InterNIC Information Services

InfoGuide

Organized with beginners in mind
Manual indexing for efficient document searching

http://www.internic.net/infoguide.html

Scout Report

Weekly summary of Net resources, other announcements
R & E community is the primary audience

Resources: Web, gopher, FTP, telnet, email
National Information Infrastructure
Net Bytes
Weekend Scouting

Commercial Services

HTML version for local posting

mail to: majordomo@is.internic.net
subscribe scout-report
subscribe scout-report-html

Newsletter

Overviews: NSFNET Transition, NII legislation
Hardcopy, Web Versions: NSFNET new architecture map, NII legislation chart

Requests to mirror:
newsletter-request@is.internic.net

USV-Web

Status on Monday:

"Strawman" Homepage:
JK Reynolds, USV Summary
Links to IETF FTP site WG directories:
charter and minutes

Progress:

Continue with USV-Web and upgrade
Committee to offer advice, ideas: 5-6 people
Entire USWG participants welcome to submit ideas
IS to upgrade homepage to same look and feel as InfoGuide: icons, "return" arrow...
IS to continue to host and support homepage
Maintenance of content: Joyce, IS

Components Mentioned:

Homepage "actively welcomes" and encourages participation
Homepage graphics
USV logo? USV "colors"? -- USV "look and feel"
Links to IETF Web page: now links to documents for each WG

Forms to join mailing lists?
Related documents?
Photos?
Audio "welcome" by Joyce? :-)

NIC Templates

Status:

IS requested updates, received 36 of 59
DS posted on gopher, WAIS, X.500 servers
RS posted on a RWhois servers

Plans:

IS sends a second query to the remaining 23
DS will update
RS will update

IS doing brief status on white pages projects

What's Next?

Outreach to more NICs?
Continue to use all servers?
Distributed RWhois servers?

Internet Starter Kit

Status:

Being produced by InterNIC IS
Made available to other NIC organizations
  • Late August - early September
  • Hardcopy for local reproduction
  • Ascii, postscript
  • Desk-top publishing format
Framemaker?
  • Can customize for specific needs
Plans:

Input from IETF USWG, NISI for Version 1.
Input this Fall from college, university, K12
Will be updated, improved as appropriate

Internet Starter Kit

Providers Lists:

Defining the Internet

Purpose:

Introduce the Big Picture to:
  • students who have just gotten an account
  • J. Q. Public who has heard about the Internet in the general media, but have never tried it.
  • email-only users who want to know more

Provide definitions from several viewpoints.

Format:

One page
One paragraph per topic

Content:

origin/purpose/resources
ownership/management/governance
research & education community
rapid change/media attention
NII/GII/ISH

The InterNIC

% IS

% DS

% RS

Services for Starters
Contact Info

Getting Connected FAQ

Purpose:

Briefly explain several basic connectivity option so that starters know which services may apply to them
Let them know they should do further research.
Provide some of the questions they should ask.
Provide a smattering of basic terminology, and a few basic diagrams.

Format:

Separate Sections:

Content:

Explanations in English
Examples of tools you can use with each
Examples of resources you can access
Questions to ask IAP for each connection option

---------------------

Internet Resources

Purpose:

Provide examples of specific resources in a variety of fields.
For those who know they want to be "on the net" but don't know exactly why.
Hardcopy to hand their boss (or spouse) when trying to explain why.

Format:

One page, varied, addresses (photos, icons)

Content:

science
arts and humanities
education - higher ed
education - K12
usenet news
business
commercial
recreation

Network Tools

Purpose:

Introduction to the names of the tools and their general uses
Explained without using net.lingo
Relate tools back to connectivity options.

Format:

name, derivation of name, 3-4 sentance explanation, example of a resource accessed with this tool, possibly a diagram

Content:

email
FTP
telnet
news
gopher
WWW

Glossary for Starters

Purpose:

Define all terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in the Starter Kit
Define some of the terms used most often in the general media

Format:

words
(diagrams)

Content:

Bibliography for Starters

Purpose:

Recommendations of books, articles, and videos that are truly for starters, i.e. those not yet connected.
Issues in Becoming a Provider of Internet Access or Online Information

Purpose:

Provide an "official" collection of pointers for those who want to pursue business opportunities on the Internet.

Format:

A few basic realities of the Internet.
Pointers to where they can begin their own research.

Content:
contributors: IS, CIX, Merit/FARNET
advice:
get connected
read, read, read; explore, explore, explore
and/or hire a consultant
pointers to consultant lists
pointers to commercial services and resources