What Is Usenet?

by Brad Ryder, May 30, 1996

Usenet is the place on the Internet where discussions take place. This is a simple answer, but the ramifications are much more complex, as we will see. Usually this discussion feature is referred to as "newsgroups" or "discussion groups." Originally Usenet (short for "users network") was experimental, started in 1979 in North Carolina for posting news messages and notices. The two sites at this time were the University of North Carolina and Duke University [Hahn, 1996].

Eventually other places joined and Usenet expanded. Now it is everywhere. Anyone with access to a Usenet computer and newsreader software can post to the Internet with insights no more profound than "I agree!" Not only is it becoming a popular bulletin board, Usenet is showing up in courtrooms. Since messages have time stamps accurate to one hundredth of a second, Usenet logs are being used in court cases as defenders and prosecutors seek to pinpoint the whereabouts of their clients [Newhagen & Rafaeli, 1996].

Usenet is like the forums and SIGs (special interest groups) one finds on Compuserve or America Online. The basic structure is the same; Usenet groups are centered around a particular topic, and there are thousands available. By Hahn's last count, there were 13,000 newsgroups, categorized by type, indicated by the first word in the name, as in news.newusers.questions. In this case, this is a news newsgroup. Other types are alt (alternative), comp (computers), misc (miscellaneous), rec (recreation), sci (science), soc (social issues), and talk [Hahn, 1996, p. 259].

One interesting aspect of Usenet is that not all Internet services have a Usenet computer, and not all Usenet computers are on the Internet. Many users take newsgroups for granted, assuming that if they can access the Internet, then finding a discussion group cannot be difficult. Sometimes it is. The way most of the Internet works is that information remains on the host computer and can be downloaded for viewing. Usenet works a bit differently. When you read an article from a newsgroup, you are actually reading it from your local Usenet computer (or from whichever computer you access newsgroups). If you post a message to that newsgroup, it will go to that computer, then eventually make its way around to other computers as these computers conduct news feeds [Hahn, 1996, p. 256]. This is why it is unlikely that a user will find one computer with all 13,000 discussion groups. If your Usenet computer is down, it is still possible to find newsgroups by accessing a different Usenet computer, if you know the address.

As mentioned, the appropriate newsreader software is needed. Almost all Internet startup kits include some kind of newsreader. Once connected to the Internet, the user launches this program and, if all goes well, a list of thousands of newsgroups will show up. Depending on the settings, your software will ask if you want a fresh list of newsgroups. This can be time consuming. However, if you don't do this periodically, you will not know about newly created newsgroups.

Most newsreader software will allow the user to "subscribe" to newsgroups. This is different from subscribing to a Listserv mailing list, which sends you e-mail directly. If you subscribe to a newsgroup using your newsreader, this merely means that the subscribed newsgroup will appear at the top of your list. You can elect to show all newsgroups or only those to which you subscribe.

Nearly any topic can be found in a newsgroup. Of the 25 most popular Usenet newsgroups listed by Hahn, 18 included sex, erotica, or tasteless in the name. Even though much of the discussion carried by Usenet is based on sex, it is also becoming an important place for researchers. It reduces practical restrictions on research, namely time, money, and travel. In the past, newsgroups might not have been a good source. Now, a researcher's best starting point may well be a colleague's Usenet posting [Doran, 1996].

There's more that could be said about Usenet, such as codes of behavior, how to start a newsgroup, and decoding graphic files for viewing, but this will have to be some other time.

REFERENCES

Doran, K. (1996.) The Internet: Its impact, import, and influence. Computers in Libraries, 16, 3, pp. 8-10.

Hahn, H. [1996]. The Internet, Complete Reference, Second Edition. Berkeley, Calif.: Osborne McGraw-Hill.

Newhagen, J., Rafaeli, S. (1996.) Why communication researchers should study the Internet: A dialogue. Journal of Communication, 46, 1, pp. 4-13.