Getting access to soc.sexuality.spanking (SSS)

1. Usenet is not Google Groups.

Huh? I read soc. sexuality.spanking through Google Groups on my web browser. Isn't that what SSS is, a Google Group?

No. SSS is a Usenet newsgroup. Usenet is a system of discussion forums that has existed since the mid-'80s, long before the web. Google provides access to Usenet groups, and has some of its own groups, all of which it calls 'Google Groups', but Usenet isn't Google.

Think of it like a film. When a film is released, hundreds or thousands of prints are made to be sent to cinemas all over the world. You might always go to the same place to see a film, but you could choose many places. Your local cinema doesn't own the film; it's just showing it. It's the same with Google Groups and Usenet.

When someone posts something to Usenet, it gets copied (like the film prints) to hundreds or thousands of news-servers around the world, run by universities, or private companies, or ISPs. Google is only one of those. You have some choice over which news-server you use to read Usenet.

2. Okay, so what do I need to get access to SSS?

Two things. You need a piece of software, called a news-reader (or a news-client, or a Usenet reader, etc.). You then need access to a news-server. It's possible that you already have both of these.

2.1 News-reader software

Here is a list of some commonly-used news-reader software. You might recognise some of the programs because you've seen them used for e-mail. There's actually a good deal of overlap between reading e-mail and reading Usenet, so it can make sense to have both in the same program.

If you already read Usenet through your web browser, why on earth should you go to trouble of setting all this news stuff up? Well, almost everyone who uses news-reader software thinks that reading Usenet through the web (at Google, for example) is very clumsy and clunky. If you use a news-reader, you can do all sorts of clever and customisable things to make life easier. It's worth it.

This list can't be exhaustive, and there isn't room here to go into details of how to configure each program. Try them out, see what you think.

Agent
www.forteinc.com/agent/
An e-mail and Usenet program from Forte, Inc. It's not free, but you can get a 30-day free demo.
For MS Windows.

MacSOUP
home.snafu.de/stk/macsoup/
A Usenet program which allows offline reading. It's shareware, with a voluntary $20 price.
For Mac OS X.

MT-NewsWatcher
www.smfr.org/mtnw/
A Usenet program. Free, but with a suggested donation of $25.
For Mac OS X.

Outlook Express
www.microsoft.com/windows/oe/
A free e-mail and Usenet program from Microsoft.
For MS Windows and Mac OS X.

Thunderbird
www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
A free e-mail and Usenet program from Mozilla, who make the Firefox web browser.
For MS Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Unison
www.panic.com/unison/
A Usenet program from Panic. Has only limited e-mail capabilities.
Not free, but can be used in a limited mode after the first 15-day trial period.
For Mac OS X.

These are only some of the best-known Usenet programs. There's a good overview of what's out there at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_news_clients.

2.2 News-server

Okay, so you've got the software. Now, what do you do with it?

The first thing you need to do is to hook it up to a news-server, which is a computer which stores posts to Usenet newsgroups. Once you've done that, you can get going.

There are lots of news-servers out there. Some are free. Others are run commercially, and charge a fee. Firstly, though, your own ISP probably has its own news-server, which is provided as part of the service, so it's worth checking that out.

Hooking up a news-server to your news-reader program is usually just a matter of typing the name of the server in the appropriate place. (You might also need to enter a username and password, depending on the news-server you're using.) News-servers are usually called something like:

news.yourisp.com

If you sign up for a Usenet news-server, the service should provide you with the name of its server/s. If your ISP has its own news-server, the information should be on its website. If not, write to them, asking something like:

"Do you have a Usenet news-server? If so, what is its name?"

Here is a list of some of the commonly-used Usenet 'feed services' out there, which you might look into if you can't get access through your own ISP.

Altopia
www.altopia.com
Monthly subscription, with varying levels of service.

Giganews
www.giganews.com
Monthly subscription, with varying levels of service.

Newsguy
www.newsguy.com
Monthly subscription, with varying levels of service, and a 2-day trial period. Also provides access to Usenet through its own web-interface.

News.Individual.NET
news.individual.net
Annual subscription. Only carries text-based Usenet groups.

NewsReader.com
www.newsreader.com
Monthly subscription. Also provides access to Usenet through its own web-interface.

SuperNews
www.supernews.com
Monthly subscription, with varying levels of service, and a 28-day trial period.

TeraNews
www.teranews.com
A free service (though has a one-time set-up fee) for a limited (though large) monthly volume of downloads.

Usenet.com
www.usenet.com
Monthly subscription, with a 7-day free trial period. Also provides access to Usenet through its own web-interface.

There are many other Usenet services out there. The Open Directory Project has a good list at dmoz.org/Computers/Usenet/Feed_Services/.

And there's another good list here: www.exit109.com/~jeremy/news/providers/providers.html.

3. But I'm happy reading SSS through Google Groups.

That's cool. In the end there are some advantages to reading Usenet through a web-interface. It's good to be aware of the alternatives, though.

When reading Usenet through a web-interface:

• + It's very simple and straightforward. You don't need to install any new software.
• + You can use any computer, anywhere in the world.
• - You can't really customise how you read Usenet. You're mostly stuck with the interface the website provides.
• - It's hard to manage reading threads, and hard to distinguish between posts you've read and posts you haven't read.
• - You have to be on the 'net to read.

When reading Usenet through a news-reader program:

• + You can configure/customise the software to make it work best for you: fonts, layout, etc.
• + You have a lot more control over how you manage reading. You can mark posts as 'read' and never see them again. Threading of posts is typically much better.
• + Some news-reader programs allow you to download new posts so that you can read them (and compose replies) when you're offline.
• + News-reader programs typically have a lot more features than web-based Usenet interfaces.
• + Most news-reader programs have good integration of Usenet and e-mail features.
• - You might need to install some new software and learn how to use it. (On the other hand, you might already have the right software, such as Outlook Express or Thunderbird.)
• - You might need to sign up for a news-feed service. (On the other hand, your ISP might have its own news-server, which you can access without any extra charge. And some news-feed services are also free.)

4. Can I post to the group by e-mail?

Yes. Here's the address (munged to stop it being picked up by spammers):

post (at) socsexualityspanking (dot) org

If you need to reach the group moderators, write to:

moderators (at) socsexualityspanking (dot) org

If you need to include either of these addresses in a post to the group, please keep them munged, to keep them from being spammed. Thanks.

5. Anything else?

If you'd like to find out more about Usenet generally, there's good information (some of it a bit technical) at Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Usenet

If you'd like to find out more about soc.sexuality.spanking, its own website is here:

www.socsexualityspanking.org

Have fun!