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== Usenet: Network News Free Speech Network ==
(303 words. Read time 2-3 minutes. Save and share!)
## Contents ##
1. Introduction
2. Ways to access Usenet
3. Links to Usenet hosts and software
4. Rough traffic count
Do you remember Network News, AKA Usenet? At over 40 years old, Usenet is the original 'social network'. Usenet is the oldest bastion of digital free speech networks.
Usenet is highly resistant to censorship. For decades Usenet has served as a free speech haven. It has also served as a platform for secure and anonymous messaging.
I suspect that many of GenY and GenZ have never heard of Usenet. We can change that. We can alert them to this censorship-resistant network as an alternative to highly censored social media.
## Ways to access Usenet ##
There are multiple ways to access Usenet:
- web front ends
- dedicated graphical clients
- dedicated terminal clients
## Links to Usenet hosts and software ##
Users can access Usenet to read and post by installing free client software or by visiting a host that provides web browser access.
* Free Forum front end for Usenet: https://novabbs.org
* Free Usenet servers list: https://sybershock.com/#usenet
* Free Usenet reader software:
- Thunderbird https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/
- Betterbird https://www.betterbird.eu/
- Claws Mail https://www.claws-mail.org/
- Sylpheed https://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/
- Seamonkey https://www.seamonkey-project.org/
## Rough traffic count ##
A few days ago when I counted, more than 16 thousand articles were posted in Usenet threads in a 24-hour period. I checked today as of a few minutes past midnight GMT, and almost 12 thousand articles were posted in the past 24-hour period. At this rate about 4.4 million articles would be posted in a single year.
Share this information with your friends!
#Usenet #NNTP #NetworkNews #SocialMedia #SocialNetworks #FreeSpeech #Censorship
== Usenet: Network News Free Speech Network ==
(303 words. Read time 2-3 minutes. Save and share!)
## Contents ##
1. Introduction
2. Ways to access Usenet
3. Links to Usenet hosts and software
4. Rough traffic count
Do you remember Network News, AKA Usenet? At over 40 years old, Usenet is the original 'social network'. Usenet is the oldest bastion of digital free speech networks.
Usenet is highly resistant to censorship. For decades Usenet has served as a free speech haven. It has also served as a platform for secure and anonymous messaging.
I suspect that many of GenY and GenZ have never heard of Usenet. We can change that. We can alert them to this censorship-resistant network as an alternative to highly censored social media.
## Ways to access Usenet ##
There are multiple ways to access Usenet:
- web front ends
- dedicated graphical clients
- dedicated terminal clients
## Links to Usenet hosts and software ##
Users can access Usenet to read and post by installing free client software or by visiting a host that provides web browser access.
* Free Forum front end for Usenet: https://novabbs.org
* Free Usenet servers list: https://sybershock.com/#usenet
* Free Usenet reader software:
- Thunderbird https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/
- Betterbird https://www.betterbird.eu/
- Claws Mail https://www.claws-mail.org/
- Sylpheed https://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/
- Seamonkey https://www.seamonkey-project.org/
## Rough traffic count ##
A few days ago when I counted, more than 16 thousand articles were posted in Usenet threads in a 24-hour period. I checked today as of a few minutes past midnight GMT, and almost 12 thousand articles were posted in the past 24-hour period. At this rate about 4.4 million articles would be posted in a single year.
Share this information with your friends!
#Usenet #NNTP #NetworkNews #SocialMedia #SocialNetworks #FreeSpeech #Censorship
Like nntp theres no intelligent life there anymore unless you bring it. @lamp @bookstodon @histodons @academicchatter @actuallyautistic @palestine
@heretical_i @lamp @bookstodon @histodons @academicchatter @actuallyautistic @palestine A couple of years ago #usenet was getting choked with spam mainly originating from Google Groups. But Google Groups disconnected from Usenet earlier this year and since then the situation has improved.
I thought google groups was shuttered years ago @CGM Guess not. I know most listservs have become trash as well... at least the dozen or so I've subbed to over the years.
Ps. The sfbay nntp channel is completely useless. I watched it for a year or so and it was nothing but poor bashing/racist hate mail and NOTHING worthwhile.
@CGM@mastodon.scot
A lot has happened in the past few years.
1. Google Groups is not Usenet. Google Groups had a web-based portal for accessing Usenet but Usenet is decentralized and is not controlled by Google.
2. I began a anti-spam campaign a couple years ago. Google Groups was spamming the hell out of Usenet. Some netizens began writing complaints about the matter.
3. As of February of last year, Google Groups shut down its Usenet portal and the flood of spam stopped.
4. Usenet sysops began an aggressive cleanup of the spam. Most of the spam has been eliminated for over a year now.
Usenet works very similar to the Fediverse. You can get an account on a server that you like, with a sysop having their own policies. Then you use filters in your newsreader to mute anyone who seems bothersome or idiotic. Usenet is different from the Fediverse in that it is censorship resistant. A sysop can only delete messages from their own server feed, while everyone who wants the same message will keep it in their server feeds. So if someone wants viewpoint censorship, it is not going to happen. Most sysops will send such a request right to the trash.
The links provided in the top message of this thread are all anyone needs to get rolling on Usenet. Just remember: Google Groups isn't usenet and you can't use Google groups to access Usenet any more. There are a couple dozen other providers for free Usenet access to text groups.
A lot has happened in the past few years.
1. Google Groups is not Usenet. Google Groups had a web-based portal for accessing Usenet but Usenet is decentralized and is not controlled by Google.
2. I began a anti-spam campaign a couple years ago. Google Groups was spamming the hell out of Usenet. Some netizens began writing complaints about the matter.
3. As of February of last year, Google Groups shut down its Usenet portal and the flood of spam stopped.
4. Usenet sysops began an aggressive cleanup of the spam. Most of the spam has been eliminated for over a year now.
Usenet works very similar to the Fediverse. You can get an account on a server that you like, with a sysop having their own policies. Then you use filters in your newsreader to mute anyone who seems bothersome or idiotic. Usenet is different from the Fediverse in that it is censorship resistant. A sysop can only delete messages from their own server feed, while everyone who wants the same message will keep it in their server feeds. So if someone wants viewpoint censorship, it is not going to happen. Most sysops will send such a request right to the trash.
The links provided in the top message of this thread are all anyone needs to get rolling on Usenet. Just remember: Google Groups isn't usenet and you can't use Google groups to access Usenet any more. There are a couple dozen other providers for free Usenet access to text groups.