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Although we seem to talk about The Internet as much as we do the weather, a surprising
number of people have no knowledge of online information services. If you're in this
"silent majority" don't despair, help is on the way. As CLMA begins to
enter the electronic age, we realize our members have a wide range of expertise and
many are novices. Our intent is to be leaders in the electronic revolution but if
we are to be truly effective all members must be involved - not just the "computer
nerds". We intend to match educational offerings to the needs of our membership
so feel free to suggest ideas for our publications as well as our educational programs
This month's column is aimed directly at the beginner. The format will be questions and answers or a FAQ - online terminology for Frequently Asked Questions. Whenever you use an online service, see if there is a FAQ available. Almost every question you can think of has been asked and answered many times before. To save time, common questions are widely distributed as FAQ's.
The easiest starting point is to subscribe to one of the "big three" commercial services - CompuServe, America Online or Prodigy. All offer a one month free trial and the software for your PC or MAC is also free. Disks with the software come with many online magazines available on newsstands or they can be requested by calling the following toll-free numbers
CompuServe: 800-848-8199
America Online: 800-827-6364
Prodigy: 800-776-3449
If you're adventuresome and really want to "dive in", the alternative is to connect directly to The Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since this is a column for beginners, I will save that discussion for a later date. While The Internet is a different network, the connections among systems allow commercial service users to access The Internet.
Four ingredients are required: a computer, access to a telephone line, a modem to connect the computer to the phone line and the software (discussed above). While almost any computer will work, as a general rule, the faster the better. Modern online systems are graphic intensive and a slow processor will not be fun to use. Virtually any new computer will be adequate for the task but a PC-AT or early model Macintosh will not be satisfactory.
The same thing is true for the modem. Modem speeds are measured in thousands of bits per second (kbps) and a 14.4kbs or 28.8kbs rating is preferred. Speeds less than 9.6kbs will be too slow for most users.
It is not necessary to dedicate a telephone line to the computer. The modem is connected to the phone line through a standard modular jack and the online service can be dialed just like an ordinary phone call. Obviously, the line is tied up while the service is being used but most individuals get by on one telephone line.
All three online services charge $9.95 per month for five hours of usage. Additional hours are billed at $2.95/hour. Special rates are provided by CompuServe and Prodigy for higher volume users. All services are accessible with a local phone call in metropolitan areas. An 800 number is available for rural areas but the services charge up to ten cents per minute for that access. A good modem can be purchased for $200 or less. There is no long term commitment so you can cancel anytime. To subscribe, you provide a credit card number and all charges are billed to that card.
All three services offer a variety of news, sports, educational material, games, financial information and other general interest topics. Since the services are all connected to The Internet, email can be transmitted among users of all systems. CompuServe has the greatest depth of specialized databases (over 500 business publications for example). America Online is the fastest growing and easiest to use in the opinion of many people. Prodigy has the best material for young children but has extensive financial services as well. One way to decide is to try them all since it's easy to sign up for a one month free trial and test each one. Of course if a service does not offer toll free access in your location, that could be a deciding factor. And even if you have a fast modem, a given service may not offer that speed in your area.
Help is available from many sources. The providers have telephone help lines but the best way is to email your questions. Bulletin boards (the discussion groups of the electronic world) are an excellent source of assistance. Numerous books and periodicals are available in bookstores. CLMA is establishing a list of members who would be willing to answer questions as well.
Of course you don't have to do it now and many people will wait. Waiting, however, puts you further behind and you lose the benefits of rapid information access and instant communication that are available today. While the subject may seem difficult for a beginner to comprehend, it is not hard to subscribe to a commercial service and waiting will not make it any easier. Information technology is critical to the changing world of healthcare and CLMA intends to be a leader in this arena. The technical expertise of our members uniquely qualifies us to assume that role and the time to act is now In the near future, we will begin publishing the Internet address of valuable materials for our members. Vendors and other organizations are doing that as well.
Information distribution will change drastically in the next few years. Publishing though traditional channels takes months while material can be available on The Internet in minutes. Retrieval of printed articles is difficult or impossible on a routine basis no matter how hard we try to organize our files. The Internet and other services serve as electronic filing cabinets that can be searched by key word - even in publications we did not previously read.
Copyrighted material is not readily available at the present because there is no easy way for the author to get paid. That will change very soon, as reimbursement mechanisms are introduced. As an example, the commercial services pay a portion of their subscription fees to Time, Newsweek and US News so their publications are available online before they hit the newsstand. While authors must still be compensated, the economic benefits of instant publication with no printing, shipping, inventory or retailing costs are huge so there is motivation to solve the reimbursement problem. And of course, the benefits of electronic communication to the environment - both the forests and the landfills - cannot be overlooked.