Daily Living
Learning
Bulletin Boards
Chat Rooms
Classified Ads
Directories
Work
Leisure
Glossaries
Gophers
Mail Lists
Netiquette
Wellness
Assistance
Newsgroups
Search Engines
Webrings
Miscellaneous
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Daily Living
Learning
Bulletin Boards
Chat Rooms
Classified Ads
Directories
Work
Leisure
Glossaries
Gophers
Mail Lists
Netiquette
Wellness
Assistance
Newsgroups
Search Engines
Webrings
Miscellaneous
Guestbooks
Banners
What is a Newsgroup?Newsgroups are discussion groups that are all part of a global system called Usenet (there are over 250,000 different Usenet sites). It is almost impossible to know how many different newsgroups there are. The reason for this is that new ones come on board, and others leave every single day. It is said that there are currently over 20,000 different newsgroups from all over the world. Newsgroups are started to carry on discussions about all sorts of things. There are special programs that have to be used to read from and write to a newsgroup, referred to as news readers. If you are using Netscape or Explorer to navigate the World Wide Web, these two browsers have incorporated a news reader in their software. There are also newsreader programs available whose sole purpose is to read newsgroups.
Not all internet service providers (ISPs) carry all newsgroups. If your ISP doesn't carry the newsgroups you are interested in, then you have to find another ISP or start your own news server.
To find out more information about Usenet, visit
the Usenet Info CenterSearch engines are used to look for information. There are some search engines around specifically to search news groups. The most comprehensive of the Usenet search engines is Deja News. Two others you might want to use are: Alta Vista set to search Usenet or Green Eggs Report.
[ Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Newsgroup Page ]
E-mail (electronic mail) is probably the most commonly used and useful service available on the Internet. e-mail is private, unlike news groups. Your e-mail is only read by the receiver, unless their mail box is available to many people.
Listserves are a means to send one message to many interested people. It is basically a mailing list that has been compiled through individual subscribers. There are many listservs or mailing lists that have been started for a variety of subjects. You have to subscribe to a list before you will receive any mail from this list. There can sometimes be a small fee for subscribing (i.e. $3.00/yr.). This is usually done because the moderator of the list wants to be sure that you are not subscribing to the list just to be a pest or nuisance. The moderator of the list usually takes his or her job very seriously and keeps the list of messages well-organized.
To get a list of some listservs,
TileNet will provide many.A list of publicly accessible mailing lists can be found at More mailists
If you check out LISTSERV, this webpage will answer a lot of your questions.
[ Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Mail List Page ]
A chat room is a place on the Internet where people go to "chat" with other people in a room. Actually there are thousands of these Chat Rooms. The rooms are usually organized by topic. For example in a Michigan Room you would expect that most of the participants in the room are probably from Michigan or a Computer room where the participants are very interested in computers. When you're in a Chat Room you can view all of the conversations taking place at once on your screen. You can also get into a private chat room where only you and one or two others may talk. This can be an inexpensive way to keep up with friends and relatives who are online.
Chat rooms can also be described as a party line telephone call on the Internet. It is real-time discussions between people using keyboards.
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Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Chat Room Page ]
What is a gopher?A gopher is a small, burrowing animal, BUT on the Internet a gopher is something much different. A gopher on the Internet is a system allowing users to search for files via menus or directory structures. It uses plain English names and is text based only. The gopher was around long before the World Wide Web (WWW). Gopher has been somewhat supplanted by the WWW, but there are still thousands of gopher servers around, with lots of very good information. Veronica is a popular search service for gopher sites. If you really want to read more about veronica,
frequently asked questions about veronica will help you out.[ Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Gopher Page ]
A search engine is something you use on the Internet to look for information. There are many search engines found on the Internet. Each has their own way to search for information.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Search Engine Page ]A bulletin board is a site you visit on the Internet to read and post messages of a particular interest to you. There are many bulletin boards that can be reached on the Internet. Each has their own topics of interest. Bulletin boards are electronic means of communicating that have been around for a long time. They are sometimes called forums.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Bulletin Board Page ]Classified ads on the internet are very similar to classified ads in newspapers. These sites contain various kinds of classified ads for all sorts of things. Each site has its own format and style.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Classified Ads Page ]Directories are special sites of the internet that contain categorized links to various places on the internet. This Internet Travel Guide is a directory. Some directories also offer "search" services. Directories are very helpful in finding the information you want.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Directories Page ]A glossary is a list of difficult terms dealing with a specific subject. In the case of this travel guide, the glossaries listed deal with the Internet.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Glossary Page ]Netiquette is network etiquette, conventions for behavior and courtesy while using the Internet. When using the Internet, we shouldn't SHOUT, send SPAM or FLAME.
