About Usenet newsgroups (2024)

On this page:

• Introduction
• Accessing newsgroups
• Reading newsgroups on the web
• Reading newsgroups in email
• Available newsgroups
• Newsgroup etiquette
• Searching newsgroup archives
• Creating a newsgroup

Introduction

Usenet newsgroups are electronic discussion groups in which you canshare information and opinions with people all over the world. InUsenet newsgroups, you can reply to articles you have read and publish("post") your own articles for others to read. Newsgroups differwidely in subject and style, ranging from casual chat to seriousdiscourse.

Accessing newsgroups

Indiana University no longer offers a Usenet news server. To readUsenet newsgroups, UITS recommends using Google Groups at:

 http://groups.google.com/

If your Internet service provider (ISP) offers access to anews server, you can read newsgroups with newsreaders such astrn or tin, or you can use a desktop newsreadersuch as Thunderbird or Outlook Express.

Reading newsgroups on the web

One of the most popular and reliable ways to read Usenet newsgroups onthe web is through Google. Go tothe Google Groups interface at:

 http://groups.google.com/

From here, you can read and search both recent and archived postings,as well as post new messages.

Reading newsgroups in email

If you use Google Groups, you can receive newsgroup posts via email.See the GoogleGroups help for instructions.

Available newsgroups

For a comprehensive listing of Usenet newsgroups, see Harley Hahn's Master List ofUsenet Newsgroups. The list is arranged by topic, and you can alsosearch for newsgroups on a particular subject.

Newsgroup hierarchies

Newsgroups are organized and grouped by title using hierarchicalcompound names such as rec.sport.basketball.college.Here, rec specifies recreational topics,sport specifies a subgroup of recreation, and so on.The Big Eight mainstream hierarchies are:

• comp: Anything related to computers (e.g.,programming languages, operating systems, hardware)
• humanities: Art, music, literature, philosophy,classical studies, etc.
• misc: An assortment of topics that don't fit inany of the other Big Eight hierarchies
• news: Pertaining to the administration anddiscussion of Usenet software, protocols, policies, etc.
• rec: Recreation and hobbies of all kinds
• sci: Academic discussions of science and, to alesser extent, technology
• soc: History, culture, religion, politics,lifestyle, and other topics of social interest
• talk: Debate and extended discussion, oftenheated

Alternative hierarchies have smaller distributions than theirmainstream cousins; each has its own rules and focus. Thesehierarchies include:

• alt: This is by far the largest and most diversehierarchy; all manner of topics can be found here. As there is noformal newsgroup creation procedure, anyone may create analt group at any time. For this reason, many newsservers either do not carry alt, or subscribe to only asmall portion of its groups.
• biz: Almost as well established as the mainstreamgroups, biz caters to a variety of business interests.
• k12: This hierarchy contains groups designed forK-12 educators.

Numerous national, regional, local, and organizational hierarchiesalso exist, some of which are available globally (e.g., thechi groups for Chicago, the relcom Russianlanguage groups, and the British uk hierarchy).

For more information, see the Master List of NewsgroupHierarchies.

Newsgroup etiquette

If you decide to participate in a newsgroup, it's best first toread a representative selection of articles over several days or evenweeks before posting. (In the jargon of some newsgroups, this is knownas lurking.) Each newsgroup may have its own set of guidelines forwhat constitutes an appropriate posting, and becoming familiar withthe group before posting will help you show good manners (netiquette)and avoid offending others.

If you are new to Usenet, consult the newsgroupsnews.newusers.questions andnews.announce.newusers to learn about technique andnetiquette before posting.

You can also find a large repository of Usenet FAQ(Frequently Asked Question) files for a wide variety of newsgroups andsubjects at the Usenet FAQ Filessite. It's best to read any existing FAQ for a newsgroup beforeposting so that you'll avoid irritating other readers by askingquestions that have already been answered many times.

Searching newsgroup archives

Google maintains archives ofUsenet newsgroups. To search these archives, visit:

 http://groups.google.com/

Creating a newsgroup

If you wish to create a group in one of the mainstream Usenethierarchies (i.e., comp, humanities,misc, news, rec,sci, soc, or talk), consult Howto Create a New Usenet Newsgroup.

Additional helpful resources include:

• Guidelineson Usenet Newsgroup Names
• How toFormat and Submit a New Group Proposal
• How to Writea Good Newsgroup Proposal
• So You Wantto Create an Alt Newsgroup

The resources above are also posted regularly tonews.groups.

There are numerous lesser newsgroup hierarchies, and each has its ownguidelines for newsgroup creation. For local and organizationalgroups, it is often as simple as contacting the Usenet administratorand describing your proposed group. Hierarchies with broader scopeswill often devote a newsgroup (*.config,*.admin, or something similar) to discussing proposals.