Paranormal Phenomena
 Vincent O'Neil

 
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This document
Copyright 1997, i5ive communications inc.

June 17, 1997
 Newsgroups & Bible Code
 Paranormal newsgroups

FLASH
Latest News on "Bible Code"
For the very latest on the "Bible Code" controversy, go to Yahoo You will find a brief excerpt from the book at Simon and Schuster.
There are several NEWSGROUPS related to Paranormal Phenomena. I have listed the ones I know about at the bottom of this article. If you know of others, please let me know, and I will pass on that information. If you are unfamiliar with newsgroups, I've included an introduction. If you know all about what they are and how they work, skip down to the bottom for the list of paranormal groups.

NEWSGROUPS are not the same as receiving e-mail from a list. Newsgroups are like e-mail, but they are posted message to the world. They receive far more traffic than mailing lists.

Newsgroups started out as a wonderful place for people with similar interests to post messages and get replies. Discussions get started, or people ask for more information. Readers of posted messages often take their discussions over to private e-mail after reading a specific message and feeling the need to write privately to the author. That was the original, noble intent. Unfortunately, some new side-issues have come up that don't make newsgroups that much fun anymore to some readers. I'll talk about those side issues later.

You may want to go to http://www.knfpub.com/ahr/newsinfo.html or http://www.which.net/nonsub/usinginternet/beginners/bguide4.html for a discussion of what newsgroups are.

You must have the proper software to access NEWSGROUPS. I use "Free Agent," and there are several other freeware offerings available. Ask you Internet Service Provider - it may have included something in your startup package. If not, ask them how to get a copy. Or, surf the World Wide Web for "newsgroup software." I was able to come up with a great list of available software at http://www.isocgva.ch/isoc/newbie/Tools/NewsSftw.html

Once you are hooked up, find a button that allows you to LIST ALL NEWS GROUPS and then SEARCH for your area of interest. Keep your search simple. For example, by searching for "pets," you will find tons of listings, especially under the "alt" designation. Then try a specific search, like "dog." Once you find a newsgroup you like, SUBSCRIBE.

You must then push a button that allows you to GET NEW HEADERS IN SUBSCRIBED GROUPS. This will go find all the latest articles under your newsgroup heading. The first time you do this, you will get a ton of messages. After you read them and delete them, the next time you GET NEW HEADERS you will not get as many articles.

Once you are subscribed, you may want to write to the newsgroups on how to subscribe to a MAILING LIST related to your interest(s).

Some tips:
  • Newsgroups offer cranks an excellent opportunity to spout off. They will send their latest view on why the earth turns to all 20,000 newsgroups. This is called SPAMMING. This can be helpful if YOU want to send an article to specific newgroups related to your subject. You can alert them to a new web site you just found, or a convention. This polite way of sending a message to several RELATED newsgroups is called CROSSPOSTING..

  • Be careful when sending a crossposting that you keep to your subject or you will be FLAMED. You must be prepared to see negative responses to your posted messages. Mostly, cranks love cutting you down, and look for opportunities to trash a NEWBIE message. If you can't stand to be flamed, don't post.

  • It is best to LURK by your newsgroup(s) for a few days or even a few weeks to make sure they are discussing the subject matter you are interested in, and to make sure you have a handle on what is accceptable to talk about and what is not.

  • One way to become acquainted with a newsgroup is to read the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. If you don't get a heading labeled "FAQs," do not be embarrassed to ask for one of the regular readers to post a copy.

  • Watch out for unwanted articles, often of a sexual nature. These will crop up while searching for a newsgroup you want to subscribe to. You may end up in a "beastiality" area while searching for "dogs." Once subscribed, you may see spam messages inviting you to other areas of the Internet to view pornography. If you luck out, you will find a news group that is relatively quiet and that sticks to the subject at hand without wandering too far astray. Some newsgroups are quite slow, others may have several hundred messages posted every day. Weekends are usually more quiet, but you can never tell when a hot subject may prompt scores of postings.

    Paranormal newsgroups

    • alt.fan.art-bell

    • alt.folklore.ghost-stories

    • alt.out-of-body

    • alt.paranet

    • alt.paranet.forteana

    • alt.paranet.metaphysics

    • alt.paranet.paranormal

    • alt.paranet.psi

    • alt.paranormal

    • alt.paranormal.channeling

    • alt.paranormal.forteana

    • sci.skeptic

Something strange is happening
You will definitely want to bookmark ParaScope as a web site to visit often. This fascinating location offers four different areas of study: paranormal phenomena, conspiracies, UFOs, and covert operations. You will find chat rooms, message boards, scores of articles, tons of links, and a newsletter.

Fortean Times and Encounters
The "journal of strange phenomena" deserves to be one of your first links. Not only does it offer curent articles on some of the strangest stuff on the planet, you can also access the archives for past stories. Links to other sites are also provided. You will also want to visit Uri Geller's Encounters Magazine, wherin the famous spoon-bender spurs on investigations into everything from vampires to spontaneous human combustion. Archives and links are also available.

obiwan's UFO-free paranormal page
Dedicated to links about ghosts, fortune telling, ghostly journals, and "haunted places you can visit." Includes FAQ's and subscription information for the ghost stories mailing list.

Art Bell web page
Radio host of "Dreamland," Art Bell is a mini-culture to himself. Get a show schedule, find out who his guests are, and review the selected text of previous shows. Far out!

Links to Paranormal Sites
More and more links, with a brief description of each.