All About Newsgroups

Have you ever had a question and thought, "I'm sure someone knows the answer, but how do I find that person?" With the Internet, you can not only search websites for information, but also communicate with people with similar interests that you may never meet, getting answers to your questions.

Newsgroups, also referred to as forums and sometimes just groups, have been around almost since the dawn of the Internet. They were originally developed so that scientists could post questions (and answers) to each other. Today, newsgroups resemble bulletin boards, where people discuss subjects of mutual interest by posting comments. Newsgroups revolve around specific topics, such as wireless technology or organic gardening. You can read what others have written and add your own thoughts.

There are literally thousands of newsgroups covering every topic imaginable--from computers, social issues, literature and science, to recreation, entertainment, hobbies and politics. In newsgroups you can find job postings, business and healthcare advice, announcements about events, referrals, political and religious discussions--even photos, music and video you can download.

Online groups provide a way to quickly communicate with people from all over the world who share similar interests. You can communicate with them anytime you like. (By the way, you can read what others are posting without responding.) Another great feature is that anyone can participate.

First you need a newsreader program. Most web browsers now have built-in newsreader software.

Next, determine which newsgroups interest you and subscribe to them. This process is described in detail in the following articles. Because of the sheer volume of newsgroups available on the Internet, only subscribe to those that really interest you. Don't forget to refer to the article on netiquette to get off to a good start.

Keep in mind that newsgroups were once the only way to have so-called threaded discussions, where related messages are grouped together. Today, many websites and blogs have discussion group postings. When looking for a discussion to join, check them as well as newsgroups.

Like many services on the Internet, newsgroups had their humble beginnings in an academic environment. In 1979 a couple of Duke University graduate students connected some computers together to exchange information with the UNIX community. At the same time, another graduate student at the University of North Carolina wrote the first version of the software used to distribute news.

This network, called Usenet, grew into a voluntary, cooperative exchange of newsfeeds, eventually evolving into electronic discussion groups. While there are some places that charge a fee for the newsfeed, Usenet continues to reflect its origins as an academic project designed to distribute information freely to anyone who wants it.

Usenet newsgroups are transmitted through UUCP (a fee-based system) or NNTP, a more common and free method of transport. The newsfeed can be held on a system until a sister site calls up and gets it, or as is increasingly the case, direct connections remain open between sites at all times, sending news out to other nodes on the Net as soon as it is received.

Each system administrator decides which newsgroups will be carried on the system. Since newsgroups take up hard drive space and transmission bandwidth, administrators may choose not to carry all hierarchies. The Internet carries many kinds of resources of which Usenet is only one. Usenet is also carried on networks that are not part of the Internet.

Last update: Jan 11, 2010