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Ask Village Online
General F.A.Q.
Q: What exactly is the Internet?
A: Sometime in the mid 1960's, during the Cold War, it became apparent that there was a need for a bombproof communications system. A concept was devised to link computers together throughout the country. With such a system in place large sections of the country could be nuked and messages could still get through.
In the beginning, only government "think tanks" and a few universities were linked. Basically the Internet was an emergency military communications system operated by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). The whole operation was referred to as ARPANET. In time, ARPANET computers were installed at every university in the United States that had defense related funding. Gradually, the Internet had gone from a military pipeline to a communications tool for scientists. As more scholars came online, the administration of the system transferred from ARPA to the National Science Foundation.
Years later, businesses began using the Internet and the administrative responsibilities were once again transferred.
At this time no one party "operates" the Internet, there are several entities that "oversee" the system and the protocols that are involved.
The speed of the Internet has changed the way people receive information. It combines the immediacy of broadcast with the in-depth coverage of newspapers...making it a perfect source for news and weather information. There are several ways to access the Internet. Learn about the options that are available to you. Want to know more? Click here to find out how information moves through the Internet.
Q: What is Netiquette?
A: In any social interaction, certain rules of etiquette can lead to more enjoyable and productive communication. The Internet is no different --in fact, there's even a special word for it: "Netiquette!"
The following tips for posting messages and responses to Newsgroups are adapted from guidelines originally compiled by 'Net citizens Chuq Von Rospach and Gene Spafford. They are good rules of thumb for any online communication, but are particularly appropriate on the Internet (so many people, and so much volume).
- Never forget that the person on the other side is a human being. Even though you are using a computer to communicate don't forget that other people are on the receiving end. Millions of people all over the world are reading your words. Avoid personal attacks. Don't speak (type) hastily -- try not to say anything to others that you would not say to them in a room full of people. Remember that you are playing an important role in building an online community -- and we all want this community to be a good, friendly place.
- Be brief. With millions of people participating, you'll find that Newsgroups generate LOTS and LOTS of words. Other participants will appreciate your ability to stay on topic. If you say what you want to say succinctly, it will have greater impact. Likewise, don't post the same message on more than one Newsgroup unless you are sure it is appropriate.
- Your messages reflect on YOU -- be proud of them. Although you will meet thousands of people through the Internet, chances are you won't meet many of them in person. Most people will only know you by what you say, and how well you say it. Take time to make sure that you are proud of the messages you send. Take time to make sure your messages are easy to read and understand.
- Use descriptive Subject headings in your messages. The subject line of your message is there to help people decide whether or not they want to read it. Use the subject line to tell people what your message is about. For example, if you are sending a message to an Automobiles Newsgroup, a subject like "66 MG Midget for Sale: Oregon" is much more informative than "Car for Sale."
- Think about your audience. Stay on topic. Post your messages in the appropriate Newsgroup. By reading a number of the messages before sending one yourself, you will be able to get a sense of the ongoing conventions and themes of the Newsgroup.
- Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications,it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be misinterpreted. You can convey the emotions that words alone cannot express by using such online conventions as "smileys." :-)
- Summarize what you are following up. When you are making a follow-up comment to someone else's message, besure to summarize the parts of the message to which you are responding. Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from theoriginal message. Don't include the
entire message, since this could be irritating to people who have already read it.
- Give back to the Community If you send a message to a Newsgroup requesting information, and you get lots of responses via electronic mail, it's a nice courtesy to prepare an edited message compiling your responses to the Newsgroup where you originally posted your question. Take the time to strip headers, combine duplicate information, and write a short summary. Credit the information to the people who sent it to you. Likewise, be a "giver" as well as a "taker" in this online community. If you have good and valuable information to share, please do so in the appropriate Newsgroups.
- Try not to repeat what has already been said. Read responses to messages before you chime in, so that you are not needlessly repetitive. And make sure your responses have substance --answers like "Yup" and "I agree" probably won't be widely appreciated.
- Cite appropriate references. If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from.
(Again, thanks to Chuq Von Rospach and Gene Spafford for originally outlining these useful points.)
Q: What is "SPAM"?
A: SPAM email is just like what you would consider to be "junk" mail from your mailbox. Advertisements, promotionals, and similarity, all falls under the "SPAM" catagory. If you would like to read onto a deeper explination, click here.
Q: Acronyms and Computer Jargon
A: Acronyms and Computer Jargon is used widely all over the Internet. Ranging from 'brb' to 'wysiwyg', alot of them are hard to figure out. So here's a list we composed to help you out. You can see it by clicking here
Q: I've seen these funny symbols before, :-) :-0. What do they mean?
A: You've seen these symbols all around and still can't figure out what the " :-) " means?! Click here!
Q: How can I control my children's access to the Internet?
A: Assume you are using Internet Explorer 5, you would want to:
- Click on the 'Tools' menu.
- Select 'Internet Options'
- Click the 'Content' tab, and under the 'Content Advisor' section, click the 'Enable' button.
Here you will see a list of categories that you wouldn't want your child to see. You can choose how firm you want Internet Explorer to be. Use the sliding bar below the categories to determine how much protection you want.
- Click on 'OK'
After this and you're all set to let the little one go!
To comply with State of Texas law, we've created a page which further assists parents in obtaining software and services to protect their children from potentially objectionable material on the Internet. The page is available by clicking here.
Q: What are "cache" files and why do I need them?
A: Cache files are copies of Web pages and graphics that your Web browser stores on your computer when you visit a Web site. When you go to that site again, it will check the cache to see if it has been there before. If it determines it has been there, it will load the site from your cache and display it. This speeds up the loading of the Web page and reduces the burden on the network.
Q: How do I clear my disk cache?
A: If you are using Internet Explorer 5, click on 'Tools', then select 'Internet Options'. Here, you will see where it lists 'Temporary Internet Files', and under that listing, you will see the button, 'Delete Files'. Click the 'Delete Files' to erase old web pages and files that IE has kept in its history. This will usually also free up alot of disk space and make your computer and web browsing noticeably faster, especially if you have quite a build-up of cache.
Q: Internet Error Messages
A: There are several different internet error messages. The most commonly encountered ones on the WWW are as follows:
| 401 - Authorization Required. -- The creators of a Web page may want only certain people to have access to that page. There are several ways to limit access to a Web Page, including password protection. You may get the "401 - Authorization Required" error message when you try to view a Web page with limited access. |
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| 403 - Forbidden. -- This standard error message is generated by Web servers when you try to access access a file that has not been correctly configured by whomever maintains it. (The file needs to be set with "read permissions" for all users.) All that probably means is that you can't view the page because whomever maintains the site set it up incorrectly. |
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| 404 - Not Found. -- A 404 - Not Found error means that there was no Web page with the name you specified at the Web site. |
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| 500 - Server Error. -- Web pages are stored on servers, machines that contain files and allow other servers (computers) to download files from them. If the server has been incorrectly set up or is experiencing mechanical problems, it will return this error. |
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| 501 - Not implemented. -- This error is a direct result of problems in the Web page's HTML (HyperText Markup Language). It usually occurs with Web pages that contain forms in which you type information and send it to a third party. |
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| Unable to Connect to <Web Address> -- When you receive the error message "Unable to Connect to <Web Address>," it means your Web browser cannot get to the Web site you want. There are a variety of reasons why this might happen. The Web address you typed may be incorrect. The Web site may have moved or may no longer exist. The Web server may be shut down or busy. Or there might even be network problems on the Internet. |
Q: What is FTP? How can I use it?
A: FTP means File Transfer Protocol. It allows you to download Internet files directly to your home or office PC. Windows95/98/NT comes with its own FTP terminal (Start/Run/ftp <ftp site>), or you can download one of the many FTP Clients from our Software Page.
Q: What are Usenet Newsgroups?
A: Usenet Newsgroups (or just "newsgroups") are a global bulletin board, with tens of thousands of topics and hundreds of thousands of different conversations. There are newsgroups on every topic imaginable, from celebrity gossip to academic discussion, sports talk and personal ads, and much, much more. And it's not just talk; you can find binary files, such as images, sounds, and software in newsgroups.
Q: Whats the Newsgroup Etiquette?
A: Newsgroup Etiquette, or Netiquette, is very important, since if you post to newsgroups, your message could be read by thousands of people. Look before you leap, and look your best by knowing newsgroup netiquette. These are the "Rules of the Road" that have developed over time, and it's a good idea to follow them. Newsgroups are like self-governing communities - there are no "Newsgroup Cops." Instead, posters regulate themselves. Think of newsgroup netiquette as a set of guidelines that will keep you from making mistakes while making you look and sound like a veteran newsgroup poster.
Lurk. Read the newsgroup without posting for a few weeks. This is known as "lurking," and it will give you the flavor of the newsgroup.
Read the FAQ. Find and read the newsgroup's FAQ, or list of Frequently Asked Questions and other important and useful information. It can answer questions you didn't even know you had, and it's the quickest way to learn a newsgroup.
Stay on-topic. Know what's on-topic and what's off-limits. Every newsgroup is a little different in what it talks about, and how it does the talking.
DON'T SHOUT. TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING. It's easier to read a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.
Never, ever post "MAKE MONEY FAST." It doesn't work, it gets people really mad, and no matter what it says, it's probably illegal.
Everyone hates commercials. Be very hesitant about posting advertisements or commercial messages. This also gets people really mad.
Ignore "trolls." Some people get a thrill from posting "flames" (really obnoxious messages) just to get a rise out of people. Sad, isn't it?
Don't "spam." Spam is posting the same message to dozens, even hundreds or thousands of unrelated newsgroups. No matter how important you think your message may be, it's not worth it. Think about it - if everyone posted about every topic, no one would be able to find anything.
Be Original. Don't overquote: Copying a long post (more than 20 lines) just to add "I agree" or "me too" is considered bad form.
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember, every expert was a newbie once.
Q: Using Newsgroups
A: There are many programs out in cyberworld that allow you to view Newsgroups. You can download news readers from our Software Page.
Q: Can I catch a virus over the Internet?
A: Yes. You can. Be trustworthy of what Web sites you are viewing and where you find them from. You can also visit our Software Page and download a Virus scanner to help you keep clean of Internet Virus'.
Here are some tips on protecting yourself from viruses
Q: Is it safe to give out my credit card number over the Internet?
A: Yes. In alot of cases, it is. It is best to know if the Web site you're giving your credit card information to is using whats known as Secured Sockets Layer, also known as SSL. In Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, if you look in the lower left-hand of the window, you should see a padlock or a key on the lower right hand side. If the lock is open or the key is broken, the site is not safe to transfer your credit card information. Look for a key thats whole or a lock that is securely closed, and it will be safe to transfer credit card information.
Q: What is ISDN? And do I need it?
A: ISDN is a standard format of transmitting data over a high speed digital connection. In order to use ISDN you need to have some special equipment already in place. Basically, an ISDN telephone line and some kind of ISDN modem/router to send and receive data. Most people use ISDN when they've already setup a local area network(LAN) in their office and want to give their LAN high speed access to the internet (a wide area network or WAN) with an ISDN router. Some just want a faster, more reliable, and stable connection compared to what regular analog telephone lines are able to provide.
Q: What are these strange URL's? (i.e. .de,.au,.it)
A: These URL's (Top Level Domains - TLD's) are assigned by a consortium known as IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) they designate the country in which the site is located. For example, .DE is Germany, .AU is Australia, and .IT is Italy. We've assembled a list of all the TLD's which is available by clicking Here. It's possible to register some of these domains. You can do so by going to: IdNames.
Q: How do I access a website I've read about?
A: Enter the address, also known as a URL, short for Uniform Resource Locator, in the window underneath the browser toolbar. In Microsoft Internet Explorer the window is labeled "Address", in NetScape Navagator it is labeled "Location". It is generally not necessary to enter the "http://". Be sure to type in the URL exactly, or you'll get an error message. Now hit the Enter key and presto, you should go to the website.
Q: What is Unlimited Access?
A: Village Online defines unlimited access as access from a dialup computer connection with a person using or attending to their connection. Downloads, Internet Web Browsing, Sending and receiving E-mail, Playing Online Games, and Using Chat Rooms are considered part of that service. However, using auto-dialers to connect or "ping" related programs to force or keep an active connection while not attending to your computer and connection is not considered acceptable use of our services. The access to the Internet we provide is "Unlimited" in the sense that we do not charge an hourly fee, and do not limit you to a certain number of hours or minutes on a monthly basis. Unlimited access is defined by the industry as using the services provided actively. If you are at work, asleep, or otherwise not attending to your machine and connection, are not in the process of downloading files, you are abusing your network privileges. Your E-mail is stored on the Village Online server as well are any other storage services we offer. There is no legitimate reason to stay connected 24 hours a day. Doing so will be questioned. If your reason for staying connected beyond 24 hours, consecutively, is not accepted by Village Online, we reserve the right to terminate your service. Otherwise, we do not limit the use, access, frequency, or reason for utilization of the services we offer, unless prohibited by law or our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).
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