Internet Newsgroup Common Terms

There's a Newsgroup for every conceivable subject - and then some! If you have Internet access, you almost certainly have Newsgroup access. Ask your ISP if you don't know how to subscribe.

add (also join and subscribe)
The act of adding a newsgroup to your personal list of newsgroups. These are the groups that you see when you start up your newsreader. See also: remove.

article (also post)
An individual message in a newsgroup. When a person sends or posts an article and other people reply to it, it forms a thread.

binary
A type of newsgroup article that contains encoded binary information, such as a picture, sound, or software application. There are special groups for binary files, such as alt.binaries.clip-art.

cancel, cancelbot
The act of retracting or removing one’s newsgroup article. Cancelbots are programs that cancel spam posts.

charter
An official description of what a newsgroup is all about, whether it’s moderated, and what kinds of topics the group will discuss. For specific information about a newsgroup, read the group’s FAQ.

cross-post
To copy an article to multiple newsgroups. Cross-posting should be done sparingly, and only when the post is relevant to the affected newsgroups. Excessive cross-posting is a lot like spam, and is nicknamed "velveeta."