| Frequently Asked Questions and Answers |
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What is Usenet?
Usenet is a worldwide bulletin board system
that can be accessed through the Internet. Usenet is part of
the larger Internet community and contains more than 120,000
forums, called newsgroups, which cover every imaginable interest
group. Everyone can access Usenet if they have Internet access
and an account with a Usenet Service Provider like NuthinButNews.com.
Usenet contains discussions among thousands of users around
the world. Access to Usenet does not cost
anything other than your NuthinButNews monthly
membership fees. For more information on the Usenet community,
please visit: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/what-is/part1/. |
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What sign up and payment options do you have?
NuthinButNews has members from all over the world and we know that having flexible sign up and payment options is very important to them. That is why we have recently added several new ways for you to join us.
We use the third party billing agents USAepay and ccBill to process our credit card payments. Both companies accept the following credit cards: Discover, Mastercard, Visa and JCB.
If you do not have a credit card, but have a checking or savings account, you can pay via online check (using the services of USAepay or ccBIll).
If you have neither a credit card, nor a checking/savings account, you can get a NuthinButNews membership using Money Order. For more information on our sign up options or to join, please visit our sign up page.
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How do I connect to your news server?
NuthinButNews members can easily connect to our news server by using either a newsreader or our Web Gateway. The server address you should connect to is News.NuthinButNews.com. We offer a free custom copy of the newsreader, News Rover, to all customers. To download your free copy of News Rover, visit our software page.
In addition, the newsgroups can be easily accessed via our user-friendly web-based gateway (recommended to beginners). The address of the Web Gateway is TextGateway.Nuthinbutnews.com. If you are having problems connecting through the web, please visit our gateway instructions page or learn more here.
Please contact technical support if you have problems configuring your newsreader or connecting through the web.
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Why is the number of posts showing in the Web Gateway different than those in my newsreader?
The number of messages that can be accessed through our web-based newsgroup browsing interface is an estimate based on the index of the oldest message and the index of the newest message. Of course, some messages are missing, some were canceled and some have expired out of order. This is what causes the number of messages listed on our website to be different. |
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Can I use a newsreader to access the Usenet newsgroups?
Yes, in fact, we recommend it - especially
if you plan on downloading a lot of articles for offline
reading. We offer a free custom copy of the newsreader, News Rover,
to all customers. For download instructions, please visit
our software page. |
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| Do I have to use a newsreader to access your newsgroups?
No, you can log into our servers directly from our Web
Gateway. The Web Gateway is an excellent option for frequent travelers because it allows Usenet access from different locations. Because the Web Gateway is user-friendly, we recommend it to our new users. If you would like more information on using the gateway, check out the overview or instructions.
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How do I cancel my account?
The easiest way to cancel your account is to use our online support area. Please include your name, username, email address, and subscription or transaction number (assigned to you by your credit card billing company). Cancellations are usually handled within 48 hours. You will receive an email cancellation confirmation once your account has been cancelled. |
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How do I change my account details such as password or email address?
Your account details, such as username, password, email address, or account type can be updated by filling out a new support area. If you subscribed using a credit card, your billing information (credit card, expiration date, and billing address) can be updated by contacting ccBill at www.ccbill.com. |
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How do I upgrade my account?
The process you need to follow to upgrade your account depends on what method you used to sign up.
1. If you subscribed using a credit card or online check you will need to cancel your existing account and re-subscribe for an upgraded plan.
2. If you subscribed using Money Order, you would need to wait until your current account is expired and then purchase a subscription for the new monthly plan you are interested in.
Don't forget that you can always add extra bandwidth from our Member's Area for just a few dollars. The advantage of increasing your download limit this way is that you do not have to permanently upgrade to a more expensive account level, and can always get additional bandwidth when you need it. |
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How do I add an existing newsgroup to your server?
Please contact us using the support area. Make sure you include the name of the newsgroup you want added and your username. We will add newsgroups for our members only. |
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How can I create a new group?
We can add newsgroups to the alt.* newsgroup hierarchy only. If you want a new alt.* group created, just send us a member support request, including the name of the group you want created. Any new newsgroup outside of the alt.* hierarchy will need to go through the Big-8 Management Board. For more information, please visit http://www.big-8.org. |
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| How do I change my billing/credit card information?
If you use USAepay or ccBill, you will not be able to update your billing information. Instead, you must cancel your account and re-sign up.
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How long do messages stay on your server?
Retention will vary considerably
from one newsgroup to another. On average, our servers feature
more than 35 days of retention. |
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Do you limit download speeds?
No, we allow you to connect at any speed you can. Your speed will be determined by Internet traffic, your Internet connection speed, and your route to our servers. |
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When does my monthly download limit reset?
All monthly download limits are automatically reset every 30 days from your anniversary sign up date (not at the beginning of every month). If you use up your entire download limit before the 30 days are up, you can get additional bandwidth from the Member’s Area. Unused bandwidth does not roll over to the next month, so make sure you use up all the bandwidth that you don't want to lose, within the current period. |
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Can I get more bandwidth without upgrading my account?
Now you can! We are very excited to offer our members a new bandwidth addition option that can be accessed within the Member's Area.
For only a few bucks, you can add up to 5GB of extra downloads
to your account!
You can add bandwidth as many times as you want throughout the month. Just make sure you use it all up before your monthly limit is reset every 30 days.
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How can I open more than one stream or connection to your server?
Some of the more popular newsreaders, such as News Rover or Newsbin Pro allow you to have more than one simultaneous connection. This will speed up your downloads by having more than one download going at a time. Some newsreaders will not allow you to open more than one stream and we would not recommend you to get one like that. Click here for a list of recommended newsreaders that work well with our service. |
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How do I report newsgroup abuse?
If you encounter any abuse issues
while in Usenet, please send an email to abuse@nuthinbutnews.com so we may address these issues as soon as possible.
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How do I add Secure Tunnel™ to my account?
In order to add Secure-Tunnel™ to your NuthinButNews package, you must sign up through our secondary payment processor, ccBill. Please note that USAepay is our default option, so signing up with ccBill requires you to manually change your payment processor preference. To do this, simply choose the ccBill button on the first sign-up page. After you choose and approve your sign-up plan, you will be taken to ccBill's transaction page to complete your order. At the very bottom of that page there is a box called Today's Special. Check the box to add Secure-Tunnel to your NBN plan.
If you want to learn more about Secure-Tunnel™, please visit our information page.
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Do headers count towards my Nuthinbutnews.com bandwidth?
No! We want our customers to visit as many newsgroups as they want - that is why we carry 100,000+. Headers are on us, so download as many as you want!
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Are the Member's Area stats in real-time?
Yes, your personal stats are always portrayed in real time, so you will always have access to the most up-to-date information.
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Do you have any other questions
that are not answered here?
Let us
know and we'll answer them for you! Our support
area contains all options for contacting us. Our account
specialists will be glad to help you with any question,
problem, or concern you may have. We are looking forward
to serving you with the best in the Usenet newsgroups! |
