Everyone has browsed across websites and forums that all too often are riddled with trolls and spammers. Lets face it, despite all the information out there on the internet, it is hard to wade through the trash to communicate with people who run important official websites , code useful specialist software or are acclaimed thinkers, futurists and so on. (Personally, I was impressed at finding the person who manages the database of all human genes from the NCBI on one of the groups)
I've discovered that many of these people , websites and such use mailing lists on UseNet. Usenet (a contraction of user network) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system .Several people don't know that the standard email clients they use (Outlook, Thunderbird and so on) can already read news. Perhaps the loss of popularity of UseNet is due to the lack of access to news servers, which seemed to go out of fashion after 2001, and perhaps because most existing news servers are locked down. Users are required to use their own email address [SMTP server] to post. As such, it is more secure in the sense that the user is trackable. Here is how to get access to a News server :
The Open News Network (http://www.open-news-network.org/english.html) offers free news server access after verifying your email address.
You can register there and obtain access to thousands of groups listed under UseNet. Their list can be browsed at http://open-news-network.org/grouplist/
Some Pointers :
1. Try to avoid using your regular work address while posting on UseNet. Registering at a free POP or IMAP email service such as Gmail, HotPOP and so on lets you get a free email address with which you can post on UseNet
2. Groups on USENET range in a variety of topics, and you can decide which groups to "subscribe" to. Be sure to post your thoughts and questions in a appropriate group. UseNet users are generally not appreciative of misplaced posts as they tend to keep the discussion serious and useful, and reading posts that are where they shouldn't be is just a waste of their time.
3. If you run a news server, give a thought to making it open, perhaps to a limited number of people. Do so only via an established organization such as the OpenNewsNetwork which is password protected etc and will handle user administration (at least partly) for you.
4. Instructions for using your favourite email program to read news can be found on the Internet if you Google it. Here's one for configuring Outlook Express : http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
5. Do not download anything illegal. Making UseNet a medium for illegal downloads only hurts the service.
6. Enjoy the trove of useful and right-from-the-source information that you will receive on UseNet from the proper groups.
I've discovered that many of these people , websites and such use mailing lists on UseNet. Usenet (a contraction of user network) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system .Several people don't know that the standard email clients they use (Outlook, Thunderbird and so on) can already read news. Perhaps the loss of popularity of UseNet is due to the lack of access to news servers, which seemed to go out of fashion after 2001, and perhaps because most existing news servers are locked down. Users are required to use their own email address [SMTP server] to post. As such, it is more secure in the sense that the user is trackable. Here is how to get access to a News server :
The Open News Network (http://www.open-news-network.org/english.html) offers free news server access after verifying your email address.
You can register there and obtain access to thousands of groups listed under UseNet. Their list can be browsed at http://open-news-network.org/grouplist/
Some Pointers :
1. Try to avoid using your regular work address while posting on UseNet. Registering at a free POP or IMAP email service such as Gmail, HotPOP and so on lets you get a free email address with which you can post on UseNet
2. Groups on USENET range in a variety of topics, and you can decide which groups to "subscribe" to. Be sure to post your thoughts and questions in a appropriate group. UseNet users are generally not appreciative of misplaced posts as they tend to keep the discussion serious and useful, and reading posts that are where they shouldn't be is just a waste of their time.
3. If you run a news server, give a thought to making it open, perhaps to a limited number of people. Do so only via an established organization such as the OpenNewsNetwork which is password protected etc and will handle user administration (at least partly) for you.
4. Instructions for using your favourite email program to read news can be found on the Internet if you Google it. Here's one for configuring Outlook Express : http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
5. Do not download anything illegal. Making UseNet a medium for illegal downloads only hurts the service.
6. Enjoy the trove of useful and right-from-the-source information that you will receive on UseNet from the proper groups.
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