newsgroups]  
|-
|
|[http://www.usenetsupport.com/ UsenetSupport.com (Giganews)]
|}
|-
 
|[http://www.patik.com/guides/usenet Using Usenet Newsgroups]  
== Visit Newsgroups Designed for New Newsgroup Users ==
|-
{| {{Prettytable}}
!colspan="2"|Visit Newsgroups Designed for New Newsgroup Users
!
|-
|-
|  [news:news.announce.newusers news:news.announce.newusers]<br /> [http://groups.google.com/group/news.announce.newusers?hl=en Google news.announce.newusers]
|  [news:news.announce.newusers news:news.announce.newusers]<br /> [http://groups.google.com/group/news.announce.newusers?hl=en Google news.announce.newusers]
Line 171: Line 185:
|-
|-
!colspan="2"|Whatever You Do, Don't Visit This Newsgroup Unprepared :-O  
!colspan="2"|Whatever You Do, Don't Visit This Newsgroup Unprepared :-O  
!
|-
|-
|[news:news.groups news:news.groups] can be a little hard on newcomers.  Proceed with caution!
|[news:news.groups news:news.groups] can be a little hard on newcomers.  Proceed with caution!
Line 179: Line 192:
|  
|  
|-
|-
!colspan="2"|Other Pages on This Website
!
|-
|[[:Category:FAQs|Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)]]
|[[usenet|Understanding Usenet]]
|-
|[[news.groups.proposals]]
|[[big-8|History of the Big-8]]
|-
|[[Checkgroups|List of All Big-8 Newsgroups]]
|[[NSP|News Service Providers]] 
|-
|[[glossary|Glossary]]
|
|}
|}


[[Category:FAQs]]
[[Category:FAQs]]
[[Category:Help for Newcomers]]
[[Category:Help for new Usenet users]]

Latest revision as of 21:12, 24 July 2020

What is a newsgroup?

  • A newsgroup is something like a mailbox that the public is invited to use to store e-mail ("posts") sent to the mailbox. Anybody who wants to look in the newsgroup to read the posts that have been sent to it may do so.

What is a newsreader?

  • A newsreader is a piece of software that lets users look in the newsgroup, sort the posts that are there, read the posts, or make new posts.

What is Usenet?

  • The totality of all news servers that provide newsgroups.
  • Exactly how to define it is a matter of much debate. Here is a classic article on Usenet; and a reply to that article.
  • A brief description of Usenet.
  • The history of the big-8, which played a major role in the history of Usenet.
  • "Usenet is a worldwide electronic discussion community. It dates from before the Internet, when articles were tranmitted with modems over phone lines. Now the Internet is used. Each newsgroup is dedicated to a specific topic. Articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites [news servers]" of Virgina ITC.

What is a hierarchy?

  • An ordered list of newsgroups.
  • Each of the subsets of the Big-8 is a hierarchy (comp.*, humanities.*, misc.*, news.*, rec.*, sci.*, soc.*, talk.*).
  • Each of the subsets of the eight hierarchies may be called a hierarchy if it does have or potentially may have more than one newsgroup sharing the same initial components in the name. So, for example, the misc.health.* hierarchy is the list of all newsgroups whose names begin with "misc.health":
misc.health.aids	AIDS issues and support.
misc.health.alternative	Alternative, complementary and holistic health care.
misc.health.arthritis	Arthritis and related disorders.
misc.health.diabetes	Discussion of diabetes management in day to day life.
misc.health.infertility	Treatment & support of infertility.
misc.health.injuries.rsi.misc	All about Repetitive Strain Injuries.
misc.health.therapy.occupational	All areas of occupational therapy.
  • In the preceding example, "misc.health.injuries.rsi" could become a new hierarchy if other newsgroups beginning with those four components were added to the list such as "misc.health.injuries.rsi.diagnosis", "misc.health.injuries.rsi.support", or "misc.health.injuries.rsi.tech".

What is the difference between Google Groups and Usenet?

  • Google archives most newsgroups on Usenet and makes the old articles available through a page-based interface. Most news servers only hold articles for a short time depending on how the news administrator has set up the system.
  • Google also provides a method for creating new Google Groups that are Google-specific; such groups are not a part of the Usenet and do not circulate on Usenet news servers.
  • Google is not a traditional news service provider. Neither the newsgroup archives nor the non-Usenet Google Groups can be accessed by a newsreader.

What is the difference between a web forum and Usenet?

