Using Usenet

As part of your stock market education, Usenet – the Internet's oldest, best-established community of forums – may prove an invaluable resource for sharing information and tips.

If you're new to the Internet, there is a good chance you may not have encountered Usenet. Unlike the Web, Usenet is an all-text collection of discussion groups, organized by topic. Egalitarian to a fault, Usenet allows anyone with an Internet connection to read and post messages to any newsgroup they choose. As a result, the quality of newsgroups vary widely. Some groups are long-standing, tightly-knit communities. Others feel more like ghost towns, with posters contributing sporadically.

You Are What You Post
Because Usenet communities are public forums, it is a good idea to treat a newsgroup as you would any other public meeting place. Obvious gaffes include insulting other Usenet contributors, barging into ongoing conversations without first 'delurking' by introducing yourself, and asking questions which are off-topic to the newsgroup.

As in life, the best way to join a group is to be a good citizen: ask thoughtful on-topic questions, be helpful where possible, and be respectful to other group members. On Usenet, you are what you post.

Newsgroups by Web
If you don't know how to access newsgroups through your Internet service provider, it's a good idea to find out how. Depending on what service you use to hit the Internet, it can be as easy as a keyword, or as complex as downloading and setting up a software package. Be sure and check with your provider.

To get started immediately, the Web site DejaNews allows you to use the Web to follow thousands of online discussions. Because it also archives millions of posts to over 25,000 Usenet newsgroups and makes them searchable, it is a very useful tool to catch up on what you may have missed.

To find out what people on Usenet have to say about your topic of interest, try visiting DejaNews at the link below. Then enter your topic of interest [such as "online investing"] or the specific newsgroup name [such as "misc.invest.stocks"] into the search window. That should return a number of posts in that newsgroup which pertain to your topic.

Just the FAQs
If you plan to contribute to or ask questions on the newsgroup, it's a good idea to first read the FAQ [short for "Frequently Asked Questions"] pertaining to that discussion forum. One way to quickly find the FAQ – if there is one – is to enter the newsgroup name, and the term "FAQ " into the DejaNews search window. Should that tactic get no result, make a post to the newsgroup politely requesting the FAQ. On Usenet, this is considered good manners.

Assuming the FAQ does not exist, or left your question unanswered, make a short post to the newsgroup introducing yourself, informing the group you're a new arrival, and politely phrasing yur question. A good thing to keep in mind as you venture into Usenet is that your words will be appearing in a large open forum. Your words are likely to be archived for posterity by DejaNews. So don't say anything you wouldn't want said to you.

Back to Online Investing
Getting Started
Safety in Numbers
Ethical Investing

Written by Sean Wolfe, with graphic design by Dana Byerly