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A newsgroup is a decentralized online discussion forum for a specific topic, where users can post and read messages. Operating on the Usenet network, newsgroups function like online bulletin boards with a wide range of categories, from science and recreation to computers and culture. Users access them through specialized software called a newsreader, which allows them to download, read, and post messages to these public groups.

Key features of a newsgroup

Decentralized: Newsgroups are not run by a single company; the system is distributed across many servers worldwide, and messages are replicated across these servers.

Category-based: Groups are organized into categories (e.g., comp for computers, sci for science) to help users find discussions of interest.

Public: Unlike private email lists, discussions are public and accessible to anyone who uses a newsreader.

Software-dependent: Participation requires a newsreader program, which connects to a news server to access and manage the groups.

Content: Discussions are primarily text-based, but many groups also host binary files like images, videos, and software.

Moderation: Some newsgroups are moderated by a person or group who removes off-topic or spam messages, while others are unmoderated.

Historical context: Newsgroups predate the World Wide Web and were a very popular way to communicate online before mainstream social media sites became prevalent.