Navigating the Information Highways Fast Lane

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Navigating the Information Highways Fast Lane

• A Speed Demons Guide to the Internet

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• Improving your online productivity.
• Moving Your Meeting Online
• Emailing Pictures Without Crashing E-Mail
• Pack Your Info Highway Suitcase
• Reading Any Document
• Let Everyone Know Your Opinion

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Setting Up a Chat Room
Step 1 Download and install AOLs Instant
Messenger program (AIM.) If you have a teenager
at home, you already have itI guarantee it. If
you are an AOL subscriber, it is already built
into your program.
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Select a Screen Name
Step 2 Once you install AIM, you will need a
Screen Name (sn). If you are an AOL subscriber,
you may use your existing screen name or you may
choose another one. Remember that screen names
are semi-publicdont unintentionally send the
wrong signals or unnecessarily confuse your
friends! Here are some pointers
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Choose an easy to recognize, yet non-descriptive
screen name. Examples Good AMAA_JohnL Not
Good JL003BX22C Good AllianceSusan Not Good
SusanLoves2HaveFun
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Selecting your screen name only takes a few
minutes. Its free and you can have one for the
Alliance and one for family.
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Adding Buddies
Step 3 Find out your committee members screen
names (or friends or family) and once you log
into AIM, you will be able to manage your Buddy
List.
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Adding Buddies
Click Set Up in your Buddy List and chose
Buddy List Setup.
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Adding Buddies
You can then Select Add Buddy and type in their
screen name! Its as easy as that. You can even
set up Groups so you can keep your list better
organized.
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Setting Up a Chat Room
Step 4 To chat with a buddy, just Right Click
on their name and choose Invite to Chat. You
will see the following dialog screen in which you
can rename the chat room, edit the invitation
message, or just click Send and that person
will get an invitation to join you in a chat
room. Its as simple as that!
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You and your invited buddies will go to your
own private chatting area where you can
communicate. You just type your message into the
bottom half of the chat window, press and
everyone can read it! Its very simple to learn.
Chats can be at prearranged times set up via
email or phone. A great way to meet or visit
friends and family.
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You can even select multiple buddies by holding
down your key as you click them and
then right click on any of them and invite the
ALL to your chat room!. More can be invited
later, as long as the room is open. Anyone in
the room can invite people to join (you can set
it so only you can do so.)
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Setting Up a Chat Room
Step 5 Start meeting!
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File Compression
Even though computer connections are faster (and
less expensive) than ever, files keep getting
bigger, so it is always helpful to use some sort
of program to compress your files. There are two
types of programs you can use. One is for mainly
text files (or spreadsheets) and the other is for
pictures.
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Text File Compression
The most popular program for non-graphic file
compression by far is WinZip. A trial version
can be downloaded at www.winzip.com. The
registered version is only about 25 and will
reduce any large file you send easily. Also,
many files come to you zipped and this program
allows you to unzip them.
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File Compression
To efficiently email pictures, you need to open
them in a graphics program, such as PhotoShop or
Paint Shop and then change their file type to
either jpg or gif. To do this, open your photo
in one of these (or similar) programs and click
then Under type select either jpg or gif (it doesnt
normally matter.) The program will take your
huge file that takes forever to send and receive
and smoosh it down to a really small file that
you really cannot tell any difference in on
screen!
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File Compression
The file on the left is 800,000 bytes in size.
The one on the right is just 176, 000 bytes. See
the difference? No? Well it will take a lot
less time to send and receive.
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Universal Translator
Early on, all text files were produced using a
common code called the American Standard Code
for Information Interchange, or ASCII. Then
various word processing programs such as Word
Perfect, Lotus, and Word began using special
codes or languages and thus a document produced
in Word (or on an Apple computer) could not be
read by Word Perfect (or an IBM computer.) It
was very annoying.
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Portable Documents!
Along comes a company called Adobe who write a
program that can take the various types of files
and put them into what is called Portable
Document Format (PDF.) Using their reader, any
computer can read it. The reader itself is free.
Just go to www.adobe.com and follow the links!
This is a program you must have on your computer.
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Newest of the New Blogging
Web Log Weblog Blog
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amaalliance.blogspot.com
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Key Links Where to Find Help
Chat Room Set up Files www.aol.com www.aim.com (On
ce there, you can click the Support button and
read more!) File Compression www.winzip.com Click
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) under Support
to learn more. Acrobat Reader www.adobe.com Bloggi
ng www.blogspot.com amaalliance.blogspot.com
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Question and Answer Session
john_lovin_at_charter.net