Usenet provides an opportunity to connect with like-minded people from around the world. It is dubbed the “first social network” because it was the first widely used Internet-based communication system. It allows users around the world to exchange information, research, and opinions. The idea originated with two graduate students, ten years before the World Wide Web was conceived.
Usenet provided a foundation for the social networks that are popular today. Usenet itself remains popular as well. Users continue to find value in the extraordinary amount of discussions available. Some Usenet providers have retention rates going back three years or more. Subscribers can enjoy access to historical discussions as well as cutting edge research.
What is Retention?
The newsgroups within Usenet are set up in a hierarchy of topics. Every day, a huge amount of new discussions are posted in these groups. As new discussions are posted, old ones are deleted to create space on the Usenet servers.
Retention of articles on Usenet refers to the number of days that they are available on the server. When the retention period is reached, the article is automatically deleted. When this happens, the article is referred to as “expired.” Most free Usenet services can only hold articles for a short period of time, generally a few days. Premium services have extended retention rates of three year or more, making them a better choice for those who want to access historical discussions.
The Value of Long-Term Retention
When subscribers research a topic through Usenet, they may not see their specific question addressed. In order to gather needed information, they must post their question and then wait for replies. In some instances, the specific topic may have already been discussed in prior conversations. If these posts have already reached their maximum retention length, they will have been deleted and would therefore be inaccessible. Longer retention rates increase the likelihood of finding needed information.
Growing Retention Rates
Premium Usenet providers boost retention with redundant world-wide servers running specialized software. This gives them an edge over many free services that cannot afford to offer longer retention rates. Part of the fees users pay to premium services are reinvested in technology, such as the expenses associated with increasing retention.
Several Usenet providers are planning to archive everything permanently. As a result, their retention rate grows by one day, every day.
Even after more than thirty years, Usenet continues to be relevant to its subscribers. High-quality discussions and plenty of variety keep the service fresh and attractive to new users.
Larry Cunningham enjoys sharing the information about Usenet and Newsgroups. He enjoys educating readers about online information resources. With Usenet, Larry is able to access thousands of newsgroups and discussions that match his interests.
2 Comments
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