Reading and Posting to Usenet Newsgroups

Usenet is a subset of the overall Internet, and its host to more than 30,000 topic-specific newsgroups. A newsgroup is kind of like an online bulletin board where users post messages (called articles) about a variety of topics; other users read and respond to these articles. The result is a kind of ongoing, freeform discussion, in which hundreds of users can participate.

tip

When you're communicating in one of these online forums, you need to follow proper netiquette. This includes not writing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS; not posting off-topic messages; not cross-posting the message in multiple forums; not advertising or spamming; and, above all else, using common courtesy.

You use a newsreader program to access Usenet newsgroups. Outlook Express, the email program we discussed back in Chapter 25, "Sending and Receiving Email," doubles as a newsreader.

Reading Newsgroup Articles

If you're using Outlook Express, you access Usenet newsgroups by clicking the icon in the folder list for your particular news server. Now click the Newsgroups button on the Outlook Express toolbar; this opens the Newsgroups dialog box, which lists all available newsgroups.

When you find a newsgroup you want to read, select it and click the Go To button. All the articles from that newsgroup will now appear in Outlook Express's Message pane, as shown in Figure 27.1. Click a message header to read the contents of that article in the Preview pane.

Figure 27.1. Reading articles in a Usenet newsgroup.

Outlook Express should have been set up for your newsgroup server when you first configured your computer for your specific Internet service provider.

By the way, a newsgroup name looks a little like a Web site address, with single words or phrases separated by periods. Newsgroup names are more logical, however, in that each break in the name signifies a different subset of the major topic. For example, the rec.arts.cinema group tells you that the newsgroup is in the recreational section of Usenet and that it discusses the art of the cinema.

Creating and Posting Newsgroup Articles

To reply to a newsgroup article, select the message in the Message pane and then click the Reply button. To create a new article, click the New Post button. Enter your message in the New Message window, and then click the Send button to post the message to the current newsgroup.

tip

If you're interested in viewing older Usenet articles, you can search the newsgroup archives housed at the Google Groups Web site (groups.google.com).