Any user can access and read newsgroup articles and can also post articles. The possible exception to this is where there is an individual who monitors and exercises some control over the 'conversation' taking place. However, relatively few newsgroups are moderated in this way. The Usenet newsgroups provide an environment in which a wide range of topics is discussed. These include such things as hobbies, areas of common interest, politics, religion and sex.
Bulletin boards are the forerunners of newsgroups and typically operate as stand-alone systems.
They are provided on public access computer systems which supply services to common interest groups both within Australia and overseas. They give access to services which include shareware, software and the sending of messages between users, both individually and as members of discussion groups. While Usenet newsgroups are accessed by the Internet, most users would access a bulletin board computer directly via the public telephone network and not via the Internet. Unlike newsgroups, however, IRCs take place in real time. Live, text-based conversations take place using IRC, in that a text message typed into a computer is instantly relayed to all other users worldwide who are taking part in the IRC session.