A MEMBER'S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO AMERICA ONLINE AND PC-LINK by Glenn E. Brensinger, (PC Glenn) PC Hardware Support Forum Leader WELCOME! First, and foremost, Welcome! America Online is the leading independent provider of online services in the country, hosting over 175,000 members and offering hundreds of departments and special support areas. The America Online and PC-Link software you are using to access the system are both designed to be extremely easy to use, but to better serve members who might need just a little bit of extra help, this Online Guide has been devised. America Online Incorporated was formed in 1985 under the name of Quantum Computer Services. Their only offering at the time was QuantumLink, or Q-Link, for the Commodore 64 and 128 systems. That network is still running strong, and paved the way for America Online, PC-Link, and more recently, Promenade. Before the merging of the latter three systems, America Online was Apple and Macintosh systems only, PC-Link was primarily Tandy users, and Promenade was IBM PS/1 owners. In March of 1991, PC-Link, America Online, and Promenade were merged into one combined system, and a PC version of the America Online software was introduced. Later in the year, Quantum changed their name to America Online Incorporated, and in March 1992 introduced common shares on the stock market. (AMER on NASDAQ, for those interested in buying shares.) Welcome to the nation's fastest growing information and entertainment service. We invite you to grow with us, and be part of the warmest online family in the country. THE SOFTWARE It is assumed in this guide that you have the most current version of your software. As of May 1st, 1992, America Online is currently Version 1.3, and PC-Link is Version 23. If you do not have the most current version, call customer service or order the latest version online in the Travel & Shopping area. (The software is free.) While the older versions still function, there are some enhancements that you may not be able to access, and some things mentioned in this Online Guide may not match up or make sense. America Online Version 1.5 is planned in the near future, as well as a Microsoft Windows version. Addendums to this Guide will be posted as new software versions are released. America Online customer service can be reached at 1-800-827-6364. PC-Link customer service can be reached at 1-800-458-8532. America Online Guide to Services Page 2 FIRST LOOK Before you sign on, you should become familiar with the software you are using. If you learn where everything is before you sign on, you'll save time and money later on. PC-Link members access most everything by way of pull down menus, selected by pressing the associated Function keys; a serial mouse is supported but not required. America Online members also have pull down menus, but the software was designed with a mouse in mind. Because of this, 99% of the service can be accessed with the click of a mouse button. (There are some functions that you can't access or are more difficult to access without a mouse, so if you don't have one, you might want to put it on your shopping list.) PC-Link is based on Tandy's DeskMate interface; America Online is based on the Geoworks Ensemble interface. America Online is similar to Microsoft Windows in the way the menus are laid out, but whether or not you have used Windows, you should have no problem using America Online. The various buttons and menus are discussed below. PC-Link HELP F1 PC-Link has built-in help text that can often answer your question before you press any other buttons. There will also be Help buttons throughout the service with supplemental area-specific information that isn't built into the software. FILE F2 (offline) New - Opens a text editor to create a new text file. Open - Allows you to open an existing text file for editing. Exit - Exits the software. About - Lists version information for the software. This can only be accessed before you sign on, so you may want to write it down somewhere in case you need to know it while you are signed on. America Online Guide to Services Page 3 FILE F2 (online) Change Directory - Changes to another subdirectory, to allow you to download to a directory other than the one your PC-Link software is located in. (This is recommended.) Create Directory - Makes a new directory on the disk. Show disk space - Shows how much room is left on the floppy or hard disk, so you know if you can download to it. List files - Lists the files in the current directory, and provides tools to rename, copy, delete, or print text files to the screen. Load Clipboard - Loads a text file into the clipboard. See the end of this Guide for information on the clipboard. Save Clipboard - Saves the clipboard to a text file. See the end of this Guide for information on the clipboard. Open Log - Allows you to keep a record of a chat room in the form of a disk based text file. Close Log - Ends the record. You must do this before signing off or you will lose part or all of the log. Sign Off - Disconnects you from PC-Link. SIGN ON F3 (offline) Lists your screen names; you select the one you want to sign on with. The Guest option allows a friend with their own PC-Link account to log on using your software. When they use the Guest option, their account is billed, not yours. The Guest option is only available if you have less than 5 screen names. SET PC-LINK INFO F4 (offline) Set Telephone Info - You enter your access number and modem baud rate here. This information is filled in when you follow the automatic sign-on process the first time, but if you change access numbers or buy a faster modem, this is the menu you would select to update that information. Set Modem Info - Allows you to change your modem setup information. This is the same as selecting "Modem" from the F10 Setup menu. ! F9 This menu is used by DeskMate to alert you to Alarms; it has no purpose in the standalone version of PC-Link. Old versions used it to report mail waiting. F10 (offline) Setup - This is where you change and set your modem, printer, mouse, system time and date, screen colors, and screen blanker. America Online Guide to Services Page 4 PC-LINK F3 (sign on menu) This lists the PC-Link Basic Services available to you when you have signed on. PC-LINK PLUS (›) F4 (sign on menu) This lists the PC-Link Plus Services available to you when you have signed on. The following menus will be assigned to different function keys depending on where you are in the system: PERSONAL MENU This is a menu that you can customize with your favorite areas online. Select Create/Modify at the bottom to change any of the settings. You put the name of the area as a heading, and then the keyword for that area. GO TO This menu will list the areas accessible from the area you are in, including the Keyword option, PC-Link Roadmap, Directory of Services, and Public Rooms if you are in People Connection. MAIL Send E-Mail - Sends a letter to another member or group of members. Send File via E-Mail - If you have a file to send to another member, such as a particularly long text file or a non-commercial program, you can use this option to upload it to another member. Read My E-Mail - If you have mail waiting, or want to go back and read old mail, select this option. You can also use this to redownload something you may have accidentally deleted. Old Mail is held for about 2 weeks, and is then deleted. New mail is brought to your attention through a beep and a "MAIL WAITING" envelope on the bottom of the screen. Check Outgoing Mail - Check to see if mail you sent has been read. By selecting the letter from the list, and then selecting "Status," you can check to see if and when that letter has been read. Identify Someone - Checks a member's profile, if they have entered one in the member directory. Locate Member Online - This will tell you if a member is signed on; if they are in a chat area you will be told what room they are in. Member Directory - Lets you find information on a member. You can find out all the members in your town, or maybe all the members who have the same interests as you. America Online Guide to Services Page 5 PEOPLE (chat areas) List people/tools - Shows all members in the same room with you, and lists the tools available such as Highlight, Ignore, and Identify, Stop Highlighting, and Stop Ignoring. Highlight will print that member's text in a different color to make it stand out. Ignore will not print that member's text at all. Identify Someone - Checks a member's profile, if they have one in the member directory. Locate Member Online - This will tell you if a member is signed on; if they are in a chat area you will be told what room they are in. America Online Guide to Services Page 6 America Online All of these menus are accessible by either clicking on them with the mouse, or by pressing the ALT key and the underscored letter on the menu. (ALT-F would bring down the file menu, ALT-G for the Go To menu, etc.) HELP Get Help - This brings up a window with scrollable help on various topics such as Canadian and Hawaiian access numbers, Connecting, Disabling Call Waiting, and a brief description of some areas online. About America Online - This lists the version number of your software. If anyone ever asks you what version you are running, this is where you would find that out. FILE New - Opens a text editor to create a new text file. Open - Gives you a menu of current files on your hard disk, so you can view one of them while you are online. If the file is less than 8K, you can edit it and save