Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, Chat

1. Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, Chat

2. Interacting with the Net Community • Newsgroups • Mailing Lists, Listservs • Chat (Internet Relay Chat, Web-based Chat, Instant Messaging)

3. Mailing Lists/Listservs • A forum where people “talk” about a topic via email. • You subscribe to the lists that you want to be a part of. • Posting a message is simply sending an email to the mailing list address. • Can clutter your inbox if the list is busy enough.

4. Mailing Lists/Listservs • Moderated mailing list • the lists owner posts all of the messages to the list. • he/she reserves the right to not post an item • Unmoderated mailing list • Subscribers can send a message to the list at any time without approval. • Some lists are used more for broadcasting information (can’t use this for your assignment)

5. Newsgroups (Usenet) • Electronic forums where users from all over the world have a discussion on specific topics. • Newsgroups are split up by subject area • There are tens of thousands of them on every possible topic. • You need a program to read the news (newsreader). • You can subscribe and unsubscribe to newsgroups.

6. Newsgroup Hierarchies • Mainstream includes these main headings - biz: business misc: miscellaneous comp: computers rec: recreational • Alternative (alt) heading includes these subjects - art, sci, sport, tv, culture, … • Countries can have their own hierarchies: uk, de, tw, ...

7. Newsgroup Naming Schemes Hierarchy Topic Area Subtopic(s) comp.os.ms-windows.games

8. Newsgroups • Newsgroups contain messages (articles) grouped into threads (the original article along with all follow-up messages). • Someone sends (posts) a message to the group, the people can read the message and then they can respond to the message. • Servers receive messages, forward messages to other servers, and manages the groups and messages to it’s users.

9. Newsreaders • Tin (general account) • Netscape • Web-based (e.g. deja.com service)

10. Newsgroup Etiquette • Good idea to see what the group covers and what the culture is like before posting. • See if there is an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) before posting. • Remember that these people do not know you. • No flaming. • Use same netiquette as you would with email.

11. Chat • Forums where you talk with others in real-time; virtual room-like environments where people come and go • You need to select a username/screen name • Moderated v. Unmoderated • You ‘chat’ with others via the keyboard. • The messages of all conversations in the room are displayed on the screen.

12. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) • Conversation is managed on IRC servers that share chat channels on their own networks. • You need an IRC client to tune in to the channels. (some are web-based now) • You need to learn commands to use the client. • You can join a discussion that is ongoing with many people. • Or you can create your own channel that is private (invitation only).

13. Web-Based Chat • a.k.a. chat rooms • Areas for people to gather and talk about something (even support from companies). • Some chats are scheduled and have guests • Some chat rooms are moderated. • Like IRC, you can set up private chats • You need a Java-enabled browser to participate. • Some sites even keep an archive (transcripts)

14. Instant Messaging • You have access to public chats, but mostly used for private ones. • Need to download a client. • The client only works with a proprietary IM network. • Some clients support audio too. • Look into the security settings (privacy for your comings and goings, file transfers, etc.)