usenet [aka: newsgroups]
What could you possibly want to know about usenet - never, in the history of the world, has there been a forum for public communication so open to all, so open to abuse and yet so successful at self regulation.
Usenet pre-dates the internet by several years and there are still news servers that are not 'on the net'.
The technical requirements for participating in usenet are light - you need a news client (sometimes called a news reader) and access to a news server (ask your ISP in the first instance). That's it. You will need to configure your client application to use your news server and tell it which groups you wish to subscribe to.
Stop: the social requirements are slightly more troublesome and consequently are often skipped - even by those who in any other medium would know better.
- Do find, read and digest the group FAQ - if applicable
- Do read around two weeks postings before venturing in
- Do conduct yourself in a courtious manner
Usenet is not a helpdesk - any advice you receive will have been given freely and is worth exactly what you paid for it.
google groups
[#] What is google groups? it is a usenet archive.
What else is google groups? Well, of course it's method for you to dump your message on thousands of servers all over the world with scant regard to the cost of transmitting and storing your message. No matter that the group in question is not interested in your topic. I'm sure they would be if only they saw your message enough times.
How to use google groups to post a message: ...
- Choose a news reader program
- Choose a news server and subscribe.
You now have all the tools you need and can safely ditch the google groups interface. Maybe its reputation will be restored when it moves to a cleaner neighbourhood. We can but hope.
Pay attention ...
- usenet information
- usenet - smart questions
- what is usenet?
- satirical don't do it manual
Some (popular) opinion on the recent increase in posts from google groups has been collated by Blinky in: The Usenet Improvement Project which is an attempt to make Usenet participation by clueful newsgroupers a better experience
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If you simply have absolutely no choice but to use the google groups interface then please read Replying In Google Groups
by Safalra.