AlltheNewsgroups.com - FAQ

Why select AllTheNewsgroups.com™ as your provider for premium news access?

What makes AllTheNewsgroups.com™ different from other providers?

What is the relationship between AllTheNewsgroups.com™ and Voicenet?

I have a Voicenet Internet connection, can I use this News Group service?

General

What are Newsgroups?

How are Newsgroups organized?

What newsgroups are hosted by AllTheNewsgroups.com™?

What are binary (file) Newsgroups?

What are text Newsgroups?

What are the rules of newsgroup use?

What happens if I "subscribe" to a newsgroup?

Can other Newsgroup members see when I subscribe to a group?

What is a moderated Newsgroup?

How long do messages stay on your server?

Are my download speeds limited?

Configuration

What software do I need to download Newsgroups?

Where can I get a Newsreader?

How do I setup my Newsreader?

What if I need more help setting up my newsreader?

How do I download Newsgroup posts?

Can anyone in the group get my email address?

What is a multi-part posting and how do I combine them?

What is yenc?

Account

How can I get an account with AllTheNewsgroups.com™?

What limitations are there with the free trial account?

How will I get my log-on and configuration information?

I live outside the US and cannot sign up for the service on the website. Is there any way I can access this newsgroup service?

How is my account billed?

How do I cancel my account?

How can I change my billing information?

How can I check the amount (Megabytes) I have used this month?

What happens if I go over my download quota for the month?

How can I change my account username and password?

Can I use my account on different computers?

What if I lost my username and password, or the ones I have do not work?

Problems

What if I am having problems getting newsgroup postings?

Multi-part postings are incomplete, what can I do?

Is there any way to prevent access to adult newsgroups?

Can I get a computer virus from a newsgroup post?

Why select AllTheNewsgroups.com™ as your provider for premium news access?
Simply stated, AllTheNewsgroups.com™ has the fastest servers, largest collection of newsgroups and one of the highest retention/completion rates in the news industry. Our redundant connections to the Internet and unique server architecture create a reliable, high quality news product at an affordable price.

What makes AllTheNewsgroups.com™ different from other providers?
AllTheNewsgroups.com™ is built upon an unmatched, world-class, high-speed Internet network and load-balanced, redundant servers. Additionally, AllTheNewsgroups.com™ prides itself on the highest article retention/completion rates for text, as well as, binaries.

What is the relationship between AllTheNewsgroups.com™ and Voicenet?
AllTheNewsgroups.com™ is a subsidiary of Voicenet (www.voicenet.com), a 13-year-old Internet Service Provider located outside Philadelphia, PA. Voicenet offers premium Internet Access for homes and businesses in addition to web hosting, web design, email services and network security. Your AllTheNewsgroups.com™ charges will appear as Voicenet charges on your credit card.

I have a Voicenet Internet connection, can I use this Newsgroup service?
Voicenet Connection customers can log into the AllTheNewsgroups.com™ server for no additional charge. And there is NO DOWNLOAD QUOTA CAP for Voicenet connections. Dialup and IDSN customers can log onto the server with their username@voicenet.com and the associated password. Please note, Voicenet connection customers cannot log into the AllTheNewsgroups.com™ Account Manager. Since there is no download quota while using Voicenet connections, checking usage is unnecessary.

Voicenet offers local number V.90 Dialup and 2 channel ISDN connections in hundreds of areas in the USA. We also offer DSL, Frame Relay, T1 and greater connections in many areas. Get a great Internet connection, toll-free Tech Support AND unlimited newsgroup access. Please visit our website www.voicenet.com and call our Sales Department (800-835-5710) for more information about Voicenet Internet connections.

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General

What are Newsgroups?
Newsgroups are world wide bulletin boards where individuals can post email messages. These postings are distributed to news servers by background peering. You can read a post sent by anyone to the group, and post one yourself if you want to.

How are Newsgroups organized?
There are many separate newsgroups, organized by topic. The name of the newsgroup generally describes the topic under discussion. Newsgroups have names like alt.jokes, rec.bicycles.racing, and alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.1960s. We host about 110,000 different newsgroups, a vast array of topics.

What newsgroups are hosted by AllTheNewsgroups.com™?
We have a searchable list of the hosted groups available on our website.

What are binary (file) Newsgroups?
Binary groups are intended for postings with file attachments. The attachments are usually; pictures, movie clips, sound files, or software programs. Postings with viruses are not common but they do sometimes sneak in. We highly recommend keeping updated anti-virus software in your computer.

What are text Newsgroups?
The text Newsgroups are intended for plain text postings only. There are many lively discussion groups and the regular members will "flame" anyone posting with an attachment.

