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Happy 32nd Birthday Computerized Bulletin Board System (BBS)
February 17th, 2010
On February 16, 1978, Ward Christensen and Randy Suess launched the first-ever dial-up BBS in Chicago. The idea stemmed during a blizzard that kept them indoors that helped create the first electronic bulletin board and ultimately, one of the first social networks. In modern usage, the term BBS may be used to refer to USENET newsgroups or other online type forums or social network outlets.
The first BBS was visionary as it created a way to circumvent the fundamental, age-old rules of socializing by responding to bulletin board ads found in the foyers of libraries and churches around the world. USENET, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and the entirety of the World Wide Web would later catapult with the same goal in mind.
Online BBSs formed much of the the core “cyberspace” in the 1980s and paved the way for many users to find and use USENET newsgroups. BBS is short for “Bulletin Board System” which is has been a social networking platform that not only predates sites like Myspace and Facebook, but also the World Wide Web. As one of the first online communication methods, users would dial in directly to other users via modem connection and share information. Most BBS networks were not linked in real-time. Instead, each would dial up the next in line, and/or a regional hub, at preset intervals to exchange files. It was the first step of what we know the World Wide Web to be today. A better, simpler system later followed – USENET.
Rather than mirroring the meet-and-greet and services-offered format of real-world bulletin boards, BBSes very quickly became forums. Questions were asked and anonymously answered.
It was several decades before the hardware or the network caught up to Christensen and Suess’ imaginations, but all the basic seeds of today’s online communities were in place when the two launched the first bulletin board, dubbed CBBS for computerized bulletin board system. The two developers announced their creation to the world in the November 1978 issue of Byte magazine.
It’s hard to say where USENET would have been if not for the BBS. As many early adapters, the infant stage of USENET were full of BBS users that formed the most popular newsgroups that exist to this day, thirty years later.
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Wins Provider Of The Year and Spirit Of Usenet Awards
February 4th, 2010
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is awarded both the 2009 Provider Of The Year Award as well as the 2009 Spirit Of USENET Award. Each award was given separately from NewsgroupServers.com and NewsgroupReviews.com
“In all categories, NewsDemon has excelled throughout 2009 as being the number one Usenet access provider in the industry.” NewsgroupServers.com
The review sites independently provides information and rates over 90 USENET Newsgroup providers, newsreaders and other Usenet related tools. For NewsgroupServers.com, rating providers by both their editorial staff and website visitors, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups had been chosen as the top USENET access provider for 2009. For extended efforts to promote the benefits of USENET and other achievements, the popular USENET resource site NewsgroupReviews.com has recognized and awarded NewsDemon.com Newsgroups with the Spirit Of USENET award for 2009.
“It is an honor to present the 2009 Spirit of Usenet Award to NewsDemon. The award is presented in recognition of the many enhancements made to NewsDemon’s Newsgroup services along with their continued efforts to promote the growth of Usenet in 2009.” – NewsgroupReviews.com
“We’re proud to have been recognized and awarded for our efforts.” said Charles Burnside, spokesperson for NewsDemon.com Newsgroups “Our mission has long been to provide outstanding service and support to all of our members. As we look forward in continuing to provide superior service and features, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups plans on even more upgrades for 2010 whilst continuing to give back to the USENET access community.”
Being given these awards, all of us here at NewsDemon.com Newsgroups are further motivated to deliver nothing less than top notch service, support and features as we move into 2010 and beyond. Additionally, our efforts to give back to the community with extended offers, specials and charity related programs as we have done throughout 2009 will continue.
With retention moving past 500 days for binary and faster connections than ever, we’d like to believe we’re on the right start. We’d also like to hear from you. What would you like to see NewsDemon.com Newsgroups improve or add as part of our services? Leave a comment and let us know!
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Now Offers 50 Simultaneous Connections
February 1st, 2010
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups recently upgraded its services again which now allow access to a total of 50 simultaneous connections. The connection upgrade now allows for faster connections and overall speed when accessing any of the 107,000 newsgroups the USENET access provider carries.
The increase in simultaneous connections is now more than double as NewsDemon.com Newsgroups offers an additional 30 connections to its previous 20 simultaneous connection limit. The increase in simultaneous connections will now allow NewsDemon.com Newsgroup members to access newsgroups easier and faster than ever. By increasing the number of connections, users will have to wait less when accessing multiple articles from any of the thousands of newsgroups that NewsDemon.com Newsgroups carry.
Recently, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups also announced an increase in binary retention that has grown past the 500 day mark. With this new increase in retention, which allows older articles to be retrieved, having an increase to 50 simultaneous connections couldn’t have come at a better time.
The increase to 50 simultaneous connections affects both US and EU customers. The NewsDemon.com Newsgroups member’s area blog offers additional information and advice on how to set up a newsreader to increase the number of connections it allows.
