Be sure to follow the instructions precisely in order to ensure that you set up the system properly and start receiving messages. You will need to be subscribed to a number of different newsgroups before class ends in order to complete the assignment that is due on Monday.

Let's get started...

First, some brief background and information you will need to know.

Usenet is one of the oldest parts of what we have come to know as the Internet. Established originally as a text-only (unlike html-based Web pages that use graphics, sound and othe rmore complex data) medium for mass communication, Usenet is divided into hundreds of thousands of subject-based "discussion groups" or "newsgroups," all of which are available for reading and posting to anyone with access to Usenet.

Your UNC e-mail account gives you just such access in the form of a TIN newsreader program, already built in. Once you have "subscribed" to newsgroups using this program, you can read the messages through a portion of the telnet-based e-mail programs available on campus (note: this will not work with Siren Mail or IMAP e-mail programs which don't directly access your ISIS account). If you are not already familiar with Telnet, this will give you an opportunity to use this important form of technology for the first time.