So, What Do I Do ?
You are relatively new to computers and you read the post about newsgroups and now you think you might want to give it a looksee.
So, What Do I Do ?
Newbies are probably best getting started with Outlook Express - the same application you are most likely using to read your e-mail. The thing to do is go into the top of the Outlook Express window and click on 'Newsgroups'. This will start up a
wizard helping you set up newsgroups. Just follow the wizard and you'll be good to go in no time.
The wizard will be asking you to input certain information - the following will help you decide what you will have to type in and if you go to the web page of your ISP you can ensure yourself that you are feeding the computer the right information.
smtp.nameofserver.com
The wizard will load all the newsgroups and all that remains for you to do is select the one that interests you.
There are thousands to choose from and I certainly hope you give 'alt.comp.freeware' a try. Before you start 'blasting away' I highly recommend you lurk for a while so you become aware of the nuances of newsgroups. Like everything else, ng's has its conventions and you should become familiar with
newsgroup etiquette.
Oh, and so you don't get confused, usenet, ng's and newsgroups - it all means the same thing and the fascinating thing is you'll be rubbing elbows with folks all over the world on a topic that interests you.
You should know, a lot of people use a different identity when posting to ng's. The pic shown here will give you an idea why. And no - that's neither John or me. Both of us have more hair than that. The lovely creature on the left? Some folks think it might be Andy Mabbett, but that's just rumour.
