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Need some Information? | The Community Web

Early days are now

The Internet's current global expansion is comparable to the early days of broadcasting, when economic and technological growth outstripped law and regulation. At that time, noncommercial experiments by amateurs and engineering students provided a testing ground that commercial interests later exploited for profit.

In much the same way, "amateurs," students, and various interest groups have explored and extended the communication possibilities of the Internet. They have experimented so successfully that commercial vendors often have to look to amateurs for inspiration and examples of cutting-edge design and programming.

At a crossroads

Current developments on the information highway are at a crossroads. With the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the federal government has cleared the way for cable TV systems, computer firms and telephone companies to merge their interests in advancing communication technologies -- this includes Internet access.

Some will argue whether this shift is a good or bad. On the negative side, it has cost thousands of workers their jobs and it has increased the chasm between the haves and have-nots. On the more positive side, new technologies offer at least the potential for increasing our understanding of each other as we open up new avenues for communication.

Exploring the Web

All the other "chapters" or areas in this Web site have given you links that are related to a specific area of study: television, radio, movies, ethics, for example. Going to specific Web sites is certainly one way to get information on and from the Web. But it is only one way. While the World Wide Web is a vast resource of information and research, it is more than that. You can shop on the Web, chat on the Web, send flowers (real or virtual) through the Web. You can even travel (although it's virtual travel!) through the Web.

Surfing

The best way to get yourself acquainted with the Web is to surf. Surfing the Web is simply following links from site to site, either with a type of destination in mind (i.e. sites with cool design), or with little or no guide other than curiosity. You might follow a more or less random path, or yours might be very directed going from one related area to another. If you want to have fun and discover all the various areas on the Web, just do it.

The two most touted features of the Internet are access to information, and the opportunity to join a community of your choice. Following are a few sites to get you started.


Need some Information?


  • Browsers and search engines
    • If you use one of the Netscape browsers, for example, you can enter a number of areas from Netscape's home page. You can check out the days top headlines, go to an international Web site, shop, go to some recommended sites, or read columns by computer and media heavyweights. Most search engines will offer you 10-20 areas by topic to help you in your search, but you can also use them to give you some direction as you surf. In Yahoo, for example, the home page offers you areas like education, entertainment, government, news and business and so on. The home page also offers you the option to go to a current headline, or some "cool" or "hot" web sites. And, with My Yahoo, you can design your own version of its home page. Lycos, Excite, Infoseek, Webcrawler and most search engines offer similar options.

    • For more background information on the basics of finding information on the Internet, check out the Online Research section of one of St. Martin's other Web sites.

    • You may also want to check out some "alternative" search engines, such an an FAQ finder. It is similar to a search engine in that you ask it to find something, it searches the Web for matches, and then provides you with a list of what it finds. However, it is unlike a search engine not only because you ask it to search for information using natural language (you can actually ask "What's the definition of Macroamylaemia?"), but also because it searches only the Frequently Asked Questions sections of Web sites and USENET newsgroups.

    • Or how about Northern Lights, which searches information from over 1,800 journals, books, magazines, databases, and newswires not available on any other search engine. Accessing the articles you want to read will normally cost you $1 per viewing, but their free trial has been extended through October 5th. Webmaster was very impressed with the intelligent and clean way search results are organized: if a number of appropriate hits come from the same Web site (i.e. 15 articles from the same magazine), Northern Lights will create a folder for that magazine's articles instead of listing each article separately--unlike all the other search engines.

    • There is even Alexa Internet, more a recommendation and information service than a traditional search engine. It analyzes the traffic patterns to and from Web pages to let you know where the popular destinations are. It also keeps an archived copy of many Web pages -- instead of your browser displaying a "404 -- Not Found" message, Alexa will retrieve a copy of the page from their archive.

  • Other paths



The Community Web


  • 24 Hours in Cyberspace

  • Deja News Find out which newsgroups you may be interested in joining. But don't forget your netiquette if you decide to join in!

  • Home Gopher

  • HotWired This site is all about Web culture -- commentary, raging discussion in response to that commentary in Threads, art, music, cool Web-related jobs, and technical advice.

  • PBS also has a regular Life on the Internet feature.

  • The alternative medicine crowd has really taken to the Web. Visit this popular doctor's site, Ask Dr. Weil, for a taste (be sure to visit Boards, the bulletin board that accompanies Dr. Weil's recommendations).

  • Fans of certain types of and stars of the music, movie, and television media have a strong presence on the Web. Check out the respective industry page on this site to begin investigating.

  • Peek into the lives of Swedes who own Electrolux refrigerators -- a fridge cam takes a photo every time a chosen family opens its fridge. This is, in fact, a growing part of Internet life: cameras that take pictures at regularly spaced intervals and upload them to the Web. Browse around this collection of webcam site links (warning: clicking through the first level of links brings you a page of advertising, just click "on with the show" to continue).

  • Then there are individuals who are creating their own community of information and recommendations. There are interesting sites for mothers (which, as of 9/12/97, had a great Superman-style splash page), classroom innovators, and a host of others. A search on almost any topic will present you with many "personal" sites to explore.