What are the rules of newsgroup use?
We have the required rules of newsgroup use posted on our website, at the "Service Agreement" link. In addition there are standards of polite behavior, called netiquette (net-etiquette). These are informal rules that group members generally agree to. Many websites discuss netiquette. For a few examples check:

http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/09netiqt.htm

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_6.html

http://www.fau.edu/netiquette/net/elec.html

http://www.cit.cornell.edu/services/netnews/netiquette.html

http://www.webworker.com/reports/report.netiquette.html

What happens if I "subscribe" to a newsgroup?
Subscribing to a group just changes a setting in your computer. No one is informed that you subscribe to a group, and AllTheNewsgroups.com™ does NOT record which groups you subscribe to. You can also just visit a group, without subscribing, with most newsreaders. People often visit groups to check out the activity, and subscribe only if they like what they find.

Can other Newsgroup members see when I subscribe to a group?
No one knows when you subscribe to a group, unless you post a message to the group. Be aware that any newsgroup post is shared with all of the News Servers in the world that host the group.

What is a moderated Newsgroup?
Moderated newsgroups (ex. rec.martial-arts.moderated) work a little differently. Normally a newsgroup post is sent directly to the news server for publication. Postings to moderated groups are instead sent to a person, the moderator, who reviews the post to make sure it is on-topic, and meets any other rules of the newsgroup charter. Only then, after approval, is the post sent to the whole group. The moderator is usually an active poster to the group, and is happy to answer any questions you might have concerning the group.

How long do messages stay on your server?
Postings in the binary groups may stay on the server for up to a month. Text group posting stay even longer. The news server disk space is always kept full, new messages over-write the oldest postings in a round-robin fashion.

Are my download speeds limited?
AllTheNewsgroups.com™ does not cap download bandwidth. Your speed is determined by your connection speed, your route to our servers, and general Internet traffic. Note that AllTheNewsgroups.com™ accounts allow up to 10 simultaneous streams. Some newsreaders can take advantage of this to maximize download bandwidth, but this only helps if you are using a broadband connection (DSL, cable, T1 or similar.)

Configuration

What software do I need to download Newsgroups?
You need newsreader software to take advantage of newsgroups. Common examples are Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, and Agent.

Where can I get a Newsreader?
Outlook Express has a fine Newsreader and comes pre-loaded in all Windows and newer MAC computers. If you prefer a different solution, our website has links to download sites for several popular readers.

How do I setup my Newsreader?
The basic configuration information is sent to you by email when you sign up for an account. In addition we have help pages for the most popular newsreaders on our website support pages.

What if I need more help setting up my newsreader?
We have trained, experienced Technical Support personnel available toll-free to help you with any problems with our service. Just call (800) 835-5710 or email support@AllTheNewsGroups.com.

How do I download Newsgroup posts?
The newsreaders differ in the command sequence to download a group. In general, after you subscribe to a group and select it for download, only the message headers (subject, sender, size, date) are downloaded. You then must select which postings you want to receive and download the content of only those messages.

Can anyone in the group get my email address?
Your email address is exposed only if you post to a group. Some experienced newsgroup fans corrupt their email address in a way to discourage spammers from using their address. A typical example would be johnsmith@NOSPAMmydomain.com.

What is a multi-part posting and how do I combine them?
Binary file postings with movies or music are usually large files (greater than 1MB). These files are transferred more reliably if they are split into multi-part emails. Most newsreaders are easily configured to break up postings in this way. When you want to download the attached file you must download all of the original postings. Newsreaders have the ability to "combine and decode" the multiple postings to recover the original file. The exact sequence to perform this decoding vary depending on the reader used. In Outlook Express you must first sort the posting list by subject to get all of the parts together. Then select the first part with the mouse, and shift click the last part, to select all of the parts. Then right click and select "combine and decode". The combined file will appear as an attachment that you can run (double-click) or save (right click, save as). Always watch out for viruses, never run or save a .exe or .pif file.

What is yenc?
Yencoding is a slightly more efficient way to post binary files. This encoding is very popular in some newsgroups because it allows smaller posts and quicker downloads. Some newsreaders come ready to Ydecode postings, but some (e.g.: Outlook Express) require a second step to decode the attached file. For more information (and free download of the Yenc encoder/decoder) visit www.yenc.org. A web search on for Yenc will give over 25,000 links, so there is a lot of information available about this subject.

Account

How can I get an account with AllTheNewsgroups.com™?
You can purchase an account on our website, or call our Sales Department anytime at (800) 835-5710.

