An electronic newsgroup system, commonly referred to as USENET (6 letters), is a distributed discussion system that allows users to post and read messages in a variety of topics. It was created in 1979 and is one of the oldest computer network communication systems still in use today. USENET is organized into a hierarchy of newsgroups, each of which covers a specific topic. Users can post messages to the newsgroup, which are then distributed to other users who have subscribed to the group. USENET is an important part of the Internet's history and continues to be used by millions of people around the world.