Usenet Newsgroups

Newsgroups are divided into categories called hierarchies to make Usenet more manageable. Each newsgroup is given a name that has more than one part. Each part is separated by "." characters. The first part is the hierarchy to which the newsgrou p belongs. The following is a partial list of current hierarchies:

alt -- alternative newsgroups, many different topics
bionet -- biology
bit -- from Bitnet mailing lists
biz -- business, marketing and advertisments
comp -- computers
ddn -- Defense Data Network
ieee -- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
gnu -- Free Software Foundation and its GNU project
info -- many topics: from University of Illinois mailing lists
k12 -- kindergarten through high school
misc -- anything that doesn't fit into the other categories
news -- about Usenet
rec -- recreation, hobbies,the arts
sci -- science of all types
soc -- social issues
talk -- debate on controversial topics

Newsgroup names are fairly easy to understand. By looking at the title of the newsgroup,you can tell what it is all about. For example:

alt.politics.elections -- elections
misc.kids -- children - behavior and activities
rec.sports.basketball.college -- college basketball

The above examples first start with the hierarchy, followed by the category or subject area and subcategory.

In essence, as a member of the Usenet community, nobody can tell you what to do. However, this does not mean that there are no rules or guidelines.

There are certain standards (a.k.a. netiquette, or etiquette on the Internet) that have developed over the years. Information on Netiquette is available on the Web at

Netiquette Guidelines

When you subscribe to a list, monitor the messages for a few days to get a feel for what common questions are asked, and what topics are deemed off-limits. This is commonly referred to as lurking. When you feel comfortable with the group, then start posti ng.

See if there is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions file) for a group that you are interested in joining. Veteran members get annoyed when they see the same questions every few weeks, or at the start of each semester.

Follow any and all guidelines that the listowner has posted; the listowner establishes the netiquette standards for her/his list.

Keep in mind that some discussion lists or Usenet groups have members from many countries. Don't assume that they will understand a reference to TV, movies, pop culture, or current events in your country. If you must use the reference, please explain it.

Don't join a list just to post inflammatory messages -- this upsets most system administrators and you could lose access to the ‘net.

Keep your questions and comments relevant to the focus of the discussion group.

If another person posts a comment or question that is off the subject, do NOT reply to the list, which keeps the off-subject conversation going. When someone posts an off-subject note, and someone else criticizes that posting, you should NOT submit a gra tuitous note saying "well, I liked it and lots of people probably did as well and you guys ought to lighten up and not tell us to stick to the subject". If you must, reply directly to the poster -- NOT the list.

When going away for more than a week, unsubscribe or suspend mail from any mailing lists or LISTSERV services.

If you can respond to someone else's question, do so via e-mail. Twenty people answering the same question on a large list can fill your mailbox quickly.

When quoting another person, edit out whatever isn't directly applicable to your reply. Don't let your mailing or Usenet software automatically quote the entire body of messages you are replying to when it's not necessary. Take the time to edit any quota tions down to the minimum necessary to provide context for your reply. Nobody likes reading a long message in quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be followed by a one line response: "Yeah, me too."

Use discretion when forwarding a long mail message to group addresses or distribution lists. It's preferable to reference the source of a document and provide instructions on how to obtain a copy. If you must post a long message, warn the readers with a s tatement at the top of the mail message. Example: WARNING: LONG MESSAGE. If you crosspost messages to multiple groups, include the name of the groups at the top of the mail message with an apology for any duplication.

Resist the temptation to "flame" others on the list. Remember that these discussions are public and meant for constructive exchanges. Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you.

When signing up for a group it is important to save your subscription confirmation letter for reference. That way if you go on vacation you will have the subscription address for suspending mail, unsubscribing or any other administrative tasks.

Use your own personal e-mail account, don't subscribe using a shared office account.

Occasionally subscribers to the list who are not familiar with proper netiquette will submit requests to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE directly to the list itself. Be tolerant of this activity, and possibly provide some useful advice as opposed to being critic al.

When posting a question to the discussion group, request that responses be directed to you personally. Post a summary or answer to your question to the group.

When replying to a message posted to a discussion group, check the address to be certain it's going to the intended location (person or group). It can be very embarrassing if they reply incorrectly and post a personal message to the entire discussion gro up that was intended for an individual.

There is a general discussion in the newsgroups, related newsgroups, and private e-mail for four to six weeks. Once the purpose and name of the proposed newsgroup has been finalized, the moderator of news.announce.newsgroups will post a request to vote. The time period for voting is usually three to four weeks.

After the voting period, the results are posted along with a list of everyone who voted and how they voted. After five days, the vote is finalized. A newsgroup must be approved by at least two-thirds of the voters and the "yes" votes must be at least 1 00 more than the "no" votes to be considered successful. If it is successful, the moderator of new.announce.newgroups will send out a message to start the new group. If the vote was unsuccessful the proposed newgroup cannot be brought up for discussion for at least six months.

• Post a message on a new topic.
• Respond to a previous topic.
• Send a message to the entire group.
• Send to one individual only.
• Send a message (administrative) to the listserv itself.
• Subscribe or unsubscribe from the group.

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