| "> | | | | control system. The CIA monitors terrorist |
| 90,000 newsgroups on usenet offer something to | | | | groups to get a handle on that famous buzz. I |
| everyone. Use relationship selling to promote your | | | | monitor non-profit organization newsgroups |
| web site and business. Get noticed on the internet | | | | because I do a lot of work for non-profits and |
| for free. | | | | am a student of their management. We all learn |
| News groups, or usenet, is the internet equivalent | | | | something. |
| of a bulletin board. It was also one of the first | | | | The second reason to participate is to market. |
| internet technologies preceding the world wide | | | | Some newsgroups permit posting of blatant |
| web by years. There are over 90,000 | | | | advertisements. Most of these groups are full of |
| DIFFERENT NEWSGROUPS covering every | | | | cams. Posting stuff to these groups isn't |
| subject under the sun and this article will tell you | | | | marketing. It is, at best, advertising (which isn't to |
| how to get connected to the millions of people | | | | say you shouldn't do it - more on that later). |
| who interact through Usenet daily. Here are a few | | | | Real marketing on Usenet news groups is done in |
| examples of the kinds of groups there are and | | | | the classic model doctors, lawyers and |
| the opportunities you have to market your | | | | professional service firms used back in the days |
| services: | | | | before they were allowed to advertise. (Does |
| Groups with the word health in | | | | anyone other than me remember those days? |
| themalt.health.fastingbiz.healthchristnet.healing.herbs | | | | That was before professional athletes were |
| Groups with the word business in | | | | allowed to wear Nike swooshes on their arm pits.) |
| rleston.business | | | | In this model, you met someone, listened and |
| Words with park in | | | | talked to them and attempted to form a |
| arkssemcog.pub-facilities.parking | | | | relationship. This was when actual human |
| Groups are set up and maintained by special | | | | communication - or more technically a |
| interests including, but not limited to gov | | | | ss-between-liveware-unit-interfaces - was used to |
| (government), us (local governmental or quasi | | | | market. Marketing on Usenet groups is a |
| governmental entities such as a state university | | | | one-on-one, relationship-building, |
| or city), biz (business) or alt (for alternative - any | | | | thoughtful-and-fulfilling way to work. |
| thing goes). Some of these groups are deadly | | | | The third reason to participate in newsgroups is |
| serious and aimed at specialized markets. For | | | | to play the search engine game. The fact is, if |
| example, you can read the business process | | | | your URL is in usenet postings it will likely get |
| reengineering group news for a year without | | | | picked up by some search engines. A fascinating |
| smiling. Some are pure commercial - | | | | example of this is the Green Eggs Report ( Green |
| seattle.business and alt.business.franchise are about | | | | Eggs uses a Rumor database system that |
| commercial transactions only. Some are for | | | | monitors newsgroups. It identifies urls contained in |
| making public announcements such as | | | | postings and indexes those web sites. It is a |
| gov.us.ed.announce and comp.windows.x.announce | | | | hugely different model than the 'submit a web site |
| which are the internet equivalent of the public | | | | to Yahoo for a couple of hundred bucks' |
| announcement section of the news paper. People | | | | approach. And of course, the more places you |
| with common and specialized interests join these | | | | are listed on the internet, the higher your ranking |
| groups to share their stuff. The groups are a | | | | will be in many searches. |
| meeting place and a place you should go to meet | | | | So there you have it. All the newsgroup news fit |
| people who need you. | | | | to print. And three powerful reasons to |
| Groups are either moderated or unmoderated. A | | | | participate. So get out there and learn something, |
| moderated group has a one member who reads | | | | build a relationship, and slip into a search engine |
| everything to determine if it is appropriate to be | | | | through the back door. There are four places I |
| posted to the group's bulletin board. Unmoderated | | | | can think of to find news groups. First, your ISP. |
| groups allow anyone to post anything. The | | | | Your internet service provider can give you the |
| success of a moderated group depends on the | | | | news server address for your system. The |
| quality of the moderator. If junk is let in, the | | | | address will be something to the effect of |
| value of the group goes down. The success of | | | | news.yourisp.net. You put this address into your |
| unmoderated groups depends on the group's | | | | newsgroup reader (often Outlook or Outlook |
| community. A serious community will write some | | | | Express for Windows users). Directions for setting |
| very nasty letters to people who post off | | | | up accounts is included in the on line help systems |
| message subjects to their group. My caution to | | | | of most programs and access to usenet is |
| you is to stay on subject for each group. | | | | generally free. The second place to learn about |
| To my mind there are three key reasons to | | | | usenet is The third is Both Topica and Yahoo are |
| participate in newsgroups. First, you might learn | | | | a little more vanilla and maybe more commercial |
| something about your line of work or about the | | | | than the original usenet. But they haven't been at |
| environment in which you function. Business and | | | | it as long. The last place to learn about usenet is |
| organizations monitor newsgroups for the explicit | | | | to visit your search engine and search for usenet. |
| purpose of learning about their environments. Intel | | | | You'll get lots FAQ's, information, and opportunities |
| famously watches groups relating to its products | | | | to subscribe to third party usenet service |
| and often hears about bugs and issues before | | | | providers. |
| they become generally known. They use the | | | | Comments on this article? Contact me! |
| groups, in part, as an extension of their quality | | | | |