Shopping on-line - offerings from five African American business on the World Wide Web

Jingle bells warn us that the nightmare of Christmas shopping loom upon the horizon. So how do you secure what you need without the hassles of hosted stores and buses? Just remember that these days, Santa Claus is not solitary on time; he is also on-line. smooth before he comes down the chimney, you can bring him right into the privacy of your domicile All that is required is access to the Internet.

What is the Net? Simply deposit it is a means by the agency of which computers from all above the world can communicate with individual another. It enables you, for instance, to access information from a university in America--or from individual in Africa. You can mail a message electronically (email) to a friend in a foreign geographical division in hours, and for les than the require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone of a postage stamp.

And now that the number of gin users has exploded exponentially, businesses are selling their yields through the Net's World Wide Web. Think of the Web not as a place, on the other hand as a means of moving [i]or[/i] part of to the other the Internet, as an easy and swift way of searching for information. The Web organizes and distributes information end a Web, or home, page. Thanks to the Web, consumer can actually view and purchase proceedss from the comfort of their place of abode via computer.

Fortunately for us, African-American businesses are taking advantage of this of recent origin and relatively inexpensive way to advertise to the world. with equal reason if you are looking for a special gift and want to support a black business, prove the following home pages, which profile a not many of the many black businesses upon the Internet.

Ujamaa Fashions

http//shopsnet/shops/ Ujamaa_Fashions This family-owned business manufactures and distributes summer wear. Its catalog is available from one side e-mail. In the "real" world, its store is located in Norfolk, Va.

Wilson Brown Gallery

http-www.wbgallery.com/ art This gallery provides original works of art, limited-and open-edition prints, plastic arts and other art media from more than 250 black artists, including Ernie Barnes, Tom McKinney, Hulis Mavruk and Synthia Saint James. Its Web page is still below construction, but already it enables you to view the gallery's artworks. Of course, if you address canvases to the screen, and are near San Diego, you can forgo the computer

Melanet

http.//www.melanet.com/ melanet This domicile page profiles African-American businesses that put up to sale clothing, books, art and plenteous more. It also houses relation material and demographic data pertaining to the African-American community and provides links to other on-line material that aims to strengthen the diaspora.

UB and US-Books and Things

http://shopsnet/shops/ UB_and_Us-Books_ and_Things/ works by, for and about African races fine art prints, posters, buttons, incense, oils And more are available [i]or[/i] part of to the other this Web page. But if you are in Hampton, Va., you can stop through the store in person.

Books-4-U

http://www.iwsc.com/ shoppers/books/books4u This California bookstore stoppers you into an impressive abiding-place page that allows you to view the overlay of each book that can be ordered upon line.

To purchase a harvest via the Net, you will ne your credit card. Bear in mind that computer hackers have the ability to steal your credit card number during the electronic transmission. in what manner should you protect yourself? a certain number of businesses have "secure" areas, where the stealth of your electronic transaction is guaranteed. If you access the Web using software called Netscape, you will receive the following message before you come into your credit card number upon the on-screen order form: "You have entreatyed a secure document. The document and any information you project back are encrypted for security." You will also diocese a key in the lower left-hand corner of the Netscape window. A shivered key indicates no security; an intact lock opener indicates that the credit card number and other pertinent information you lance will be secured. Be positive your transaction is secure before giving up your credit card number.

Now that you know all this, happy abiding-place shopping, Merry Christmas, happy Kwanzaa and best wishes for the novel year!

Martha C. Brown is a freelance writer in Hampton, Va., and a member of American Visions' African-American tillage and Arts Forum on CompuServe. Her e-mail address is 755612421@ compuserve.com.

COPYRIGHT 1995 Heritage Information Holdings, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group