How to Use Newsgroups

Newsgroups are online discussion groups or forums delivered to members via Usenet.com. Members can read posts from other users and chime in with their own input, sometimes under the direction of a moderator. Newsgroups can be read using news client software programs such as Windows Live Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird. Each newsgroup has a focus topic. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of newsgroups to which you can subscribe, meaning there is definitely something for everyone.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• News client software program

1. Download a news client program if one is not yet installed (see Resources). Open the news client program.

2. Set up the news client program to read newsgroups if it is not already configured. In Mozilla Thunderbird, point to "New" from the "File" menu and select "Account." Select "Newsgroup Account" and click "Next." Complete the wizard, entering your name, "news.mozilla.org" as both the server and account names, and finish. Windows Mail will be configured as long as an email account is set up.

3. Display the list of available newsgroups. In Windows Mail, go to the "Tools" menu and select "Newsgroups." In Mozilla Thunderbird, click "news.mozilla.org" in the left task pane. Select "Manage Newsgroup Subscriptions."

4. Select a newsgroup from the list or type a keyword into the search box to find a newsgroup. Click on the name in the Newsgroups list and click the "Subscribe" button.

5. Read messages in the newsgroup by selecting the newsgroup in the pane. Newsgroup messages look similar to emails, and readers can write posts or reply to posts much like an email.

Resources

• News Client Software Downloads