The NewsgroupDirect Blog » Fun Stuff

Black Friday 2011! Great Deals on Usenet Access

Jim — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:00:47 +0000

Everyone’s favorite shopping day of the year is almost here! We’re locked and loaded with some great deals for you this year. Head on over to our Black Friday page to see what we’ve got going. We’re going to have deals on every type of plan that we offer, so check back often to see what’s currently on sale.

Also, to make things a little more fun, we’re adding timers and limiting quantities on all the deals, so be sure to act quickly if you see something that you want.

Terms and Conditions: Any monthly subscription prices are for new customers only; existing customers are not eligible. Any block prices are available for both new and existing customers. Existing coupons will not work on the Black Friday specials. Black Friday prices are only available on Friday, November 25, all times EST. Deals that are expired or sold out cannot be purchased.

Usenet Goes Mobile

Jim — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:00:17 +0000

Like most everything else now, usenet has gone mobile. There are various usenet mobile apps available depending on what type of mobile device you have. Mobile devices are usually only fast enough to handle text newsgroups at this point, so the functionality is still somewhat limited compared to your home computer, but it’s a start. Here are some of our favorite mobile usenet apps.

NewsTap – iPhone/iPad – $3.99

Newstap is the original mobile usenet app. For $3.99 you get the universal app, which works on both iPhone and iPad. There is also a Newstap Lite version for free.

PhoNews – iPhone – Free

PhoNews is a new iPhone usenet client. It has a very nice interface and a lot of potential for future development.

Mews – Windows Mobile – Free

Mews is a great looking alternative for Windows Mobile users. It’s freeware, so give it a try.

Rubasoft Nzb Mobile – Windows Mobile – $14.95

Nzb Mobile is a ssl-enabled, nzb-compatible reader for Windows Mobile. It’s pretty costly at $14.95, but it may be worth it if you need the features it provides.

Newzdroid – Android – Free

Similar to Nzb Mobile, Newzdroid offer nzb management for Android Users.

Do you have any other favorite mobile newsreaders? List them in the comments section.

Looking for Guest Bloggers

Jim — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:11:06 +0000

We’ve decided to open up our blog to a few guest bloggers. If you are interested in doing some writing and are a usenet user then we’d love to hear from you. Just contact us and tell us what you’d like to write about.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

The NewsgroupDirect Team

NewsgroupDirect Helps Your Find Your Roots

Jim — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:44:53 +0000

One of most best kept secrets of online network resources is the Alexandrian Library of genealogy newsgroups.

Everything from African to Icelandic blood lines are discussed and described in some form in the newsgroup postings. We?re talking 500 megabytes a day of information being exchanged and more than 15,000 topic-specific newsgroups, including at least 20 devoted exclusively to genealogy and dozens more related. In fact the most popular genealogy newsgroups receive hundreds of articles a day, with articles posted going to a potential audience of more than three million readers.

The Family Tree of Genealogy Newsgroups

alt.genealogy is one of the most important and popular branches in the genealogy tree. Further down one may find groups such as: soc.genealogy.african, soc.genealogy.german, soc.genealogy.hispanic, soc.genealogy.australia+nz and soc.genealogy.benelux (Belgium and The Netherlands), soc.genealogy.medieval, soc.genealogy.nordic and soc.genealogy.slavic, each providing a forum for people to discuss the genealogical considerations of the group?s diaspora, including inhabitants of, voluntary emigrants, involuntary emigrants (such as slaves), immigrants, colonists and their descendants.

soc.genealogy.surnames is a unique group in itself, in that all messages posted must be surname queries making searches of the group and its archives easier. The alt.family-names hierarchy contains more than 100 different groups devoted to family names from Abair to Zerbe, in which people who share a common surname can discuss family matters, reunions and genealogy. Adoption, another popular subject, is discussed on nine different newsgroups, the main group being soc.adoption.

The hierarchy options are endless: History, culture, ethnicity, heraldry and even societal. In fact those planning to travel will be interested in the information and advice found in the rec.travel hierarchy. This detailed genealogical map of information is unique and user friendly compared to the now online world of internet browsing based content such as google and yahoo. In the recent years these resources have become polluted in a sea of useless information, connected to the ?relevant? search topic word only for income generated reasons through advertisements and ?keyword? phrases that have nothing to do with ancestry, making research on the subject fruitless. This causes readers that have to rifle through advertisements posted directly to a product’s target audience to become antagonistic to say the least.

To get direct Usenet access to the latest genealogical content, subscribe now to newgroupdirect.com.

Usenet, Circa 2004

Jim — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:00:10 +0000

Hop in your Delorean, set the clock to 2004, charge up the flux capacitor, and zip back in time. The usenet world has changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Here’s a quick rundown of how much the usenet industry has evolved in the last 5 years.

In 2004 the industry standard for retention was around 20-24 days, a minute number compared to today’s nearly 500 days.
In 2004 most providers allowed for a maximum of 4-8 connections. Today you can get at least 20 connections.
In 2004, NewsgroupDirect was a new kid on the block, just getting started. Today, NewsgroupDirect is the most innovative provider, offering the best experience and service for our customers.

Any predictions on what the industry will look like 5 years from now?

Interesting Newsgroup of the Day

Jim — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:15:08 +0000

Follow us on Twitter (@newsgroupdirect) to see our Interesting Newsgroup of the Day. Every day we will choose an interesting text discussion group and bring it to the world’s attention. There are so many wonderful conversations going on that we feel it is our duty to help spread the word.

Friday Twitter Giveaway

Jim — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:50:53 +0000

Hold on to your hats kids… NewsgroupDirect is going to give away a free unlimited usenet account today. All you have to do to enter is tag a tweet with the hashtag #newsgroupdirect. You can enter multiple times, so every time you tweet the hashtag #newsgroupdirect you will be entered in the drawing.

The contest will end at 12AM EST on Friday, Dec. 11. Current customers are not eligible for the giveaway. The free account will be for a term of 1 year. We will use random.org to select the winner on Saturday, Dec. 12.

Follow Us on Twitter!

Jim — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:00:54 +0000

If you aren’t following us on Twitter at @newsgroupdirect, then what are you waiting for? We use our Twitter account for everything from announcing blog articles to customer support. Or you can just hit us up and start a conversation, we love talking with our users.

Usenet Guide for Mac Users

Jim — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:09:14 +0000

We’ve just launched a new feature on our website, our Usenet Guide for Mac Users. This guide gives Mac users everything they need to know to get started with usenet. Be sure to check it out and let us know if you have any other tips to add to it.

Great Groups: Lego builders

Shawn Farner — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:52:35 +0000

Most of us remember Legos as the little plastic blocks that turned our younger siblings into human wrecking balls.