Topic: "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know about Usenet" Host: Kevin Savetz, "AnswerMan" OnlineHost: Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc. CJ Ellen: Good evening and welcome to the AnswerMan Event! AnswerMan: Greetings! CJ Ellen: Tonight Kevin Savetz, the AnswerMan is going to tell us about newsgroups and how to use them. If you have newsgroup questions, now's the time to send them up! Click on "Interact with Host" to do so. Kevin, how about starting us off by telling us what newsgroups are and where to begin with them? AnswerMan: Certainly, Ellen. Newsgroups, also known as Usenet, are the "bulletin board of the Internet." It's a public messaging system where you can talk about anything you can imagine: from automobiles to bonsai to movies to science, to, well, whatever you can think of. There are over 25,000 newsgroups, individual discussion areas in Usenet. Usenet is a great way to get information, meet people, chat and generally have a good time. CJ Ellen: Kevin, we have a basic question to start with. Roguebot: How are new Usenet groups formed and maintained? AnswerMan: Good question. Newsgroups are formed and maintained by committee. Now, there isn't a Usenet Group to manage the newsgroups. The newsgroups are managed cooperatively by all the users. There's a detailed process for creating newsgroups. Briefly, if you think a newsgroup on a particular topic should exist (there are over 25,000 now, so chances are there's already one focused on the topic you are interested in), you write a proposal, and Usenet users vote on whether it's a good idea. If it's approved, a system administrator actually creates the newsgroup. AnswerMan: The only exception to this are "alt" newsgroups. Alt groups, ("alt" means "alternative"), because they have different rules, can be created by literally anyone who knows the technical secrets. This is part of the reason there are so many WEIRD alt groups, like alt.destroy.the.Internet and alt.barney.die.die.die :-) CJ Ellen: Kevin, how about telling us how you go about subscribing to newsgroups on AOL? AnswerMan: Well, you can just go to Keyword: NEWSGROUPS. There you will find basic information about newsgroups, and some simple choices. You can "read my newsgroups" to see messages in your favorite newsgroups (the first time, you'll see you've automatically subscribed to some popular newsgroups), "Search the newsgroups" (say you want to find that newsgroup talking about bonsai), and so on. For more basic information about using Usenet, you can go to Keyword: ANSWERMAN, then press "Accessing the Internet via AOL" then press "Newsgroups." Lots of good info is there. Athenee: What do the different names like comp., alt., soc. mean? AnswerMan: Newsgroups are named in various "hierarchies". Each "word" in the newsgroup name is separated by a ".", (called a "dot"). So, comp.sys.mac.games is pronounced comp dot sys dot mac dot games. The first word of the name, comp, sci, and so on, tells you generally what the newsgroup is about. Comp means computer-related topics (users, programming, comp science, etc). Sci means science topics (usually technical talk there.) Talk. newsgroups are for open-ended discussion (usually heated topics like the death penalty are found here...) Soc. is for discussion of social issues and cultures. And then there's alt newsgroups, which are in many topical areas.Rec are 'recreational topic' newsgroups. J Avenger: Hi, I'm looking for a recipe to season a prime rib for this weekend. Any suggestions? AnswerMan: Well, that's a good question, but rather than telling you a good recipe newsgroup right off, let me quickly explain how to find this yourself. Go to keyword: newsgroups and press "search all newsgroups". In the box provided, enter some search words like "food and recipes." The program will quickly list several potential newsgroups, like rec.food.recipes. (There is also rec.food.veg for vegetarian fare, and several others.) Hope this helps, no matter what you're looking for. Athenee: If I want to post a message in a newsgroup, how should I do it? I don't want to get flamed. AnswerMan: When you're reading newsgroups, you will see a button called "Post". This will let you send a message to that particular newsgroup. Many users post to Usenet before they're really ready, before they really understand the "rules of the road", so tling for the discussion topics, the tone of conversation, and see the mistakes that other people make :-) Remember, Usenet has been around for a long time, and some of the people there may get upset if you do the virtual equivalent of strutting in like you own the place. Play it cool for a while at the start. Biff45220: Even if newsgroups are on related topics, isn't it impolite to post the same message in more than one newsgroup? Are people who do multiple posts at risk for "retaliation" from other newsgroup users? AnswerMan: Yes. It is considered a very bad thing to post one message to multiple newsgroups. In some instances, it is acceptable IF you have news software that