the changes while you are signed on. If it is larger than 8K, you will be able to view it in 8K sections, but will not be able to edit it. Press "More" at the bottom of the text window to print the next 8K. Save - Saves the current text window as a file. Save As - Saves the current window as a text file but allows you to specify a name other than the one already assigned (if any). Disk Utilities - Gives you a menu of disk functions to view, delete, or rename files, create directories, change status of files, and show the amount of free space left on the disk. Print - Prints the current text window to a printer if one is attached. Logging - Conference Log allows you to keep a record of a chat room on disk. Session Log will automatically save to disk any mail or message boards you read. The "Append" option will let you add onto an existing log. Cancel Action - If you want to cancel incoming text, select this option or press CTRL-X. Exit - Signs off and optionally exits to Ensemble or DOS. EDIT The clipboard functions for America Online: Cut, Copy, and Paste. See the section on "Clipboard" at the end of this Guide for complete information. America Online Guide to Services Page 7 GO TO Setup and Sign on - Gives you the sign-on window with the Screen name selection and Setup buttons if it was previously closed. Departments - Opens the Browse the Service menu, with the department icons across the top. Keyword - Allows you to quickly jump to another area of the service. Directory of Services - Brings up a searchable database, where you can locate a service offered online. Lobby - Takes you to the People Connection chat area. What's New and Online Support - Takes you to the Customer Service area. Network News - Reprints the advertisement banner that appears at the top of the screen. Edit Go To Menu - America Online allows you to define your favorite areas as part of the Go To menu. "Edit Go To Menu" lets you change or add to this menu. MAIL Compose Mail - Send Mail to a member or group of members. If you have a file to send them, you can select "Attach File" on the mail form. Read New Mail - Read mail someone has sent to you. Check Mail You've Read - Read mail you've already seen. You can also use this to redownload something you may have accidentally deleted. Old Mail is held for about 2 weeks, and is then deleted. Check Mail You've Sent - Re-read mail you sent to someone. By selecting the letter from the list, and then clicking on "Status," you can check to see if and when that letter has been read. Fax/Paper Mail - America Online offers Fax and Paper Mail services. Select this option to access this area and find out more information on it. Edit Address Book - The America Online software has a built in E-Mail Address Book to create mailing lists. This menu option will let you add or change your personal lists. America Online Guide to Services Page 8 MEMBERS Send Instant Message - Sends a personal message to another member online. Only they can see this message. Get a Member's Profile - If a member has a profile listed in the Member Directory, you can read it with this function. If they do not have anything listed in the Directory, you will be told that there is no match for that member. Locate Member Online - This will tell you if a member is signed on; if they are in a chat area you will be told what room they are in. Search Member Directory - Lets you find information on a member. You can find out all the members in your town, or maybe all the members who have the same interests as you. Edit Your Online Profile - Lets you add your personal information to the Member Directory if you want others to know more about you. Preferences - Here you can change such options as single or double space chat, scrolling of text items, background color, and text size. Edit Screen Names - In addition to the name you created when you first signed on, you can add 4 more names. These four names can be changed at will, and the menu to do so is available through this option. You cannot edit your screen names if you are signed on under someone's "Guest" option. WINDOW Hide - Removes the current window from the screen, but does not close it. It can be recalled with the list at the bottom of the Window menu. Close - Removes the current window from the screen, which is the same as double clicking on it's corner "-" button. Note that the Welcome Screen, Browse the Service, and Network News will always be accessible from the bottom of the Window menu. Close all Windows - Removes all open windows from the screen except the Browse the Service menu if it is open. Overlapping - Changes the windows so that you can overlap them, making them easier to select with the mouse. Full Sized - The Browse the Service menu will fill the screen. "Current" or "active" window refers to the one that is presently being used. If you look at the title bars at the top of the windows, the "active" window's title bar will be brown in color, where inactive windows' title bar(s) will be grey. Any File action selected from the menu will take place on the active window. You can change the active window by clicking with the mouse the window you want to become the active one, or by selecting its title from the Window menu. You can close a window by selecting "Close" from the Window menu, or by double clicking on the window's "-" button. America Online Guide to Services Page 9 You'll see your screen names listed on the Sign on window when you start the software. By clicking on the arrows next to the screen name, you can select any of your screen names to log on with, or a Guest option to let a friend with an America Online account sign on with your software. (Their account would be billed in this case, not yours.) Keyboard users would hit TAB so there is a box around the screen name, and use the arrow keys to scroll up and down through the list. The "Setup" button lets you change your access numbers, baud rates, and modem information such as COM port and initialization strings. If you have call waiting or have to dial "9" first, you can select these options here as well. NOTE TO HIGH SPEED MODEM OWNERS - The highest baud rate supported at this time is 2400. If you use a 9600 baud or higher speed modem, or it uses MNP compression and/or line control, it must be disabled before logging on. (I.E. the modem must be forced to act as a plain vanilla 2400 baud modem.) Look in your modem owners guide to find the setup codes to do this, and put them in the Advanced Setup "Pre-Modem String." America Online is a windowing environment, in that all menus, chat areas, and text screens appear in movable and resizeable boxes called "windows." This is not to be confused with Microsoft Windows, an unrelated product; the PC version of America Online does not require Microsoft Windows to run. It will run as a DOS application under Windows 3.0, and can be run as a multitasking application under Windows 3.1, but when "windows" is mentioned, it is referring to the text boxes on America Online. The word "Windows" will be capitalized if it refers to the product by Microsoft. You will notice from time to time on America Online that a menu selection or library button will be shaded. When you see this, it means you cannot select it at that time, or at all. For example, when you are not logged on, the "Read Mail" option is shaded, because you cannot read mail if you are not logged on. Another example is reading message boards: there is a "Read Next" arrow available, but if it's shaded, it means there are no messages following the current one. You have probably noticed that the pull-down menus on America Online have a "push-pin" on the first line. By selecting this push-pin, you can make the menu into a movable window. By clicking and dragging the title bar of the menu, you can move it to anywhere on the screen. This menu will remain visible anywhere on the screen, and saves you the extra effort of re-selecting the menu. Double click on the menu's "-" button to close it; if you don't have a mouse, the only way to close the menu is to sign off. Whether or not you use a mouse, you should take note to the way the selector buttons are laid out on America Online. A button that has an indented field around it (such as the Sign on button before logging on, or the Respond button on an incoming instant message) is the default button. (CGA users - the default button will have a double-thickness border, as there are no 3-D effects on CGA screens.) If you hit Enter at this window, the default button is the one that will be selected. Also notice the dotted box that moves around from button to button when you press TAB. This is the selector box, and is used to select a button other than the default. Move the selector box with the TAB key, and when it is on the button you want, press the space bar to select it. Selecting buttons is a lot easier and faster with a mouse, since you just point and click, but if you don't have a mouse, the TAB, Enter, and space bar keys will still let you navigate the system. America Online Guide to Services Page 10 Many of the functions on the various menus can be accessed by a CTRL key combination to save time. "Keyword" and "Instant Message" are probably the two more popularly used functions; Keyword can be accessed with CTRL-K, and Instant Message can be accessed by pressing CTRL-M on PC-Link, or CTRL-I on America Online. Any menu function that can be accessed by a CTRL-key combination will have the key combination printed next to it on the menu. A complete list of CTRL and ALT-key shortcuts is listed at the end of this Guide. E-MAIL AND COMMUNICATING One of the ways to communicate with other members is through electronic mail, or E-Mail for short. E-Mail is nothing more than a letter sent through an electronic network; in this case, the network is America Online, Inc. To send a letter to someone, select "Send E-Mail" on the PC-Link Mail menu, or "Compose Mail" from the America Online Mail menu. Enter the screen name of the person you are addressing in the "To: box. America Online offers a "CC:" box, which means "Carbon copy." This means that they are getting a copy of the letter, but they don't necessarily have to respond. You can enter multiple screen names in the To: and CC: fields, just separate them with commas. Use the TAB key to move from field to field, SHIFT-TAB to back up to a previous field, or the mouse to click on the field you want. For Subject, enter a brief subject as to what the letter is about. When the person it is sent to reads their mail, they will see this Subject line first on their "New Mail" list. Then, type your letter. Something to keep in mind while typing your letter is the TAB key. Since the TAB key changes fields in the mail form, you are not able to use TAB to make columns within the letter. You can still make columns by using the space bar, but if you press TAB and then hit the space bar, you will Send the letter before you're finished. The clipboard can be used here if you have prepared a letter offline, or PC-Link users can use the "Open File" button to copy a text file directly to the letter. When you are done, select "Send" and the letter will be sent. You cannot edit or delete a letter once it has been sent. To send a file to someone, such as a text file too long to put in the letter, PC-Link members select "Send File via E-Mail." Follow the same guidelines as above, but there is an extra field for the location of the file to send. America Online members use the same Compose Mail selection, but there is an "Attach file" icon on the mail form. Click on that icon, and select the file to send from the directory menu that comes up. If it is the wrong file, or you change your mind, the icon can be clicked again to "Detach file." Write the letter as you normally would, and click Send to upload the file to the member's mailbox. The America Online software has a built in Address book that lets you define mailing lists. When you bring up the Compose Mail form, you can click on "Address Book" and select any of these lists. The names associated with that list will automatically be printed to the "To:" field. America Online Guide to Services Page 11 When you sign on, if you have mail waiting, there will be an indicator on the screen and a beep. PC-Link software will show an envelope at the bottom of the screen with the words "MAIL WAITING." America Online members will see an indicator on the Welcome Screen as well as a Mailbox icon next to the Help menu; you can click on either of these indicators to bring up the New Mail listing. If someone sends you a file, the New Mail listing will have a disk icon to the left of the sender's name. Open the mail by selecting it from the New Mail listing, and you will be able to read the letter sent to you. If there is a file attached, the mail will tell you what the file name is, and how long it will take to download it. Click on Download to copy the file to disk. If you wish to respond to the mail, PC-Link will have a response form at the bottom; fill in your response and select "Reply to Author" or "Reply to All" if there is more than one person on the mailing list and you want them all to see your response. If you are on America Online, click on Reply, and a form will appear with the author's name already filled in. If there is more than one name on the mailing list, "Reply to all" will bring up the same form with all names pre-listed. You will also have the chance to remove any names that don't need to see your response. Clicking on "Forward" will let you send a copy of the mail to someone else; simply type in a brief letter to them and click Send. The Address Book is available here as well. There are a few tricks you can use with sending mail to people. For one, PC-Link does not have a CC: field, but if you want to send a letter as a CC:, put that member's name in parentheses. For example: To: Member1, (Member2) would address the letter as To: Member1 CC: Member2 indicating that Member2 doesn't have to respond if they don't want to. America Online members would simply use the CC: field for this, although the single parentheses in the To: field will still work. Another trick would be to send a Blind CC: (BCC:) to a member. This allows you to send a copy of the letter to someone else, but the person it is addressed To: doesn't know that someone else is getting a copy. You simply put the screen name in double parentheses on PC-Link. On America Online, use double parentheses in the To: field or single parentheses in the CC: field. Example: To: Member1, ((Member2)) on PC-Link To: Member1 CC: (Member2) on America Online In either case, Member1 will see that they got the letter, but will not see that Member2 also got a copy. Member 2 will see: To: Member1 BCC: Member2 Experiment with these; it's not likely you'll need the BCC: function, but if you ever have a mailing list to send something to several people that wish to remain anonymous to each other, this saves typing. America Online Guide to Services Page 12 INSTANT MESSAGES If the person you wish to speak with is online, you can send them an Instant Message. They will see your message as a window in the center of their screen. On PC-Link, select "Send Instant Message" from the Mail menu or press CTRL-M. America Online members select "Send Instant Message" from the Members menu, or press CTRL-I. Type in your message and select "Send" to send the message to them. America Online also has a button marked "Available?" This button will tell you if they are still signed on, and if they are able to receive Instant Messages. If it says they cannot receive Instant messages, they may be downloading, already have several instant messages being sent to them, or they have their instant messages blocked. When you receive an Instant Message, press ESC or select the Cancel button on PC-Link to erase it once you've read it. If you're using America Online, you can close it as you would any other window (CTRL-F4 or double click the "-" button). If you are on America Online, you can hit ENTER or select "Respond" to automatically open an Instant Message window with the member's screen name pre-entered. Instant messages are very handy in chat rooms if you want to speak privately with someone but don't wish to leave the room, if you are in separate rooms, or not even in a chat area. It is possible to block incoming Instant Messages if you do not wish to be distracted, such as if you are playing a game or downloading. Bring up your Instant Message window, and instead of typing a member's name in the "To:" field, type "$im_off" (this must be in lower case letters.) PC-Link members simply hit ENTER, and you will get a message "You are now ignoring Instant Messages." America Online members click on the "Available?" button instead of "Send." From this point, other members will not be able to send you Instant Messages until you either sign off and back on again, or turn them back on. (Staff members and Guides will still be able to send Instant Messages to you, so that you are not completely isolated from the system.) To turn your Instant Messages back on again, use "$im_on" in the "To:" field; you will be told "You are no longer ignoring Instant Messages." NOW WHAT? The question in most new members' minds is, "Where do I go now?" First, let's cover some of the more important areas, and then move on to the remainder of the services. As you are about to see, there is a lot to do online. Both software versions make shortcuts available by use of Keywords. If you know the keyword for the area, press CTRL-K and type the keyword you want, and you will be taken to that area. If you don't know the keyword, there is a Keyword Help button on the Keyword window. To make navigating the system easy, keywords are associated with the area they represent, so if you don't know the keyword for that area, try using the name of the area as a keyword. Example - Customer Service can be accessed quickly by using CTRL-K and typing SERVICE. America Online Guide to Services Page 13 CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ONLINE HELP The first area you should be familiar with is the Customer Service area online. Not only does this area have a lot of important information on the various areas online, but it is a FREE area. You will not be charged the normal hourly rate for as long as you are in this area, so you can look around at your own pace and not have to worry about your bill. However, if you are signing on from outside the United States (Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico) and paying an hourly surcharge, that surcharge is still in effect while you are in the Free area. To get to the Customer Service area - On PC-Link, if you are at the main sign-on menu, press F3, use your arrow keys to highlight Customer Service, and press ENTER. On America Online, select "Departments" from the GoTo menu (or press CTRL-D), and click on the "What's New & Online Support" icon; you can also select "What's New and Online Support" from the Go To menu. A shortcut on both systems is to press CTRL-K (for Keyword), type in SERVICE, and press ENTER. In Customer Service, you will find many important functions not available