Google Groups ending support for Usenet

Alan Ralph <[email protected]> Fri, 15 Dec 2023 09:58:55 +0000
Newsgroups alt.callahans
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <[email protected]>
The big blue alien tacks the following on the noticeboard:

https://support.google.com/groups/answer/11036538?visit_id=638381921477344227-87081626&p=usenet&rd=1

 > Starting on February 22, 2024, you can no longer use Google Groups 
(at groups.google.com) to post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to 
Usenet groups, or view new Usenet content. You can continue to view and 
search for historical Usenet content posted before February 22, 2024 on 
Google Groups.

 > In addition, Google’s Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) server 
and associated peering will no longer be available, meaning Google will 
not support serving new Usenet content or exchanging content with other 
NNTP servers.

 > ...

 > Why is Google Groups support for Usenet ending?

 > Over the last several years, legitimate activity in text-based Usenet 
groups has declined significantly because users have moved to more 
modern technologies and formats such as social media and web-based 
forums. Much of the content being disseminated via Usenet today is 
binary (non-text) file sharing, which Google Groups does not support, as 
well as spam.

Left unsaid, for perhaps obvious reasons, is Google's role in 
facilitating said spam.

I can highly recommend Eternal September (https://eternal-september.org) 
if you're looking for a new Usenet home.

—Spiffy