A newsgroup is a collection of messages posted by individuals to a news server, a computer that can host thousands of newsgroups.
You can find newsgroups on practically any subject. Although some newsgroups are moderated, most are not. Moderated newsgroups are "owned" by someone who reviews the postings, can answer questions, delete inappropriate messages, and so forth. Anyone can post messages to a newsgroup. Newsgroups do not require any kind of membership or joining fees.
To use newsgroups in Outlook Express, your Internet service provider must offer links to one or more news servers. After you set up an account for each server you want in Outlook Express, you can read and post messages in any of the newsgroups stored on that news server.
When you find a newsgroup you like, you can "subscribe" to it so that it is displayed in your Outlook Express Folders list. Subscribing provides easy access to your favorite newsgroups, eliminating the need to scroll through the long list on the server each time you want to visit a favorite newsgroup.
Newsgroups can contain thousands of messages, which can be time-consuming to sort through. Outlook Express has a variety of features that make it easier to find the information you want in newsgroups.
The following topics describe how to use Outlook Express to participate in newsgroups: