Accessing the Media 112 Newsgroup

The Media Studies 112 newsgroup is hosted by Malaspina University-College and administered by Malcolm Dunnett (dunnett@mala.bc.ca). The URL above will connect you directly to the newsgroup.If you are accessing the newsgroup from a Malaspina computer lab, you must first establish an Account:

• Open the Microsoft Outlook Express Newsreader: In Internet Explorer, select Tools, Mail and News, Read News)
• In Outlook Express, select Tools, Accounts, News, Properties
• Complete the dialogue window:
  • News Account: nntp.mala.bc.ca
  • Name: Your Name (Marsh Soules)
  • Organization: This field is optional (Malaspina University-College; English Inc.)
  • Email: Your email address (soules@mala.bc.ca)
• Reply Address: An email address for replies (soules@mala.bc.ca)
• Select OK

You will now be able to read and post messages to the newsgroup. Without completing the Account information, you will only be able to read messages posted to the newgroup. You must complete the Account dialogue every time you use the newsreader in the labs. Once you have completed your posting, you should delete your account information before logging off to keep others from accidentally posting messages with your identity.

If you want to access the newsgroup from a computer outside the Malaspina network--from home for example--your account information has probably already been set up so you will not have to do this every time. However, you may have to direct your newsreader to the Malaspina server: nntp.mala.bc.ca.

You may have to subscribe to the Media 112 newsgroup from the list of newsgroups subscribed to by Malaspina: scroll down the list to mala, select +, and scroll down to the mala.medi112 newsgroup applicable to your section (see above). Highlight the newsgroup and select Subscribe. Your newsreader should automatically list this newsgroup every time you open it.

People have experienced difficulties in the past finding the Malaspina newsgroups from their computers at home. Most internet service providers subscribe to their own list of newsgroups and don't automatically include Malaspina newsgroups. You must, therefore, direct the newsreader to look for the Malaspina server at nntp.mala.bc.ca.

Posting to Newsgroups

To post a response to a previous message, select "Reply Group" from the button bar at the top of the window. To reply directly to the person who posted the message, select "Reply." To start a new topic thread, select "New Post". If you are responding to a previous message (Reply Group or Reply), this message will be shown in the new window. Delete any parts of this message that are not relevant to your posting by clicking, dragging, and deleting the unnecessary text. It is considered poor netiquette to duplicate previous messages if they are not part of your response. You will notice how some writers use the previous message creatively to introduce or organize their responses.

In the Malaspina computer labs, the message you post will probably not appear until you refresh the newsgroup: either select "Send/Receive" or exit and reload the program.