Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Since the founding of the Internet, newsgroups such as Usenet have provided an opportunity for people to discuss a variety of topics of interest. Newsgroups are virtual groups or communities that provide centralized access to information and discussion on nine (and sometimes more) main topics of discussion, which in turn are divided into subcategories. Once having learned how to use newsgroups, the user discovers the opportunity to search and find useful and interesting information.

Steps

1. 1 Install a newsgroup reader. Windows Vista and Windows 7 include this feature out of the box in the form of the Windows Mail application. In earlier versions of Windows, this feature can be found in Outlook Express. Also, access to newsgroups can be carried out using one of the many Internet portals. Some popular newsgroups include Usenet.org, Google Groups, and Yahoo! Groups. Mac users can enjoy a variety of download methods including Unison, NewsFire, NewsHunter.
2. 2 Open your newsgroup reader. In Windows Mail, find the Newsgroups item in the Tools tab of the main menu. If you are accessing newsgroups through a different server, follow the on-screen instructions to create a newsgroup server account. Others (such as Google Groups) allow you to access Usenet directly from their site.
3. 3 Subscribe to one or two groups that interest you. Here the choice depends on your interests and needs. For example, you can join a guitar group or the Rickenbacker newsgroup. The newsgroup server will display all available newsgroups on the current server. In Windows Mail, select a newsgroup and click Subscribe. Google Groups users must first select one of the main news topics, and then the desired subcategory. Mac users can open a selection list by clicking on the desired news category so that a minus sign appears on the left and a list appears at the bottom. Once the desired newsgroup is found, all that remains to be done is to click on the "subscribe" button.
4. 4 To find a specific newsgroup, you need to search for keywords in the search bar. The search result will display all relevant results.
5. 5 Create your own newsgroup if you could not find exactly the one you wanted, but for this you must be registered on the news server. Google and Yahoo! to do this, you just need to log in using your email address.
6. 6 Post your questions, leave comments on topics of interest to you, or join the discussion on the forums. Information from newsgroups will appear in your inbox if you are using Windows Mail, or in your web browser window. Some newsgroup servers also allow you to receive news as individual emails or as a digital summary.
7. 7 Unsubscribe from newsgroups that were previously interesting to you, but no longer satisfy your needs.

Tips

• ALT (alternative) newsgroups are often straightforward and rarely have moderators.
• If you see a link to newsgroups using NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol), be aware that these are non-Usenet newsgroups, mostly run by private companies.

Warnings

• • Some newsgroup sites (such as Newsgroups-Download.com) charge a fee for their services. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Weigh for yourself the pros and cons of such a proposal and decide for yourself.
• ALT newsgroups can sometimes contain a dissenting point of view.
• Be careful with the number of groups you subscribe to. Some of them can send hundreds of messages a day.