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Google’s First Acquisition : Deja News / Google Groups

September 10, 2011 by

This year marked Google’s 100th acquisition.  Amazing to think the search engine giant has acquired over 100 companies in the last 10 years.  Even more surprising was the first company Google acquired back in 2001.  The company was Deja.  According to Wikipedia, Google acquired Deja on February 12, 2001.  Molding their Deja News Usenet search engine into Google Groups.  Here’s the Google Deja News press release.

Google Groups provides two types of groups.  One being traditional Usenet newsgroups and the other non-Usenet groups.  If you want to create your own group then non-Usenet is your only option.  The non-Usenet groups can be created as public or private.  They offer mailing list features along with the ability to create web pages, share documents and allow member comments.  Google Groups is web-based making it easy to access but doesn’t offer the enhanced features of some newsgroup readers.

Here are some more interesting Google acquisitions through the years:

  • Deja – February 12, 2001
  • Android – August 17, 2005
  • YouTube – October 9, 2006
  • DoubleClick – April 13, 2007
  • Motorola Mobility – August 15, 2011 (pending approval)
  • Visit Wikipedia for the full list of Google acquisitions.

Google has been quite busy acquiring companies in the social media, online advertising and coupon spaces.  Most recently acquiring Zagat, the restaurant review site for $125 million earlier this week.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Including the latest provider updates, binary retention stats, added features, free trials and special offers.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest Usenet news.

Filed Under: Google Groups, Usenet Providers Tagged With: , ,

Google Working to Fix Google Groups Issue

August 11, 2011 by

If you use Google Groups to read text posts then you might wonder what happened lately.  As Google hasn’t synced their Usenet engine since the first of August.  Not to worry though as Google has identified the issue.  They are working on a fix and plan to have Google Groups back up and running at 100% in the next few days.

We realize that many of our readers might not use Google Groups.  Yet the resource is there and we have appreciated it over the years.  Referencing Usenet posts in several blog articles.  We look forward to Google fixing the current issue so that Google Groups users can once again enjoy up to date text posts.

For those less familiar with Google Groups here’s some background information:

Google bought Deja News in 2001 which gave them a search engine to access archived Usenet posts.  The newsgroup search has had some technical issues lately but Google is working on a solution and is still offering access to newsgroup articles posted prior to August.  Be aware though that Google Groups limits their group selection and doesn’t include access to certain content and groups including the alt.binaries newsgroups.

Google Groups provides two types of groups.  One being traditional Usenet newsgroups and the other non-Usenet groups.  If you want to start your own group then non-Usenet is the only choice.  The non-Usenet groups can be managed as public or private.  They offer mailing list functionality, web page creation, shared documents and member comments.  Google Groups is web-based making it easy to access text newsgroups.

Visit Newsgroup Reviews to learn more about Usenet.  Follow us @NewsgroupRevs for the latest news.

Filed Under: Google Groups Tagged With: ,

Google Groups vs Traditional Usenet Newsgroups

December 3, 2009 by

We get the occasional email asking which is better – Google Groups or traditional Usenet newsgroup access.  Should you join Google Groups  or look at traditional Usenet providers?  The answer really depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

In 2001 Google purchased Deja News and in doing so acquired a search engine to access archived newsgroup posts.  The Usenet search has had some technical issues of late but Google is still offering access to newsgroup articles.  However, Google Groups does not offer access to certain content and groups including the alt.binaries hierarchy.

Google Groups provides two types of groups.  One being traditional Usenet newsgroups and the other non-Usenet groups.  If you want to create your own group then non-Usenet is your only option.  The non-Usenet groups can be created as public or private.  They offer mailing list features along with the ability to create web pages, share documents and allow member comments.  Google Groups is web-based making it easy to access but doesn’t offer the enhanced features of some newsgroup readers.

If the goal is to promote a group or organization (email members, share documents, comment, etc.) then Google Groups is a good option.  If you are looking for newsgroup access then traditional Usenet providers are the way to go.

For more information on Google Groups visit http://groups.google.com/.

Here are some resources to learn more about traditional Usenet newsgroup access:
1. Newsgroup Reviews
2. Usenet University by Giganews
3. Getting Started with Usenet by Newshosting
4. Usenet Charter Directory by NewsDemon
5. Usenet for Mac Users by NewsgroupDirect
6. Open Directory Project / DMOZ
7. Wikipedia – Newsgroups

Filed Under: Google Groups, Usenet Providers, Usenet Tutorials Tagged With: , , , ,