Three methods of communicating with groups of people

• Newsgroups – (also called UseNet) – allows you to send e-mail postings to an electronic bulletin board maintained on a server computer. People (using either a special news reader or a browser) look at the listing of postings and read postings that are of interest to them. Newsgroups are usually geared to a specific topic or interest.
• Discussion Groups (also called ListServ and mailing lists) – an automatic one-to-many distribution of e-mail. Subscribers of a listserv send an e-mail message to the server computer where it is automatically distributed as e-mail to all subscribers of the listserv. You don’t have to browse a list of postings like in newsgroups but this can generate an overwhelming amount of e-mail.
• Chat rooms (IRC) – interactive communication, a group of people all log on to the same server for the purpose of on-line communication. All the people see a screen with the chat responses. When you submit a comment to the chat room it is immediately displayed on everyone’s screen.

Both discussion groups and newsgroups allow for group communication. The primary difference is that you must first subscribe to or join a discussion group, whereas anyone can browse and interact with a newsgroup. Another name for discussion groups is list servers (or ListServ). Another name for newsgroups is UseNet.

DISCUSSION GROUPS (LISTSERVERS) – (one to many distribution of e-mail messages) Discussion groups are made up of people anywhere on the Internet who agree to communicate about a certain topic using e-mail. Anyone can join or subscribe to a discussion group. Discussions are usually on the main topic, but messages on other topics are usually tolerated or redirected to other groups. Each message sent to the group’s address is routed through e-mail to all group members.

E-mail is the medium for all communication in a discussion group. Using e-mail, a person makes a request to join or subscribe to a group. That person them shares in group messages. Any message sent to the group is rebroadcast via e-mail to all group members. Some groups are moderated, in which case a message sent to the group is first routed to the moderator. The moderator determines if the content is appropriate for the discussion group and then forwards it to everyone in the discussion group.

The discussion group is managed by software. This software does tasks like:

• Adding new members or subscribers
• Removing members who chose to unsubscribe
• Maintains the files associated with the discussion group
• Automatically forwards incoming messages to all group members

• WWW.LSOFT.COM/LISTS/LISTREF.HTML is a catalog of listserver lists. This database has more that 10,000 lists
• WWW.LISZT.COM is a searchable directory of discussion groups
• WWW.REFERENCE.COM lets you search for discussion groups and newsgroups

Let’s try To locate some mailing lists. Go to WWW.YAHOO.COM

Scroll down to the directory and click on COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET, then click on INTERNET, then click on MAILING LISTS, then click on COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET

You should see a list of mailing lists

Try one more spot, go to the following site

LISTSERV TERMINOLOGY

• archives - List archives are a collection of files which contain the list's past traffic. List archives are often generated by the list server software and can be obtained by sending a command to the list server. Sometimes archives are also made accessible via FTP, Gopher, and the World Wide Web.
• closed list - A closed list is one which does not permit automatic subscription. In such instances, requests to subscribe to the list are usually forwarded to the list owner who will then approve or deny the request. This technique is often used by list owner's of technical lists who want to make sure that subscribers have a certain level of expertise in the list topic. For example, a list that deals with genetic research may wish to review subscription requests and permit only those who have some level of competence in the field of genetics to join the list. (Some people also refer to this as a private list.)
• edited list - Generally speaking, when you post an article to a list, it is then distributed to all of the list's subscribers. On an edited list, the article is forwarded to one or more people (usually the list owner or assignees) and must be approved for distribution to the list members. This technique is often used to filter inappropriate posts such as commercial advertisements and off-topic posts.
• LISTSERV - In its most correct use, LISTSERV is the name of a list server program that was created by Eric Thomas and is produced by L-Soft International. As a generic term, a listserv is any program that automates list operations; a list server program.
• list administrator - The person or persons who are responsible for maintaining a list server.
• open list - An open list is one that is generally open to anybody and will accept postings from anybody, whether they are subscribed to the list or not. Some lists may have an open list policy insofar as automatic subscriptions are concerned, but may require you to be subscribed to the list in order to post to it. (See also private list.)
• private list - A private list is a list that only accepts posts from its subscribers; i.e., you must subscribe to the list before you can post to it. The phrase is often used to mean a closed list.
• reflector mode - For most lists, when a list member posts an article to the list, the list server program generates a copy of the message and mails it to all of the members of the list; that is, it is reflected or bounced to the list members. Compare this to the digest mode where articles are collected over a certain period and then distributed as a single message.
• spam - The act of mailing multiple copies of a single message to multiple addresses, the content of which is generally inappropriate for its destination.
• subscribe - Subscribing is a means by which your e-mail address is added to a particular list of addresses which share an interest in a common topic. In most cases, you can automatically subscribe yourself to a list by sending a command to a list server or, if the list is not automated, by sending your request to the list's owner.