in other areas, such as Billing, Change Password, Customer Service Hotline, and a special Member's Online Guide. Billing will help you keep track of how much time you have already spent online, as well as your last bill, so you can keep your checkbook balanced. Note that ONLY YOU can access your billing information; other members will see their own account information. Change Password will let you change your sign-on password in case you think someone may know it. It is recommended that you change your password every few weeks, and that you don't use something personal or easy to guess, such as your name, spouse's name, etc. If you don't want anyone else (such as your siblings, friends, or children) to access the service under your account, do not give them your password, as you are responsible for everything that happens on your account. (BILLING and PASSWORD are also keywords to take you directly to that area.) The Customer Service Hotline, either PC-Link Hotline or Ask America Online, is where you go if you have a problem that cannot be resolved through other means. Hotline messages are usually answered within 24-48 hours. (Allow extra time on weekends.) If you are reporting a bad node (a "node" is the number you dial to connect to the service) or if you were cut off during a download and want to request credit for the time spent, you would send a message to the Hotline. In the unfortunate case that you wish to cancel your membership, you would also use this area. In some cases, online problems can be answered in other areas, but the Hotline is always available as a last resort, especially late at night or on weekends when the phone-in Customer Service is closed. PC-Link members will see "HOTLINE MAIL" next to the "MAIL WAITING" message when Customer Service has responded; simply go back to the Customer Service area and select "Read Hotline Answer." America Online members will get the response sent directly to their E-Mail. The Member's Online Guide, or Tips for New Members, lists all the important information you need to get around the network. Here you can read about new additions to the network, tips and tricks, schedules of events, and Terms of Service. The Terms of Service basically says that you won't use the network to harass other members, discuss or trade illegal materials, or alter the software you use to sign on. The Terms of Service, or TOS as most refer to it, is very easy to follow, and you really have to go out of your way to break any of the online policies. Everyone is here to have fun. :) For convenience, the Terms of Service is listed at the end of this Guide. America Online Guide to Services Page 14 Be sure to read the "What's Happening" area. This will list upcoming attractions, conferences, special events, contests, and other points of interest in the coming month. You can save this information to disk and later print it out for easy reference: on PC-Link, at the bottom of the text window will be a Save to Disk option. Simply TAB to that button, press the space bar, and give it a name. You can print it out when you sign off later. America Online members should select "Save" from the File menu or press CTRL-S to bring up the Save File menu. Select the directory in which you want it saved, and assign a file name to it. America Online members can also select "Print" from the File menu to dump it straight to a printer. It is recommended that you not save anything to the disk or directory that has your software on it, since it might become cluttered, and you could end up deleting something important by accident. Have another diskette or directory handy for downloading files and saving documents. Customer Service Live is a conference room that will have Customer Service Representatives online to answer your questions. Check the schedule of events to find out when there will be staff members available. America Online Guide to Services Page 15 PEOPLE CONNECTION The most popularly used area by far would be the People Connection. This is the Grand Meeting place of the network, where you can meet and talk to literally thousands of other members from all over the United States and Canada. You can also get help from many of them if you have a question about the service or your computer system, or talk about the latest movie, TV show, current news, or anything else that comes up. To access People Connection, PC-Link members press CTRL-C or press F4 and select People Connection. America Online members press CTRL-L or select "Lobby" from the Go To menu. The first room you will see is a Lobby. It might be called Lobby, Lobby A, Lobby B, etc, depending on how many people are signed on. The People Connection is divided up into separate areas, called "rooms." Think of it as a large building, with a lot of rooms in it. When you first walk in, you are in the Lobby. To find out who is in there with you, PC-Link members can press F6 and select "List People." America Online members click on the icon that says "People," and a similar list will appear. From that menu, you can select to highlight someone you wish to talk with, (since in a crowded room conversations are often hard to follow) or you can list information about them if they have a profile entered in the Member Directory. You can also choose to Ignore a member, if they are annoying or their conversation does not interest you. When you first enter the Lobby, you will see a lot of different conversations going on. If you see one that interests you, join in! Everyone is welcome here, and you meet a lot of great people simply by talking to them. If it looks like everyone knows each other, that's probably because they do. Many members have been online a long time and have met a lot of people. The best way to become "part of the gang" is to jump into a group that seems to have similar interests. Be a friend if you're looking for friends... "Why won't anyone talk to me?" usually doesn't bring results. The PC-Link software uses the whole screen for the chat room, and all chat functions are available from the function keys across the top. When you first enter a chat area, the text is double spaced. While this is easier to read, you might find that the chat scrolls by too quickly. If you want to make it single spaced, go to Customer Service, select "Personalize PC-Link," and select "Single Space Chat." The America Online software uses resizeable windows for everything, including the chat screen. If this chat window is too small, you can enlarge the window by clicking on the border and dragging it in the desired direction. The window will resize when you let go of the mouse button. You can also make the text larger or smaller with the Preferences under "Members" or by pressing CTRL-=. The Chat functions are accessed through the four icons down the left side of the chat window. (If you are running America Online in CGA, the chat icons are at the top of the chat screen, and you are not able to resize the chat window.) America Online Guide to Services Page 16 You can also select other rooms based on your interests. PC-Link members, press F4, and select "List all Public Rooms." America Online members click on the icon labeled "Rooms. A window will appear, that lists the current rooms open, along with the number of people in each room. Note that each room can only hold 23 people, so if a room is full, you may have to try several times to get in. (The exception is Center Stage, which can hold an unlimited amount of people.) This is why you sometimes end up in Lobby A or B upon first entering the People Connection area; if Lobby is full, you are automatically sent to Lobby A, if that is also full, you go to Lobby B, and so on. Late in the evening, a Lobby D or E is not uncommon. There are some rooms that are always open after certain times of the night, such as Help Rooms, Lobbies, Game Rooms, and special interest groups. Lobbies are the main meeting rooms, as was mentioned before, but they also will have a Guide on duty to assist with problems. If you have a simple question about the service, you can go to either the Lobby or Lobby A and ask the Guide on duty. The Guide will either answer your question, or tell you what area has the information you are looking for. If it is a specific or involved problem, you will sometimes be referred to one of the Help Rooms, or one of the Computing and Software Forums. (Covered later in this Online Guide.) A Guide will always have the screen name "Guide" and two or three initials to identify themselves. The Guides are very friendly, and are also volunteer workers, so you know they are there because they want to help. They have also been members for a long time, so they are familiar with the system. Understand that, depending on the time of the day, the Guide on duty might be on a different computer than you are, and may not know the exact answer to your problem. (Remember, America Online is made up of PC, Macintosh, and Apple users, and not all of them are familiar with systems other than their own.) If this happens, they will often ask you to drop back later when the guides change shifts. Guide shifts are from 6-9, 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6; all times are eastern. There are no guides on duty from 6AM to 6PM (prime time hours) during the week, but there is a guide on duty 24 hours during weekends and holidays. The Help Rooms are specific to the system you are using. If you are on PC-Link, you would go to the PC-Link Help Room, and the guide there would be able to help with system specific problems. Likewise for America Online, however this room covers