News Groups
I sometimes wonder how many of Taberna’s computer users know they have access to Newgroups. What are Newsgroups, you ask? Actually, they might be better referred to as Discussion Groups. They are electronic forums devoted to a single subject where a person can post questions, answers, and opinions, and other folks can read and respond, debate, opine, flame, or empathize. The key here is the single focused topic. Newsgroups can be a tremendous resource when you’re trying to research a subject.
To access newsgroups, you’ll need a newgroup reader (software program) and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) who provides newsgroup access. If you are running Windows, you already have a newsgroup reader. It is what most of you are already using for email, namely Outlook Express. (Big brother Outlook, which comes with Microsoft Office, is an entirely different program and does not include a newsgroup reader.) Check with your ISP to get their newsgroup server address, because for the most part you’ll only be able to link to their collection of newsgroups. Typically the address takes the form of news.ISPname. For Cox subscribers (fully half of the Taberna Email List subscribers have Cox as their ISP), this would be news.east.cox.net. To add a newsgroup server, Open Outlook Express, click on Tools, Accounts, Add, News. Next type in the name you want to appear by any posting you make, then on the next screen your email address so that you can receive direct replies to any of your posts. On the following screen, you’ll type in your ISP’s server (such as news.east.cox.net) and that’s pretty much it unless your ISP has some special rules. When you exit out of the account wizard, you’ll be asked if you want to download the list of newsgroups. It would be good to say yes, after which you’ll see a graphic display as many, many forum topics download to your PC. When I recently rebuilt my PC and reinstalled the Cox news server address, I noted that the download from Cox numbered over 53,000 forum topics.
To select a topic to view, it is best to use the search tool. Open Outlook Express (or whatever reader you choose), click on your news server over in the left window pane, and then click on the ‘Newsgroups’ button. You’ll be asked to enter search criteria. Enter any word which describes your area of interest. Let’s say you’re into tropical fish. Enter aquaria, and you’ll find topics on goldfish, cichlids, marine plants, guppies, and many other related subjects. Are you a stamp collector? Enter stamp or philatelic and see what you get. Search on Hyundai, garden, pottery, dentistry….the list is almost endless. Well, actually it does end at somewhere around 53,000 for Cox subscribers – more for some ISPs, less for others. As you enter in your search word, you’ll see the listing of pertinent newsgroups quickly narrow. Once you see a subject you want to pursue further, just click on Go To. The system will typically download the first three hundred headers (subject lines from reader postings), and you can follow your nose from there. You can read to your heart’s delight, and post a reply to an individual or to the group if you wish to share your wisdom and insight. When you exit the newsgroup, the program will ask if you want to ‘subscribe’ to the newsgroup. No need to worry about a monthly subscription fee; the word ‘subscribe’ is simply a synonym for ‘bookmark’, so that you can easily find your way back to the forum.
It won’t take you long to realize that newsgroups provide both the very best and the very worst of what the internet has to offer. In some forums, etiquette goes out the window. You’ll find that nearly every bodily part and function has its own focus group, with all that implies. But on more socially acceptable topics you’ll also get great opinions and insights that you’d have to Google high and low to find. Case in point: I could not figure out how to get rid of a ‘nag screen’ in my latest version of Quicken. A search on Google turned up lots of links but no ready answer. But a search of newsgroups using the search term Quicken turned up a dedicated forum where I posted my question, and within a day I had my answer from an informed user. I’ve found newsgroups to be invaluable when researching the purchase of a new vehicle. Most car brands have dedicated newsgroups which I’ll scout for months ahead of time, looking for common complaints and kudos while recognizing that a majority of auto newsgroup posters typically are folks with a complaint, a problem, or an ax to grind. This research has helped me make informed decisions and limited the number of surprises, plus I can find out the prices other folks are paying.
If you’ve not already gotten into Newsgroups, take the time to check them out. And if you want a view from a different perspective, read Dave Wallace’s article on the subject at: http://www.always-online.com/nbcug/feb04.htm Dave writes a monthly computer article for the River Bender paper much as I write this one for the Tribune, except that he’s been doing it for as many years as I’ve been doing it for months.