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The Internet evolved in the sixties, partly to provide a communications network if key government locations were destroyed during a nuclear attack. The complex systems of those early days were also used by engineers, scientists and librarians. Now millions of people from all walks of life have access to the Internet.
As everyone knows, you need a computer to get on line! And once you’ve logged on, the World Wide Web is your “oyster”. Surf the web and you can find just about any information you’re looking for.
You’ll also discover how easy it is to communicate with writers near and far, as well as with editors who accept email submissions.
If you have your own web site, it can be "hosted" by an Internet hosting company. Some are more affordable than others. There’s usually a monthly fee and you’re allowed several email addresses. For example, we own the domain
http://www.knowlesrealty.com
and use fay@knowlesrealty.com,
sales@knowlesrealty.com, etc.
Then, of course, I have fay@bahamaswriter.com
for Bahamas Writer visitors and forum members.
We are hooked up to Cable Bahamas, our local ISP (Intenet Service Provider), which provides a few email addresses if needed.
In addition, as a back-up, we use another local ISP, Speedway Internet, which we connect to via a phone line if Cable is down. Speedway also offers a couple of email addresses.
I use Eudora as my email program as I like its features. There’s a small start-up fee for it though. Microsoft Outlook comes free with all Windows Operating Systems.
If you’re travelling and didn’t take (or don’t own) a laptop, local libraries can be a godsend. U.K. libraries offer free twenty-minute Internet sessions once a day and additional access time is reasonably priced. Their computers are state-of-the-art and you’re sure of an unpolluted, hushed environment in which to work.
When the libraries are closed, you can opt for an Internet café, but access is usually more expensive. I even discovered an Internet café in
Oban, Scotland (Oban is a lovely little fishing port on the west coast). Their two computers were in the basement, next to the kitchen, with all the cooking smells and clatter that accompany it, but what a phenomenon to email Nassau, Bahamas, from a cellar on the Scottish Seaboard!
London, England, had a great Internet centre near Victoria Bus Station last time we were there – rows of computers and lots of helpful computer
“techies”, as well as a café.
Airports often provide Internet access in their terminals. In Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, you can even “rent an office” (it’s a cubicle with computer, Internet access, fax machine and phone) for a reasonable hourly rate. Unfortunately, the service is not accessible by all
travellers, as it’s only located at a departure gate.
Internet facilities are often available in hotels, but rates are usually high. When I visit the U.S., I use
Kinko’s, which offers a wide selection of office services, including user friendly and affordable Internet access.
There’s nearly always someone happy to come to your assistance wherever you are.
Domains
You too can purchase a domain. Many authors like to use their own names.
We bought our domains through Network
Solutions. You just go to their web site and insert name of the domain you’re interested in buying. Network Solutions lets you know immediately whether or not it’s available. Have your credit card ready and it’s yours for a small annual fee (they offer specials too)
The next step is to design your website. You can buy software for this or pay someone to build it for you
(http://www.audiofilter.net). Then get your web site “hosted” on the Internet.
And if you’re not too computer literate, there are many basic books on computers and the Internet.
Searching
Use inverted commas (quotation marks) for searching for something specific, e.g. “French hotels”, or insert the plus sign (+) in between words
(French+hotels). You can increase the accuracy of your searches by doing this.
E-publishing
You can sell your work over the Internet. Purchasers pay by credit card. You’ll need to set up a service such as
Pay Pal (not available in some countries) or
Click
Bank.
Once purchased, your work can be downloaded by your customer and saved or printed out.
Payment for e-publishing is minimal, but the easy submission process makes it quite cost effective.
The Internet has advanced writers in a way that no other medium has ever done. When we put our name and our work out there on the World Wide Web, it greatly increases our chances of a publisher spotting our talent and snapping us up!
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