If you joined USENET because you want access to experts on a variety of topics, you’re certainly not alone. One of the most intimidating things about joining a new newsgroup is the fact that many of the people posting will have exceptional knowledge. In fact, many of them will post with terminology that you’ve probably never heard of before. Approaching the experts with a simple question can be a difficult thing to do. If you want to make sure you’re doing it right, pay attention to the following tips.

watch it first

The first thing you should do is look up the information on your own before asking. There are two places you’ll definitely want to look for this information: the Internet and Google Groups. Check the Internet to see if you can find an easy answer to the question that interests you. Of course, if you’re thinking of asking on USENET, you’re probably overwhelmed with the number of answers you can find to the question you want to ask, and more concerned with which of those answers are actually accurate.

Check Google Groups. Google Groups has an archive of approximately 20 years of USENET posts. You can search through posts to see if someone else has answered your question before you’re interested. You may find that someone has, in fact, asked the very question you wanted to ask and already got a great answer from a true expert.

second question

After you’ve done all your research, go ahead and ask the appropriate USENET group if anyone knows the answer to your question. Point out the fact that you have already searched for information and other resources and are very interested in hearing the opinions of the experts in the newsgroup. You may find that you get a response right away or are pointed to other resources.

If something about the information you found confuses you, asking for clarification is always welcome in USENET newsgroups. In fact, this is often the best way to ask for a response. Point to the question you are curious about, show some of the information you have already found, and indicate which parts of that information are not clear to you or which parts of that information completely confuse you. Most of the time, someone will jump in right away and try to help you understand the information you found on your own.

There are some very knowledgeable people on the USENET system and most of them are there because they enjoy having intelligent conversations. Ask thoughtful questions and you’ll likely quickly become a valued member of the groups you subscribe to. Remember not to be intimidated by the experience of some of the people in the newsgroups. Most people with a very high level of experience love teaching people about the field they work in as well as working in it themselves.