Between the lines: Newsgroups as an information source for social historians

The aim of this pilot study was to show the potential usefulness of Usenet discussions to future social historians and to explore possible methods for analysing the data. A survey of 42 Usenet newsgroups was made in November 1996 to explore the patterns of information formed by the contributors. The 5541 articles written by 2130 persons were analysed to identify UK participants and topics related to the UK; to measure the frequency of contributions and relate it to their authors' interests; to draw a comparison between moderated and non-moderated groups; and to indicate the most commonly discussed topics, using keywords taken from headers. A content analysis was used to check adherence to a point of netiquette and to find out to what extent two selected themes (the forthcoming election and violence in society) occupied the minds of contributors.