PC and Macintosh/Apple members, so it's apt to be a bit more crowded. From 8:00PM eastern on through the evening, there are various Game Rooms open where you can play against other members. These rooms always end with "GAME," such as "MY WORD GAME" or "CROSSWORDS GAME." The games are hosted by a member of the Games Resort, and last for an hour. It is not uncommon for the hosts to randomly select a player and give them prizes of free access time. There are also Trivia Games running; these games run approximately an hour and a half, and are hosted by a member of the Trivia Club. These games are generally more competitive and faster paced than the Game Resort games, and the winner of each game gets a free hour of access time. America Online Guide to Services Page 17 Other popular places include: The Red Dragon Inn - Free form role playing. The host will have a screen name starting with "RDI," and is there to act as "bartender." If you like role playing, the Red Dragon Inn is worth a look. Teen Chat - Our teen members often look for places to meet each other. There are usually numerous teen rooms open. LaPub - Lavona's Pub has been around since the early days of America Online, and welcomes you to a warm and friendly atmosphere. The "PubTend" is your host; you can access this area by using Keyword LAPUB. Gay America Online - Our Gay and Lesbian members will often meet each other in this and other similarly named rooms. These rooms are not hosted by a staff member, but there is often a representative from the Gay & Lesbian Forum on hand. Romance Connection - More than just a singles bar, The Romance Connection is the place to meet new people if you're looking for a companion. The rooms are hosted by members with screen names starting with "RC." People have said, "How can you meet the man/woman of your dreams over a computer?" There have been two weddings of members in the past few years, and numerous other members have found their perfect match though being online. To many people who have been here a long time, this is a community. Many people have met in person, and have formed life-long friendships with people whom they would otherwise have never met. There are numerous other rooms offered, and some of them are only open once or twice a week. Watch the schedules and the room list for times and dates. Since there are three different time zones, many events do not start until after 9:00PM eastern so as not to leave out members on the west coast. This is also when you will see the most rooms open, usually from 10:00 onwards is considered to be "peak usage" hours. All event times are listed on the schedule in eastern time, so if you live in California, an event listed at 10:00PM would start at 7:00PM your local time. If none of the open rooms interest you, you can start your own room. Select "Create Public Room" from the PC-Link F4 menu, or press the "Create Public Room" button from the America Online rooms list. Type in the name of the room you want to create, and press ENTER. You will automatically be taken there, and others can then enter your room if they wish. Or, if you and a few friends wish to discuss something privately, you can create a private room from the same menu. Only members who know the name of the room can enter, as it does not show up on the public room list. For this reason, it's suggested you pick a room name that isn't likely to be chosen by someone else looking for a place to chat. America Online Guide to Services Page 18 You might have noticed that the people in the various chat rooms use little :) marks, or words like LOL. It is commonly accepted shorthand to use "smilies" and abbreviations to express emotion, since no one can see your face online. :) is a happy face - tilt your head to the left a bit, and you'll see it. LOL is short for "Laughing Out Loud," and is used often in Lobby and many other rooms. (As was said earlier, everyone is here to have fun.) :) Smilies and abbreviations are used all over People Connection, as well as in conferences and other live chat areas. There is a partial list at the end of this Guide, and if you see one you're not familiar with, someone online will be happy to explain what it stands for. ONLINE CONDUCT Since you are speaking with many people, you should remember a few simple things concerning online etiquette. - It is not considered polite to type in all capital letters when you are in a public room. It is distracting, and is the online equivalent to "screaming." Just as you would not go into a crowded office foyer and shout, you should not yell at other members online. In game rooms, the host and scorekeeper use capital letters to make themselves easily seen. If a player types in capital letters, then the other players can become confused, and it will detract from the game. - Harassment, use of obscene language, or otherwise insulting other members is NOT tolerated. Maybe you might not agree with something someone says, but don't call them names or be abusive. The Guides mentioned earlier, while their primary job is to help members, also have the authority to remove people who are causing a disturbance. It is very difficult to accidentally break a rule, and you really have to go out of your way to upset people. Members are very friendly for the most part, and welcome new friends. :) If someone else becomes abusive towards you, or towards the room in general, resist the urge to yell or argue back. Simply put them on Ignore, and you won't see their comments. If there is a Guide in the room, they will handle the problem. If you are in a hosted room where there is no Guide, such as a game room, the host will handle the problem. In the case of an unhosted room where there is no Guide, you can select "Guide Pager" from the F3 People Connection menu, or PC Studio for America Online members. This will allow you to send a message to one of the Guides on duty, who will come in and handle the problem. You can also send E-Mail to "TOSAdvisor" in the rare cases that a Guide is not on duty. If someone is harassing you through Instant Messages, you can make a clipboard copy of the Instant Message and send it to "TOSAdvisor." You can also turn your instant messages off if the member persists. (See the section on Instant Messages under "E-Mail and Communicating," and the section at the end of this Guide on how to Clip and Save an Instant Message.) America Online Guide to Services Page 19 The various areas of People Connection can be accessed via the People Connection menu (F3 on PC-Link) or the PC Studio icon on the America Online chat window. (PC STUDIO is also a keyword on America Online.) This will list a number of menus and clubs such as the Games Resort schedule, Trivia schedule, Graffiti and The Quantum Que (two popular gossip and public message boards), The Comedy Club if you like jokes, What's Happening Online for event schedules, Romance Connection (an "In Search Of..." board divided into different age groups), and the advice columns: Ask the Doctor, Ask the Lawyer, Ask Anita and Andy, and Tammy's Tips. Special events directed at a wide range of people are held in the Center Stage, which is accessible from the F3 menu on PC-Link, or the Center Stage icon on America Online. The Center Stage is the People Connection's Auditorium, where an unlimited amount of members can attend to play game shows and win prizes, or listen to important people speak. The Center Stage area is divided up into rows, 8 people per row. You can talk to anyone in that row, but the other rows and the people on stage cannot see your chat. You can also send Instant Messages to other members in or outside the auditorium, but you cannot send Instant Messages to the people on stage. If the event allows it, you can send questions and comments to the people on stage with the "Interact" menu. MEMBER DIRECTORY The Member Directory is a listing of all the people online who have decided to tell a bit about themselves. If you use the Identify (PC-Link) or Get (America Online) function on a member, and they have a profile, it will be listed on the screen. Some members do not enter profiles; if this is the case you will either get just their city and state, or "There is no match in the member directory." Feel free to post your profile along with your interests. America Online Guide to Services Page 20 COMPUTING AND SOFTWARE This area is where you can get specific information on your computer system itself. The Guides in People Connection are experts on the software you use to connect, but if you are looking for expert advice on DOS, software applications, game programs, or your computer and its peripherals, the Computing and Software Forums are the places to look. PC-Link members can select "Software and Computing" from their main sign-on menus, America Online members select the Browse the Service menu and click on the Computing and Software icon. A shortcut for both systems is keyword "COMPUTING." The Computing and Software area is divided up into 11 specialized forums: Beginners Help - This is where your downloading questions can be answered. Applications - Having a problem with Lotus, Word Perfect, or another commercial program? Applications can help, as well as provide the best in shareware applications. Development - Programming help and development tools for C, Pascal, QuickBASIC, and Windows. PC Games - The latest information and hints on the hottest commercial games, as well as libraries packed with shareware titles, including the complete line of Apogee (Commander Keen, Duke Nukum, etc.) shareware games. Graphics - Help and programs on all