Navigating the Information Highway’s Fast Lane A Speed Demon’s Guide to the Internet

Improving your online productivity. Moving Your Meeting Online ing Pictures Without Crashing Pack Your Info Highway Suitcase Reading Any Document Let Everyone Know Your Opinion

Setting Up a Chat Room Step 1: Download and install AOL’s Instant Messenger program (AIM.) If you have a teenager at home, you already have it…I guarantee it. If you are an AOL subscriber, it is already built into your program.

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-public…don’t unintentionally send the wrong signals or unnecessarily confuse your friends! Here are some pointers:

Choose an easy to recognize, yet non-descriptive “screen name”. Examples Good: AMAA_JohnL Not Good: JL003BX22C Good: AllianceSusan Not Good: SusanLoves2HaveFun

Selecting your screen name only takes a few minutes. It’s free and you can have one for the Alliance and one for family.

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.

Adding Buddies Click “Set Up” in your Buddy List and chose “Buddy List Setup”.

Adding Buddies You can then Select “Add Buddy” and type in their screen name! It’s as easy as that. You can even set up “Groups” so you can keep your list better organized.

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. It’s as simple as that!

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! It’s very simple to learn. Chats can be at prearranged times set up via or phone. A great way to meet or visit friends and family.

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.)

Setting Up a Chat Room Step 5: Start meeting!

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.

Text File Compression The most popular program for non-graphic file compression by far is WinZip. A trial version can be downloaded at 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.

File Compression To efficiently 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 select either jpg or gif (it doesn’t 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!

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.

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.

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 and follow the links! This is a program you must have on your computer.

Web Log = Weblog = Blog Newest of the New: Blogging

amaalliance.blogspot.com

Chat Room Set up Files (Once there, you can click the “Support” button and read more!) File Compression Click FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) under “Support” to learn more. Acrobat Reader Blogging amaalliance.blogspot.com Key Links: Where to Find Help

Question and Answer Session