Part I. Basics (Netiquette / Basics)

01. Ques: What does "netiquette" mean?
02. Ques: What are Newsgroups?
03. Ques: What is Usenet?
04. Ques: What are MMF's / pyramid schemes?
05. Ques: How do I read my Newsgroups online?
06. Ques: How do I read my Newsgroups offline?
07. Ques: How do I post to Newsgroups online?
08. Ques: How do I post to Newsgroups offline?
09. Ques: It says I should quote, but how do I do that?
10. Ques: What are Parental Controls and how do I set them up?
11. Ques: I can't download due to Parental Controls. Now what?
12. Ques: Where shall I put *test* postings?
13. Ques: How long does it take for postings to show up?
14. Ques: What are all those funny signs and symbols I see?
               1. Weird groups of punctuation marks
               2. Junk messages in binary newsgroups
               3. Gobbledegook messages in far-eastern newsgroups

==============================================================

01. Ques: What does "netiquette" mean?

MarkAllott answers :

Netiquette is the recommended conduct of an individual on the
Internet. For more about netiquette, from the main newsgroups
window, read the information in Newsgroup Etiquette:
START HERE

http://www.aol.com/netfind/scoop/newsgroup_etiquette.html

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02. Ques: What are Newsgroups?

MarkAllott answers :

A newsgroup is like a "letters to the editor" column in a standard
newspaper. What you do is send your "letter" (article) directly to
the "editor" (newsgroup).
If the newsgroup is moderated, then the article you post will be
proof-read before it is placed on the main newsgroup (much like
the editor would in a standard newspaper). This means that the
article you post will either be accepted, rejected or modified
before it actually reaches the newsgroup. If the newsgroup is
unmoderated (i.e. no-one oversees the posts to it), then the
article you post is placed directly into the newsgroup.

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03. Ques: What is Usenet?

Extracted from : What is Usenet?
Written by : netannounce@deshaw.com (Mark Moraes)
full text available in news.announce.newusers

Usenet is a world-wide distributed discussion system. It consists
of a set of "newsgroups" with names that are classified
hierarchically by subject. "Articles" or "messages" are "posted"
to these newsgroups by people on computers with the appropriate
software - these articles are then broadcast to other
interconnected computer systems via a wide variety of networks.
Some newsgroups are "moderated"; in these newsgroups, the articles
are first sent to a moderator for approval before appearing in the
newsgroup. Usenet is available on a wide variety of computer
systems and networks, but the bulk of modern Usenet traffic is
transported over either the Internet or UUCP.

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04. Ques: What are MMF's / pyramid schemes?

MarkAllott answers :

MMF's are Make Money Fast schemes, sometimes also called Get Rich
Quick (GRQ) schemes. These posts are chain letters and ask you to
send cash through surface mail to various individuals on a list.
This list is then altered and re-posted as many times as possible
into many newsgroups.

Under AOL's Terms of Service (TOS), posting of chain letters
either by e-mail or Usenet is prohibited. AOL's definition of a
chain letter includes the MMF schemes, "Good Luck" messages and
many other similar messages that require the recipient to re-post
copies of the message to other destinations.

Posting of an MMF article to newsgroups is deemed inappropriate
and can result in your account being terminated or (at best) your
access to newsgroups being restricted. These types of posts are
also ILLEGAL in most states and countries, so the best advice
would be not to posts them *at all*.

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05. Ques: How do I read my Newsgroups online?

MarkAllott answers :

Procedure to follow :

1) Sign-on to AOL (pretty obvious)
2) Once at the main screen, you can do one of two things :
a. Use Keyword "Usenet" (Press either CTRL-K or from main menu,
select Goto / Keyword)

[If your version of AOL has a "Keyword" button you can just
click on it. If it has an Address Bar, and no "Keyword"
button, you can type the keyword in the Address Bar and press
the "Enter" key or click the "Go" button.]

b. Press the "Internet" icon, then choose "Newsgroups" from the
selection offered to you.

MzLindyOne adds at this point :

Sometimes, during peak hours, the Internet area can become so
log-jammed with people passing through that it can become
totally locked up.

3) Press "Read My Newsgroups" icon.
4) Select the newsgroup you want to read from your list.
5) Choose either "List Unread" or double-click on the newsgroup
you want to read.

MzLindyOne adds at this point :

You could also use "List All", but this is *not* a good idea.
Doing this will list all posts, previously read as well as
unread. Unless of course you want to do that, but it can be
an awful lot of posts to go through in some groups. (To adjust
the number of posts seen, see the "Preferences" portion of
this FAQ.)

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06: Ques: How do I read my Newsgroups offline?

TheMallKat answers :

You can use AOL's Auto AOL feature (which are called FlashSessions
if you're using AOL version 3 or earlier). The procedure follows:
You cannot read newsgroups offline with AOL version 2.0
or lower for Windows or AOL for DOS.

*NOTE* from Animated GIF Man (editor) [06/01/2002]:
ALL versions of AOL software prior to AOL 2.5 16-bit no longer
allow you to log online regardless of operating system. AOL 2.5
will only allow you to log online if you are on Windows 3.x OS.

The following procedure is for Windows (and compatible) PCs that
run AOL versions 2.5, 3.0, 3.0 95 (32-bit), or 4.0 or above.

Process:
1. Subscribe to the newsgroups that you like and would like to read
offline using the method described in Part 2 of this FAQ, under
"What does 'subscribing' mean?".
2. From the main Newsgroups window (Keyword: NEWSGROUPS), click on the
"Read Offline" button.
3. Select which newsgroups you would like to read offline and click "Add"
or "Add all". We recommend adding only the text (but not binary)
groups you read regularly, because most newsgroups have many messages,
which will increase the time it takes the Auto AOL session/FlashSession
to download the messages.
4. You must click 'OK' on this screen after selecting the newsgroups you
wish to read offline, or your selections will not be saved.

Note: There is a limit to the number of newsgroups you can read offline.
After somewhere around 30 newsgroups (and this is not hard to reach if many of
them are low traffic), the folder containing the list of "Read Offline"
newsgroups begins to take so long to open that even an excellent connection
will time out before it gets open and starts downloading. Even before 30
newsgroups are reached, during times of slow system responses as few as 10-15
may cause problems.

5. You may now sign off if you wish.
6. If you use AOL version 4.0, go to "Set Up Automatic AOL
(FlashSessions)" under the "Mail Center" menu button. If you use AOL
2.5 or 3.0, go to "Set Up FlashSession..." under the "Mail" menu.
a. If you have not used FlashSessions before, you will see a
step-by-step procedure. Follow it, and make sure you check the option to read
your newsgroups and send newsgroup messages offline.
b. If you have AOL 4.0 and have set up Auto AOL before, you will see a
window with checkboxes. Check the options "Send postings from the 'Postings
Waiting to be Sent' folder" and "Get unread postings and put in 'Incoming
Postings' folder."
c. If you have AOL 2.5 or 3.0 and have set up FlashSessions before, you
will see a window with checkboxes. Check the options "Retrieve unread newsgroup
messages" and "Send outgoing newsgroup messages."
7. We do not recommend using the prescheduling function, since you will
probably be going online everyday anyway , but if you would like to schedule
a time for your newsgroups to be downloaded, you can do that now. Skip this
step if you do not plan to do this. Click on "Schedule Automatic AOL" or
"Schedule FlashSessions." Select the days and times you want the newsgroups to
be retrieved. Remember, your computer must be on with AOL open at the times you
select. Check "Enable Scheduler" and close the window. Click on the "Select
Names" button and check the screen names that you would like to have scheduled
Auto AOL sessions/FlashSessions for. Remember that newsgroup subscription lists
are independent for each screen name, so if you mark a newsgroup to be read
offline with one screen name, your other screen names will not automatically do
the same. You will also need to enter the password for each screen name that is
checked, and then click OK.

Note: Your machine must be left on with AOL active for whenever you have
it scheduled; you are depending on your computer, the phone company (or other
connection provider), and AOL to all be functioning correctly without your
supervision, and if you are using AOL with an ISP, you will find that they are
even less forgiving than AOL about connection hogs.