  • On Usenet, articles are copied from the originating site to other participating sites; web forums are hosted by one internet site.
  • Usenet groups can be accessed using a newsreader; web forums are accessed using an internet browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Opera, etc.).
  • The person who controls the host site for the web forum controls the forum; there is no such central administration for Usenet.

Who's in charge of this system?

  • Nobody. It's decentralized.
  • Everybody who uses it. Drive carefully. Buckle your Usenet seatbelts.
  • News administrators. They decide what newsgroups are carried on their news servers.
  • Moderators of groups (if the group is moderated).
  • Hierarchy administrators. They make up lists that may or may not be carried by news administrators. The Big-Eight Management Board is an example of hierarchy administration, except that the Board has eight lists to think about.

What is the Big-8?

comp.* Computer topics, both hardware and software.
news.* Administration of the Big 8, as well as about Usenet and Netnews in general, and related topics.
sci.* Science and technology.
humanities.* The humanities.
rec.* Recreational topics, including music, sports, games, outdoor recreation, hobbies, crafts, ...
soc.* Socializing, society, and social issues.
talk.* Endless discussion, largely about politics.
misc.* A mixture of newsgroups that don't fit the other 7 hierarchies. Many are about the practical aspects of everyday life.

What is a mail-to-news gateway?

  • It is a site that translates news into mail and (sometimes) mail into news.
  • If it is uni-directional, the translation only goes in one direction. People can read input from one source but not respond to it.
  • If it is bi-directional, the translation goes in both directions. Users receive all input both from the mailing list and the newsgroup and may reply to any post/e-mail by using e-mail or a newsreader.
  • Links to mail-to-news gateways.

Other questions

Why can't I see newsgroup XYZ?

Check with your Usenet provider. They should have a list of all newsgroups that they provide. Some local groups may not be available from all providers and some providers provide groups that others don't.

Why can't I see posts that other people see?

Check to see if you haven't created a filter to ignore or delete them.

Why can't I see my posts?

If you post to a moderated group, it may take time for that message to be approved and added to the group.

How do I post pictures to the newsgroup?

If it is absolutely necessary to share a picture, a best practice would be to link to a picture on a service like imgur.com. Most newsgroups in the Big-8 hierarchies do no allow anything except text (with a very few exceptions).

What is HTML and why don't people like it in on Usenet?

HTML is that code that looks like <h>hello world</h>. It makes your message hard to read. It's best to just use plain text.

Can't somebody get rid of all that spam and trolls?

Because Usenet is de-centralized, it is up to you to filter out any kind of content that you don't like. See our tutorial: Filtering Spam with Thunderbird

How do I post a message to every newsgroup in the world?

Don't. It's a good way to get banned by your provider.

How do I keep from seeing content that I don't like?

Don't subscribe to groups with that content and filter any content that happens in groups that you are subscribed to?

How can I post pictures to a newsgroup?

Find an alt.binaries newsgroup where your pictures will be on-topic and post them there.

Is everybody as sarcastic and short-tempered as you are?

No, I'm super chill and level headed. I don't know what you're talking about.

Other Websites

The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Usenet
Getting Started with Usenet
How to Ask Quesions the Smart Way
Help Vampires: A Spotter’s Guide
How Newsgroups Work
Internet FAQ Archives
Introduction to the *.answers newsgroups
news.newusers.questions Links Page
MIT news.announce.newusers archive
Newsreaders.com Introduction to Netiquette
Newsville FAQ on Usenet
RFC 1855: Guidelines on Netiquette (1995)
University of Virginia FAQs
Stanley: User's Guide to the Changing Usenet
UsenetSupport.com (Giganews)
Using Usenet Newsgroups

Visit Newsgroups Designed for New Newsgroup Users

news:news.announce.newusers
Google news.announce.newusers 		Explanatory postings for new users. (Moderated)
news:news.answers
Google news.answers 		Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated)
news:news.groups.questions
Google news.groups.questions 		Where can I find talk about topic X?
news:news.groups.reviews
Google link to news.groups.reviews 		What is going on in group or mailing list named X? (Moderated)
news:news:news.lists.misc
Google news.lists.misc 		News-related statistics and lists. (Moderated)
news:news.misc
Google news.misc 		Discussions of USENET itself.
news:news.newusers.questions
Google news.newusers.questions 		Q & A for new users of Usenet. (Moderated)
Official n.n.q. homepage
news:news.software.readers
Google news.software.readers 		news.software readers--GARN, Amigo!
Whatever You Do, Don't Visit This Newsgroup Unprepared :-O
news:news.groups can be a little hard on newcomers. Proceed with caution!
Read Google's news.groups archive to see what I mean.
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