There’s no doubt that USENET is the primary mode of discussion on the net (or, at least, it was). The problem, however, is that USENET is not part of the www. On the world wide web, discussions are mainly through web forums and mailing lists.

A web forum is a facility on the www for holding discussions. forums often evolve into close-knit virtual communities home to many heated debates, exchanges and even rivalry. getting involved on forum discussions is simple: simply find a forum you like and join it.
More on forums.
Some cool forums:
-talksoccer
-somethingawful
More cool Forums. (directory)

An electronic mailing list, a type of internet forum, is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many internet users. Basically, the discussion is held through email whereby you post to the forum by sending an email and receive replies or other users’ posts in your inbox.
More on Mailing Lists.
Active Mailing Lists that you can and should join.

As it is elsewhere, adherence to netiquette is required. For forums, special rules apply:
– Always read any established rules.
– Before starting a post, make sure it doesn’t already exist.
– follow rules of grammar.
– post in the correct section.
– Do not SHOUT.
– Stay on topic.
– Do not resurrect very old topics if you have nothing new to say.
– Do not participate in flame wars or pie-fights.
– And of course, keep the Ten Commandments of Netiquette in mind.

Some jargon:
Mailing List – a collection of names and adresses used by an individual or organisation to send material to multiple recipients.
Shouting – WRITING IN CAPS.

Einstein Once said:
“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
He went on to add:
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Is reality really an illusion? [Read More…]

Einstein’s Quotes courtesy of rescomp.stanford.edu. Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995

If you liked this post you might also like Brian Greene’s ‘The Elegant Universe‘ or Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.

The oldest computer network communication system still in widespread news is USENET (USEr NETwork). It is a distributed internet discussion system where users read and post email-like messages (called articles) to a number of distributed newsgroups (categories that resemble bulletin board systems in most respects).

Even though USENET is over a decade older than the www, it is still a significant part of the internet, laden with history, as many USENET newsgroups are passionate communities of discussion and the sharing of ideas. The early internet was very much shaped by USENET. Therefore, it is the place to go if you’re looking to get more involved in the internet by taking part in online discussions.

USENET is of significance cultural importance in the networked world having given rise to popular terms such as FAQ or spam. However, it has diminished in importance to mailing lists, web forums and blogs – maybe because it is accessed with special software(newsreader clients) that connects to a news server.

Fortunately, USENET is again experiencing a revival of sorts mainly due to Google Groups which allows reading and posting of articles to USENET newsgroups. Go on, join in on USENET discussions and let’s make sure that September Never Ends.

The easiest way to join is by Google Groups or usenet.com. At first, you may feel lost. That’s just because you’re a newbie. Here are some helpful FAQs and other introductory information.

Since it is our internet, we can only gain substantially from the internet if we get involved deeply in it. And I bet some of you are eager to jump right in (if you haven’t already). But how exactly does one do this?

Step 1: Obviously, you have to start using the internet in some way, any way – even if only for ‘normal’ things. That means you should get an email account, kill time at youtube, shop at eBay – Just do something!

Step 2: Next, you should start thinking about contributing, in some way, to the internet. The easiest way to do this is by joining in and contributing to online discussions. Join a USENET newsgroup, mailing list or web forum.

Step 3: By now, you should be feeling like you are part of some community since you have been participating in discussions that you care about, with other people. Take it a notch higher and join your new friends in a social community such as myspace or orkut.

Step 4: Get a personal web page and/or blog. This gives you a permanent home online where al of your new e-friends can get you.

Step 5: Finally, help make the net a better place by contributing your skills to a noble online cause. The easiest way to do this is to join a wiki – such as wikipedia – and contribute articles to it or help edit other people’s articles. Alternatively, consider helping to develop open (and free) source software.

Having done all these, you should now be a more valuable user of the internet and you will have acquired considerable experience on how things work on the internet. Moreover, if you played your cards right, you may even find yourself better off financially.

Next, we’ll look at some of these steps in-depth.