Newsgroups and Mailing Lists History

1
Introduction

• Newsgroups and Mailing Lists History
• Newsgroup Fundamentals
• Mailing List Fundamentals
• Newsgroups and Mailing Lists Availability
• Chat Rooms
• MUDs

2
Newsgroups and Mailing Lists History

• Newsgroup
• Electronic forum allows users to discuss
  specific topic
• Started in late 1970s
• Duke University and University of North Carolina
• Bulletin board system (BBS)

3
Newsgroups and Mailing Lists History

• Mailing list
• Electronic list of e-mail addresses used to
  send e-mail to each member on list
• Early 1980s
• BITNET

4
Newsgroup Fundamentals

• Newsgroup Terminology
• Newsreaders
• Newsgroups Model
• Newsgroup Hierarchies
• Controversy

5
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Terminology

• Article
• Post
• Posting
• Follow-up
• Thread
• Subscribe
• Unsubscribe

6
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Terminology

• Newsreader
• News client
• Expired news
• News server
• Newsfeed
• Way-station
• Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)

7
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Terminology

• News administrator
• News moderator
• Moderated newsgroup
• Unmoderated newsgroup
• Cross-post
• Digest
• Kill files

8
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsreaders

• Newsreader Interface
• File menu
• Edit menu
• View menu
• Encryption scheme
• Caesar cipher
• Go menu
• Message menu
• Communicator menu

9
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsreaders

• Reading News
• Entering number or name of newsgroup
• Entering article number
• Deja News
• FAQs
• Posting News
• Flame wars
• Keeping Track
• newsrc
• Unique id numbers

10
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroups Model

• News push
• Pushed to client without being requested
• News pull
• Client requests news
• News search
• Deja News
• Signal-to-noise ratio
• Way-stations

11
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroups Model
12
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Hierarchies

• Mainstream

13
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Hierarchies

• Alternative

14
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Newsgroup Hierarchies

• Newsgroup Naming Conventions 
• Hierarchy
• Main topic area
• More specific area(s)
• Summary of news organization
• Hierarchy
• Specific newsgroup
• Thread
• Individual posting

15
Newsgroup Fundamentals
Controversy

• Language
• Images

16
Mailing List Fundamentals

• Mailing List Terminology
• Mailing List Subscriptions
• Helpful Hints
• Mailing Lists and Web Pages
• Mailing Lists Versus Newsgroups

17
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing List Terminology

• List server
• Subscriber
• List owner
• List administrator, list coordinator, list
  manager
• Lurker
• Closed list

18
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing List Terminology

• Private list
• Newbie
• Open list
• Edited list
• Digested list

19
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing List Subscriptions

• Subscriptions 
• Three list servers
• LIST-PROC
• LISTSERV
• Majordomo
• LISTSERVE example
• SUBSCRIBE
• HELP
• UNSUBSCRIBE
• Acknowledgement
• Explanation

20
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing List Subscriptions

• Posts 
• list.server.name_at_site
• Commands to be processed
• mailing.list.name_at_site
• Posts intended for automated distribution
• listname_at_sitename
• Posts intended for distribution in non-automated
  list
• listname-request_at_sitename
• Posts messages to list administrator

21
Mailing List Fundamentals
Helpful Hints

• Obtain information about mailing list before
  subscribing
• Do not let mailing list e-mails interfere with
  other e-mail
• 80-20 rule
• Read list before posting
• Save message from list server upon subscription
• Send commands to list server

22
Mailing List Fundamentals
Helpful Hints

• Share thoughts, expertise, experience, and
  opinions
• Do not post advertisements
• Netiquette
• Do not start flame wars
• Temporarily unsubscribe as necessary

23
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing Lists and Web Pages

• E-mail in your face
• Web pages are good repositories

24
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing Lists Versus Newsgroups

• Mailing list messages sent to mailbox
• Newsgroup messages stored by news server
• Mailing list messages managed by you via e-mail
  client
• Newsgroup messages manipulated via newsreader
• Subscription to mailing list requires sending
  message to appropriate list server
• Subscription to newsgroup is convenient via
  newsreader

25
Mailing List Fundamentals
Mailing Lists Versus Newsgroups

• Mailing list messages archived longer
• Newsgroup messages expire within short period
• Mailing list requires using e-mail
• Newsgroup requires learning newsreader
• Number of mailing list messages can grow fast
• Newsgroup messages can be read whenever you want
  but before news expires

26
Newsgroups and Mailing Lists Availability

• On-line directories
• Forming a mailing list
• Research similar lists
• Do not underestimate time required by list owner

27
Chat Rooms

• Introduction
• Chat Room Entrance
• Chat Room Culture
• Chat Rooms and Education

28
Chat Rooms
Introduction

• Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988
• Two or more people with a common interest have
  real-time conversation
• Channel between two or more computers on Internet

29
Chat Rooms
Chat Room Entrance

• Username and password
• Lurk
• Selecting a room
• Message box

30
Chat Rooms
Chat Room Culture

• Abbreviations
• Netiquette
• Gag or ignore option
• Chat services guidelines

31
Chat Rooms
Chat Rooms and Education

• On-line universities
• Distance learning

32
MUDs

• Introduction
• MUD Connections
• MUDding
• Additional MUD Uses

33
MUDs
Introduction

• Multi-User Dungeon or Multi-User Dimension
• 1979
• Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw
• Types of servers directing MUDs
• Role-playing and fantasy MUDs
• Combat MUDs
• Social MUDs
• Educational MUDs

34
MUDs
MUD Connections

• Telnet
• MUD client
• FooTalk
• MacMOOSE
• MUD.el
• MUSHClient
• TinyTalk

35
MUDs
MUDding

• Welcome screen
• Web page
• Four basic components
• Passageways
• Objects
• Players
• Levels

36
MUDs
MUDding

• Actions
• emote
• help
• look
• page
• say
• whisper
• who

37
MUDs
Additional MUD Uses

• Social MUDs
• Collaboration and brainstorming