1. Newsgroups, Listservs, Newsletters, Chats & Phishing
Electronic Writing & Publishing

2. What is a Newsgroup? Traditionally: part of the usenet news system
Now:
A topic-based discussion forum & repository
Still part of the usenet news system, with hierarchies based on topic (soc, alt, comp, talk)
Accessed/received via , website (often requiring login), or a newsreader
Topics can be almost anything
Often includes spam, trolling, & flaming

3. Where can I find Newsgroups?
Goggle Groups search:
Newzbot:
FAQ on usenet newsgroups:
Brief intro to newsgroups with a selection of newsgroups:

4. How Newsgroups Work

5. What is a Listserv? An electronic mailing list for discussion
often topic based
A public forum or community
Requires a subscription (usually easy to obtain by sending an to the listserv address)
Messages sent to all members
Available: sent to inbox, digest form, online
Often has less spam than newsgroups due to the subscription and possible monitoring

6. How a Listserv works
Image from Tri-Service Toxicology Consortium

7. Where can I find Listservs?
Catalogue of listservs with a search:
Use a search engine (google, yahoo,…) and search for your topic and listserv [Example search: cats listserv]
Look up professional organizations in your field. Many should have listserv
For more info, including how to join & hints of being part of a listserv:

8. What is a Newsletter?
Newsletters are not Newsgroups! They are not discussion lists
Newsletters are one-to-many s originated by a single source (often a company) and sent out to those who have subscribed
Like the old paper newsletters
Examples include news updates from NY Times, CNN, or other sources; company newsletter; quotes of the day; recipes of the week; a groups monthly news; and so on

9. What is Chat/IM? Synchronous online communication
Usually between just two people & fairly short
Various “types”
Instant messaging (IM)
AOL Instant Messenger (AOL IM)
ICQ (“I seek you”)
Yahoo Chat (Y!)
IRC: not owned by a company, requires client program
Universal clients available that allow you access several chat types at the same time (Trillian, Zango,…)

10. Examples of Chat Interfaces
Example chat window
Example interface

11. Phishing
“Crackers” send fraudulent s “from” a trustworthy source to lure victims to give up sensitive info (such as passwords, account numbers, credit card numbers, and the such), often require people to log in at fake sites and in the process giving the info to the phishers, often use scare tactics to get people “hooked”
Examples: s from a bank asking for account info, from ebay wanting info
Started on AOL
Tips:
DO NOT follow the
DO NOT use the url in the
If unsure go to the real website type in the URL yourself or call the company
Most companies want you to send any phishing your received “from” them to them

12. Phishing Example

13. The End