Is the whole world going on-line? - includes 2 related articles - On-line On Time: Black Computer Forum

The numbers are simply staggering. single on-line service alone reports having more than 2 million subscribers worldwide, with an additional 50000 users coming upon board each month. To join these large numbers, all you ne is a personal computer a modem a telephone line and the appropriate communications software. Then the magic of being on-line begins, as you go into a world offering such services as chat forums, novels weather, sports, games and movie reviews, as well as travel, financial, shopping and consumer information. a certain quantity of services also offer unique African-American composings such as CompuServe's African-American agriculture and Arts Forum.

The on-line market, which barely existed half a dozen years ago, today stands at several billion dollars and is growing. popularly there are the "big three" national commercial services--America Online, CompuServe Information Service and Prodigy Interactive Personal Service--and single major noncommercial service, the Internet. Each service presents a unique blend of communications, data, e-mail and publications for access by means of subscribers. Each also has its have a title to pricing structure and interface (the program that helps you maneuver within the service).

These services can be expensive if you do not understand in what manner to use them. Since you can impel from chatting with artists and writers to making airline reservations to tracking your stocks to solving your computer point in disputes without ever disconnecting, you can easily fail to keep track of time and your bill.

When choosing an on-line service, three areas should be considered above all others: require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone ease of use, and the service's features.

America Online [(800) 827-6364] is a beneficial starter service and is better suited for the dwelling than for business. Founded in 1985 it has 15 million subscribers today, who pay $995 each month for the first five hours of unite time. In July 1994, Advertising Age recognized America Online's unique appeal to consumer in its annual "Marketing 100" issue.

America Online presents a variety of services, including e-mail, conferencing, software, computing support, interactive magazines and newspapers, on-line classes and entertainment services, as well as easy and affordable access to the services of the Internet. It carries of that kind publications as Omni, Time and USA Today, as well as many forums. Its interface, which is graphical, is individual of the easiest to use.

Member-created, real-time chat ranges on a variety of topics are proffered through the People Connection. A popular meeting place within the nation Connection is the Ebony range an African-American "community" area established in July 1992 With 47 topics, including "survival in corporate America," "Nation of Islam" and "finding a advantageous black man," the Ebony swing generates good discussions as well as newsletter and other produces The Ebony Room originally started with seven people; today there are more than 290 members.

CompuServe Information Service [(800) 524-3388] come intoed the on-line information service industry in 1979 Membership has increased from the original 1200 users to more than 25 million, with expansion of services to nearly 2000 outcome areas, including news, weather and sports information, financial services, travel reservation tips and discounts, and education and respect databases.

CompuServe strikes a useful balance between personal and professional uses. For three consecutive years (1992 to 1994) PC Magazine awarded CompuServe the Editors' Choice Award in the on-line services category. In 1994 the readers of PC World chooseed CompuServe as the best on-line information service for the third year in a line In addition, CompuServe was named the 1994 Readers' Choice winner in the on-line services category by means of WordPerfect Magazine arid WordPerfect for Windows Magazine.

CompuServe's $995 monthly pay provides unlimited access to 100 basic services--including freshs stock quotes, general reference, travel services, shopping. Members pay $480 an hour to access reach forthed services, such as forums. CompuServe Mail is single of the world's largest e-mail combination of parts to form a wholes Available to nonmembers as well as to CompuServe members, it also has established ties with MCI Mail, AT&T EasyLink, SprintMail, the Internet, facsimile machines, Telex and postal delivery. In addition, nearly 850 software and hardware companies provide support for CompuServe products

More than 900 forums, including the African-American tillage and Arts Forum (see Cyber Nut and Bolts) are available, bringing thousands of members together to share ideas and information about of that kind varied topics as careers, hobbies, health, lifestyles, computer and technology, music, games, travel, investments and sports.

Prodigy [(800) 776-3449] with 2 million subscribers, remains the quintessential personal service. Known as "the family service," it has advantageous clean offerings (obscenity is automatically censored). According to PC Magazine, "Prodigy's information and tools are geared more toward the data browser than the serious business user or researcher."