allows "cross-posting". This means that although a message appears in multiple newsgroups, only ONE copy is sent to the Internet. HOWEVER---AOL's news software doesn't currently allow crossposting. So just pick one newsgroup, pick wisely, and post one copy of your message there. Smokeylady: What's the difference between a newsgroup and a mailing list? AnswerMan: A mailing list is a lot like a newsgroup. It is a public discussion that takes place on the Internet, but mailing list discussions take place in email rather than in a special newsgroup area. Mailing lists are perceived as more private than newsgroups, because you must ask to subscribe to get on the list. There are more "lurkers" in newsgroups (people who read, but don't post messages.) Also, since you can read and write email offline with AOL, mailing lists can be more convenient. However, newsgroups are a little easier to use and browse than mailing lists. They're both great ways to have a discussion. CJ Ellen: Kevin, what are some of your favorite newsgroups? AnswerMan: Well, goodness. There are so many interesting ones. I like alt.internet.services, a newsgroup where people announce new Web pages and other new Internet services. I am also fond of rec.humor.funny, a "moderated" newsgroup where you'll find current, and hilarious, jokes. By the way, a "moderated" newsgroup is one in which there is a "filter" person (or people) who must approve postings before they go to the newsgroup. This helps ensure, for example, that the stuff on rec.humor.funny is really indeed funny! Let's see, I also like comp.risks, a moderated newsgroup where people discuss the risks of using computers. That's usually pretty interesting. When I am feeling less nerdy, I read rec.pets.cats for discussion of cats. *CENSORSHIP AND ADULT GROUPS* CJ Purple: I know there are a lot of adult-oriented Newsgroups out there. Does AOL censor those? CJ Grizzly: Actually, no. (although it might seem so). The default for the parental controls is set to "hide" certain newsgroups, but you can easily access anything that you want after you have reset the controls to your liking. CJ Purple: And can anyone on the account change those controls? CJ Grizzly: Purple, no. The parental controls for that can only be changed by the "master" screen CJ Purple: Ah! So it's a good idea to keep the password to that screen name from your kids, right? :-) CJ Grizzly: Definitely! And if by some chance they have it, you can change it at keyword PASSWORD or by going to MEMBERS on the pull down menu, then EDIT STORED PASSWORDS. :)OnlineHost: Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. OnlineHost: Your AOL Live MC for tonight is KatieAE. AOLiveMC14: Welcome to AOL Live, AnswerMan! AnswerMan: Thanks. Hi all! AOLiveMC14: Are you ready to dive right in and start with some questions? AnswerMan: Sure, let's go. AOLiveMC14: Here we go! Question: Good evening, Answer Man. What extra software is needed to listen to music on home pages and other sites? Under Windows? AnswerMan: Well, it depends on the kind of music. The AOL 3.0 browser can play MIDI tunes that are built into some Web pages automatically. Now, a lot of Web pages and FTP sites have audio files in other formats -- .au, .aiff and .WAV, for example. You can find several good free and shareware programs for playing these at keyword FILE SEARCH (search for "audio player") and at keyword VIEWERS. Frankly, though, most multimedia PCs sold today come loaded wit h the software to play digitized audio files. On the Mac, I use a little shareware program called SoundMachine, which can play just about every audio file. Question: Mr. AnswerMan: I have always loved Mozart! Can you suggest a good web site for information on both his work and his personal life? AnswerMan: Sure. For a big index of Mozart sites on the Web, try: http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Composition/Composers/Masters/Classical_Period/Mozart__Wolfgang_Amadeus__1756_1791_/ (That's a huge URL, but it works :) Try the History of Mozart, at http://www.hkstar.com/~tslw/mozart.html And the W.A. Mozart Page at http://www.mhrcc.org/mozart/mozart.html AOLiveMC14: Don't forget, folks. An easy way to get to these URL's is to do a Ctrl-K (keyword), then cut and paste the "http:"...etc. into the keyword box! Question: What music-based websites are available? AnswerMan: Literally thousands. I was looking at Yahoo! for music sites, and was completely overwhelmed by them all. Go to the URL http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/ so you can be overwhelmed, too :) The topics there include music history, discographies, Karaoke, music news, Bootlegs, awards, Independent Music, etc. Lots. If you are interested in getting information about your favorite band --no matter what it is-- use an Internet search tool like WebCrawler (at keyword WEBCRAWLER) Just go there, type in the name of the band, and you should see a list of Web pages about them. It's truly difficult to think of a band that is NOT talked about somewhere on the Web. AnswerMan: Even