Usenet Newsgroup Overview

There are over 50,000 Usenet newsgroups where Internet users exchange messages on specific subjects.  If you can't find something online via search tools, then try the newsgroups...  A fellow Internet user can probably lead you to the right information.

Main points:

  • Messages (articles) are “posted” to the newsgroup 
  • Others may post their “follow-up” to the newsgroup OR may respond directly to the author via email 
  • A series of related “articles” is called a “thread” 
  • A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) may be posted. READ IT, to understand the purpose of the group, and to see if "your" question" is already answered in the FAQ.   A list of FAQs is also available via the web.

Usenet Newsgroup Architecture

Searching: There are several places on the Internet where the content of the newsgroups are being archived and made available for full-text searching. The most popular resources is "google groups"

For More Information:


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