There are three ways to find a newsgroup that interests you: browsing by category, browsing by name hierarchy, and searching by name.
Unison's newsgroup directory provides a categorized list of some (but by no means all) newsgroups in a more human-readable way. It is well suited for Usenet beginners.
Click on a topic icon, such as Crafts, to see a list of possibly related newsgroups. The list of newsgroups is extracted from the master list of all groups available on your server using simple keyword matching. Unison is not programmed to show any specific newsgroups to you. Furthermore, Unison can only show you newsgroups which exist on your particular server.
To use the newsgroup directory, click Directory, located in the Newsgroups section of the source list:
The names of Usenet newsgroups are made up of hierarchical sections which hint at their content. For example, the newsgroup comp.sys.mac.apps is about Mac applications, while comp.sys.mac.hardware is about Mac hardware.
Unison's All Groups browser lets you navigate section-by-section through this hierarchy of names. For example, you can navigate to comp > sys > mac to see all of the available Mac-related newsgroups:
To use the All Groups browser, click All Groups, located in the Newsgroups section of the source list:
Note that the All Groups browser is sorted by post count, with the most popular sections appearing at the top of each column. You may see similar-sounding or nonsensical newsgroup names in the list, as there is not much formal regulation of newsgroup creation. A high post count is a sign of a healthy, active newsgroup.
If you already know the name of the newsgroup you want to view, it's easiest just to search for it.
To search for a newsgroup by name:
Matching newsgroups will be displayed in a list, alongside their post count.
To open a newsgroup, double click it.
Newsgroups appear in the Newsgroups section of the source list once opened, for quick access. They remain there unless manually deleted, so you do not need to explicitly "bookmark" or "favorite" a newsgroup you want to re-visit later.
Newsgroups in the source list will appear in bold type if new items have been posted since Unison last checked.
To delete a newsgroup from Unison's source list:
Alternatively, you can just drag the unwanted newsgroup out of the source list.
You can rename a newsgroup once it has been added to the source list to something that is easier to read.
To rename a newsgroup:
You can group similar newsgroups into a folder. To create a folder:
Newsgroups can be moved into the folder by dragging them with the mouse.
When you select a folder in the source list, you will see a combined view of all newsgroups within that folder.
Each newsgroup has some individually customizable preferences. To change a newsgroup's preferences:
The available options are: