Usenet, which is short for Users Network, is an international network of newsgroups (discussion forums that each feature a specific topic). With an estimated 15-20 million frequent users on Usenet, even the most unusual and specific newsgroups seem to never run out of messages. The fact that Usenet is such a large network is what makes it so valuable.
For comparison, think of Usenet as your local BBS's message system. All of the members of that BBS are free to post, read, and reply to messages in the message system. Now, imagine that instead of just the members of your local BBS, every member of the Internet (which is a huge international network, of course) is free to participate in the BBS's message system. Well, that's exactly what Usenet is. And because there are so many users, the topics of newsgroups can range from the broad and general to the extremely specific and unusual.
Usenet can be useful in many ways. The most obvious use is as an information resource. No matter how unusual a question, there is probably a newsgroup out there with enough people who would be willing and able to give you an answer. Although some of the answers might not be completely accurate, you usually will receive enough replies that you will be able to weed out the incorrect responses.
HINT: Before you post a question to a Usenet newsgroup, read that newsgroup's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) first! If you have never used Usenet before, it might be a good idea to read Usenet: Posting Articles, first.
In addition to getting your questions answered, Usenet can also be used as a news source. There are dozens of newsgroups devoted to the discussion of current events in countries around the world. You could also check the rec.arts.movies (don't worry -- newsgroup names will be explained soon enough) newsgroup to decide which of the newest films you should go see. There are also home repair groups, where you can find out what's wrong with your garage door opener; travel groups, where you can go to plan your next vacation; and sports groups, where you can get the latest information on this year's NBA draft.
If you're the type of person who likes to talk about less practical issues than world news events or home repair, there are thousands of newsgroups devoted to topics like TV shows, rock bands, and video games. Or maybe you're trying to find a recipe for sweet potato caserole -- check one of the "food" groups. For people who like to have pen-pals, there are many groups whose sole purpose is for the trading of e-mail addresses (pen-pals who use e-mail are sometimes referred to as key-pals).
Until recent years, Usenet has focused primarily on computer-based topics or technical discussions. But, with the sudden increase in Internet users outside the technical professions, Usenet has softened up quite a bit and now includes hundreds of newsgroups for the discussion of the fine arts (such as music, paintings, or theater), as well as other non-computer topics like gardening, sports, TV, and clothing.
Usenet versus Mailing Lists
Although both Usenet newsgroups and mailing lists are used as global discussion forums, there are many differences. First, mailing lists are usually read only by people who subscribe to the mailing list and are extremely interested in the subject. This is probably because someone who is only slightly interested in a subject -- like equestrian events, for example -- is probably not going to through the trouble of subscribing to a mailing list and receiving e-mail messages all the time about a subject he or she doesn't even really care about. On the other hand, Usenet newsgroups can be easily read by anyone on the Internet with a newsreader. In other words, when you post a message to Usenet, you don't really have any idea who is reading your messages.
Another difference is the way you read messages. With a mailing list, you have to read all of your e-mail from the mailing list and delete the messages you don't want to look at. With Usenet, you simply browse through the subject lines of all the messages in a particular newsgroup using your newsreader and read only the ones that seem interesting. This selectivity also makes Usenet posters feel free to post messages that most people might not want to read. This isn't necessarily a good thing, but it does sometimes make Usenet more interesting.
Usenet Frequently Asked Questions
In an attempt to reduce the number of repeated questions, most Usenet newsgroups maintain a list of Frequently Asked Questions, abbreviated as FAQ. FAQ is usually pronounced one of two ways: either as individual letters (F-A-Q) or as a single word that rhymes with "back" (like "fack"). The purpose of FAQ's is this: people who are unfamiliar with a newsgroup, but need to ask a question that would definitely fall into the topic of the newsgroup should check the FAQ first to make sure the question isn't already answered.
Even though each newsgroup's FAQs exist for the benefit of those who frequent that newsgroup, FAQs can still be of a tremendous value to everyone. For example, let's say you want to learn the basics of the game of chess. If this was the case, you could read the FAQ for the newsgroup rec.games.chess, which might give you some of the basics concerning the game. In other words, you can use FAQs to learn more about whatever topic is discussed by their newsgroup.
In addition to give the answers to frequently asked questions, FAQs often state the posting policies for their newsgroup. This information can be valuable to you if you ever decide that you want to start posting to the newsgroup.
FAQs are usually posted on a regular basis to their newsgroup. If you are in a hurry to get the FAQ, you can download it from MIT's FAQ FTP server, rtfm.mit.edu. There you can usually find the most recent FAQs for nearly all of the active Usenet groups. The server is often busy, however, so you might have to try a couple times before you get through.
Searching Usenet Articles
Thanks to the recent advent of Usenet archivers, you can now search Usenet articles (usually from recent months) for one or more words. These services are also helpful when trying to locate an article no longer on your Internet provider's computer. An example of a Usenet archiver is DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com).