Newsgroups, also called "Usenet" or "discussion groups" are a collection of discussion forums on nearly every topic imaginable.

Outlook Express is a great tool for reading and posting messages to newsgroups. In Outlook Express, use news.tcq.net as your news (NNTP) server.  

Along the top toolbar, you will see some buttons. Here are descriptions of the most common buttons:

	Post a new messages to a selected newsgroup.
	Reply to a specific message in a newsgroup.
	Brings up the Newsgroup Subscription screen that lists all available newsgroups (see below).
	Downloads additional messages in the selected newsgroup.

To get started, click the Newsgroups button. A Newsgroup Subscription window will open up with a list of all available newsgroups. If it is your first time accessing our news server, you will need to wait while Outlook Express retrieves a list of all available newsgroups. There are tens of thousands of available newsgroups, so there will be a brief delay while your list updates. 

In the 'Display newsgroup which contain:' field, simply enter a topic or keyword for a forum you would like to participate in. You can also browse through the the various newsgroups. Newsgroups are categorized into different hierarchies. Here are some of the main ones:

 

	alt: hundreds of volatile groups discussing nearly any topic, the most popular
	biz: commercial services and advertisements
	comp: computers and computing
	mn: Minnesota related groups
	rec: recreational topics, hobbies
	sci: scientific and technical topics
	soc: social issues and political discussions

Underneath these headings, you will find other subcategories, and even more subcategories beneath them.

When you have found one that interests you, click Go to. Clicking Subscribe will save this newsgroup for you.

Newsgroup Etiquette

	Almost all newsgroups come with their own list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Be sure to read it if you subscribe. If you are not sure where it is, you can post a message asking for it.
	"Lurk" awhile before you post. Watch what other people are posting and get a feel for the newsgroup before participating.
	Do not post to more than 3 newsgroups at one time. This is considered cross posting, and is usually frowned upon.
	Try to keep a sense of humor. It may be needed, especially in some of the un-moderated groups.