What limitations are there with the free trial account?
The free trial account gives you 500MB of data transfer for a 3-day period. During this 3-day trial, posting is disabled. During the trial period, if you decide that you want to immediately activate your paid account and remove the 500MB trial account limitation and enable posting, visit our online Account Manager at http://am.AllTheNewsgroups.com and click on the "Activate My Paid Account" button.

Note: Upon signup you must also select an account level from the list provided. If you selected our free trial, you will be billed the amount you have selected when the trial has ended (unless you cancel your account using our online Account Manager before your 3-day trial period has elapsed.)

How will I get my log-on and configuration information?
On-line buyers receive their username, password, and configuration information while on the secure signup webpage. This information will also be sent to you by email. Please be very careful to provide your correct email address, or someone else might use your account.

I live outside the U.S. and cannot sign up for the service on the website. Is there any way I can access this newsgroup service?
Credit cards billed to non-USA addresses can be processed by AllTheNewsgroups.com™.

How is my account billed?
We accept major credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, Amex, Discover). Accounts are charged on the monthly birthday of the account. This is done automatically unless you cancel your account. Charges will appear as VOICENET ASHTON on your credit card statement.

How do I cancel my account?
You may cancel your account anytime up to seven days prior to the beginning of the next billing cycle. For your convenience, an automated cancellation process has been established as the exclusive way to initiate the cancellation. All you need do is go to go to the "members area" of AllTheNewsgroups.com and login with your username and password. Click "Edit Your Account" and then click the link at the bottom of the page that reads "Click here to cancel your account". Tell us the reason you are canceling your account and just click the "Yes" button. Your account will then be cancelled without you having to do anything further in accordance with the terms of the Service Agreement.

How can I change my billing information?
You can log into our Account Manager to change your Credit Card number and/or your address. If your account was turned off due to a credit card failure, please allow 1 full business day for reactivation after supplying an active credit card number. You can also upgrade your your account to one with a higher monthly download using this utility. For other billing issues please email Billing@AlltheNewsgroups.com or call our Customer Service Department (800-835-5710) toll-free.

How can I check the amount (Megabytes) I have used this month?
You can log onto our Account Manager website, AM.AlltheNewsgroups.com to check usage levels. You can also view the complete server connection logs for your account.

What happens if I go over my download quota for the month?
The next time you try to connect, the password will be refused. You can reactivate your password by logging into our Account Manager and upgrading your account. You can always call our Sales Department (800-835-5710) or email our support department (support@AllTheNewsgroups.com) for help with any upgrades.

How can I change my account username and password?
Usernames cannot be changed. However passwords can be changed with our Account Manager under the link to "Edit your Account". Passwords can be 6 to 8 characters in length, and we highly suggest use of strong passwords; no dictionary words, numbers and capital letters mixed in, and a full 8 characters long. If you change your password, please allow about an hour for this change to propagate to the news servers. Your old password can be used until the changed one propagates. Password updates also change your logon to our Account Manager. You can also call our Customer Service Department (800-835-5710) for help with any account issues.

Can I use my account on different computers?
You can have more than one computer configured to connect, but our policy permits only one session login at a time. Please see our Service Agreement for more information.

What if I lost my username and password, or the ones I have do not work?
New account signups and password changes require about an hour to become active. Other reasons for password failure could be download quota overage, or billing problems (failed credit card). For further assistance, please call our Customer Service Department toll-free at (800) 835-5710 or email support@AllTheNewsGroups.com.

Problems

What if I am having problems getting newsgroup postings?
There are several things you can check before calling our Tech Support Department.
- Verify that your newsreader is correctly configured.
- Make sure you are using the correct username and password. The passwords we assign are difficult on purpose, to make them hard to crack.
- Check your Internet connection, try browsing to a website to make sure your connection is active.
- If you have a firewall installed, make sure it allows connections through port 119. See our support page for more help with firewalls.

Multi-part postings are incomplete, what can I do?
Our servers make sure multi-part postings are complete before making them available for download. However when a post has been up for some time and is nearing expiration, the different parts might be deleted at different times. If you visit the group during this period you will not get the complete multi-part post. AllTheNewsgroups.com™ servers have a retention time up to 30 days for binary groups, so this problem can be avoided by checking your favorite groups more often.

Is there any way to prevent access to adult newsgroups?
AllTheNewsgroups.com™ does not censor newsgroup posts. The material posted in Newsgroups is, by their nature subject to the whims of the people posting to the group. In general, newsgroups are not appropriate for minors because anyone can post material to any newsgroup. The exceptions are moderated newsgroups intended for kids.

Can I get a computer virus from a newsgroup post?
Postings with viruses are uncommon, but they do occur. Your computer should always have updated virus protection software installed.