The Online World

1. Going online will make me rich, right? Knowledge is Power. A larger personal network gives you a stronger punch. The value of information, and of having a great time. . .

2. The online world The structure and content of the online offerings. About Bulletin Board systems, discussion lists, conferencing systems, and online data bases. About packet data services, and network services like FidoNet, i-Com, Infonet, Internet, and others. A constantly changing environment.

3. How to use online services Short introduction. How to use menus, and how to navigate like an expert. Tailoring online services to your interests and needs.

4. Hobbies, games, and fun About computer programs, online adventure games, threatening viruses, planning holidays, collecting coins and stamps, genealogy, music, shopping and other leisure activities.

5. Home, education, and work Tips for house owners, for those more concerned about money, about education and the exchange of knowledge, electronic conferences. Building a personal network. Job hunting by modem, and about working from home.

6. Your personal healthnet About support for diseases like AIDS, cancer, and kidney diseases. Forums for people with physical or mental disabilities, like hearing impairments, learning disabilities, vision impairment, mobility problems.

7. Electronic mail, telex, and fax How to communicate globally at a ridiculously low cost, with notes about how to address your global electronic mail.

8. Free expert assistance How to get free advice about your computer, software and other things.

9. Your electronic daily news Read national and global news before getting it through the traditional media. Get those interesting background facts. Read special interest news that the media never bother to print.

10. Looking for a needle in a bottle of hay Notes about searching data bases. How to locate interesting books and articles.

11. Getting an edge over your competitor Using the networks to manage projects. Monitor competitors, prospects, suppliers, markets, technologies, and trends. Marketing and sales by modem.

12. Practical tips How to get more out of the time spent online.

13. Cheaper and better communications Using packet data services or competing data transport services like Tymnet Outdial, Infonet, Internet, PC Pursuit, and others.

14. Keep what you find. Build your local personal data base. Strategies for locating interesting information. What separates good from bad information.

15. You pay little for a lot! How to figure out costs.

16. Automatic communication Get a lead on your competitors. Avoid duplication of effort. Reduce costs. Reduce boring repetitive work. No need to remember all the "tricks" of communications anymore.

17. Gazing into the future. Thoughts about things to come.

The number of services is enormous. It takes time to find the truly interesting stuff. - Knowledge is power. - A large personal network gives you a punch. - The value of information, and of having a good time.

Knowledge is Power ------------------ My wife has a rare and dangerous kidney disease. One day her doctor joined us on an online research session to look for experiences and advice in other countries. We sat down in my office in Norway. I turned on my personal computer and started a communications program. After some keypresses, we could hear the attached modem dial the number of CompuServe, a North American information utility. (A modem is a piece of equipment that converts computer signals to and from sound codes, so that data can be sent by phone.) It took just a few seconds to make the connection. Soon, a greeting scrolled over our screen, followed by a menu of available choices.

For an introduction to practical telecommunications, check out appendix 2 and 3. Appendix 1 lists major services mentioned in this book.

We selected "Health" and the "Data Base for Rare diseases." This gave the address of an American foundation for "cysts in kidneys," which is the name of her disease. My wife made contact, and has since received regular reports of research results and experiences gained in the field. We sent an open request for help to an electronic forum for doctors. The result was several useful responses. We searched a magazine data base for medical articles containing the key word "kidney." Paper copies of the most interesting finds arrived by mail after a few days. My wife gave them to her hospital doctor as background reading. Kenya Saikawa is paralyzed. He communicates with his PC and modem using light key strokes and Morse code. Online communications allows Kenya to be in regular contact with people outside the walls of his Tokyo hospital. We met online in a "Handicap Club" on a computer center called TWICS in Tokyo. He was there to exchange experiences with others with disabilities. The club is a personal support group for those in need of help. CompuServe's Cancer Forum has a similar function. "It's a blessing that I can visit here 24 hours a day," one visitor said. "When I'm unable to sleep at night, I often sit down by the PC to read and write messages to others." The forum is like a family. The file library is full of information about cancer. Members can just go in there and pick up whatever they want to read. Dave Hughes from Old Colorado Springs, Colorado in the United States has had a long career as a professional soldier. He has fought in places like the Yalue river in Korea and Vietnam's jungle. When he retired, he became a political online force. "I'm using the new tools of the individual mind to change the world," he says. Native American Indians are among those, who have benefited from Dave's energy and knowledge. He has helped them show their culture to the outside world in a graphical form. Vladimir Makarenkov from the Crimea in the Ukraine is manager in a company called VINKO. In early 1993, he distributed an offer of partnership with foreign companies through the mailing list E- EUROPE. VINKO is into aluminium processing. He wrote: "From our own production we can offer some one metals and aniline dye for cotton, viscose, wool, silk, leather. We are interested in deliveries of chemical production (gamma acid, H- acid) and not quickly deteriorating foods (food concentrates, canned food etc)." George Pavlov is Planning and Reporting manager at an American computer manufacturer. Daily, he logs on to online services to monitor industry product announcements and daily news from several electronic sources. It helps him stay ahead of rapid technological developments. Semafor A/S in Arendal, Norway, produces modems and other types of telecommunications equipment. They operate an electronic bulletin board for customers, users and prospects. Anybody can call in to get information about products and offerings. If they need help, they can leave a message to Semafor A/S day and night. A response will be waiting for them, when they call back. Eduardo Salom heads Software Plus SA in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He discovered the online world in 1988, and uses it to find information that can help his company develop industrial applications. The Norwegian civil engineer Kai Oestreng regularly calls specialized online computer clubs to discuss his computational needs, fetch programs and monitor developments. Mary Lou Rebelo was born in southern Brazil. Today, she is married to a Japanese and lives in Tokyo. She teaches Portuguese and works as a translator. The modem enables her to keep in touch with others around the world interested in Portuguese and Spanish language and culture. Mike Wright teaches at St. Andrew's College in Grahamstown, South Africa. He integrates the online world in his teaching to motivate his students. His classes are involved in international projects with schools all over the globe. In August 1991, the "Old Stalinists" made a coup d'etat in the Soviet Union. The news media were silenced, but they forgot the country's many bulletin boards. Early one morning, a foreign caller picked up the following messages from a Moscow BBS: