Getting started on the
Internet
To get connected to the Internet, firstly
you will need a computer and modem. A modem is a device, which will allow
your computer to connect to the Internet via a telephone line. Secondly,
you will need to set up an account with an Internet Service Provider company
(ISP). You will then be able to dial up to the ISP, which will give you
a connection to the Internet. There are many ISPs to choose from and they
offer different account plans depending on how much time you want to spend
on the Internet and other factors, so shop around and get a few prices.
You will find ISPs listed in the Yellow Pages. The ISP should also supply
you with all the Internet software to get you started.
Once you are connected, you have access
to many parts of the Internet. It is best to take it slowly and learn one
part at a time, starting with the easiest, which is the World Wide Web.
The main parts are explained below.
World Wide Web (WWW)
The WWW is a highly graphical presentation
of information. This is where 'Home Pages' can be found. The WWW is probably
the most popular part of the Internet and can be a very good source of
information. It is very easy to access the WWW with one of the popular
browser programs, like Netscape or Internet Explorer. You can search for
information easily, just go to a site such as www.excite.com
or www.altavista.com
and type in a search word. You will be returned with a list of web sites,
which match your search criteria. Once you get to one site of interest,
they will often have a list of 'links' which will take you to other similar
sites.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
This is a method used to transfer files,
such as text documents or programs from a site on the Internet to your
computer. You will have to know the address of the sites which you want
to transfer the file from. You can use a separate FTP program to get these
files, but a WWW browser such as Netscape can also handle FTP and is often
easier to use. In this case, you can just click on the icon or name of
the file, and it will be transferred to your computer.
E-mail
You can send electronic mail to anyone
in the world using e-mail. You can get a separate e-mail program or use
Netscape's e-mail facilities.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
IRC allows you to chat in real time
by typing on your keyboard with other IRC users from around the world.
There is a CFS channel where other people with CFS come to chat. IRC can
be a little difficult to learn, so you will need to give yourself some
time. You will also need a special program to use IRC (see below).
The two main programs are: (copy and
paste these addresses into your WWW browser such as Netscape).
PC users should get a program called
'mIRC' available from http://mirc.eon.net.au/
Macintosh users should get a program
called IRCLE available from
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ircle/
To access the CFS channel on IRC, you
will need to set up your IRC program, then connect to a server. A server
which you can use is davis.ca.us.undernet.org
which is a USA server. You may set this up in your IRC program, or simply
type /server davis.ca.us.undernet.org
to connect. Once you have connected, type /join
#CFS and you will join the channel. If you
want to change your nickname, type /nick
newnick but substitute newnick
with the new name you want to use.
You will see a list of users, and messages
should appear on the public screen. You may now type in the main screen
and everyone on the channel will see what you have typed. If you want to
send a private message to someone, just type /msg
nickname message where
nickname
is the persons name whom you want to send the message to, and message
is what you want to say. If you want to talk to that person for a while,
it is easier to open a private message window for them. In that case type
/query
nick and a window
will open for that person. Whatever you type in that window will only been
seen by that person. You will have to switch back and forwards between
the private and public windows to send messages.
If you wish to join an Australian server,
type /server tig.melbourne.oz.org
which will have mainly Australian users. To view a list of channels, type
/list
There
is a CFS channel on this server, but it isn't always in use.
Mailing Lists
A mailing list is an e-mail subscription
service. Each e-mail sent to this list is sent to everyone else subscribed
to the list. Some lists are very busy and you may end up receiving many
e-mails each day, so don’t subscribe to more than you can handle.
CFS-Y Mailing List
An e-mail discussion group for youths
aged 25 and under.
http://rdz.acor.org/lists/cfs-y/
OzME mailing list
A mailing list for "people with CFS/CFIDS/ME,
FMS, MPS, or any other related illness like MCS." As the name suggests,
most of the messages are related to Australia/NZ.
http://www.tertius.net.au/lists/ozme/
CFS-20s mailing list
A mailing list for "20-somethings with
CFIDS/CFS/ME, their spouses or significant others, and 20-somethings with
CFIDS/CFS/ME-related conditions."
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/c/f/i/cfids/cfs20s.html
How to subscribe to CFS NEWS
The information presented below can
also be found at this site, and the latest newsletter is also available
here. http://www.cais.net/cfs-news/cfs-news.htm
The CFS Electronic Newsletter is an
excellent way to get up to date information relating to CFS research and
other issues from around the world. It is sent to you by e-mail on a regular
basis.
To get a free subscription to CFS-NEWS,
create an e-mail message which says SUB
CFS-NEWS YourFirstName YourLastName (but
use your own first name and last name) and send to the following address:
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
The
subject can remain blank.
If you have any difficulty with this
procedure, contact the editor at the e-mail
cfs-news-request@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
List of CFS related web sites
Many of these sites also have links
to other CFS sites of interest.
Australian CFS Society Homepages
CFS/ME Society of Victoria Inc.
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~mecfs
CFS/ME Society of NSW Inc
http://www.me-cfs.org.au
CFS/ME Society (S.A.) Inc.
http://sacfs.asn.au
CFS/ME Syndrome Society of Queensland
Inc.
http://www.mecfsqld.org.au
ACT CFS/ME Society Incorporated
http://www.spirit.net.au/~masmith/aus_info/act_cfs.htm
Canberra Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome page
http://www.spirit.net.au/~masmith/
The Northern Rivers CFS/ME/FM Support
Association's http://www.nrg.com.au/~nrmecfs/
NewsgroupsA special newsgroup
program is required to access Newsgroups. Newsgroups are a list of categories
which people can send public messages to. You can scroll through the titles
of these messages and choose to read any that interest you. You can then
reply to these messages or add your own new messages. There is a newsgroup
dedicated to CFS. It is called alt.med.cfs
There is also one for fibromyalgia. It is called alt.med.fibromyalgia
The
following Internet site contains more information about the alt.med.cfs
newsgroup.
http://members.aol.com/cfslists/cfsrules.htm
Where to get Internet related programs
If your ISP didn't supply you with
all the programs needed to get started on the Internet, you should be able
to get most of what you require at one of these program libraries:
Macintosh Users: http://tucows.skynet.net.au/mac/macintosh.html
or http://www.zdnet.com/mac/software/browse_default.html
PC Users, using Windows 3.x:
http://tucows.skynet.net.au/window3x.html
PC Users, using Windows 95/98:
http://tucows.skynet.net.au/window95.html
By Bernhard Liedtke
November 1998, M.E./Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome Society of Victoria Inc.
Last Updated 24/06/2004