Mail2News Gateway

Introduction to Mail2News

The Mail2News gateway at tcpreset.net allows you to participate in Usenet newsgroups using your regular email client. This service bridges the gap between email and Usenet, letting you post to newsgroups without needing special newsreader software.

Key benefits of using our Mail2News gateway:

• Post to Usenet from any device that can send email
• No need for a dedicated newsreader application
• Access Usenet through corporate firewalls that might block NNTP
• Privacy protection options to hide your email address
• Post to multiple newsgroups with a single email

This guide explains how to format your emails properly to ensure successful posting to Usenet through our gateway.

Address Format

To post to Usenet via our Mail2News gateway, you need to send your email to a specially formatted address that contains information about where and when you want your message posted.

Basic Format

The basic address format is:

mail2news-YYYYMMDD-newsgroup@mail2news.tcpreset.net

Where:

• YYYYMMDD is the current date in year-month-day format (e.g., 20250425 for April 25, 2025)
• newsgroup is the name of the Usenet group you want to post to

mail2news-20250425-comp.os.linux.misc@mail2news.tcpreset.net

Privacy Protection

If you want to hide your email address from the Usenet post, use the "nospam" variant:

mail2news_nospam-YYYYMMDD-newsgroup@mail2news.tcpreset.net

This will obfuscate your email address in the post by replacing "@" with "<AT>" and "." with "<DOT>".

Multiple Newsgroups (Crossposting)

To post to multiple newsgroups simultaneously (maximum 3 groups), separate the newsgroup names with the "=" symbol:

mail2news-YYYYMMDD-newsgroup1=newsgroup2=newsgroup3@mail2news.tcpreset.net

mail2news-20250425-comp.os.linux.misc=alt.os.linux=comp.os.unix@mail2news.tcpreset.net

Email Client Setup

General Email Client Configuration

Most email clients will work with the Mail2News gateway without special configuration. Simply compose a new email and address it according to the formats described above.

Microsoft Outlook

1. Create a new email message
2. In the "To:" field, enter the mail2news address (e.g., mail2news-20250425-comp.os.linux.misc@mail2news.tcpreset.net)
3. Add a subject (this will be the subject of your Usenet post)
4. Write your message in the body
5. Send the email normally

Mozilla Thunderbird

1. Click "Write" to create a new message
2. Enter the mail2news address in the "To:" field
3. Add a subject and your message content
4. Send your message

Gmail

1. Click "Compose" to start a new email
2. Enter the mail2news address in the "To:" field
3. Add your subject and message
4. Avoid using HTML formatting for best results (click the "Plain text mode" button at the bottom of the compose window)
5. Send your email

Apple Mail

1. Click "New Message"
2. Enter the mail2news address in the "To:" field
3. Add your subject and message
4. For best results, go to Format → Make Plain Text
5. Send your message

Examples and Use Cases

Basic Posting

Complete Example

Below is an example of a complete email message that would be sent to the Mail2News gateway:

To: mail2news-20250425-comp.os.linux.misc@mail2news.tcpreset.net
From: user@example.com
Subject: Question about Linux kernel parameters

Hello Usenet,

I'm trying to understand the sysctl vm.swappiness parameter.
What value do you recommend for a desktop system with 16GB of RAM?

Thanks,
Linux User
            

This email would be posted to comp.os.linux.misc with the subject "Question about Linux kernel parameters" and would show your email address (user@example.com) in the From field.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Post Not Appearing

• Date format: Check that you're using the correct date format (YYYYMMDD) and that the date is current
• Newsgroup name: Verify that the newsgroup exists and is spelled correctly
• Email format: Try sending in plain text format instead of HTML

Garbled Content

• HTML formatting: Use plain text format in your email client
• Attachments: The gateway doesn't support attachments

Error Messages

If you receive a bounce message from the gateway, check for these common error codes:

• "Invalid date": The date in your address is too old or in the wrong format
• "No valid newsgroups": The newsgroup name(s) are invalid or misspelled
• "Crosspost limit exceeded": You've tried to post to more than 3 groups

Tips for Success

• Use plain text format when composing your emails
• Keep signatures simple and avoid HTML or rich formatting
• Don't include attachments
• If using PGP/GPG, consider temporarily disabling it
• Follow proper Usenet etiquette in your posts