There are two basic types of articles that can be posted to Usenet: an original post and a followup. An original post is simply an article posted to a newsgroup(s) that has an original subject and has the potential to become a thread. A followup is a reply to an original post that is posted to the same newsgroup(s) as the original post. A followup is usually a response to the original post (as in an answer to a question), but Usenet threads sometimes last so long that the original post is all but forgotten and nothing but followups exist. Some newsreaders call followups "replies," but a reply is usually considered a personal response via e-mail, not a public post to Usenet. Sometimes, users post a followup message, in addition to a personal e-mail reply.
Crossposting and Spam
When you post an article to Usenet, you have the option of posting it to one or more newsgroups. If you choose to post an article to more than one newsgroup, you are doing what is called crossposting. You can usually tell your newsreader to crosspost by simply placing a comma between the names of each newsgroup you want your article posted to. Be sure not to have a space between the comma and each group. For example:
When you first look at a dozen or so Usenet articles, it might seem as though Usenet has a language all to its own. This is because the Usenet community has made some minor adjustments to the English language over the years, mainly for the purpose of abbreviating commonly used phrases or expressions. The next few sections deal with some basic Usenet lingo.
Internet Abbreviations
Some abbreviations commonly used in e-mail and other messages on the Internet are as follows:
BTW - By the way
c-ya - See you later
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
FWIW - For what it's worth
IMHO - In my humble opinion
LOL - Laughing out loud
OTOH - On the other hand
RTFM - Read the @%&!^ manual! (Read the FAQ)
TIA - Thanks in advance
By the way (BTW), the abbreviation RTFM gives us the name of the largest UseNet FAQ archive on the Internet, rtfm.mit.edu.
Smiley's and Emoticons
Writing a personal letter using nothing but a standard alpha-numeric keyboard is an extremely difficult task. This is because people usually communicate using more than just words. We convey emotions, facial expressions, and other subtle body movements that help add "flavor" to our sentences. Believe it or not, but this can all be accomplished in the world of e-mail, as well.
To aid the art of e-mail communications, early Internet users developed a system of characters using different combinations of standard ASCII characters that represent human emotions. These characters are called smiley's, or emoticons (pronounced ee-MOTE-eh-cons). A smiley is read by leaning your head down toward your left shoulder and looking at the characters sideways, reading from left to right. For example, a simple happy face is:
:-)
Although you can use smiley's anywhere in your message, try not to over use these characters -- too many can make your message hard to read. Here are some common smiley's:
Descriptive
Remember, there is no "official" set of smiley's, so be creative! If you need help, check out the Unofficial Smiley Dictionary.
Bad Habits to Avoid
While the Usenet community can be some of the most helpful people when it comes to providing answers to your questions or just engaging in a friendly conversation, there are some things you can do that will alienate you from practically everyone in your favorite newsgroup. Read the next few sections to find out what you should not do when posting to Usenet (or writing e-mail for that matter).
Spam and Velveeta
While crossposting can be an advantage, it can also be abused. When an article is crossposted to too many newsgroups (usually more than 10), it is called velveeta (like the dairy product) (although it sometimes referred to as spam). What makes this practice worse is when the newsgroups have absoluely nothing to do with each other. This technique is often used by ruthless advertisers who want to achieve the largest audience possible (for free, of course).
Even worse than velveeta is spam (like the canned meat). A spam is produced when the same exact article (or only slightly altered) is individually posted to more than one group. This is done (rather than crossposting) because many newsreaders will only show a crossposted article once (and not show it in the other newsgroups). Apparently, spammers want you to see their article over and over. Spammers have been known to post the same message to thousands of newsgroups.
Not only does spam annoy Usenet readers, but it also wastes hard drive space on the thousands of news servers around the world. You see, each newsgroup in Usenet occupies its own directory (or sub-directory) on every news server. When you post an article to several newsgroups, a copy of that article is placed in each newsgroup's directory -- taking up unnecessary hard drive space. It is also worth mentioning that some members of the Usenet community have such a strong dislike towards spam that they have created programs commonly referred to as cancelbots. These programs sort through Usenet looking for spam. When they find it, they automatically delete it. In other words, your spam might not reach any newsgroups. So, in conclusion, never spam!
SHOUTING in Usenet
Writing in all capital letters (LIKE THIS) is considered shouting among the Usenet community. And as shouting in someone's face is rude, so is shouting over the Internet. So, unless you are purposely yelling at someone (which really isn't such a good idea), always make sure your Caps Lock key is off.
Check the FAQ First
If you are new to a Usenet newsgroup, always make sure you check that group's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) before posting a question. While you might think that you are the first one to come up with a question, chances are that other members of the newsgroup have seen the same question many times before. After you have checked the FAQ, if you still do not know the answer to your question, and it is definitely relevant to the newsgroup, you may then post your question. When you post the question, it is a good idea to mention that you already checked the FAQ and could not find an answer. That way, members of the newsgroup will know that you honestly spent some effort looking for an answer.
Chain Letters and Pyramid Schemes
If you don't have a very good kill file, one of the first things you will notice in Usenet is the occasional appearance of a chain letter or a pyramid scheme. These are articles that will talk about how you can earn thousands of dollars just by adding your name to a list and sending $5 to everyone else on the list. They are usually posted by some naive net user looking to make a quick buck. In a word, they don't work! And if that's not enough, they are illegal in the United States. The only thing that will happen if you post a chain letter is that you will be ridiculed by the Usenet community, sent harrassing e-mail, and perhaps receive a nasty letter from your Internet provider. So, in conclusion, never post chain letters or pyramid schemes to Usenet (or anywhere else for that matter).
Signatures
One way to distinguish yourself from the crowd in Usenet is to use a signature, which is a small text file that is automatically added to all of your posted articles. A typical signature contains information like your name, your e-mail address, your home page (if you have one), and perhaps a reference to any hobbies you are involved with. When creating your signature, you should be careful that you don't give out too much information. For example, it would probably be a bad idea to have your home phone number or address included -- you typically don't want to give this kind of information out to the entire Usenet community.
In addition, try to keep your signature 5 lines of text or below -- 3 should usually be enough. While you might think a huge ASCII picture of a person on a bicycle might look cute with your picture, most of the Usenet community has probably already seen the same picture a dozen times and has come to think of it as a nuisance. To create a signature, check your newsreader documentation. With most newsreaders, the signature can be created through a dialogue box, which can be accessed under the menu selection, "Options," or "Preferences." Some newsreaders require that you use a text editor to create a file, which is usally named something like sig.txt.