kinds of graphics, including GIF viewers, clip art, animation editors, and more. Hardware - Support for your computer and all its components, as well as programs to test and better utilize your system. Music & Sound - Whether it's a Sound Blaster, AdLib, MIDI, or just a plain speaker, you'll find support and music files here. DOS - The best place to find help with DOS, whether it's Microsoft DOS or Digital Research. DeskMate - Help and utilities for Tandy's DeskMate and its application programs. Windows - Programs and support for Microsoft Windows 3.0 and 3.1, as well as DESQview and OS/2 2.0 Telecom & Networks - Assistance with modem problems, BBS programs, and networking. In addition, there is a Software Center that contains a file search spanning all forums, and special top downloading libraries. America Online Guide to Services Page 21 The Guides in People Connection will often send you to one of the Forums if you have a technical question that they can't answer. Every one of the forum names listed above is also the keyword for that area. If the forum isn't running a conference at that time, you can post your question in the message board that covers your problem. You will get a response within 24 hours from one of the Forum staff, or another member may know the answer and will post. Forum staff members can easily be identified by their screen names. Forum Leaders are denoted with a screen name starting with "PC," and their assistants are labeled with "PCA." "PCC" is the name used by consultants in the forum. There is one PC and one PCA per forum, and as many PCCs as are needed to help keep things running smoothly. To find out who works in the forum, select the "About the Forum" from the forum's menu listing. "About the Forum" also tells a little about the forum. "Forum Update" lists the latest news and information, and lists the conference schedule for the coming month. Each forum hosts daily or weekly conferences; some conferences are based on a specific topic, and others are just general chat. Each Forum has its own software search as well, which you can use to quickly find a program. For example, if you wanted to see what the latest version of PC-Write was, you would go to the Applications Forum, select the Software Library, and use "PC-Write" as a search phrase. All occurrences of that word will come up as a file listing, including any utilities to enhance PC-Write. If you aren't sure what Forum the file would be in, you can go to the Software Center (keyword SOFTWARE) and use the File Search there, which spans all Forums. You can also use keyword QUICKFIND to bring up the file search from any area. Use a search phrase to identify the program you are looking for, and all occurrences will appear. Occasionally a program will appear in more than one forum, as some programs apply to more than one area. Valid search phrases are a generic name of the program (Example: 4DOS) or the author's name (Example: JP Software) or the category it falls into (Example: DOS Enhancement.) The search forms can also show all files released within the past week or month, so you can easily see what files are new since the last time you checked the area. SHAREWARE PROGRAMS Shareware is a "try before you buy" method, meaning that you only pay for what you use - if you don't like it, delete it and you haven't wasted any money. If you like the program, you are recommended to send a "contribution" to the author. This "contribution" registers you and allows you to "legally" continue using the program. Shareware files cost you nothing more than the time it takes to download them, and most of them work on the honor system. However, some of them require a registration fee to continue using them after a certain period of time. The files are internally dated, and unless you register them before the timer expires, you won't be able to continue using the program. By registering the program with the author, you not only receive permission to continue using the program, but in some cases are automatically sent any updates to the program free of charge. In the case of Apogee Games, the first game is shareware, and by paying the registration fee you receive part two and three of the series, and occasionally discounts on other games. America Online Guide to Services Page 22 ONLINE COMPANY SUPPORT Another important part of the Computing and Software area is The Industry Connection. This is your direct support to many major software companies. The following companies are represented online: Access Software Leading Edge Information Center Berkeley Systems Lucasfilm Games BioScan Marketfield Software BLOC Publishing Maxis Broderbund MECC CE Software MicroProse CoStar Microsoft DacEasy, Inc. Mustang Software Digital Research, Inc. Optimage Interactive Services Digital Vision Power Up Software Farallon Shiva Corp. FontBank Sierra Online Geoworks Spectrum Holobyte Strategic Simulations ... and the list keeps growing! You can get software updates, demos, and message board support direct from company representatives. Each of the company names is also a keyword so you can get there quickly. TANDY DIRECT SUPPORT AREA If you need help with a Tandy computer, you can get it right from the company. The Tandy Support area is accessed by using keyword "TANDY." Here you can get your questions answered by Tandy technicians and customer support people, as well as search a database of most commonly asked questions. If you have a question that isn't listed or answered in the support area, there is a Tandy Hotline that will send your problem right to the support people in Fort Worth. You can also find a listing of Tandy's Computer Support Services and their phone numbers if you need to talk to someone directly. There are sections for press releases, product information, and User Group Support. This service is available to both PC-Link and America Online members, and you don't even have to own a Tandy computer to look around the area. America Online Guide to Services Page 23 RECREATION AND HOBBIES There are many different services online for fun and games as well. If you're into Fantasy Role Playing, (or even if you're not) you may want to try out Neverwinter Nights. If you have played Forgotten Realms games like Pools of Darkness and Gateway to the Savage Frontier, then the town of Neverwinter will sound familiar to you. Neverwinter Nights was developed for America Online by Beyond Software, and uses the same familiar playing format as the SSI Gold Box games. The difference here is that you form parties with other members online! Neverwinter is being plagued by monsters from the woods and Luskan areas, and it's up to you and your friends to accept Lord Nasher's quests. Magical items, spells, scrolls, and wands all supplement this popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons style game, and you can only play it here! Neverwinter staff members use screen names beginning with "NW," and can often be found in Lord Nasher's Lounge to answer questions. Another popular online game is RabbitJack's Casino. You play against other members in Bingo, Draw Poker, and Blackjack, and there is also a row of Slot Machines to try your luck. There are nightly contests, sponsored by the Casino team, and winners get free chips! Casino staffers are identified by screen names starting with "QRJ," and can answer any questions you have on the games. Finally, Broderbund brings you MasterWord, which pits you against other members to guess their hidden word before they guess yours. This is a graphic based game, and up to 6 people can play at each table. QGH staffers are on duty in the lounge to help you out. All of the above games require downloading of special software to run them. The downloading libraries are found in the respective areas by using keywords NEVERWINTER, CASINO, or MASTERWORD. Game files for Masterword and RabbitJack's Casino are also available from the PC Games Forum. (Keyword PC GAMES) In addition to games employing graphics and sound, there is also an entire forum devoted to the original paper-and-pencil Fantasy Role Playing. Keyword OGF (for Online Gaming Forum) will take you to the front menu of the role playing areas. Whether you're into Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Star Trek, CyberPunk, BattleTech, or any other form of "in your head" role playing, you'll find people here who are into it just as much, if not more. There are message board games running for BattleTech, Star Trek, James Bond, and AD&D, where you post your "turn" to a message board, and when everyone has played their part, the GM (Game Master) posts the next series of events. There are also live, real time games for AD&D fans who like non-stop action; check the schedules in the Online Gaming Forum to find out when there are live games running, and also the Live Game Updates board to see if there are openings. Anyone with a screen name starting with "GM" is a Gaming Forum staff member, and will help you out with any questions. There are also Play by Mail games running, where you take your "turn" by sending mail to a Play Master. The most popular of these is Quantum Space, a Play By Mail game of space exploration and colonization. America Online Guide to Services Page 24 If Science Fiction is your bag, then the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club is worth looking into. There are sections for Isaac Asimov and Orson Scott Card fans, Star Wars, Star Trek, television series such as Beauty and the Beast, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many more. And if you are a Trekker, Trekkie, whatever