Cooking With USENET

USENET has plenty of great conversations going on. Some of the best conversation, of course, takes place in the kitchen!
One of the things about USENET that has enabled it to endure for almost three decades is the fact that it has a tremendous variety of content available on it. Among the content is information about everyday, practical needs. Of course, there is nothing as practical as cooking and there are plenty of USENET groups dedicated to this pursuit.
Finding the Right Recipes
If you're not terribly familiar with the USENET system, finding groups about cooking is a good exercise in understanding how the USENET system works. USENET is arranged and hierarchies and there are eight principal hierarchies that most people need to concern themselves with. Outside of these hierarchies are newsgroups that have a very local focus and hierarchies that are not of much interest to most people.
You'll find most of the cooking newsgroups located in the alt and rec hierarchies. Rec is the more highly regarded of the two hierarchies that you'll find cooking groups in. Alt has a lot of good groups, as well, but isn't so well-established or well moderated as are the groups in the rec hierarchy.
You'll find the cooking groups located under food. In USENET-speak, this means that you would look at groups under the hierarchy rec.food or alt.food to find what you want. One of the great things about USENET is that it lets you narrow down your preferences very specifically. For example, if you're interested in baking, you could check out the rec.food.baking newsgroup. If you're interested in cooking for a diet, you could check out alt.food.low-fat or, if you wanted more creative ways to cook that low-fat food, you could check out rec.food.recipes.
Joining the Groups
One of the things that's truly enjoyable about newsgroups such as cooking newsgroups is the fact that they are, of course, relatively without controversy of any kind. Unlike joining a group that's political or even scientific, you're not going to find a lot of argument in a cooking group or another group related to a hobby. This makes these groups lighthearted and fun. You can also use them to network with people with similar interests. For example, some people like living a bit off of the grid and, if you want to meet some of them, you might check out rec.food.preserving to learn about new ways to preserve your own food.

There are USENET categories for just about every subject just as there are for food and cooking. If you're interested in exploring a group before you actually start participating in it, you can simply subscribe to the posts and read them. In fact, a great many people do this. There's no obligation for you to post or even introduce yourself to other members. On your first post, however, it is customary to at least introduce yourself and, if you've been in a group for a while and haven't posted before, to mention the fact that you have been taking in the conversation, if not participating in it directly.

USENET expert Marion Marshall writes for UsenetReviewz.com. By stopping by UsenetReviewz.com you can learn about USENET and choose the right USENET Service provider for you. Visit the website to learn about free USENET trial and USENET service providers

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