Newsgroups have nothing to do with news. They're really discussion groups that work very much like e-mail, except that anyone can read any messages sent to them.

There are thousands of newsgroups, all divided into subject categories. The most common subject category is "alt." under which there are thousands of newsgroups, such as "alt.buttered.scones" and "alt.dreams."

Newsgroups are an excellent way to share information, to get answers, and to give your expert opinion on a myriad of subjects, ranging from scones to dreams, and from cars to botany. There are thousands of newsgroups, and people from all over the world participate in them.

The most common way to access newsgroups is through Netscape News, Netscape Collabra, or Microsoft Outlook Express. You can access any newsgroup you want this way. (Some members might still be using Netscape Navigator version 1.x.)

You can also access newsgroups by clicking on a link to one from a web page. Web sites often suggest newsgroups related to a topic of discussion and include a link to them right in the page. When you click on such a link, Netscape News will start and then open the newsgroup you clicked on.

Here are some examples of newsgroup links:

When is the best time to plant orchids? Ask rec.gardens.orchids
Send your recipe for peanut-butter-squash surprise to rec.food.recipes
Find out the resale value of your 1985 Firebird alt.autos.camaro.

Search engines are another way to access newsgroups. Deja News is a good newsgroup search engine. If you need to, get help with understanding search engines.

Remember your netiquette when you participate in newsgroups. Try to be polite, and remember that newsgroups attract all kinds of different people. Different people have different opinions and conflicting world-views. You may be troubled or offended by some of the postings you come across in various newsgroups. Unless the newsgroup you select is moderated, people are pretty much free to post whatever they want. However, the vast majority of newsgroups are great places to visit, so enjoy your travels.

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