If you really do not like Outlook that much get on google and find a news
reader that is more to your liking. There are a couple of them out there
which are free to download.

I do not think any website is going to be the same as USENET. With websites
come moderators, administrator, owners, IDs and passwords, rules, and
hosting bills. If these things do not bother you, there are lots of web
based orchid forums out there. None of them are like the wild, wild west
USENET used to be. I was recently asked where all the RGOers went. I
replied that I really did not know and that you did not see that many of
them on the various website forums except Ray and Ray is ubiquitous.