Get Started Using NewsGroups
Step 1. Why Newsgroups?
- So you ask why would I want to sign up and pay a monthly fee to use newsgroups, when I can be using torrents for free to get the same stuff?
- Well, there are a couple of answers to this.
- The first, speed! When using newsgroups, your connection is always maxed out and you will be downloading at the very fastest your ISP (Internet Service Provider) allows.
- The second reason is no uploading. If you are on a private torrent site (the only way to get good speeds on torrents) you have to upload as much as you download to get a decent ratio so you don't get banned from the site. Newsgroups, there is no uploading at all required on your part.
- Third reason is security, The RIAA and the MPAA haven't gone after any users on newsgroups and you are also more protected because since you aren't uploading, you aren't sharing and they can't really nail you as bad (if at all) for just downloading.
- The Forth reason is that the files typically get released on newsgroups before torrents.
- So now you're all pumped up to join the newsgroup ranks, lets get started!
Step 2. Finding A News Server (The Newsgroup Provider)
- There are many different news servers that you can go to. The biggest one is Giganews. There are others too that are excellent and you can find them by searching around.
- The 2 things to look at when choosing your News Server are price and retention. The price is obviously the monlthy price that the service costs. The second thing, retention is how long the files are stored one the News Server. The higher the better.
- News Servers also offer encryption for usually an additional price if you want that extra security.
- Finally, if you are lucky, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will offer you a free News Server. Comcast does this, but with a 2GB monthly limit. Roadrunner also does this and does it very well with unlimited downloading and very good speeds and retention (they have a deal through Giganews)
Step 3. Picking out a News Reader
- Now you need to pick out a news reader. A news reader is really just the program that you use to download all of the files that you desire.
- Luckily for you, there is a lot of news readers. You can choose to pay, or you can get a free news reader if you choose (I prefer the free ones, they usually are just about as good as the paid ones, except they are free!)
- The leading news reader that costs money is NewsLeecher. The main advantage of this news reader is it has a service called "Super Search" which allows you to find the files you are looking for a lot easier. (If you don't use this you will probably use what 99% of the newsgroup community uses to download files, its called NZB files. I'll tell you about them in a later step).
- The leading free news readers right now are alt.binz and GrabIt. Both are excellent news readers and I personally use alt.binz (Intimidating name, but is incredibly easy to use)
- So once you've chosen your news reader you now have everything you need to start using newsgroups, but luckily for you, there are NZB's which make the downloading process much easier.
Step 4. Using .NZB Files to Make Downloading Simple!
- NZB files are files you download off a website to make the file you want to get on newsgroups easier to get. To make it easier to understand I'll give you an example: Say you want to download the newest music cd that the band decided to release for free on newsgroups, you would have to find each individual file in your news reader and download it, which is somewhat of a pain. But with NZB's its all different. All you have to do is download the NZB file for your music album off of a website and open it in your news reader and then all you have to do is click start and it downloads it for you. No hassle of having to find each individual file yourself!
- So now we need to find these elusive sites that offer these NZB's to you:
- http://www.merlins-portal.com
- http://www.binsearch.info
- http://yabse.com
Step 5. Conclusion
- So now you have everything you need to know to get started on newsgroups. Good luck, and happy downloading!
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Last Updated : Aug 10, 2007
