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9:21:00 AM EST
Hearing The One -- Tracy Bonham
Wednesday Tip #3: Newsgroups Going, Going... Still There
If you go to Keyword: Newsgroups on AOL (that's an AOL-only link, pretty obviously), you'll get the following message:
Please Note: The AOL Newsgroup service will be discontinued in early 2005.
For members using AOL over a dial-up connection, you will no longer be able to access Newsgroups. If you have a separate high-speed connection, you can contact your broadband provider to see if they offer Newsgroups. Newsgroup services can often be accessed through a third party reader, such as Mozilla Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/thunderbird/).
Alternatively, you can access Newsgroups via Google at http://groups.google.com/.
We apologize for this inconvenience.
So, what does that mean for you?
First, some background for those of you who never use newsgroups at all: Newsgroups were one of the first ways people used the Internet to communicate with each other: They're like message boards that cover specific topics (not unlike message boards here on AOL). The first newsgroups existed long before the Web existed -- by more than 20 years, in fact -- and for a while, for all practical purposes, they, e-mail and IRC chat were "the Internet" for most online users.
Newsgroups still exist, of course -- nothing ever goes away online -- but today, much of the "community" of newsgroups has transferred over to things like, well, blogs and Journals.
AOL has offered newsgroups pretty much since it allowed its users to access the Internet in general (for about 10 years now). On the other hand, AOL's newsgroup interface has always been pretty clunky, and as far as I know they've never actually upgraded their newsgroup interface since the very first time they created it, which says something about what sort of priority it's been for the service. So personally speaking, I'm not terribly surprised AOL is abandoning access to newsgroups.
Does this mean you will no longer be able to get to newsgroups with AOL? In a word: No. You can still access newsgroups.
You can use what I've been using for the last year or so: Google Groups, which organizes the thousands of newsgroups very much like it organizes its Web searches -- which means it's pretty darn simple to use (rather easier, in fact, than AOL's current newsgroup reader). Google offers a directory of newsgroups so you can find the one you're looking for, or if you know the name of the group you're looking for (for example, I often visit "misc.writing" -- which is about writing, naturally enough) you can type it in and Google Groups will take you there. Google Groups is also free to use.
The thing to know about Google Groups is that it doesn't offer access to some newsgroups, specificially those in the "alt.binaries" hierarchy -- "alt.binaries" being the place where lots of copyright violations (and lots of porn, a subset of copyright violations) occur. But if you're simply looking to chat and have discussions online, Google Groups will be more than enough for you in terms of access, with thousands upon thousands of newsgroups listed. And for AOL users who have dial-up, this will probably be the easiest way to get to newsgroups.
If you've got a broadband connection, then it's pretty likely that your broadband provider offers newsgroup access (and probably without the binary restrictions Google imposes), so you should check with your provider about newsgroup access. You'll also need a newsgroup reader, which is a program which (naturally) is designed to read newsgroups. Newsgroups readers often come bundled as part of browser suites or e-mail clients -- for example, Mozilla Thunderbird mentioned above (which I use for non-AOL e-mail, and which is free to download and use).
You can also purchase standalone newsgroup readers. One that I've often used over the years is Agent, by Forte software, which comes in a paid, tricked-out version as well as a free-to-use version called Free Agent. If you find you're doing a lot of newsgroup reading, a standalone newsgroup reader is probably a good idea.
If your broadband provider doesn't offer newsgroups, or you're on dialup and don't want to use Google Groups, it's possible to buy standalone access to newsgroups. Forte, who offers the Agent software, also offers newsgroup access (follow the link above), and you can find some other companies who offer newsgroup access here.
The point to make here is that even when AOL stops supporting newsgroups within the service, you will still be able to access the newsgroups using your AOL browser or through your broadband connection. You just won't be using AOL's newsgroup reader to do it. Speaking as someone who has had AOL for over ten years now but who preferred in all that time to use other options to access newsgroups, I suspect you really won't miss AOL's implementation of newsgroups all that much.
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"I suspect you really won't miss AOL's implementation of newsgroups all that much."
Except that newsgroup access used to be included in my monthly bill, and now, if I want it, I will have to pay extra for a newsgroup service. Is AOL going to discount my monthly bill?
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/
1/26/05 10:21 AM
For non-binary newsgroups, Google Groups offers an equivalent level of access for no additional cost. From a practical matter it's the same level of access in a different format (i.e., web-based as opposed to AOL form-based).