All of these upgrades are included with a NewsDemon.com Newsgroups membership and do not incur any additional charges for any of these upgrades. NewsDemon.com Newsgroups prides itself on providing premium features and services as a trusted name as a USENET access provider. The latest round of upgrades and features from NewsDemon.com Newsgroups are part of the continuing process of delivering premium features and services as a trusted USENET access provider.
NewsDemon.com NewsRover Newsgroup Newsreader Updated
December 10th, 2009
The version of NewsRover newsreader that all members receive free with their subscription has been upgraded to version 15.1 Rev: 0: 10. All members are invited to login and download the latest update.
NewsDemon.com Newsgroup members are entitled to receive the newsreader free with any of subscription or plan. Updates for the newsreader are included as part of the subscription to USENET provided by NewsDemon.com Newsgroups.
The current NewsRover newsreader update reflects a number of enhancements to make the best out of your USENET experience. For first time users, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups also provides a tutorial on How To Install NewsRover
The award winning NewsRover newsreader has a variety of features that make it indispensable to many. NewsRover saves time while efficiently automating many of the processes involved with newsgroup subscriptions. The update will not affect current settings or previously downloaded newsgroup headers.
30th Anniversary of USENET a Success
November 17th, 2009
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is proud to announce that the 30th Anniversary USENET promotion was a sensational success.
On November 11th, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups hosted a USENET birthday special which offered all monthly subscription plans for only $1.00. The unpresented special was all part of the continuing effort to grow awareness of the valuable resources that the USENET newsgroup communities provide.
We are pleased to have so many new members join our NewsDemon.com Newsgroups family.
During the 24 hour promotion, some users mistakenly had signed up for pricing plans that were not part of the offered special. Although our announcements had been clear that only monthly subscription plans would be offered at the discounted $1.00 rate, a compromise to our system allowed other plans to briefly be available.
Due to this inconvenience, customers that signed up for these excluded accounts have since been issued automatic refunds or have been transferred to a monthly subscription plan, dependent on their payment method. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to the few affected. Anyone who believes that they may have been billed improperly can contact our support department for a complete refund.
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups takes pride to be one of the only USENET providers to offer 24/7 customer support. We encourage members to contact any of our support team with any issues that we’ll be happy to resolve.
We thank all of you for making this 30th USENET anniversary special such a great success! As we continue in providing cutting-edge, premium USENET access, expect many more features, promotions and service upgrades in the months to come.
Happy Birthday, USENET!
November 10th, 2009
Without the USENET, the online world that we know today could have possibly never existed. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, USENET has been a vital resource at some time of almost every notable technology entrepreneur and developer for the last three decades.
The USENET long has been a meeting ground of the whos-who of the current online world. For the last 30 years, USENET has hosted a range of newsgroups that has allowed thousands access to discuss practically every conceivable topic imaginable. It has been where the pioneers such as Linus Torvalds, Jeff Bazos and even Google founder Sergey Brin first discussed and announced their developments and achievements on USENET.
The thirtieth anniversary of USENET brings with it a significant history. Existing before there was even a World Wide Web, its purpose to create an online community quickly grew out of any ones expectations of what it would be and what it would influence.
It was in North Carolina at Duke University and the University of North Carolina that both Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott would eventually discover and create the foundation of what the USENET has been. It was late 1979 that Truscott and Ellis officially announced the creation of USENET . The success and popularity of such a system could have never been imagined. Since its creation, USENET has been home to the announcement of the World Wide Web as well as its first browser.
Recognizing and paying tribute to the 30th anniversary of the USENET, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups sat down with two key players of the early days of the USENET. We sat with Tom Truscott one of the founders of the USENET and Brad Templeton, creator and moderator of one of the most widely read newsgroups ever – rec.humor.funny, and discussed with them on what USENET was, what it is now and where they predict it will be. The interview is part of a month long celebration of the 30th anniversary of a system that has shaped almost every aspect of the online world we know today. We look forward to another fantastic 30 years of whatever USENET will be.
To start things off right, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is offering a special for all new customers. To celebrate the anniversary of USENET, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is offering all subscription plans for $1.00 each month. This special is only available for one day only and allows premium USENET access to thousands of groups for only $1.00 each month for two months on any subscription plans, including the unlimited plan.
“We hope to encourage old and new users alike the opportunity to experience for themselves the benefits and resources that USENET has to offer. By allowing them an almost risk-free incentive of only a $1.00 investment each month, for two months, to try out the service and access the thousands of active newsgroups available, we’re confident they’ll stay to become active subscribers to these communities.” said Charles Burnside, Marketing manager for NewsDemon.com Newsgroups.
To this day, after 30 years, the USENET has surprised many by its longevity. In an ever changing online world, it’s a common thought that all technologies and mediums require further innovation in order to exist. However, USENET provides evidence that what it provides at its core – a system in which it allows people to discuss topics in an organized fashion – can never go out of style.
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups Offers $1.00 USENET Newsgroup Access
November 10th, 2009
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the USENET, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is proud to offer a $1.00 special on ALL premium USENET access accounts. For one day only, all subscription accounts – metered to unlimited- is being offered for only $1.00!
It was in 1979 that Jim Ellis and Tom Truscott first discovered the USENET we know and use today. In those thirty years since, we’re happy to be able to observe and celebrate the historically most widely used online communication system on the planet.
So, for one day only, we’re offering new customers a special rate of only $1.00 for the first two months of premium NewsDemon.com Newsgroups USENET access. All metered (10gb, 20gb, 30gb, 50gb) accounts and our Unlimited accounts, for one dollar for two months. After two months, the rate returns to normal pricing.
Thirty Years of USENET newsgroups has brought together hundreds of thousands of users to discuss, interact and share online. If you’ve never been before – or haven’t been in awhile -here is your chance to enjoy premium high speed access to the USENET and search through over a hundred thousand newsgroups that are home to a massive online community.
With online access for only $1.00, now you can try it out and see for yourself why the USENET has been and continues to be THE online destination and resource for millions of users each day for over three decades.
This special is for one day only. USENET access on all subscription based accounts is only $1.00 for the first two months. After the second month, the full price of the plan chosen will be billed. This offer is valid for both US and EU residents alike.
All you need to do to take advantage of this offer is to come back to our website, NewsDemon.com anytime between the hours of 12:01 AM GMT and 11:59 pm PST. The prices on our website will change to reflect the $1 pricing.
Celebrate USENET 30th Anniversary And Win!
October 1st, 2009
So far, the online world has had a tremendous year. We’ve been introduced and have embraced a range of new technologies and a face lift of old favorites. It also marks the year in which the USENET, the first online social network outlet, celebrates it’s 30th Birthday.
In recognition of the tremendous resources, solutions and communities the USENET newsgroups put forth and continues to deliver over the last 30 years, NewsDemon.com Newsgroups will be hosting a series of events, including an interview with Tom Truscott, one of the founders of the USENET as well as other pioneers and entrepreneurs.
As the theme of USENET has been about bringing together online communities, we’re inviting you to be part of it.
Have you ever had a question about the USENET you thought that no one could answer? Did you ever wonder how a newsgroup or the USENET came to be? Now is your chance to find out.
As further incentive, we’re giving you the opportunity to win a free year of unlimited USENET access if your question is chosen by our panel of USENET experts.
Simply fill out our USENET Anniversary Questionnaire, and if you’re question is used in any of our interviews, we’ll give you a full year of USENET access.
We’ve set up a panel to review all submitted questions received by October 15th. NewsDemon.com Newsgroups will then use selected questions in our interviews. The user who submits the question that was best rated by our panel will then receive ONE FULL YEAR FREE OF UNLIMITED USENET ACCESS. You may also submit multiple questions to be considered.
Hurry, as questions must be submitted by October 15th, 2009! You don’t have to be a member to enter and any current member that may win also qualifies.
Here’s your chance to find out all the answers to all your USENET questions and possibly win a free year of unlimited USENET access in the process!
Discount USENET Access To All Educators And Students
September 8th, 2009
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is now offering discounted USENET access on all of its subscription based plans to all students and faculty that belong to a college or university.
It’s no surprise that education has a become a hot topic issue across the world. In response, NewsDemon.com is assisting by offering affordable access to that resources USENET provides to assist with higher learning.
More than 107,000 newsgroups are supported by NewsDemon.com Newsgroups. Many of these newsgroups provide large communities exist to share and discuss particular topics.
Newsgroup access provides educators and students a forum to cooperatively discuss ranging topics that newsgroups provide.
In order to qualify, you must have a “.edu” email address (example: you@school.edu). After selecting your subscription based plan, enter in your .edu email address, submit, and the USENET access discount will automatically be applied.
Verizon Announces Newsgroup Service To Be Discontinued
September 1st, 2009
Verizon has begun to notify customers informing them that newsgroup service provided by the company will cease by September 30th.
Verizon had late last year discontinued access to a number of newsgroups. Many have speculated that this termination of service was imminent. Customers will continue to have access to post or view articles on the Verizon USENET newsgroup service until the termination date.
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups is offering a 20% discount to all Verizon customers. Simply copy the coupon code below at checkout for any of our subscription based plans.
Coupon Code: hearmenow
NewsDemon.com Newsgroups welcomes all Verizon customers who wish to continue to gain access to valuable resources available on USENET newsgroups. The discount is valid for the lifetime of the subscription.
Earlier this year, Comcast, Time Warner and AT&T had also discontinued USENET access. As maintenance costs rises for supporting USENET newsgroups, many internet service providers have opted to drop access for its customers.
