Browser: A software package that allows you access to Web sites. There are both graphic and text-based browsers.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): A list of the questions commonly asked (and their answers) in a newsgroup or at a Web site. Skimming the FAQs is a good way to find information on a topic.
FTP (file transfer protocol): A method of transferring files among computers on the Net. For example, an FTP allows you to download a file from the Library of Congress, say, or some other Internet storage site.
Gopher: A system of menus, much like the directory of files in your computer, that allows you to search the Net for information. Most ISPs have their own Gopher lists.
Mailing lists: Discussion groups that are open only to those who "subscribe" to the main address; when one subscriber posts a message, it's routed to the entire group via E-mail. Also known as LISTSERVs.
Newsgroup: Any collection of posted messages on a specific topic found in Usenet. Also known as on-line discussion groups.
Search engine: On-line software that helps the user locate information, usually on the World Wide Web. Popular packages include Yahoo!, Lycos, and InfoSeek. Archie and Veronica are shareware programs that locate information on the rest of the Internet; but because they search the entire Net, they can be slow.
Spam: A message (usually a commercial message) that's been posted to a series of newsgroups. Often the message is not related to the topic of those newsgroups.
Telnet: A program that lets you visit another Internet site -- say, that of the Stanford University libraries -- from a remote computer and download files while you're there.
Usenet: The collection of newsgroups on the Internet.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): The address for a Web site. Using a Web browser, you can enter a URL and go directly to that site.
World Wide Web: Often confused with the Internet, the Web is only one section of the on-line universe. Heavy with graphics on various "home pages," or "sites," the Web is the one place on-line where commerce is openly accepted.
SAMPLE SEARCH
So you're thinking you could make a killing selling left-handed cooking gadgets. Why not? Cocooning is a national trend, as more and more baby boomers entertain at home and develop their gourmet skills. And if the rule of thumb holds true, 13% of them are southpaws. Well, as your on-staff on-line guru, let me check out the information the Internet has on this niche market:
Monday, 4:40 p.m.: On-line newsgroups. I have to search through the Usenet listings by keyword. I try cooking, gourmet, and left. There are only two discussion groups with cooking in the title, and none with gourmet. While I'm searching, however, I notice several that list food in the title. I search under that and find 72 different groups, ranging from "alt.food.grits" to "rec.food.sourdough," and several regional food groups in between. I post a quick message to a busy discussion group called "rec.food.cooking," asking people what left-handed tools they'd like to see, what they use, and where they buy them. Under left, I find several political groups listed, along with "alt.lefthanders." I post the same message in that group. It will take a while for the message to post (anywhere from 15 minutes in the best case to two or three days at the outer limits of the Internet galaxy) and for others to read and respond, so it's time to move on.
Monday, 4:53 p.m.: Yahoo!'s search engine. I stop here and type in the keyword left to see what's available. That gives me 64 matches, most with political connotations. So I narrow down my search and type in the keyword left-handed. That turns up 5 matches, including a left-handed golf-equipment retailer, two left-wing political Web sites, and an informational site on left-handedness. The big score is Southpaw Pineapple, a left-handed gift shop. I decide to check out the potential competition and click on the link that sends me to its Web site.
Although the store does list kitchen aids in its on-line catalog, the site is probably still under construction: there's no link to product listings. I browse around, clicking on links, but can't find those kitchen gadgets listed anywhere. Finally, I file the URL on my Internet browser's "hot list" (a standard feature of browser software), so that I can come back to it easily later on, and keep checking to see if those products show up.
Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.: Back to the newsgroups. Checking in, I find three responses to my message in "rec.food.cooking." (When you post a message with a newsgroup, it always comes up the next time you log on, with any responses appended to it.) One woman tells me she used to own a left-handed specialty shop, and she lists those products that sold well and those she still has boxes of. She also lists the names of several lefty shops across the country for me to check out. Another person pleads for a left-handed can opener. The third asks for left-handed oven mitts and lists a few more lefty specialty stores. There aren't any responses yet in "alt.lefthanders."
Time spent: 48 minutes
Total cost: About $2 per hour for Internet service
Info found: Product suggestions from potential customers, the names and locations of competitors, and one Web site that appears to be selling the exact product line I'd want to sell. n
