For Professional, Effective Communication
in Print and on the Web

Instructional Article

On the Web, Column 1
By Nancy Gable, Blue Mountain Design
Published by the Mirror Democrat, August 1997

http://www. Looks like a foreign language, doesn't it? But you're seeing it everywhere -- on TV, in newspapers and magazines, on billboards, even on UPS trucks and other vehicles.

You probably know it refers to something called the World Wide Web, which seems to be sweeping the nation -- no, the world -- and you're confused and feeling a little left out and left behind.

And what about this e-mail thing? It seems just about everyone has an e-mail address. Why is it so popular? What can e-mail and the World Wide Web do for you?

Well, this column is for you. "On the Web" will teach you the terms and fundamentals of e-mail and of accessing, navigating, and exploring the World Wide Web. It will show you ups and downs and ins and outs of this fascinating, frightening, exciting, useful, world-changing phenomenon.

You won't need a lot of computer knowledge or skill. You won't even need your own computer. It would be helpful if you know at least a little bit about computers, for instance how to turn one on and recognize Windows if it's a PC. Knowing how to use a mouse would also help.

Let's start with e-mail. Here are the top ten reasons why you should have it:

1. So when someone asks if you have an e-mail address, you can say "Yes!"
2. So you won't have to address an envelope and put a stamp on it.
3. So you won't have to take your message to a mailbox.
4. It's faster than snail mail (mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service).
5. To save trees.
6. To stop playing phone tag.
7. To avoid long distance phone calls.
8. To send multiple messages with just one local phone call.
9. To receive important messages even while traveling.
10. So you won't be left out or left behind.

E-mail is like electricity or the telephone -- it's here to stay. And once you have it, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.

Here's an example of how my family used it recently. This year my six siblings and I planned a 50th anniversary celebration for our parents.

My siblings live in Cedar Rapids, Clinton, and Davenport, Iowa, Minnesota, Port Byron and Plainfield. We work day shifts, night shifts, and swing shifts.

We didn't make multiple mailings, long distance calls or play phone tag. Six of us had e-mail and sent messages to the others regarding the ongoing plans.

One sister was without e-mail and unless something was important enough to call her long distance, she ended up being left out of the communication circle; not because we didn't want to include her, but because it was inconvenient to contact her separately from the others.

Are you concerned that you'll have trouble learning something new? I know an 83-year-old lady who has learned how to use e-mail.

She doesn't have a good memory and her typing speed is slow. Arthritis in her shoulder causes pain if she uses the mouse too much. Her hand is not steady when using the mouse so she frequently moves the cursor inadvertently just as she clicks, which results in clicking on the wrong selection.

But she is now using e-mail to communicate with family and friends around the world. And she has plans to get connected to the World Wide Web soon so she can research her interests. If she can do it, you can too.

Concerned that e-mail will cost too much? Wrong. E-mail can be very low cost or totally free -- so free that you don't even have to own a computer to have e-mail. To find out how, watch for the next edition of "On the Web."

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