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USING INTERNET-CMC
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John December (decemj@rpi.edu); Updated 20 August 1994. 

Copyright (c) 1994 by John December.  You may use this document for any 
personal or educational purpose. For-profit distribution requires my 
permission.  Provided ``as is'' without expressed or implied warranty.

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This is a brief informational file to help users of my "Information
Sources:  the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication"
(internet-cmc) file.

The internet-cmc file is available via anonymous ftp:  from the host
ftp.rpi.edu in the pub/communications directory.
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PREFACE
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When I began the internet-cmc information list in May 1992, I had fewer
than forty items in the file, all of which were resources accessible
via anonymous ftp, email, or paper.  Today, the internet-cmc file has 
hundreds of entries, with access through many Internet tools.  The 
information sources range widely in purpose, audience, format, access 
methods, accuracy, and value.   A new user might become bewildered by 
this catalog---there is so much information, it might be difficult to 
tell what to use.  I believe a catalog of information sources
about the Internet and computer-mediated communication is valuable;
However, I understand this exhaustiveness increases the information's
complexity and difficulty of use.  This file contains some quick
tips of how to put the internet-cmc file to use.


PUTTING THE INTERNET-CMC INFORMATION TO USE
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* To find out how to use the access methods:

The internet-cmc and internet-tools files list access methods to 
Internet resources (ftp, gopher, http, mailto, etc.):  look at the 
internet-tools.use file (at anonymous ftp host ftp.rpi.edu, file: 
pub/communications/internet-tools.use) for instructions on how to 
use access methods used in the internet-cmc and internet-tools files.

* Some ways to Use internet-cmc:

   1.  As a catalog of possibilities for learning

       * If you are a trainer, you might select material from the
       list that would interest your students. 

   2.  As a reference source

       * Use online file search capabilities to scan the document
       for key words or phrases.

       I keep a copy of the internet-cmc.dat file in a directory
       and a Unix script called icmc that does a case-insensitive 
       search in this file:

       Contents of icmc script:
           egrep -i "$1" ~/cmc/icmc/internet-cmc.dat

       When I'm trying to remember a resource (for example Pretty
       Good Privacy (PGP) email), I then enter at the Unix
       prompt:
		$ icmc pgp

   3.  As a "what's out there" document

       * You can show a paper version of the internet-cmc file to 
       someone as a way of demonstrating the extent of online (and paper-based)
       Internet information.

   4.  As a research tool 
       I originally wrote this document as a way of keeping track of 
       Internet information and communication as part of my own 
       research work.  You can use this document to find online
       information and communication communities to study.