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The WURD News FAQ
Newsgroups provide interactive communication on virtually any imaginable topic. There are thousands and thousands of newsgroups, and more are added every day. Whether you are looking for like-minded peers or searching for information on a specific issue, the newsgroups are the Internet's best kept secret for up-to-date discussion of current events, issues, and topics.
This page contains answers to common questions about using newsgroups on AT&T Worldnet Service. We've also included some tips and tricks that we have found useful and have presented here as questions. If you're new to newsgroups, please read our Newsgroups Tutorial.
Does AT&T Worldnet Service provide...
What is (are)...
- What is a newsgroup?
- What is a post?
- What is a cancelled message?
- What is a thread?
- What is a moderator?
- What is the proper etiquette for posting to a newsgroup?
- What is a message header?
Where can I find...
Can I...
- Can I post to more than one newsgroup at a time?
- Can I use a different identity?
- Can I post to the AT&T Worldnet news servers from another ISP or while using DSL?
How do I...
- How do I make the most out of my online time if I have a time limit?
- How do I anti-spam my e-mail address in the newsgroups?
- How do I see replies to posts in the newsgroups?
What's going on?
Does AT&T Worldnet Service provide a news server?
Yes, they do, and we've provided configuration information for various newsreaders.
As of March, 2001, there were over 22,000 groups available.
What is a newsgroup?
A newsgroup is like a bulletin board on the Internet. Users post messages on specific subjects that other users who subscribe to the newsgroup can see and respond to. For additional information, see the WURD News Tutorial.
What is a post?
A post is a message that someone has sent to the newsgroup for others to read and respond to. Anyone subscribed to the newsgroup can post a message to the newsgroup.
What is a cancelled message?
A cancelled message can be identified by having a red X. Cancelled messages can only be cancelled by the individual who originally posted the message. Thus, you can only cancel your own post.
What is a thread?
A thread is a listing of replies to a given message. A thread can be identified by having a + sign next to the message that has more than one posting in it. To view the replies on a message, click the + sign to expand the thread and view the replies.
What is a moderator?
A moderator is a person or group who moderates the newsgroup. Moderated newsgroups are controlled by an individual or group. These groups are open for everyone to read, but to post to a moderated group you must follow that group's guidelines.
For more information on moderated news groups see:
Moderated Newsgroup FAQ
What is the proper etiquette when posting to a newsgroup?
When posting to any newsgroup you are expected to follow the net etiquette rules. It is also important to know that when posting in all caps it is the same thing as yelling and is considered to be rude and unacceptable. See the AT&T Worldnet Service Terms and Conditions for additional information.
Where can I find instructions on configuring my newsreader for AT&T Worldnet Service?
You can gain access to the AT&T Worldnet Service news server by using netnews.worldnet.att.net as the nntp server. If you need more help, we have provided a list of newsreaders and configuration information for a number of them at Newsreaders and here. You will also find links to the latest versions of the software.
Can I post to more than one newsgroup at a time?
You can post to more than one newsgroup at a time by entering in the address in the to: area of the message for each of the newsgroups you want to post your message to. Your message will be sent to each of the groups listed. This is also known as Crossposting.
AT&T Worldnet Service has placed limitations on the number of newsgroups that can be crossposted. Please see the AT&T Worldnet Service Terms and Conditions and Rules of Conduct for additional information.
Can I use a different identity?
Yes, you can use any identity you like to keep yourself anonymous. To do this you will need to go into your mail/news settings. See the WURD on Newsreaders for the location of this information for your specific newsreader. Be aware that you will never be completely anonymous. If necessary, any post that you make can be traced back to you.
There are special conditions if you are going to be posting in the internal AT&T Worldnet Service newsgroups. Please see the AT&T Worldnet Service Rules of Conduct for additional information.
How do I make the most of my online time if I have a time limit?
You'll find that information in our Saving Time tutorial.
How do I anti-spam my e-mail address in the newsgroups?
To anti-spam your e-mail address you will have change your newsgroup settings. Change the reply to by adding in a # or % or something that should not be in your address. It's best to add this to the right of the @ sign so spam doesn't even reach your ISP. See the WURD on Newsreaders for the location of the reply to field in your newsreader.
Make sure you add a comment to your post telling what should be removed from your address if someone wishes to reply by e-mail.
For more information on fighting spamming, see our Spam tutorial.
Why do I get no new messages in some newsgroups while using Microsoft Internet news, but when I view all messages they are there and already marked read?
There is a bug in IE News being reported. Some say it is due to having checked in options to mark all messages read on exiting. Others say it is due to using the mark all messages read button. The cure is time consuming but it will restore your newsgroups.
- Open your Program Files folder.
- Open the IE Mail & News folder.
- Open the News folder.
- Delete everything in the News folder.
- Now restart news and download all the newsgroups in the server, re-subscribe to all your newsgroups downloading all headers. Do a sort on date and unthread and highlight all messages from yesterday and mark read. Now you'll have today's messages though some you may have already read.
How do I see replies to posts in the newsgroups?
Click the little + sign to the left of the message to expand the thread and see all the answers under the message. Check your newsreader's help file to see if there's a setting to have the threads expand automatically.
Can I post to the AT&T Worldnet news servers from another ISP or while using DSL?
Access from another ISP or over DSL connections is now available.
- If your newsreader allows SSL connections to news servers, you can use it to access the AT&T Worldnet news server from another ISP. If you're computer savvy enough to configure your software without any help, you'll find all of the information you'll need in our configuration information.
We've provided detailed instructions for the following newsreaders: - If your newsreader doesn't provide the SSL support, you need to use a helper program, an SSL wrapper called Stunnel. See the following page for download and setup information. Note: Your newsreader must also allow for authentication to the news server.
We've provided detailed instructions for using Stunnel with the following newsreaders:
What is a message header?
A header is information included in a message that gives the name or e-mail address (or both) of the person posting the message, the newsgroups the message was posted to, the date and time of posting, and the message IDs and other information that tells where the post originated from. It also tells what newsreader the person used to post the message. You'll find detailed information on the following page:
See the following pages for instructions on viewing message headers: