There have been many times in my life when Usenet answered questions I couldn’t get answered any other way: where can I get a copy of Benny Goodman’s recording of Bolero, what’s that song on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, and how do I set the date on a particular vintage wristwatch?
I just got the wristwatch question answered yesterday by a netizen who took some extra effort to get the answer right, and it saved me a lot of trouble.
I love how smart and helpful people are on Usenet. I love how communities continue to thrive there despite trolls, spammers, and now big company Astroturf marketing.
Usenet may be on its way to being useful again specifically because AOL and the mainstream ISP’s aren’t pointing newbies and trolls in that direction any more, or even offering access to newsfeeds.