Newsgroups or Usenet is a collection of over 30,000 newsgroups. Most newsgroups do not contain "news" in the traditional sense but are forums in which people discuss a wide range of topics.

Here's more information about Usenet news.

Related topics: 

Cross-posting
Cross-posting is posting a Usenet article to more than one newsgroup by writing all the newsgroup names in the article's header. The part about writing all the names in the header is important. When you post this way to multiple newsgroups, a newsreader can tell it is the same article in each group. Once the reader has marked it as read in one group, it does not show up in all the others.

If you post the article separately to each group, the newsreader cannot tell it is the same article, and so shows it in every group.

For example, if you are posting to "rec.bicycles.soc" and "rec.bicycles.rides" post the article once, with both newsgroup names in the header. Someone reading both newsgroups only sees that article once.

(Note: Some newsreaders do not mark cross-posted articles as read. They show the article in every group even if you did cross-post.)  Netiquette: The social do's and don'ts of behavior on the Internet. 
Flame, Flaming: A common but frowned-upon behavior. What it is, and why to avoid doing it except in certain areas.  Spam: Another frowned-upon behavior. This one could cause you to lose your account.
 

Netiquette
Also known as "Net Etiquette" - polite manners on the Internet.

Some guides to good netiquette are:

• Do not flame. To flame is to say obnoxious or insulting things to or about someone. (See "usenet", "news", "flames".)
• Do not criticize people's news posts based on their spelling or grammar. Not everyone on the Internet learned English as their first language; not everyone has perfect spelling or typing        skills.
• When you post an article to more than one newsgroup, be sure to "crosspost" instead of posting the message to each group separately. (See "crosspost".)
• Post in the appropriate group and do not spam. In general terms, spamming is posting an article to newsgroups where it does not belong. More specifically, spamming involves posting an article, generally of a commercial nature, to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of newsgroups.  For example, trying to sell your old trainset in misc.forsale is appropriate -- posting the same article to "rec.pets.cats" is not. (See "spam".)
• In IRC, keep to discussions appropriate to the channel.  There are groups and channels devoted to many topics; make sure your comments are appropriate to the group or channel you are in. (See "irc", "ircfaq".)

For more information on netiquette, see the newsgroup "news.announce.newusers". 

Flaming
To flame is to say obnoxious or insulting things to or about someone in an abusive manner.  Basically it is a "tantrum" and is generally viewed as immature and uncreative behaviour.  Flaming is discouraged but not illegal, however constantly abusing another user with obscenities and threatening language may violate your Terms of Service Agreement and result in account suspension or termination. 
 

Spam
"Spam" is a term used mostly in Usenet newsgroups. It refers to the process of sending the same news post to many many groups. Usually all or most of the groups are on topics unrelated to the post. 

"Spam" is used as a verb and as a noun. 

Probably the most famous spam was that done by a pair of immigration lawyers in the southwestern USA. They sent a message offering their services to thousands of groups, and Usenet users responded with outrage and a flood of unhappy email. 

Spamming is considered very rude at best, and grounds for retaliation at worst. Even if it "only" involves a handful of groups, it is not considered acceptable behavior. 

Please be sure not to spam. Post articles only to groups to which they are relevant. 

Spamming is against ICOM's official policies, and we reserve the right to suspend or terminate a users account if they spam.