The moderator functions as an editor, deciding if submitted material is relevant to the newsgroup. The moderator then posts the material to the group. This has the effect of improving the general quality of the discussions, helps ensure accuracy of information, and keeps the group focused. Because of the enormous volume of news articles, individual postings are not kept permanently. Each article is posted with an expiration date which tells the news software when to remove the article.
Some sites expire articles in high-volume newsgroups faster than others.
For testing purposes, articles will remain for three-days. Periodic Informational Postings Most moderated groups, and some unmoderated ones, have specific articles periodically posted. These articles contain information such as directions for new users, policies for the newsgroup, lists of other related resources, and FAQs . Such articles help the quality of the group by providing a central place to find answers to basic questions, and by limiting the amount of redundant information readers of the group will actually see. The news reader is a program that keeps track of which groups a user reads, and which articles have been read in those groups.