you call yourself, there is a special area online for you! Keyword STAR TREK will take you right to the message boards and libraries for people who can't get enough of the popular series. There are message boards to discuss the original Star Trek series, the Next Generation, past and upcoming motion pictures, and new series info. There is also a weekly trivia game. SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS The Lifestyles and Hobbies area contains all the Special Interest Groups online, including some already mentioned earlier. PC-Link members select "Lifestyles and Hobbies" from the Main F4 menu, and America Online members select the Lifestyles and Hobbies icon from the Browse the Service menu. Either service can use keyword HOBBIES. You can choose from 38 different areas: Astronomy Club Military & Vets Club Aviation Club National Space Society Baby Boomers Online Gaming Forum Business Strategies Pet Care Forum Business & Finance Radio Control Club Comedy Club Rocklink Cooking Club Scuba Club disABILITIES Science Fiction and Fantasy Dolby Audio/Video Forum SeniorNet Emergency Response Club Student Access Online Environmental Club Sportslink Ethics & Religion Club Star Trek Express Yourself Stocks and Markets Gadget Guru Electronics Area Tax Forum Gay & Lesbian Forum The Exchange Genealogy Forum The Grandstand HAM Radio Club Trivia Club Issues in Mental Health Wine & Dine Online Kodak Photography Club Writers' Club The list will keep growing as members wish to form new areas; all the above areas are run by members who devote time to keeping the area current. America Online Guide to Services Page 25 NEWS AND FINANCE In addition to entertainment, America Online also provides many informative services, such as the latest world and local news stories, weather reports for anywhere in the country, and Stock Market data. You can read USA Today articles on sports, money, and news, get information from the Tax Forum, browse through the Ernst & Young Business Series, or search articles in the Microsoft Small Business Center. Sports information and statistics are available through the SportsLink and Grandstand sections, and if you're a fan of David Horowitz's "Fight Back!" television program, his articles are available here. The News & Finance area is accessible by keyword NEWS or with the News & Finance icon on the America Online Browse the Service menu. ONLINE SHOPPING AND TRAVEL You can order flowers for a loved one with Long Distance Roses, get the newest Compact Discs and tapes from Bose Express Music, and hundreds of other items from Comp-u-Store Online. Direct purchase is possible from PC Catalog, Computer Express, Penny Wise, and Sierra Online. You can have documents laser-printed and mailed to you through LaserDirect Printing Service, and order America Online or PC-Link backup disks. AutoVantage is featured online, which is a gateway to the best deals in cars and car parts, as well as a knowledge database to get your questions answered. If you're looking to buy or sell personal items, there is a Classified section with headings for computer software and hardware, household items, electronic products, and a Jobs Database offered by Adnet. If you're planning a vacation, you can make airline reservations and rental car arrangements through American Airlines EAAsy Sabre. There are ski reports, USA Today Travel news, The Independent Traveler, TravelLink, and a list of Foreign Exchange rates for overseas travelers. LEARNING AND REFERENCE America Online holds classes though the Interactive Education Service, and has teachers on duty to help with homework or general questions on numerous subjects. Teachers are recognized by their "TEACHER" screen names, and teach classes ranging from math to programming to Windows and many others. Comptons Encyclopedia is available to search for articles, and there is a Dictionary of Computer terms. National Geographic and the National Education Association also have areas here. The Academic Assistance Center contains study skills, exam prep and homework help, and a teacher pager to call upon someone for one-on-one assistance. Teachers, you are welcome here too! The Teacher's Information Network contains libraries and message boards to exchange your ideas with other teachers online, and there are sections on News, Multimedia, and educational magazines. College Board Online is also here, as well as a Career Center with Financial Aid information. America Online Guide to Services Page 26 IT PAYS TO EXPLORE The areas mentioned here are by no means complete. America Online offers too many individual areas to mention them all, but the menus are so easy to follow, you will find yourself a part of the family in no time at all. There are always announcements made when new areas are opened, and you will never be bored as long as you are willing to explore. You can never get lost, and there is always help available to you. Welcome to America Online. America Online Guide to Services Page 27 TECHNICAL INFORMATION Hardware Requirements America Online requires 512K base memory, a hard disk, 1200 or 2400 baud modem, DOS 2.0 or greater, and while it doesn't require a mouse, you will find navigating the system a lot easier if you have one. America Online will also make use of extended or expanded memory if your computer has it. The installation program usually determines if you have extra memory and sets the preferences accordingly, but if you want to tweak the settings, you can select "Setup" from the sign-on window, go to "Advanced Setup" and then "System Preferences." If you are running America Online from Geoworks Ensemble or Geoworks Pro, you can select "Preferences" from the Express Startup menu. The "Computer" icon will let you adjust memory settings if you later add memory, or change the way your computer uses existing memory. If you don't understand the difference between Extended and Expanded memory, then DON'T change any of these settings, as setting it incorrectly can prevent America Online from working at all. America Online supports CGA, EGA, and VGA display cards. CGA mode will only run in two colors, EGA and VGA support 16 colors. If you are on a Tandy 1000 series computer, you must select CGA, as there is no special Tandy video support. If you have a VGA card, America Online will default to a VGA 640x480 graphics mode. If you are using a VGA card and monitor that supports 800x600 resolution (your VGA manual will tell you if it does) then America Online can be run at this higher resolution. Go into Preferences, select video, and change the VGA: 640x480 setting to match the graphics card you have installed. This requires a restarting of the software, so don't do this while you're signed on. 800x600 is the highest resolution supported, and provides more screen room. If you ever "screw something up" so that America Online will NOT run, you can use the Setup program in the AOL or GEOWORKS subdirectory to change the settings back to what they should be. PC Link also requires 512K, and will run CGA, MCGA, Tandy 1000 enhanced video, EGA, or VGA. It supports a mouse, but tends to work faster without it. The software runs in 320x200 mode, and will use either 2, 4, 16, or 256 colors depending on your graphics adapter. PC-Link comes as a . from America Online, or is included with Tandy's DeskMate package. All software changes are made through the F10 Setup menu, except for video, which is usually self-detecting. If you change video cards and PC-Link will not run, use the DMVID program in the DESKMATE subdirectory if running under DeskMate, or reinstall the software if running the stand-alone version. America Online Guide to Services Page 28 Running under Microsoft Windows PC-Link V23 and America Online V1.3 will both run under Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 3.1 as DOS applications. If you are running Windows 3.0, you can task switch between the Program Manager and America Online or PC-Link, but you cannot multitask. If you task switch out of PC-Link or America Online while you are connected to the network, do so only for a few minutes at a time, or the network will disconnect you. (Since the software is frozen until you switch back to it, the network will think you hung up.) If you have Windows 3.1, you can set America Online or PC-Link as multitasking applications. To do this you must be running in 386 Enhanced mode. (Check your Microsoft Windows manual for information and requirements of 386 Enhanced mode.) America Online 1.3 comes with a .PIF (program information file) for using it under Windows 3.0; if you are using it with Windows 3.1 you only have to go into the PIF editor and check the "Background" box. You also may want to experiment with Foreground and Background priority levels; see your Microsoft Windows manual for more information on that, or post a message to the Windows Forum online. PC-Link does not come with a PIF file, but it will run fine as a DOS application without one. If you wish to create a PIF for it, follow the instruction in the Windows manual, or download the PC-Link PIF from the Windows library online. You may need to edit it to reflect PC-Link's directory and startup file. America Online Guide to Services Page 29 IMPORTANT REFERENCE Online Smilie Dictionary :) your basic smilie. Inflects a sarcastic or joking statement since we can't hear voice inflection online. Variations :-) =) =-) ;) winky smilie. User just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. :( frown. User is upset or didn't like the last comment. :I indifferent smilie :/ user is frustrated :> user made a really