Starting a Usenet Newsgroup
Usenet consists of thousands of discussion groups, called newsgroups, organized by subject and hierarchy. While many groups already exist, it’s possible to formally propose the creation of a new group.
Requesting a Newsgroup Be Created
To start a new newsgroup within the Big 8 hierarchy (comp., humanities., misc., news., rec., sci., soc., and talk.), a formal request process must be followed. This is overseen by the Big 8 Management Board.
Steps to Start a New Usenet Newsgroup
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Visit the Big 8 Management Board Website
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Learn more about the group creation process and access proposal templates.
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Review the Proposal Guidelines
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Understand the requirements and expectations for submitting a new group request.
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Submit a Request for Discussion (RFD)
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Post your RFD to the newsgroup
news.groups.proposals
. This begins a public discussion where the Usenet community can provide feedback.
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Participate in the Discussion
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Engage with feedback and revise your proposal if necessary.
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Wait for a Call for Votes (CFV)
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If the proposal gains support, a CFV will be issued for the community to vote on the group's creation.
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Creation of the Newsgroup
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If the group receives enough affirmative votes, it will be added to the Usenet hierarchy.
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Once created, the newsgroup will begin propagating across Usenet servers. When it starts receiving articles, it will automatically appear in the Easynews interface.
Additional Notes
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Propagation May Vary: Not all servers carry every newsgroup. Availability depends on individual provider policies.
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Indexers May Take Time: Usenet Indexers may delay listing newly created groups.