Community Rooms: Definitions of Terms

Newsgroups

Internet mailing lists are essentially closed discussion groups; you must subscribe to a list and postings are distributed directly, via email, to all members. The Internet also offers access to a somewhat different means of holding open group discussions, known as Usenet. Technically, Usenet is a conferencing system distinct from the Internet. Even though Usenet is closely related to the Internet, and a lot of its traffic travels over the Internet, Usenet is not the Internet. Many people who have access to Usenet don’t have Internet connections; similarly, Internet connectivity doesn’t always provide access to Usenet (but it usually does). 

A Usenet discussion group is called a newsgroup, and there are thousands of them. (Estimates range from 5,000 to 10,000.) In this context, "news" has no particular relation to current events; Usenet newsgroups cover many diverse topics, some serious and others frivolous. Science, politics, music, philosophy, sex, cooking, skydiving, alien visitors, back rubs, coffee, and limericks, all have one or more Usenet newsgroups devoted to them. Some even cover current events. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people read some Usenet newsgroup. 

The main difference between mailing lists and newsgroups is that discussions come directly to all members via email with mailing lists, but with newsgroups you must execute a newsreader program to follow discussions. So, a newsgroup is sort of like a centralized bulletin board where you go to look at messages people post. If you have a newsreader program and access to Usenet, you may read any message posted on any newsgroup. In this sense, newsgroups are more open than mailing lists because you do not need to send an email message to an administrator to be able to follow the discussions. 

The following message, for example, was posted on the Usenet newsgroup alt.support.spina-bifida: 

News is a great place to ask questions, as all the experts in each forum tend to gravitate together, but there are a number of established rules of netiquette that you should be aware of: 

• Many newsgroups have a Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) file. Read this file before asking questions to avoid rehashing old ground.
• Post questions to the correct news forum. Posts in inappropriate locations may result in you being flamed. 
• Keep your text concise and readable. 
• Always quote at least some text from any message you are following up, to give some context. 

   
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