biting remark }:> user made a devilish comment };> a very lewd comment was made (: user is left handed %) user has been staring at the screen too long 8) user is making goo-goo eyes B) user is wearing glasses or cool shades :{) user has a mustache :* user is blowing you a kiss :'( crying :') so happy they're crying :o surprise :O total shock O:) angelic user (or, at least, they think so) :) :PP user is razzing you (variation - :PPP,',',',' razz with lots of spit) :S incoherency :D laughing or a BIG grin :X no comment :9 licking lips @:) Elvis Lives! Common abbreviations in chat areas {}{}{} or {{{{}}}} hugs LOL Laughing Out Loud ROFL Rolling On Floor Laughing <-- These two are often LMAO Laughing My A** Off <-- combined into "ROFLMAO" BRB Be Right Back AFK Away From Keyboard BAK Back At Keyboard BIAF Back In A Flash or Back In A Few BBL Be Back Later BBS Be Back Soon BTW By The Way IMHO In My Humble Opinion America Online Guide to Services Page 30 CONTROL KEY SHORTCUTS PC-Link CTRL-C - Shortcut to People Connection Version information CTRL-E - Exits to top most menu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CTRL-F - File Utility menu 17 - First DeskMate version, CTRL-H - Help on versions prior to V23 also sold as standalone CTRL-I - Identify a member 18 - Corrected fatal crash CTRL-K - Keyword "Internal Error." CTRL-L - Locate a member online 20 - First version to allow CTRL-M - Instant Message (Plus areas only) clipboard and use of upper CTRL-P - Post Office menu (Plus areas only) ASCII graphics CTRL-S - Sign off 23 - Latest standalone version CTRL-Z - Reset account (offline only) Escape - Cancel current text list or action Pressing the ALT key plus the first letter of a menu will pull down that menu. America Online CTRL-D - Directory of Services Version information CTRL-F - Find a Member online ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CTRL-G - Get a Member's Profile 1.0 - First version, offered CTRL-I - Instant Message as both standalone and CTRL-K - Keyword with Ensemble 1.0 CTRL-L - Lobby 1.1 - Standalone included with CTRL-M - Compose Mail Tandy VGA computers CTRL-N - New Text File 1.2 - Included only with CTRL-O - Open existing Text File Ensemble 1.2 CTRL-R - Read new Mail 1.3 - Standalone version, also CTRL-S - Save current text window runs under Ensemble 1.2 CTRL-U - Disk Utilities (V 1.1 or later) and is included with CTRL-X - Cancel current text list or action Geoworks Pro CTRL-= - Preferences menu (V 1.1 or later) 1.5 - Batch downloading, crash recovery (to be released soon) CTRL-F4 - Closes active window; if it's a text file that has been edited you will be given the option to save changes. CTRL-F5 - Restore active window size CTRL-F7 - Move active window CTRL-F8 - Change size of active window CTRL-F9 - Minimize active window CTRL-F10 - Maximize active window ALT-F4 or F3 - Sign off and optionally exit the software. ALT-F5 - Restore America Online application window ALT-F7 - Move America Online application window ALT-F8 - Change size of America Online application window ALT-F9 - Minimize America Online to an icon ALT-F10 - Maximize America Online to full-screen Mouse users can also use the window button at the upper right corner to convert America Online from window to full-screen. Ensemble users will also have a "dot" button in the upper right corner; this reduces America Online to an icon if you want to run other applications within Ensemble. America Online Guide to Services Page 31 USING THE CLIPBOARD America Online and PC-Link have a built in clipboard for copying or moving text. The basic functions are the same between the software versions, but there are a few extra functions available to America Online. PC-Link To select text, hold down the shift key and use the arrows, Home, End, PageUp, or PageDown keys to highlight. You can also use the mouse for highlighting: position the mouse pointer at the beginning of the text to highlight, and while holding the left button down, drag the pointer to the end of the text to be highlighted. To Copy the text into the clipboard, press CTRL-INSERT To Cut the text and save it to the clipboard, press SHIFT-DELETE To Paste the contents of the clipboard to the screen, press SHIFT-INSERT Any information in the clipboard can be saved to disk by using the "Save Clipboard" under the F2 menu. Likewise, text on disk can be loaded into the clipboard with the "Load Clipboard" option. Any text in the clipboard is lost when you exit the software, so be sure to save anything important. America Online Guide to Services Page 32 America Online Select the text the same as you would on PC-Link using the keyboard cursor control keys or the mouse. You can then use the Edit menu or keyboard commands listed above to Copy, Cut, and Paste. The Clipboard is automatically written to disk, so any text saved will be retained until it is replaced with new information, even if you exit the software. Entering text - CTRL-cursor keys will jump back and forth from word to word, and CTRL-Backspace will delete all text to the left of the cursor. Highlighting shortcuts Single click - positions cursor Four clicks - highlights paragraph Double click - highlights word Five clicks - highlights entire document Triple click - highlights line Block highlight - Click on one corner of text. Press SHIFT and click on opposite corner. All text between the two points will be highlighted. By holding the SHIFT key, different points can be clicked to expand or lessen the amount of text highlighted. Useful for highlighting more than one paragraph, but less than the whole document. Fast text copy - Position the pointer over the highlighted area and press the right mouse button. Hold the right button down (the pointer will show a small box on it) and drag the pointer to the area you want the text copied. Let go of the button and the text will paste. This method does not affect any text already stored in the clipboard. Geoworks Ensemble users - If you have text previously saved to the Scrapbook, this text can be retrieved to America Online. Open the Scrapbook, load in the text to be transferred, switch to America Online, and Paste the text. This is handy for mailing form letters or invitations. Note that only text can be transferred to America Online with the Scrapbook; attempting to copy graphics will give an error "Pasting would overflow the editor." The same error will occur if the text to be Pasted will not fit in the available space. All Ensemble applications share a common clipboard, so any text saved in GeoWrite can be Pasted to America Online, and vice versa. America Online Guide to Services Page 33 TERMS OF SERVICE Any action by a Member that, in AOL, Inc.'s sole opinion, restricts or inhibits other Members from using and enjoying America Online (such as but not limited to, the use of vulgar language; inappropriate screen names; committing, or discussing with the intention to commit, illegal activities), is strictly prohibited. Member specifically agrees not to submit, publish, or display on America Online any defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, racially offensive, or illegal material; nor shall Member encourage the use of controlled substances. Transmission of material, information or software in violation of any local, state or federal law is prohibited and is a breach of the Terms of Service. Member specifically agrees not to upload, post or reproduce in any way any materials protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. Member specifically agrees to indemnify AOL, Inc. for any losses, costs, or damages, including reasonable attorneys's fees incurred by AOL, Inc. and relating to, or arising out of any breach of this section (Online Conduct) by Member. America Online is to be used by Member for his/her personal use only. Commercial uses of America Online, other than the use of message boards for legal and appropriate messages, are strictly prohibited unless prior written consent from AOL, Inc. has been granted. SOFTWARE LIBRARIES: Only public domain files, and files in which the author has given expressed consent for online distribution, may be uploaded to the software libraries by Member. Any other software may not be uploaded to the America Online software libraries. AOL, Inc., at its sole discretion, reserves the right to refuse posting of files, and to remove files. AOL, Inc., at its sole discretion, further reserves the right to immediately terminate, without Notice, a Member who misuses the software libraries. PUBLIC POSTING AREAS (MESSAGE BOARDS): AOL, Inc., at its sole discretion, may remove messages it deems to be unacceptable or in violation of the Terms of Service. AOL, Inc., at its sole discretion, further reserves the right to immediately terminate, without Notice, a Member who misuses the message boards. REAL-TIME/INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS AREAS: AOL, Inc., at its sole discretion, reserves the right to immediately terminate, without Notice, a Member who misuses the real-time conference areas or violates the Terms of Service. America Online Guide to Services Page 34 THE LEGAL STUFF America Online, PC-Link, and Promenade are service marks of America Online Incorporated, Vienna, Virginia. Neverwinter Nights is a trademark of America Online, Beyond Software, and Strategic Simulations, and is distributed by America Online. RabbitJack's Casino is a service mark of America Online and Interactive Software. Masterword is a service mark of America Online and Broderbund Software. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons is a trademark of TSR, Inc.