Originally conceived (early 1980's) for the exchange of technical information, usenet soon became more. Newsgroups were developed for non-technical subjects such as hobbies and social interests.

There are thousands of newsgroups. Usenet is not a network but a service carried over the Internet. Think of it as an organized e-mail system, except there is no single user that the mail is sent to. Instead the messages are sent to a newsgroup section, available for anyone who accesses that newsgroup. You write something you want others to read and you send it (post it) to the newsgroup. You use special software called a READER to look at the newsgroup's contents. Some WWW sites will provide limited access to newsgroups but the Reader programs are more powerful.

Once a newsgroup has been created, anything can be sent to the newsgroup and made accessible to everyone else on the Internet. Some newsgroups are moderated to assure that the postings are relative to the topic, the postings don't contain profanity, or that there isn't flaming.

1. a newsgroup member sends text and pictures from their home computer to the newsgroup maintained on computers at their local ISP office.
2. The posted message is stored on a server operated by the local Internet Service Provider or an information service like America On Line. These local ISP (or information service) organizations have a server dedicated to newsgroup files. Periodically, usually once each day, the postings are uploaded to other servers that maintain nationwide newsgroup postings on a computer available for a fee to the ISP
3. A national organization has a server dedicated to keeping newsgroup postings. They offer access to these files for a monthly fee which is paid to them by your local ISP.
4. A local Internet Service Provider pays a fee to the national company maintaining the newsgroup files. The local ISP uploads new postings daily to the national server and then downloads the entire set of newsgroups daily. The local ISP stores the downloaded newsgroup files on a local server computer at their office These files stored locally are then made available to the ISP’s subscribers. The entire set of files includes approximately 40,000 newsgroups. There are eight main hierarchical categories and one called Alt. Alt is basically an "anything goes" category. When the files are downloaded from the nationwide server, the local ISP can specify what, if any, newsgroups are not to be downloaded. Some local ISPs allow uncensored access to all news groups, other local ISPs filter out certain newsgroups (for example the local ISP may decide to not download any .alt newsgroup postings).
5. A person uses their computer at home or work with either a web browser or a newsreader program to connect to your local ISP newsgroup server for selecting and reading individual postings. A newsreader program gives the user more control of the process and can keep track of "favorite" newsgroup categories so you can get to them easier. The net result is that the newsgroups don’t have a URL like World Wide Web files. They are accessed from your local ISP’s computers which is periodically updated by the local ISP from a national server.

• Each file is called an article and is posted on a newsgroup server computer
• Cross-posting means posting an article to more than one newsgroup
• Threads are an original article and follow-up postings responding to the original posting. Newsreaders usually display the threads by showing a list of all the follow-ups after the original posting

Newsgroup topics are arranged or named in a hierarchical manner. The name of a newsgroup usually consists of several words separated by periods. The first part is the top level or category in the hierarchy. As you move to the right, the names become more specific. Ex: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic

rec is the main hierarchy grouping, a group that deals with music, recreation, hobbies, etc. The word music indicates the group discusses topics relating to music. The word makers indicates the discussion is about playing or performing music. The last two words, guitar and acoustic, indicate this is a discussion about playing acoustic guitars.

A system administrator supervises the server. With thousands of newsgroups, a naming system was developed to find groups that interest you.

Hierarchies are arranged so they get more specific as you work your way down. For example:
rec. (recreation groups)
rec.collecting (recreation groups about collecting)
rec.collecting.sport (recreation groups about sports collecting)
rec.collecting.sport.football (a recreation group about sports collecting, specifically: football)
Note that rec.collecting.sport.* (the * means everything in this group, would also include sports collecting groups about baseball, hockey, etc.

Sample newsgroups:
Rec.audio Rec.audio.high-end
Rec.autos.antique Alt.autos.antique
News.announcements.newusers Rec.humor.funny
Misc.forsale Rec.video
Rec.arts.movies Rec.travel
Alt.folklore.urban Rec.arts.movies.reviews
Rec.music.misc Rec.arts.startrek
Rec.birds
Alt.music.billy-joel
Alt.fan.conan-obrien
Alt.fan.james-bond
Rec.sports.baseball
Rec.sports.football.college
Alt.sports.racquetball
Alt.president.clinton

Nearly all Usenet Newsgroups are non-commercially oriented. Posting ads or solicitations in these newsgroups is inappropriate and won't be welcomed.

NEWSREADER – A newsreader is the interface (program) between a user and the server. It allows you to track specific newsgroups you read regularly, read posted articles, keep articles you have previously read. Some web sites allow you to access news groups but won’t provide the convenience and features a dedicated newsreader program has. A popular web site that let’s you see newsgroup articles is http://www.dejanews.com/

You can search newsgroups with sites like www.altavista.digital.com

You can click on the drop down list to indicate you want to search newsgroups instead of the web.

