An Internet Tutorial
by Jonathan Leger
jleger@cp-tel.net
CHATPER IV
: The Old
Fashioned Way
Newsgroups:
What they are and why they thrive.
Back in the days when some monitors were still monochrome (and if you don't know what 'monochrome' means, believe me, you don't want to!), we computer geeks used to hang out on what we called a BBS (Bulletin Board System).
At these BBSes we would read and post messages on various forums that covered various subjects, from literature to programming to fishing. Each forum had what was called a moderator, who made sure that the postings (a 'post' is a message that you write to the forum) stayed on topic.
In the whee hours of the morning, the SysOp (System Operator, the person or persons who runs the BBS) would send their posts to other BBSes, who would in return send their posts, etc., until thousands of BBSes across the country carried every body elses' posts. It was a high coordinated, ingenious method for delivering Cyber-Mail.
But, as with all things archaic, these BBSes and forums largely died away as the internet came to birth. The forums were soon replaced with newsgroups, which serve the same purpose, writing and reading messages about various topics of interest.
There are presently better than 30,000 newsgroups available to the average netizen, and you can imagine how many subjects you could pack into 30,000 newsgroups (some of which would make you blush and send you packin' for church).
People love newsgroups, because, unlike chat sessions, you can feel completely anonymous. You don't have to respond or ever post if you don't want to. Also, the people who post to newsgroups tend to be a bit more well versed in their subject matter than those who have way too much time on their hands and stay in chat rooms for days at a time.
To be able to read and write to these newsgroups, you need a newsreader, which comes with both the Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer internet software suites, which are freely available for download.
Newsgroups In Netscape Messenger
Netscape's newsgroup reader is incorporated into its e-mail program, so get into Netscape Messenger. In order to be able to read and post to newsgroups, you will need to make sure that your preferences are set to your ISP's (Internet Service Provider's) news server settings.
To do this, go to:
Edit -> Preferences
Under the 'Mail and Groups' section, click on 'Groups Server'. You will need to check with your ISP to find out what the name of your groups server is, and whether or not you will need to provide a user name and password to access the newsgroups (most do not require this).
Now, to see what groups are available to read, go to:
File -> Subscribe to Discussion Groups
BE WARNED! The first time that you go into the Discussion Groups listing, Netscape will download all 30,000+ newsgroups, which can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on the speed of your modem (the "phone" that your computer uses to talk to other computers).
After downloading the list of newsgroups, you can search for those which match your interests. You do this by clicking on the 'Search for a Group' tab.
Type the subject that you are interested in into the 'Search For' box, and then click the 'Search Now' button to the right.
For example, when I search for 'gardening' I get this list:
sdnet.gardening looks pretty general interest, so I'll click on that one and then click the 'Subscribe' button, and then click the 'OK' button.
Now, to get to this newly subscribed
newsgroup, you will need to click on the pull-down box above the
list of messages that says 'inbox' in it.
Click on the arrow and at the bottom or near the bottom of the list you will see the name of the newsgroup that you subscribed to. Click on it. This will bring up a list of the messages posted to that group.
Under sdnet.gardening I see various articles about aphids and camelias and hortensias, so I'm pretty sure that this is what I'm looking for.
You read and post messages just like you read and reply to e-mail. Just click on the message that you want to read, and if you care to reply, simply hit the reply button and then choose 'Reply to Group'.
If you'd rather reply to the person who wrote the message, choose 'reply to sender' instead. Keep in mind, though, that not all persons who post to newsgroups use their real e-mail address due to fear of spam (if you don't know what spam is, go to chapter III, Cross Country in 7 Minutes Flat, subheading 'Spam--Not Just a Breakfast Food Anymore').
To unsubscribe from a newsgroup, just go to:
File -> Subscribe to Discussion Groups
Find the name of the group and then
highlight it and click the 'unsubscribe' button, or click on the
green check-mark next to the name of the group. When the check
turns into a dot, you
know that you have unsubscribed.
Newsgroups in Outlook Express
Internet Explorer incorporates its newsgroup reader into Outlook Express, so get into Outlook Express first. In order to be able to read and post to newsgroups, you will need to make sure that your preferences are set to your ISP's (Internet Service Provider's) news server settings.
To do this go to:
Tools -> Accounts
Click on the 'News' tab near the top. If you already have an entry in the list, you may already have your news server setup. If you don't have a listing, click on:
Add -> News
And follow the instructions in the Wizard. You will need the name of your ISP's (Internet Service Provider's) news server (if you don't know it or have it written down, call your ISP).
Once you're done, you should have the name of your news server near the bottom of the list to the left that says:
Outlook Express
- Inbox
- Outbox
- Sent Items
- Deleted Items
- Drafts
.
.
- news.whatever.net
Where 'news.whatever.net' is the name of your ISP's news server.
Click on the name of your news server. If you are not already subscribed to any newsgroups, Outlook Express will ask you if you want to see a list of available newsgroups.
BE WARNED! The first time that you go into the Newsgroups listing, Internet Explorer will download all 30,000+ newsgroups, which can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on the speed of your modem (the "phone" that your computer uses to talk to other computers).
Once you're in the list, you can search for a topic that you are interested in by typing the subject of interest into the box beneath 'Display newsgroups which contain...' near to top of the window.
After typing the subject into the box, wait a second or two and a list of matching newsgroups will appear. For example, when I search for 'gardening', I get this list:
sdnet.gardening sounds pretty general interest, so I'll click on that one and then click 'subscribe' and then click 'OK'.
sdnet.gardening now appears in the list of messages. Double click it and you will get a list of messages on that newsgroup. You post and reply to messages in much the same way you write and reply to e-mail. To read a message, click on the message in the subject list, and to post a message, click the 'compose message' button. To reply to a message, just hit the 'reply to group' button, and your message will be posted to the newsgroup.
If you'd rather reply to the person who wrote the message, click the 'reply to author' button. Keep in mind, though, that not all persons who post to newsgroups use their real e-mail address due to fear of spam (if you don't know what spam is, go to chapter III, Cross Country in 7 Minutes Flat, subheading 'Spam--Not Just a Breakfast Food Anymore').
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My internet tutorial is an excellent start for learning your way around the internet.
But, to really become a cyber-pro, you'll want to get
The Internet For Dummies. I highly recommend it. Here's what others are saying about it:
A reader from Ontario. Canada , March 30, 1999
A reader from U.S. , March 6, 1999 |
Comments or suggestions about this chapter? Please send them to me at jleger@cp-tel.net.