the smallest bands have a following, and often have web pages. Bands that you forgot about (like, say, Jefferson Airplane) often have multiple Web sites dedicated to them. Most are "fan pages" but some bands have "official" web pages. Question: What is real time audio?? AnswerMan: Real-time audio is a cool system that allows you to hear an audio file as it downloads to your computer. In the olden days of the Internet (like 3 years ago) you had to download an entire audio file before you could enjoy it. With real- time audio, like RealAudio and StreamWorks (there are others too) you use special software that plays the file as it downloads. I think RealAudio works with AOL 3.0, but honestly I haven't tried it with AOL 3 yet. It works well with my other Internet provider though. The sound quality is like AM radio at 14.4 KPBS, and closer to FM at 28.8 KBPS. Question: AnswerMan: I've always been interested in downloading clips from the Web but I am not really sure about what can happen. Are there some important facts I should take into account before downloading clips or MIDI tunes from the Net? AnswerMan: Audio clips, if they're not real-time, can take a while to download . . . depending on the audio format and the quality of the audio. So, short clips download quickly but can be unsatisfying because they're, well, short. With MIDI tunes, your computer actually generates the music from a sort of digital sheet music, so the files are usually quite small and fast to download. Then again, unless you have an expensive MIDI system, MIDI tunes can sound more like computer music than real music. :) One of my favorite music sites of all time is the Internet Underground Music Archive at http://www.iuma.com -- IUMA as a pioneer of Internet music. They've collected hundreds of artists and labels together at one site, as well as music news, and links to the best audio utilities for every modern computer system. It's a must-see site for all music lovers. Question: How do I get to Much Music online? AnswerMan: It's at http://www.muchmusic.com/ -- just pick KEYWORD from your GO TO menu and enter that URL. Copious amounts of popular music news are there. Question: Where can I go to find 80's rock music sites? AnswerMan: A personal favorite of mine. Try www.80s.com -- a huge site dedicated to all things 1980's, including, of course, its music. There are a couple of really great music games there -- one, called is a sort of Name that Tune for 80s music -- you listen to 1-second (then progressively longer) music clips and try to decide what song you're hearing. (Are we not men? We are Devo.) Question: Do you know any good Nirvina Sites?? AnswerMan: I don't use "good" and "Nirvana" in the same sentence. (Just kidding!!) Try http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Artists/By_Genre/Rock/Nirvana/ It lists, literally, 100 Nirvana pages. Question: How does a MAC listen to a .WAV file that it gets off the web? AnswerMan: Get SoundMachine, a shareware program that plays WAV files and a slew of other formats. You can get it from AOL's file search or from http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive/Archive/gst/snd/sound-machine-262.hqx Question: Where can I find an Internet site with good oldies? AnswerMan: Depends on how old you mean by oldies. Let's see . . . http://members.aol.com/gggail/index.htm -- Rock & Roll Relics - oldies band playing songs from the fifties and sixties. For Oldies, or any other music genre, Yahoo has another great index, at http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Genres/ -- Blues, Cajun/Zydeco, Ska, and so on. I hate to sound like a broken record (pun intended) but Yahoo is great for music sites all around. Question: Is there a site on the web that gives current concert information? AnswerMan: Hmm. Well, TicketMaster has a new web site at http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and you can get concert info there for the bands TM sells for. That's all I know of right now. AOLiveMC14: All right, we have time for one more question for the AnswerMan tonight! Question: Can you refer me to a site that can answer vdo player questions? AnswerMan: You can try the Internet Pros Corner (keyword PROS). Or the makers of VDO, which I think are at http://www.vdo.com. So before we wrap up: I'd like to invite you all to go to keyword ANSWERMAN, where you can leave questions about the Internet on the message board, subscribe to the FREE weekly newsletter where I talk about great sites for music, and how to find just about everything else on the Internet, and visit the AnswerMan Focus, where every week we talk about a certain aspect of using the Internet. Check it out when you can :) AOLiveMC14: Thanks for joining us tonight, AnswerMan! And thanks to all of our audience members. :) AnswerMan: Thank you all for coming. I'm sorry if we didn't have time to get to your question this hour. :( You can leave it in the ANSWERMAN message board. Goodnight, all! AOLiveMC14: Goodnight! OnlineHost: Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved.