Index By Tool
This index lists the titles of the resources described in this guide divided
into groups by the Internet tools needed to access the resources. The
following tools are included:
Mailing list discussion groups are created for people who share
a common interest and provide those who join with e-mail messages
from other members of the mailing list. Mailing lists are often
referred to as listservs. Some lists have a moderator, who reads
all messages sent to the list and decides whether they should be
forwarded on to the group. Lists without moderators may at times
receive messages that are inappropriate in content or tone. The
lists in this guide, however, are chosen for their generally supportive
nature. Most lists maintain an archive of previous messages and other
information of interest to list subscribers.
Mailing list discussion groups mentioned in this guide:
Usenet newsgroups, like mailing list discussion groups, allow
people with a common interest to share their thoughts. Rather
than corresponding via e-mail, however, messages are read and
posted using a newsreader. Since it is not necessary to subscribe
to a newsgroup to read the messages, audiences may be wider and
inappropriate posts more frequent. Newsgroups are divided into various
hierarchies and not all sites automatically accept "alt" groups;
you may have to ask for a group you want to read. Some newsgroups
are mirror images of mailing lists. Postings to newsgroups are
generally available for two weeks.
NOTE: Links to Usenet newsgroups provided in our
descriptions will not work unless your WWW browsing tool supports
newsreading functions and your newsserver carries these groups.
Newsgroups mentioned in this guide:
Gophers provide access to information resources using a hierarchical
tree of menu choices. The majority of gophers are maintained by
universities or other large organizations. Some gophers can be
searched by keyword; if this is the case, Search by Keyword is
generally one of the first menu choices. The information in a
gopher can also be accessed with World Wide Web browsers.
Gopher resources mentioned in this guide:
The World Wide Web is a system for disseminating information,
including text, images, and sounds. Information is arranged in
pages, which can provide links to other pages or other other
sources of information, such as gophers. Pages may be created
by organizations or individuals, and are retrieved by using one
of the many browsing tools, such as Mosaic, Netscape, or Lynx.
World Wide Web pages mentioned in this guide:
Freenets are networks set up to distribute community information
to users in a certain geographic area. They provide access
to information on their community and possibly some selected
outside Internet resources as well, and accounts are provided free
of charge. Freenets are generally menu driven, and allow guests
to read all of the information they provide. If you would like
to participate in freenet activities, you must apply for an account
on the freenet. Some freenets may limit accounts to users in their
local area.
Freenet resources mentioned in this guide:
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