Post

A single message on Usenet. In text newsgroups, a post is the same as an article. In binary newsgroups, due to the complexity of binary files, most posts consist of many articles.

Propagation

The process of transferring Usenet articles between servers.

Provider (host)

The company or other entity that provides Usenet connectivity. This can be an ISP, workplace, or university, among other things.

Pull

A particular Usenet feed used for smaller servers to retrieve new articles from a large server, usually operated independently.

Retention

Retention refers to the length of time that articles are available on a Usenet server before they are removed to make room for newer articles. Recently, this has become a major factor when shopping for a Usenet provider as retention times vary from provider to provider. Retention is relevant to Usenet users because longer retention gives users more opportunity to find and download an article of interest. Many Usenet providers will offer longer retention in text newsgroups because text articles require less storage space than larger binaries. Retention may also be shorter in more popular newsgroups and groups that are comprised of large binary files, such as gaming groups, due to the volume and size of posts in such groups.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

The amount of worthwhile content compared to the amount of spam or other undesirable messages in a newsgroup. A group with a high signal-to-noise ratio has frequent on-topic posts with intelligent replies that offer more than ""me too"" comments. Groups that are frequently spammed, inhabited by trolls, or that quickly descend into flame wars usually have a low signal-to-noise ratio. This term was derived from an engineering term that also describes a useful signal versus the background interference it may experience.