8. You may now close the Auto AOL/FlashSession window
9. To retrieve the messages immediately, do this: If you use AOL 4.0,
select "Run Automatic AOL (FlashSessions) Now" from the "Mail Center" menu
button. If you use AOL 2.5 or 3.0, select "Activate FlashSession Now" from the
"Mail" menu. Click "Begin" in the window that appears. Your computer will then
perform a FlashSession/Auto AOL session, which will take a few minutes,
depending on how many messages it recieves.
10. To read your messages: If you have AOL 4.0, you can either select
"Offline Newsgroups" from the "My Files" menu button to read just your
newsgroups, or you can select "Personal Filing Cabinet" from the "My Files"
menu button to see your Personal Filing Cabinet, which includes your offline
newsgroups as well as your offline e-mail and download records. If you have AOL
3.0, click on the file cabinet in your toolbar. If you have AOL 2.5, select
"Personal Filing Cabinet" from the "Mail" menu.
11. If you are viewing your Personal Filing Cabinet, your newsgroups are
in the folder labeled "Newsgroups." You may have to double-click the folder to
open it. To read a message (symbolized by a globe), double-click it. If a
thread has more than one message to read, each of those messages will be stored
in a folder that is titled with the thread's topic.
12. If you would like to post a message or reply to a message, see
question 8, "How do I post to Newsgroups Offline?" in this part of the FAQ.
13. If you would like to save a message, it is more convenient to save it
as a text file on your hard drive. To do this, select "Save" from the "File"
menu and give the message a filename.
14. When you are done, you will likely want to delete the messages. To
delete a single message, highlight the message by clicking on it, and press the
"Delete" button at the bottom of the window (or you can press the DEL key on
your keyboard). To delete multiple messages, click on the first one in
sequence, then hold down your SHIFT key and click on the last one in sequence,
then click the "Delete" button.
Note: Be sure to keep the Personal Filing Cabinet cleaned out and down to
minimum size and compact it regularly (by clicking on the "Compact PFC" button
in your PFC window while offline, or, if you have AOL 2.5, downloading the
separate utility). If the PFC becomes too full, it can be corrupted, at which
point any number of posting and mailing problems may occur, or you could even
lose everything that is saved within it.
15. The next time you would like to read your newsgroups offline, use
this procedure starting with step 9.

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07. Ques: How do I post to Newsgroups online?

MarkAllott answers :

First of all, you will need to go to the newsgroups section within
AOL (keyword USENET). From there, you will need to press the "Read
my Newsgroups" button to gain access to your list of subscribed
newsgroups. Next, select a newsgroup from your list that you wish
to post to and press "List Unread" (or double click the newsgroup).

To post a reply to a message :

1) First, select the message you wish to reply to.
2) Quote any relevant sections of the previous post
(see instructions later in this article).
3) Add your own comments.
4) Press the "Send" button.

Note: When posting a reply, you are given the option of sending a
CC: copy of the reply to the author of the article. If you wish to
do this, just make sure that the box is checked before you click
the "Send" button. :-)

To post a new message :

1) On the main screen for your newsgroup, there is a button marked
"Send New Message". Press this.
2) Enter a new subject line for the article.
3) Fill in the main text for your post
4) Press the "Send" button.

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08. Ques: How do I post to Newsgroups offline?

MzLindyOne answers :

Posting a Reply (aka Follow-up) to a Newsgroup Article from PFC:

May be done Online or Offline

1a. Quoting exerpts from the article you are answering:
With an article open, highlight the text you wish to quote.
Select "Reply to Group" or "Reply to Author", and your new
window will appear with your quoted text, properly marked and
attributed. Add your comments.

Shat T Cat adds this point :

The "Reply to Author" option quotes the highlighted text
correctly, but fails to attribute the article in the email.

1b. Select the "Send Later" button, and it will be saved for
upload.

Posting a New Article from PFC:

2a. You must have one article from desired Newsgroup in your PFC.
2b. Open the article, and select "New Message". Fill in a new
Subject line and the body of your new message and "Send
Later".

[Editors note: That was for version 3.0 and earlier.]

For AOL 4.0 and 5.0 Crystal SingerDG adds:

3. So long as you have already downloaded posts from the newsgroup
you wish to post to into your PFC for offline reading, then the first
item under that newsgroup in the PFC will be "Create a new posting".
Double clicking this item will open up a new, blank posting,
addressed to the correct newsgroup. (for AOL4.0 and higher)

*Reminder* - According to newsgroups etiquette, you should *always*
read a newsgroups before posting to it. Your question may have
already have been answered.

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09. Ques: It says I should quote, but how do I do that?

MzLindyOne answers :

"How to Quote Preceding Newsgroup Messages" :

For AOL 3.0 16-bit and AOL 3.0 for Win95; may also apply to others:
********************************************

Quoting Off-line (in Personal Filing Cabinet):

With a message open, highlight the text you wish to quote.
Select "Reply to Group" or "Reply to Author", and your new window
will appear with your quoted text, properly marked and attributed.
Add your comments.

******************************************

MarkAllott answers :

Quoting Online:

Due to recent changes in the online reader for the newsgroups,
quoting from previous articles has been made a lot easier :-)

1) Follow the instructions on how to read your newsgroups online.
2) Now, with a message opened, press "Reply to Group".
3) Highlight the text you wish to quote in the left-hand window.
4) Press the "Quote" button located at the bottom of the screen.
5) Add your comments to the quoted text in the right-hand window.
6) Repeat as required from step 3.
7) When you have finished, press the "Send" button.

[Editor's note: This method works for the Windows versions of AOL. But
it still has not been added to the Macintosh versions.]

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10. Ques: What are Parental Controls and how do I set them up?

MarkAllott answers :

Because Usenet Newsgroups are not censored the content of some
(or most) newsgroups could be considered unsuitable for access by
minors. To help parents restrict their childrens access to these
types of newsgroups, AOL created Parental Controls. These controls
allow the main account holder to specify the access given to each
of the screennames.

To change the settings for a particular screenname, first get the
master screenname to log onto AOL. Next, you will need to go to
the Usenet screen (Keyword : USENET) and from there, select the
Parental Controls button and the account you wish to change. Once
you have set up the account as you wish, press Save to ensure the
settings are logged with AOL. If you don't do this, then the
changes you've just made won't be logged.

EDITOR'S NOTE :

AOL set your accounts with some restrictive default values when
you start using Newsgroups. These values block access to binary
newsgroups and use a restricted newsgroup list for adding any new
groups you may wish to add. Go to Keyword: Custom Controls from
any screenname with 'master screenname' permissions and change
the preferences for newsgroups on any screenname you wish to allow
to view/join/download the complete list of available newsgroups.

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11. Ques: I can't download due to Parental Controls. Now what?

MarkAllott answers :

If you find that you are unable to download a newsgroup, this is
probably beacuse the Parental Controls have been set to stop you
from doing this. The solution is to get the master account holder
to log on and change the settings for your particular account.

When you first start using newsgroups, AOL has already set these
up for you so that binary groups are blocked and the full list is
not used when selecting new groups to subscribe to.

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12. Ques: Where shall I put *test* postings?

MarkAllott answers :

Well, the simple answer is to the "test" areas that exist in
Usenet. If you start posting "test" messages in any other areas,
this is a good way to get your mailbox filled with hate e-mail.

AOL test newsgroups that exist on USENET :

aol.newsgroups.test

aol.test

NOTE: The above newsgroups are by no means the complete list of
test newsgroups that exist elsewhere on Usenet. For example, under
the alt. hierarchy there are test areas for most types of posts.

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13. Ques: How long does it take for posts to show up?

MarkAllott answers :

How long is a piece of string? The answer will remain vague I'm
afraid. A post sent to Usenet may show up at its destination in a
matter of minutes, hours, days - or not at all. It all depends on
the path the message takes to get to its destination and whether
or not the news-servers are operational or not. If there is any
breakdown in the communications link, then there will be a delay
in the articles arrival.

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14. Ques: What are those funny signs & symbols I see?

          1. Weird groups of punctuation marks
               2. Junk messages in binary newsgroups
               3. Gobbledegook messages in far-eastern newsgroups

MarkAllott answers :

Groups of puctuation marks grouped together in an email or a
newsgroup post are called emoticons (emotional icons). They are
used to help convey the feelings of the writer of the article. The
way to "read" them is to tilt your head to the left and look at
them as if they were written down the screen. (An alternative
method is to move your screen on its side - but that could be a
little difficult at times )

A few examples of emoticons are as follows :

:-) Standard Smiley
;-) Winking Smiley
:-( Sad
:-|| Angry
8-) Wears glasses
B-) Wearing sunglasses, or Batman
:-{ has a moustache

2. Junk messages in binary newsgroups

The "junk" you can see is a binary file that has been encoded so
it can be transmitted successfully over Usenet. There are several
methods of encoding that can be used, but the most common methods
used are MIME and UUE.

See : What is MIME encoding, and how do I decode it? (FAQ Part 3)

3. Gobbledegook messages in far-eastern newsgroups

The gobbledegook you are looking at is the ASCII representation of
the far-eastern character sets. Because there are more than 255
characters (or ideograms) in the far-eastern languages, the only
way to actually display most of them is to use *two* bytes (or
characters) to represent the one ideogram. This then has the
result of increasing the number of displayable characters to 65535
combinations and is described as an ANSI WideChar in computing
terms. The downside is you need to have a special viewer that is
capable of decoding these "wide characters" into the ideograms for
display.

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