How is Usenet Organized?

The Usenet system is a vast multidimensional network of ideas, spanning nearly every aspect of human thought: Science, The Arts, Politics, Religion, Sports, Commerce, and so forth. Newcomers to this network may feel a bit like Isaac Newton, described by poet William Wordsworth as “a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought ... alone.”

So it might help to have a map. This article is your guide to the major hierarchies in the Usenet system, along with a sampling of interesting stops along the way.

Many of the newsgroups are moderated, which means that new messages have to be read and approved by a human moderator before they appear in the system. Newsgroups without a moderator are often so overrun with advertising and off-topic messages that they’re not worth visiting.

The biz.* newsgroups

The biz.* hierarchy is dedicated mainly to the nuts-and-bolts issues of doing business; if you want to talk about social issues such as outsourcing or Enron, this isn’t the best place. Some newsgroups that are worth visiting include:

• biz.general: Home to a set of well-written FAQs aimed at helping marketers, particularly online marketers, and debunking “get rich quick” myths.
• biz.marketplace.computers.*: Helpful set of groups for buying and selling computer parts and accessories.
• biz.ecommerce: If you run an e-commerce web site, and you can stand some honest criticism, ask the regulars here to critique it. What you learn may surprise and enrich you.

The comp.* newsgroups

Strictly technical discussions on computer topics. If you make your living with a computer, this is the place to network and share your knowledge, in areas like these:

• comp.os.ms-windows: Good place to look for answers to thorny Windows problems.

The humanities.* newsgroups

The youngest of the Big Eight groups, humanities.* has a sprinkling of newsgroups related to classic literature and music.

The misc.* newsgroups

A grab bag of topics that don’t seem to belong anywhere else: Survivalism, the metric system, intellectual property rights, and train travel, among others. You can find some very useful information here, in groups like:

• misc.taxes.moderated: Frequented by CPAs and other tax professionals. You might find the answer to that thorny tax question here.

The news.* newsgroups

Despite the confusing name, the news.* hierarchy is not about current events, but about the Usenet newsgroups system itself. Beginners should check out news.newusers.questions, an excellent place to get Usenet tips and tricks.

The rec.* newsgroups

Dedicated to sports, games, hobbies, crafts, music, movies, and other assorted pastimes.

• rec.humor.oracle: Collected wisdom from the Internet Oracle, the long-running collaborative humor project.
• rec.food.recipes: Read this newsgroup regularly, and you’ll never eat the same dish twice.

The sci.* newsgroups

The wonderful world of science, spanning topics such as engineering, medicine, math and psychology. Most

• sci.aquaria.*: Newsgroups for owners and operators of aquariums. See also alt.aquaria.*.
• sci.space.news: Good place to learn about what’s going on in space exploration.

The soc.* newsgroups

A global forum for discussions about society and culture.

• soc.culture.*: A sprawling collection of message boards for nearly every nationality and ethnicity on Earth.
• soc.history.moderated: Home of “Poor Gabriel's Almanac,” a daily list of famous birthdays and historical events.

The talk.* newsgroups

You can find heated discussions all across Usenet, but the talk.* hierarchy really turns up the temperature. If you’re itching for a fight about such talk-radio topics as religion and politics, put on your flame-retardant suit and jump in.

The alt.* newsgroups

Created as an alternative to the Big Eight hierarchies, alt.* contains a bewildering array of hundreds of newsgroups, sometimes haphazardly organized. Some sections worth your time include alt.books.*, alt.games.*, alt.music.*, alt.pets.*, alt.fan.* and alt.binaries.*.

Best of the rest

• simflight.*: Flight simulator fans may be the most passionate, well-connected hobbyists on Usenet. They have an entire hierarchy to themselves, mostly spam-free.
• microsoft.public.*: Comprehensive set of newsgroups for Microsoft products and technologies. Get expert answers here, from knowledgeable users and Microsoft support staff.