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The Usenet Newsgroups

USENET is not a physical network, but rather a logical network resting on top of several existing physical networks. These networks include, but are not limited to, UUCP, the ARPANET, an Ethernet, the BLICN network, an NSC Hyperchannel, and a Berknet.

- Mark Horton; Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages; RFC 850; June 1983.

The Usenet stands for "user's network", and is sometimes called just "the newsgroups". Usenet newsgroups are thousands of virtual bulletin boards on a wide range of different subjects available around the world. Anyone with access to the Internet can post a message to any newsgroup, read any message, and post a response to any message, making the Usenet a unique global common space covering a wide range of subjects.

The Usenet is an especially useful place to search for the answer to a question, since so many questions are asked and answered there. It is also particularly useful when looking for information about late-breaking or non-mainstream subjects likely to be part of the popular conversation. The following sections provide more information.