Usenet Improvement Project

The Problem -
And The Solution

Home: What Is The Project?
Underlying Issue
Other Voices A G-Grouper Is Born
Participating
Results!
Gmail - A Warning
Filters Other Stuff
Feedback

A Google Grouper Is Born - And Of Course Doesn't Know It

From Usenet; original post from Google Groups:

The Google Grouper posted:

Good Evening Everyone - just got gmail and am unfamiliar with it. Can someone please explain how to download files and pics that r posted on a site. Thanks for your help

The first response was:

What "site"? Gmail is a web-based email client, not a file-sharing application or a web browser

The core of the issue was added by another poster:

I think I can see a pattern emerging. People sign up for "Gmail", thus getting a "Google account", and start to wander about Google. They discover "Google Groups" and assume that it is a 'feature' of "Gmail" (which it is not). Within "Google Groups" they inevitably find usenet newsgroups, such as this one, and immediately leap to the horribly wrong conclusion that these newsgroups are a Google service (which they are not) which they are accessing through their "Gmail" account (which they are not).

This particular newbie seems to know that there are 'binary newsgroups' out there somewhere (although doesn't know exactly what they are), and thinks that it should be possible to get to them using "Google Groups" (it is not possible). Mistaking "Gmail" for "Google Groups" just adds another twist to the spiral of misinformation and confusion Google are weaving.