- INTERNET INFORMATION and HELP - Speed Tests | For Beginners | ISP Info | Goodbye, AOL | ISP Help | Free E-mail Accounts | Free Personal Pages | Free Instant Messaging | Free Discussion Groups | Internet for Travelers Internet Tools are in our Computers & Technology section PROTECT YOUR PC AND YOUR PRIVACY! Click here to learn how to guard against computer viruses, hackers and internet fraud!

INTERNET SPEED TESTS - How fast is your connection?

Global Internet Traffic Report Possible Range = Zero to 100 Higher values indicate faster connections Click for details

Test Your Conection Speed - courtesy of BandwidthPlace Test Your Conection Speed - courtesy of DSL Reports Test Your VoIP - Test your connection for Voice over IP (Internet Telephone) capability.

USING THE INTERNET

New to the Net? If you're a "newbie," we can help you learn the ropes... er,Web!

Internet Safety and Computer Security - Learn about Internet safety in our Security and Privacy section! Internet Guide and Web Tutorial - courtesy, Microsoft Network Beginners Central - "a User's Guide to the Internet" webTeacher - Much more in-depth. A complete, self-paced Internet tutorial! WebNovice - A "How To" Web Magazine for novices! Finding Information on the Internet - Learn how to find what you want NetLingo - A dictionary of the Internet language Internet-Help.net - a resource directory for help and tips about browsers, modems, etc. WebTeacher - Learn to use the Web (A great resource for teachers!) Internet for Christians - Help and advice for Christian Web-surfers

ISP INFORMATION

CHOOSING AN ISP

All Free ISP - Find a cheap or free internet access service provider in your local area. Also provides detailed information and ratings for each ISP. ISP Finder - Find a cheap or free internet access service provider in your local area. Also view ratings and user feedback. The List - ''The Definitive ISP Buyer's Guide" Find an ISP - a directory of Internet access service providers Choosing an ISP - What to ask when looking for an Internet Service Provider

FREE (or Cheap) INTERNET ACCESS

Free Internet? Really??? Yes, but the "free" Internet services are advertising supported. Usage is limited and local access numbers are not available everywhere, but if your Internet needs are modest (say, just e-mail and a little surfing), these services do work and the price is right! Many of these companies also offer unlimited access at low cost.

WARNING: To avoid long distance charges, make sure the free service you select has a local access number for your area! Click on the listed links or look for "Access Numbers" or "Coverage" on the service's main page or Help/Support section.

FreedomList - a directory of free Internet Service Providers and other free services! - 10 hours per month, free (Check local access numbers) - 10 hours per month, free (Check local access numbers) dotNow - 10 hours per month, free (Check local access numbers) Access-4-Free - NO BANER ADS. Small sign-up fee. First 10 hours/month are free, $1/hour after that, up to a monthly maximum of $10 (Check local access numbers)

GOODBYE, AOL (or, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do")

America Online is easy, but other ISPs cost much less. Unfortunately, AOL does not provide an easy way to copy your e-mail, address book and favorite Web sites, making it inconvenient to switch to another ISP. This is probably just an innocent oversight (Yeah, right.), but fear not! If you're ready to graduate to the "real" Internet, here's help!...

First, check with your new ISP - You're not the only one making the switch. Many ISPs offer help when moving from AOL and may even offer free "AOL exporting" software! AOLeave - a collection of FREE applications to help you export your AOL messages, address book and Internet bookmarks How to Export Your AOL Data - hints to help you make the switch

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER (ISP) HELP

ISP SUPPORT Home Page Tech Support Miscellaneous America Online Tech Support Find Local Access Numbers Personal Start Page Web-based E-mail Access EarthLink Tech Support Find Local Access Numbers Personal Start Page Web-based E-mail Access Juno Tech Support Find Local Access Numbers Microsoft Network Tech Support Find Local Access Numbers Personal Start Page & E-mail NetZero Tech Support Find Local Access Numbers Boingo Wireless Tech Support Find Access Locations T-Mobile HotSpots Tech Support Find Access Locations Wayport (Wireless, Hotels) Tech Support Find Access Locations To add to this list, please send me an e-mail note.

FREE WEB-BASED E-MAIL

Send and receive e-mail from any computer with Internet access; work, school, public library, or a friend's computer! Great for people who don't own a computer! Web-based E-mail also gives you a "permanent" e-mail address, eliminating the need to notify family, friends and associates every time you change your Internet service.

Yahoo! Mail - from Yahoo.com HotMail - from Microsoft Netscape Mail - from Netscape and AOL Mail.com Bigfoot.com CrapMail - Hey, sometimes you just need an e-mail address ...any address. Mailinator - Need to register at a Web site, but don't want to give them your real e-mail address? Mailinator lets you create a temporary, disposable e-mail address! No registration, no passwords, no sweat! ePrompter - If you have multiple e-mail accounts, this FREE e-mail manager monitors up to 16 e-mail accounts, including Web-based e-mail!

FREE PERSONAL "START" PAGES

Customize the Web! Create your own, personalized Web page to use as your starting point for your daily Web surfing. All listed services are free and most include personalized settings for news, stocks, sports, weather, even TV listings!

My Yahoo! - Yahoo! provides FREE: e-mail, online file storage, photo sharing, personalized news, and much more! Yahoo! Also, try Yahoo! Companion, a FREE browser toolbar for fast, convenient access to your Yahoo! account My Netscape My AOL My MSN My Excite My InfoSpace

FREE INSTANT MESSAGING (Online Chat)

Instant Messaging (IM) is all the rage. More immediate than e-mail, IM is "online chat," the instant exchange of brief text messages. Many IM systems even alert you when your friends are online. What fun!

WARNING TO PARENTS: Like the rest of the Internet, IM can be dangerous for children. When your kids participate in online chat, there is no way to verify the real identity of the persons with whom they are chatting. Your child's sweet, 12-year-old IM friend from Portland could actually be a middle-aged guy from your city! IM and Internet "Chat Rooms" have been a boon to perverts who want to entice kids to sneak out of the house to meet their new "friend." Always monitor your kids when they're onilne!

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) - FREE, from America Online. (AIM does not require you to be an AOL user.) AIM Express - Lets AOL Instant Messenger users get in touch with their online buddies when they are away from their home computer. (Java-based, requires no installation) MSN Messenger - FREE, from Microsoft Network Yahoo! Instant Messenger - FREE, from Yahoo! Trillian (Basic Edition) - FREE, from Cerulean Studios. Trillian lets you to use multiple Instant Messaging services, simultaneously! ICQ Messenger - FREE - The original IM client, with over 150 million registered users! (Did you know ICQ means, "I Seek You"?) ICQ2GO - Lets ICQ users stay in touch with their online buddies when they are away from their home computer. (Java-based, requires no installation) Microsoft NetMeeting - This FREE Microsoft application is widely used by businesses to collaborate over the Internet, but it's great for everybody! NetMeeting goes beyond IM, enabling you to actually speak with others over the Internet! With the addition of inexpensive video cameras, you can see each other, too! Draw interactive pictures or maps! Share files! Control applications on another person's PC, even if you don't have the application on yours! NOTE TO WINDOWS XP USERS: Windows Messenger has replaced NetMeeting in Windows XP, but it won't let you connect with NetMeeting users. Fortunately for XP users, NetNeeting is still there, just hidden! Just click Start / Run and enter conf.exe, then click "OK". Text Messaging Abbreviations - In text messaging and online chat, brevity is king! Here's the "411"! Emoticons - "Emoticons" (emotion icons) are short sequences of characters used to express emotions and thoughts. Just tilt your head to the left and you'll get the idea! :-)

FREE DISCUSSION GROUPS

PARENTS: Always monitor your child's online activities!

Share information, thoughts, ideas and more! Have a hobby? Planning a family or school reunion? Join an existing board or start your own!

Yahoo! Groups MSN Groups EZboard

INTERNET ACCESS FOR TRAVELERS

Temporary Internet Access Suggestions

Use a Free ISP - Free ISPs are handy if you have Cable or DSL access at home, but need temporary access during a vacation or trip. Use AOL's Free Introductory Offer - Usually good for 45 days. You can sign up for the free offer, then cancel if you don't want to continue. CAUTION: LARGE DOWNLOAD, but AOL's free CDs are available at many department stores. Go to a Public Library - Most public libraries offer free Internet access Visit an Internet Cafe - Many coffee shops offer Internet access Use Your Hotel's Internet Service - The GeekTels directory lists hotels offering high-speed Internet access. Some are FREE! Find a Wi-Fi Hotspot (see below)

Wi-Fi Hotspots Help for "road warriors." If your laptop is equipped with an 802.11 Wi-Fi card, you can use these directories to locate the nearest "hotspot"!

JiWire - a huge database of Wi-Fi hotspots (free and paid). JiWire also offers a free, downloadable application that lets you look up WiFi access when you're between hot spots. NodeDB - a worldwide database of WiFi access Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory - cafes, restaurants, coffeeshops, libraries, hotels, airports, downtown business districts, malls, retail stores, etc. that are open to the public FreeSpot Directory - find FREE hotspots Free Hotspots - find FREE hotspots WiFinder - find free or paid-access locations EZGoal Hotspots - find free or paid-access locations Wi-Fi Hotspot List - "The Definitive WiFi HotSpot Directory" Hotspot Locations Wi-FiZone Locator - lists paid-access locations Intel® Centrino™ Hotspots - a directory of hotspots requiring subscription to service providers