Expanding the Public Sphere through Computer ... - ResearchGate

CHAPTER 3. TECHNOLOGY & THE PUBLIC SPHERE 52
Instead, users use a client-host architecture to access newsgroups. A user instructs
her machine to connect to another computer, which has stored Usenet postings
for a period of time (the amount of time varies from site to site, and even from
newsgroup to newsgroup). Most users use newsreading software which organizes
the postings by their “heading”, typically displaying the date and author of the
post. The user then indicates that she would like to see the full text of a specific
article, and the server then sends the file to the client. The user may then read,
store, reply through electronic mail, post a follow-up article or start a new subject
heading with a new posting.
The fundamental unit of a newsgroup is the “post” or “article.” Figure 3.1 on the
next page annotates portions of article. Each article is written by a single, identifiable
user. Every newsgroup article has a “From” field in its header containing
the email address of the sender or author. 5 The article is assigned a unique identification
number (message ID), which can then be used by other authors as a point
of reference. Every article also has a subject heading, which permits organization
of the newsgroup by “thread” or subject. Articles contain both “included” text,
taken from previous articles to maintain continuity, and “original text,” written by
the author of the 2fpost.
Usenet is extraordinarily large and diverse; for example, during the month of January,
1995, an estimated 11 million individuals from more than 300,000 sites 6 had
access to an average of 125,000 new messages per day, distributed across about
7,500 different newsgroups. The range of topics addressed by Usenet newsgroups
can be assessed by a brief look at the conventions for naming groups. Newsgroups
always have a name that includes at least two words separated by a period. The
first word indicates the classification, and the second and subsequent word further
identifies the group. Currently, there are seven types of Usenet groups: (1) comp
groups discuss computer science, software, hardware, systems and the computing
profession; (2) sci groups include discussions of a technical nature related to a
specific science or discipline; (3) news groups are concerned with Usenet news administrative
issues; (4) soc groups are addressed to socializing and social issues;
(5) rec groups are dedicated to recreational topics; (6) talk groups are, as their
name implies, intended for people talk about various topics; and (7) misc groups
include those which do not fit into other categories (Spafford 1994). In addition,
5 At least in theory. There are accusations of forged posting frequently in Usenet.
6 A “site” is a computer which is receiving a “newsfeed,” and could be a University, corporation,
Internet Service Provider, Community v Computer Network or the like.