Shouting is typing messages in ALL CAPS. Email typed in all caps is difficult to read, and any intended emphasis is lost, so shouting is considered bad form on the Internet.
Spam is considered to be garbage or off-topic Email messages posted to newsgroups, usually with multiple messages being sent. The Internet equivalent of junk mail, this is considered very inappropriate.
The term Flame refers to sending an insulting Email message to a person or a newsgroup. Flaming someone is not nice, and if an argument gets out of hand it can cause a Flamewar.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Netiquette Page ]This section covers those topics we were unable to put in the six major categories, or any other category for that matter. This page is used to keep good links until a new subcategory is established. Once we find a good link or a good link is added by a user, we want to put it in the right spot. This is where we keep it until the right spot is found.
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Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Miscellaneous Page ](this information was taken right from the Webring home page)
The Webring is a totally free service offered to the Internet community. We are a quickly growing collection of homepages from all over the World who are committed to creating a new kind of Web community.The Webring provides the World Wide Web with a different way to organize web sites. The Webring is a way to group together sites with similar content (or any pages at all, if one so desires) by linking them together in a circle, or ring.
How does it work?The idea is that once you are at one site in the webring, you can click on a "Next" or "Previous" link to go to adjacent sites in the ring and--if you do it long enough--end up where you started.
This is actually something you can do without the Webring system by simply having each page owner link their site to the next. However, when somebody wants to join the ring, someone has to edit their page to point to the new page and--when the ring gets big enough--it becomes more and more difficult to keep the ring "intact" when pages disappear and servers go down.
The Webring provides a solution to all of these problems, as well as numerous enhancements. When you join a Webring, the HTML code on your homepage never changes. Links point to a special CGI script at webring.org that will send people to the next (or previous) site in the ring. Because the central ring database is located in one location, sites can be added and removed quickly and easily, and because the Webring CGI allows you go continue past sites that are unreachable, you will always be able to continue around the loop.
The Webring will do quite a few tricks, actually. People can travel a ring in either direction, either jumping to (or skipping) the next site or previous site, list the next five sites in the ring, jump to a random site in the ring, or simply get a list of all pages in the loop. Furthermore, the Webring system supports the operation of a virtually unlimited number of separate and distinct rings, allowing the creation of thousands of different "communities" on the web. And, best of all, the Webring is entirely free!
What Webring's are available?The best way to find a Webring that will interest you is to visit RingWorld, our online directory of the Webring system. Chances are you'll find one that will interest you--either to surf or to join. Ring topics range from Star Wars to Egyptology to body piercing.
All of the Webrings are operated by individuals across the Internet. If you can't find a ring that suits your needs, you're free to start your own as well!
[ Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Webring Page ]
The Daily Living Section links you to areas dealing with day-to-day necessities and activities, particularly in your home environment.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Daily Living Page ]The Learning Section includes links to all kinds of learning opportunities for the very young child to the senior citizen.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Learning Page ]The Work Section includes links to areas that either prepares one for work for the first time, or returning to the work force after disability sets in.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Work Page ]The Leisure Section includes links to many different types of leisure activities from books online to outdoor activities.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Leisure Page ]The Wellness Section includes links to many areas that help one stay well physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
[
Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Wellness Page ]The Assistance Section includes links to those sites that provide assistance to individuals with disabilities. Some of these sites might also be looking for assistance, such as volunteering or funding.
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Top of page ] [ Back to Homepage ] [ Go to the Assistance Page ]Click here.
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