Another site is www.excite.com

Lets try searching UseNet

Start up the Netscape Navigator browser

Enter the URL www.dejanews.com

This screen (which may be changed by the time you do this lab) allows you to type a search for a specific topic or select a category. Click on HOBBIES, on the next screen click on PETS.

Click on the link to the right of rec.pets.cats

Click on the rec.cats.anecdotes link

Newsgroup Terms You Should Know

• Anonymous postings - some service providers allow you to post anonymously although this is considered bad behavior. If you can't sign your name you shouldn't be posting
• article (also post) - An individual message in a newsgroup. When a person sends or posts an article and other people reply to it, it forms a thread.
• BTW (By The Way) -An abbreviation for "By The Way." Other common newsgroup abbreviations include TIA (Thanks In Advance), IMHO (In My Humble Opinion), AFAIK (As Far As I Know), and the now-common LOL (Laughing Out Loud).
• cross-post - To copy an article to multiple newsgroups. Cross-posting should be done sparingly, and only when the post is relevant to the affected newsgroups. Excessive cross-posting is a lot like spam, and is nicknamed "velveeta."
• Emoticon (also smiley) - Little faces made out of keyboard characters, used to express smiles :-) winks ;-) surprise :-0 and more. (If you don't see the faces, put your left ear on your left shoulder and look again.)
• expired article - Newsgroup articles are stored for a limited time, after which they are deleted to make room for new articles. An article that has been deleted and is no longer available has "expired." (This is why the number of articles listed frequently doesn't always match the number of articles that show up - the other articles have expired.)
• FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - A list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions and other useful information for a newsgroup. (When pronouncing, spell it out or rhyme "FAQ" with "back.") Always read a newsgroup's FAQ before you post.
• Flame - An angry newsgroup article or e-mail that viciously attacks someone or something. Usually written in the heat of the moment. Often starts a flamewar. Also, the act of sending or posting a flame. A person who flames is a "flamer."
• flame bait- Provocative material in an article that, intentionally or unintentionally, will make people angry and invite flames in response.
• flame war - A argument or fight that takes place in newsgroup articles or e-mail. Flamewars involve lots of name-calling, nasty insults, and "YELLING."
• follow up (also reply) - To respond to an article by posting a response to the newsgroup. See quoting.
• Hierarchy - The categories of newsgroups. The main categories are: comp. (computer topics), misc. (miscellaneous), news. (newsgroup-related stuff), rec. (recreation), sci. (science), soc. (society), talk. (discussion), and alt. (alternative). Hierarchies are arranged so they get more specific as you work your way down. For example: rec.collecting.sport.football (a recreation group about sports collecting, specifically football) Note that rec.collecting.sport.* would also include sports collecting groups about baseball, hockey, etc.
• kill file - A file used by some newsreaders to reject unwanted articles. A kill file will reject posts containing words, authors, or subjects that you don't want to see. Also known as a "bozo filter."
• Lurk - To read articles in a newsgroup without posting any of your own. Always lurk a while before posting, to get a feel for the newsgroup. A person who lurks is a "lurker.".  
• mark read (also catch up) - A newsreader command that marks all the articles in a newsgroup as having been read. Do this after you've read the interesting posts in a newsgroup and only want to see new posts the next time you visit.
• MMF - An abbreviation for MAKE MONEY FAST; also the generic name for any of the useless, futile, and often illegal pyramid schemes that promise to "make $5 into $50,000" or "GET RICH QUICK" by spamming newsgroups. They don't work, they're annoying, they're illegal, and people will flame you, so don't ever do it. Posting MMF-type posts is very bad netiquette
• moderated newsgroup - A newsgroup where all posts must be approved before they can be seen by all. The people who do the filtering are known as moderators. Moderated newsgroups typically have a lot of information, and very little spam or garbage. See signal-to-noise ratio.
• Netiquette - Network etiquette. Since there are no Internet Police, a set of rules and guidelines on acceptable behavior has developed organically. Netiquette includes things like not spamming, learning to lurk before posting, and more. Learn netiquette and you won't get flamed.
• Newbie - A beginner. All experts were newbies once.
• News - Another name for newsgroups. Also "Netnews," "USENET," or "Usenet."
• newsgroup (also group) - An Internet discussion forum, such as rec.pets.cats or alt.internet.services. All together, the thousands of newsgroups form a global bulletin board where people talk about every topic imaginable. Newsgroups are where you post articles.
• Newsreader - The software you use to access newsgroups. A newsreader lets you read articles, respond to them, and post your own.
• Post - A newsgroup article. Also, the act of sending an article to a newsgroup so that others can read and reply to it.
• Quote - To include part of a previous post when you follow up to it. Quoting is a good idea because it lets people know what you're talking about. Quoted material often is preceded by ">" and looks like: gt; This is an example of quoted material. Here is some more > quoted material, to let people know what you are replying to. This would be where your new comments would begin.
• Reply - A newsgroup article that is posted to the newsgroup as a response to another post. It's usually a good idea to quote from the article you're replying to so people know what you're talking about. When replying, avoid posting simply "me too" or "I agree."
• signal-to-noise ratio - An electronics term used to compare the amount of good, useful info ("signal") in a newsgroup with the amount of bad, useless junk ("noise"). Newsgroups that have lots of flame wars and spam have a low signal-to-noise ratio.
• signature (also sig) - text added to the bottom of an article or e-mail to give the reader more information about the poster. Signatures can include e-mail and Web addresses, quotes, text art, and more, though signatures should not be longer than 4 or 5 lines.
• Spam - An article that is sent to hundreds or thousands of different newsgroups, and has nothing to do with any of them. Often advertisements or "MAKE MONEY FAST"-type chain letters. Very annoying and a very bad violation of netiquette. The act of sending spam is "spamming." Someone who sends spam is a "spammer." The term "spam" comes from the Monty Python sketch where the name of the canned meat product is used so often that it crowds everything else out.
• Spoiler - Information that may diminish the enjoyment someone else gets from a book, movie, TV show, etc. Example: Posting "Wow! Darth Vader is Luke's father!!!" in a current movies newsgroup may spoil someone who hasn't seen The Empire Strikes Back. Be nice: Use warnings (like adding "SPOILER: Empire Strikes Back" to the subject line) and add spoiler space (blank lines before spoiler information) to posts that may contain spoilers.
• Thread - A thread is an ongoing discussion of related messages that grows from one particular posting.
• Usenet (also USENET) - The full name of newsgroups is "Usenet Newsgroups."

  IRC (Chat Rooms)

  Internet Relay Chat is a system where you use your computer’s Internet connection to connect the IRC server. You can talk to people all over the world by going to a chat room or channel and viewing text other people type and typing your own text. Because of it’s interactive nature it sometimes is chaotic, sort of like being in a room where you are trying to listen to several conversations. Some educational and professional organizations hold meetings online using IRC. Some businesses use it for long distance conferencing. Many channels are private, meaning you must be invited to join. These channels may use passwords to get access.

  

  IRC was invented in the late 1980’s by a Finnish college student looking to improve the quality of interactive communication on his computer bulletin board.

  IRC relies on the TCP/IP protocol that the Internet is based on. IRC uses two components of a TCP/IP network – servers and clients. The part that is on your computer is the client software.

  IRC Client – The client is just a fancy name for the software you run on your computer to connect to the IRC server, which accepts connections from many IRC clients at the same time. IRC clients may be specialized programs such as WINIRC, WS_IRC, and IRCIIWIN. America On-Line maintains it’s own moderated chat rooms and the program provided by AOL for your computer contains a chat room component.

  IRC Server – IRC Servers are the core of the IRC system. IRC servers provide the supporting structure that allows IRC to work. The servers maintain information on the available chat rooms (or channels). Servers also administrate which users are currently connected.

  IRC operators - IRC servers are maintained by IRC operators (people) who run the servers and keep everything running properly. These are the people who have the technical knowledge to use the IRC server software. If the chat room (or channel) is moderated it means the IRC operator (or a channel operator) tries to control the profanity and flaming by banning violators

  Channel Operators – individuals who control a particular channel. Sometimes called "ops". Channel Operators set the topic for a channel and can ban users from the channel.

   

  When you first log on to a chat room you will be asked for your screen name or nick name. If you are using a business IRC you may want to use your full name as your screen name. When you join a chat room or channel it is fairly common to greet everyone on the channel. Don’t greet each user individually, just say hi to everyone in one message. Try to fit into the conversation just as you would in a real social gathering. When you want to speak to a specific person you preface your remarks with that person’s handle. Ex:

  <Big Rick>Anyone know the score of the Celtics basketball game

  <JimBob> Big Rick: yeah, the Bulls are ahead by one point with 4 minutes left

  Everyone else on the channel will be able to read your message. If desired, there is usually a procedure to send private messages to one specific person.

  Some abbreviations and smileys

  BTW – by the way

  IMO – in my opinion

  L8r - see ya later, bye

  S2n – signal to noise, ration of useful comments to garbage

  Brb – be right back

  FYI – for your information

  : ) or : -) a smiley for happy

  : -( sad

  : -> mad

  : -o surprise

  : -@ yelling

  '-) or ;-) winking

  let’s try it go to the site:

  http://www.talkcity.com/

  Select a channel Or pick a specific room