"Thanks for the explanation."

You're welcome. I figure most of the problem is simply not understanding how it all works. I realize not everyone out there is a computer nerd like me. I have the advantage of getting my first computer in 1983.

"I can get Google Groups, so can I access your site from there? If so, can you walk me through it?"

First, it's not really "a site". Let me use an analogy. You're familiar with Earthboppin, right? Well, over there he has several forums set up. Usenet would be analogous to Earthboppin as a bulletin board, and alt.earthquake.predictions is analagous to just one of the discussion forums on Earthboppin.

In this case, though, Usenet is a HUGE system seperate from the World Wide Web, and there are tens of thousands of groups. AEP is just one group.

Yes, you will be able to access the new group with GoogleGroups. Unfortunately they haven't picked it up yet, it seems. Once they start carrying the group I'll gladly help you access it. I've already submitted a request to them but it would help if others who use GoogleGroups to also submit requests. I could not find a proper way to do this via their help files, so I had just written an email on their general support web page. If others know of a proper group request method, please post it.

Oh, I don't think it's the "Create a New Group" link. That creates a Google Group in much the same way as one creates a Yahoo Group. I don't think it creates a valid Usenet group, nor that it is used to submit a request for an existing group.

And just in case it's not entirely clear yet, accessing a newsgroup is normally done with newsreader software. I think Outlook Express has it built in, but I personally do not recommend it. But by analogy, it's like accessing email. You do this using email software. This is the direct way to access your mail box. But some people access their mail through a web interface. Although this works, it's not the most efficient or even best way to do it. Accessing newsgroups through GoogleGroups is like reading your email using a webpage instead of your email program. Does this make sense?

Brian