Usenet-The Basics

Usenet, which is short for Users Network, is an international net¬work of newsgroups. With an estimated 15-20 million frequent us¬ers 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. Usenet can be useful in many ways. The most obvious use in as an information resource. No mat¬ter how unusual a question, there is probably a newsgroup out there with enough people who would be willing and able to give we an answer. Although some of the answers might not be completely accurate, we usually will receive enough replies that we will be able to weed out the incorrect responses. In addition to getting our ques¬tions 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. Until recent years, Usenet has fo¬cused primarily on computer-based topics or technical discussions. But, with the sudden increase in Internet users outside the techni¬cal professions, a Usenet has softened up quite a bit and now in-cludes hundreds of newsgroups for the discussion of the fine arts (such as music, paintings, or theater), as well as other non-compu¬ter topics like gardening, sports, TV, and clothing.