Newbie to newsgroups

[ArcticStones]

I am new to newsgroups, trying to orient myself and get started. Just downloaded a trial version of Hogwasher, which I saw recommended in another thread. (unsure where to place this thread)

First: Where can I find good "free" news servers -- that are actually free?
Second: Is there any sensible way to sort through the jungle in order to find serious news groups?
Third: I understand many of the more serious newsgroups are closed/ open by invitation. Are these listed somewhere? How do I contact them.

And: When creating a news account, should I use the news address or is it better to use the IP address? I’m having difficulty with the nuts and bolts details; only connecting with two of the 10-12 news servers I’ve tried...

My interests include photography, creative writing, good advertising, copy writing for advertising, font design and typography, origami, many kinds of music and practical spirituality.

But I haven’t a clue of where to start...
Grateful for any helpful hints.


Best regards,
ArcticStones

[rberry88]

If you are looking for usenet newsgroups then you can just google for the subject you want and there most likely will be a google web-based alternative/mirror.

You'll want to get either a news-reader (Entourage has one built in) and set it up by the name of the news server, which will then list all available groups (topics) that are available on that server.

For example, my ISP is Comcast and they offer a newsgroup server named netnews.comcast.net which is what I input into my news reader setting along with my sign on and password for my ISP. Once this is done, it will list all of the groups available on the server, I just choose one, for example alt.games.video.sony.Playstation2 and then hit subscribe and I can then post and read about the various topics in this newsgroup.

As far as finding serious newsgroups, that is not hard, but remember, 90% of usenet newsgroups are un-moderated, so, depending on the subject, you could either get a group of serious people together or a bunch of nitwits out with the sole purpose of ruining the group. Regardless, it is a good source to find people with your same interests to interact with. Just don't be put off by the many idiots out there because no matter where you go you will find plenty.

Hmmm, not sure if I helped but at least I hope you find this info useful.