Usenet Newsgroups--GED/GSA 579
Using Google's Usenet Newsgroup searchable Archives @ http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en
Google Groups contains the entire archive of Usenet discussion groups dating back to 1981. These discussions cover the full range of human discourse and provide a fascinating look at evolving viewpoints, debate and advice on every subject from politics to technology. See FAQ on Googles NewsGroup archive for more information
SMC at this time does not have Newsreader software on the campus network. You may use Google's Usenet Newsgroup Archives instead of a Newsreader to view and send messages to Newsgroups by accessing the URL above.
Usenet is a worldwide electronic public message service that hosts over 50,000 topic-specific newsgroups. Typically, users post questions and the Usenet community responds - exchanging everything from artichoke soup recipes to tips on installing a web server.
newsgroup n One of Usenet 's huge collection of topic groups or forums . Newsgroups can be `unmoderated' (anyone can post) or `moderated' (submissions are automatically directed to a moderator, who edits or filters and then posts the results). Some newsgroups have parallel mailing lists for Internet people with no Usenet access, with messages to the forum automatically propagated to the list and vice versa. Some moderated forums are distributed as `digests', with groups of messages periodically collected into a single large message with an index.
Basic Functions of News Reading
The basic functions of news reading are very similar to those of electronic mail. Some of the most commonly used features are the ability to:
Subscriber Services
For enhanced services, users can subscribe for a fee. You can read news and reply to individual postings without subscribing.
Newsgroup Categories and Name
Newsgroups are divided into broad subject categories and named accordingly. Newsgroups are named with the broad subject category first, followed by a period or "dot," followed by a more specific name. For instance: sci.med.nutrition is a newsgroup for scientific discussion of nutrition from a medical point of view. New categories are constantly being added. Something about the content of the newsgroup can usually be determined by reading the newsgroup name. However, some newsgroups have very cryptic names.
To Access by Group
Click on Browse Groups
Click any of the following categories or type in the newsgroup if you already know the address
To Look at one single Newsgroup
Enter Newsgroup "name" into search box
To Post Messages or Email -
To post a message, you must first identify the newsgroup in which you wish to start a discussion or select an article to which you wish to respond.
To start a new thread, click the link that says: "Post new message to the.name.of.a.group". You should see this link when you're one level above the actual articles in the group.
If you wish to respond to a specific post, you must drill down all the way to the message level. Your message will be "threaded" to that message and the others that have preceded it. You can find an article by searching on a given topic and then clicking on the "View Thread" link, or by browsing through a newsgroup and clicking on an article. When you are ready to post, click on the "Post a Follow-up" link below the text of the message to which you wish to reply. Please note that follow-up links only appear on messages that are less than a month old.
Whether you're replying to a message or starting a new thread, the first time you post you will be taken to a registration page. It's required that you register with an email address and password before posting to protect your identity. Follow the instructions for registering. On subsequent visits, simply sign in with your login and password to access the posting form.
Author Profile
You may see the number of messages sent and to which Newsgroups by the author of any postings.
1. While reading a posting, click on the name of the person posting the message
How To Find Out About And Locate Newsgroups And Mailing Lists
Use the following links to look for mailing lists or other Internet wide discussion lists (Including Usenet Newsgroups) by subject and scholarly criteria.
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/kovacs/1. Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences @
A great sight that reviews Newsgroups and Listservs by academic, scholarly, or professional criteria
2. L-Soft Listsearch @ http://www.lsoft.com/lists/list_q.html
Sponsored by L-Soft, the company that provides listserv software. At this sight you may find the agency that sponsors the listserv, the number of subscribers, and whether the list is digested or archived at a Web site.
3. TileNet - @ http://tile.net
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