© 1999 by Robert Sanchez

So you think the Internet is just a bunch of fast-buck artists and slow-loading graphics?

Then follow me to a fascinating byway that sometimes escapes the notice of eager Web surfers. Older than the Web by years, it has no real purpose but talk. If you can think of a topic, there is a discussion group for it: antiques, music, movies. Automobiles, culture, religion. You can make friends, talk to experts, chat with charmers. Or you can make enemies, put up with the phonies, and ignore the bores. This is a bustling bazaar with a raucous din of opinions about everything under the sun, sometimes with a level of rudeness that can take your breath away.

Welcome to Usenet, a gold mine of tens of thousands of discussion groups (officially and inaccurately called "newsgroups"). Most of these groups are unmoderated, meaning that no one is in charge: you can (and many people do) say anything. This free speech comes with a price: others may feel free to tell you off. So if you come across as phony or offensive, you become a target for ridicule; if you come across as the pleasant and tactful person you probably are, you may find Usenet a delight. (That's my Golden Rule pitch.)

If you mistrust the "establishment media," you will love Usenet. No one¾ and everyone¾ is an authority. You choose what to say and whom to believe. There are experts and quacks and ordinary people looking for information or conversation. There is a common myth that any message that you post onto Usenet will be viewed by millions of readers, which is plain and simple nonsense. On the other hand, it is a wonderful place to meet people who share your interests. When you post a message, people may respond, and the ongoing discussion becomes a "thread" that you can easily follow by looking at the topic heading.

Usenet is divided into several major domains, including alt (alternate), comp (computing), misc (miscellaneous), rec (recreation), sci (science), soc (social), and a number of others. So you may have rec.skiing.alpine, for example, where lovers of alpine skiing may gather. Sports fans will find lots of groups and subgroups beginning with rec.sport, such as rec.sport.baseball, which breaks down even further for those who find baseball to broad a topic. In alt.support you can find many serious and substantial groups where participants help each other through personal crises. There is no point in my trying to be comprehensive, because of the sheer vastness of your range of choices.

Usenet is also a wonderful place to find people with expertise, or simply life experience. Many people are generous with their knowledge if you approach them in a reasonable way.

So how do you access Usenet? Web developer Judy Loose (http://www.looselinks.com) points out the best way. Simply aim your browser at Deja News (http://www.dejanews.com), which organizes Usenet's content in an easy-to-use format.

Most Internet service providers (ISPs) give you a more traditional and less satisfying route. For example, recent versions of Netscape offer to send you to "Collabra discussion groups."

If you access Usenet through your ISP, be patient at first. Your browser wants to read the complete list of "newsgroups," and that typically takes a few minutes. The process generally speeds up once you’ve gone through the initiation rite.

Then you can scan through the list and subscribe to any groups that catch your fancy. "Subscribe" is a little misleading, because it is simply a computer action that costs you nothing. Don’t worry. You can unsubscribe with the click of a button.

All subscribing to a newsgroup means is that you can download new messages. Then you can choose to "lurk," which means read other folks’ messages without joining in the discussion, or you can jump right in with a message of your own. Keep in mind that that many groups maintain a "FAQ" (pronounced "fak"), which is a list of frequently asked questions. There are two good ways to get off to a good start in a new group: If you have a question, read the group’s FAQ if you find one. Second, lurk for a while. Read the recent messages so you know what's already been covered.

Usenet is like a gold mine. You sift through the slurry for a glint that catches your eye. Then you judge whether the information is genuine or if it's fool's gold. To get that cherished nugget, you put up with a lot of flakes.