One of the best methods to distribute information to a vast audience is
through Usenet. Comprised of thousands of newsgroups, Usenet is used to
exchange information, gossip, and more.
To read newsgroups, you'll need a news reader.
One news reader is Netscape Messenger, which
lets you read and post to newsgroups similar to the way you send email.
You can start Messenger in the following
ways:
The Netscape Mail & Newsgroups dialog which opens
will look like Figure 7-18.
Your next task is to download the list of newsgroups from your ISP's
news server, and to subscribe to those groups in which you have an
interest. Be prepared to wait. Depending on the speed of your
connection, downloading the list of many thousands of newsgroups can
take some time.
After you select the newsgroups icon and download the list, click on
on Messenger's
menu, or right-click on the news server entry in the Message
Center dialog, and select Subscribe to
Newsgroups.
In the tabbed window which opens (see Figure 7-19), you'll be able to:
See all of the available newsgroups to which you can subscribe
(the All tab)
Search for a particular newsgroup by full or partial name
(the Search tab)
View newsgroups which have been added by your ISP since you last
downloaded (or refreshed) the full list of newsgroups
(the New tab)
An indicator on the bottom of the dialog will show your progress as you
download the complete list of newsgroups.
Groups shown in bold have new messages. Listings which are preceded with
a "+" have subcategories.
Click to highlight the name of a group that interests you, then click on
the Subscribe button (as in Figure 7-20).
You can also search for newsgroups based on your interests in the
Search dialog. For example, if you're an avid news
and media fan, go to the Search tab. In the
Search For field, type
journalism and click on the Search
Now button (or press [Enter]). Your search
will likely result in quite a few newsgroups to which you can subscribe.
 | How to Unsubscribe |
|---|
| | You can unsubscribe to
newsgroups by highlighting your choice in the Newsgroup Subscription
dialog box and clicking on .
|
When you are finished subscribing to newsgroups, click on
OK. Your selections will appear in
Messenger's main dialog (see Figure 7-21). Note that the
Total category represents the total number of
messages in the group; the Unread category
represents the number of messages you have not read.
To view a newsgroup, double-click on its name. In the top right pane of
the dialog, you'll see the messages' subjects; in the bottom right pane,
you'll be able to read the associated messages.
To write a message to your selected newsgroup, click on on the menu, or go to =>
=> . Like writing
email, enter your message in the Compose dialog
which opens and send your message. It will be posted to your current
newsgroup.
Selecting one of the menu items or right-clicking in the message
body to perform the following tasks on posted messages:
Reply — Send a reply to the poster either in
the newsgroup or privately, by email
Reply All — Reply to both the poster and the
newsgroup
Forward — Forward the message to an email
address
File — Place the message in a
Messenger folder, such as your
Inbox
Next — Move to the next message on the
list
Print — Print the message
as Read — Mark the message as read, in which
case it would no longer be highlighted as a new, or unread, message
There are other applications which can be useful and fun ways to chat
and exchange information online. For example, you may wish to explore
applications such as messengers and IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
clients. But the staples of browsing (email and news reading) may keep
you entertained and busy for quite some time.
