Some people find the soc.bi web pages without actually knowing
what soc.bi, or even a newsgroup, is. This page aims to answer
some of the questions people in this situation sometimes ask.
soc.bi is a newsgroup. Newsgroups are part of
the Usenet system. Usenet is a world-wide system whereby
text on various subjects is copied all over the internet, and each
internet site which participates keeps a copy of the subject areas it
wants. Usenet is not like a web page, which generally exists in just
one place, defined by its URL; it is copied to many locations around
the world. This means that you can always access a copy which is fairly
close to you, which is fast because you don't have to go through
congested international network links.
Usenet is divided up into several thousand subject groups called
newsgroups; soc.bi is one of these. The soc part
indicates that it is a social group (as opposed to scientific,
computing, etc) and the bi is the specific topic - bisexuality.
Each newsgroup acts rather like a bulletin board; each user can post
messages to it, which in Usenet are called news articles.
These are then propagated around the world for other people to see, and
perhaps to reply to, either by e-mail or by posting a follow-up article
to the newsgroup.
Important note: soc.bi is a social
group which means that it is for social discussion only. If you want
to post a personal ad (eg stating a particular type
of person you are looking for), then the group you want is called
alt.personals.bi - do not post personal
ads to soc.bi ever. Anything you post to
soc.bi should be addressed to the whole group, for discussion.
So how can I access Usenet newsgroups like soc.bi?
That all depends on how your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has set up
Usenet access. (Your ISP is the school or university where you have
access, the service provider you pay for a dial-up code, or whatever.)
Most ISPs provide a Usenet news server,
but the software they provide or recommend varies.
If you have a web browser which supports Usenet newsgroups, and is set
up to be aware of the name your ISP's news server, you can simply go
to the URL news:soc.bi to get full access to
soc.bi.
If not, you will need a piece of software called a Usenet
newsreader. Many people prefer this option anyway since
special newsreader software is usually more powerful and useful than an
adapted web browser. You may already have this software installed; on
MS Windows it could be called Trumpet; on Unix it could be called rn, trn,
tin, or nn; or there are many other packages available. If you don't
have this software, you should ask your ISP's help line for advice on
how to get it and how to install it. You should also ask the name of
their news server (if they have one), which you will need in configuring
the software.
If you have any further questions about Usenet, you can
ask me, but for questions about how
to get, install or set up a newsreader, you should consult your ISP.
I don't know the setup of your machine or what your nearest news server
is called, and I don't want to - so I can't answer questions about
those issues. Remember, your ISP almost certainly employs someone to
answer questions like this from people like you!
If you're worried about "coming out" to your ISP: you don't
have to. Just ask about how to get access to Usenet newsgroups, you
don't have to mention soc.bi in particular.
My ISP doesn't allow Usenet access at all, what can I do?
If you are in this unfortunate position, you can still participate
in soc.bi, but it will be harder work. You can read
articles in soc.bi using your web browser, by accessing the
group page.
Or for a much more fully-featured (if irritatingly busy and
unneccessary complex) interface, try
Deja News.
You can also post to the group from that site.
Remember, never post personal ads to soc.bi, and it is always
good etiquette to read the FAQ before posting
to a Usenet group, to avoid asking a FAQ all over again, and to follow
any guidelines about posting which exist (these are in
section B of the soc.bi FAQ).
