To Whom It May Concern: an open letter to geeks and newbies

I've been struggling over whether this column should be directed to newbies or to long-time Internet users.

To newbies, I would like to offer a bit of sympathy and a sword to use when battling through the hype about the 'Net.

To jaded netfreaks, I'd like to share the lightbulb that went on in my mind this week -- strong and bright -- about what makes the 'Net really work, about why we get so frustrated with the newbies who keep asking us to help them get online. Perhaps "frustrated" is the wrong word. I often feel a range of feelings while I am helping a friend configure a PPP connection: from relief and excitement to panic and doubt.

Let me explain...

I'm a terrific evangelist for the 'Net. My life has been transformed by the people I've met online and by the things that I've learned. Even if I spend 8 or 9 hours a day online working, I never hesitate to turn on my computer at night for fun.

Has the 'Net consumed my life? My friends used to think so. Now, they're asking me to help them get plugged in, too.

This last weekend I went to visit my favorite Luddites (anti-television, NPR-loving freaks who go camping in the cold, wet snow for fun). It was a special visit so that I could take a look at their new computer. (!) I'm thrilled that they want to get online. They've been the last of my close friends to hold out. Shoot, I've been dropping big hints, trying to be as persuasive as possible, for months. I've wanted to be able to send them e-mail when their line is busy. I've wanted to send them silly URLs. To be honest, I felt as though they were atrophying in a house full of snow shoes and no 'Net connection. (Sometimes I can be very immature.)

cute snake Weirdly, though, while I was looking at their spiffy new machine, a creepy - freaky worry snaked its way up my spine and into my mind. What if they HATE being online? What if they think it's boring or stupid? What if they get lost in the middle of an AltaVista search and can't find their way back to Real Life? What if they never GET it?

So I went home and stewed for a day and a half. I know what turned me onto the 'Net. I can list a series of profound turning points that helped me dive deeper and deeper into this digital world. I don't know how to re-create those experiences for my friends. What parts of the Web can I show them that might inspire them to become more involved? No matter how many sessions of my Web Search 101 class they attend, they'll still be overwhelmed in the middle of an AltaVista search. (Heck, I teach the class and still get boggled in the head by the returns I get sometimes.)

The lightbulb went on a couple of days later while I was hiking with a fellow 'Net junkie and her (very patient, understanding, and non-wired) husband.

a happy plug We keep trying to plug him in. Whenever he gets online, he does a few searches, comes up with hundreds of sites, and then he dives in to find his way. He's smart. He should be teaching my Web Search class because he is better at it than I am. Always, though, even if he has an interesting trip, he surfaces with an empty feeling in his mind and heart. The Web gives him a big "So what?" There might be cool and intriguing information there, but it never grabs him. It doesn't change his life. He'd rather go to the library and thumb through the pages of dusty books. Even if he didn't find the information he was searching for, the voyage would be more rewarding, more visceral than the Web is for him.

On the other hand, she took to the 'Net like a dragonfly to a humid pond -- buzzing around and creating a home for herself in the steamy muck from the start. Her first web page went up just weeks after she unpacked in her home directory. Her pages received a lot of feedback. She's made friends with people near and far via email and even met some of them F2F.

Has the lightbulb turned on in your mind yet?

The key to this whole online thang is connection. In order to feel the electricity, to GET the buzz about the 'Net, we need the circuit to be complete. We need feedback, community, friendship, or enemy-ship (I know that's not a word, but it should be!).

That sense of community -- of belonging, of being engaged in something important -- is hard to achieve while surfing the Web. With notable exceptions, it's a passive medium.

So what to do?

Netheads, take note: your job as Internet Evangelist is not done when you finally get the newbie's PPP connection configured. You need to show your favorite newbie how to subscribe to mailing lists, how to access newsgroups, how to use a browser's e-mail function, where to go to chat in real-time. It's not enough to drop her off at Yahoo! with a slap on the back and a riff about "happy surfing."

strong reaction Newbies, listen up! The Web ain't all there is to the 'Net. A lot of the really juicy stuff is written in ASCII, hidden in places where Netscape and Explorer can't go. Dive into Usenet, explore a MOO, join a local BBS. (And be resourceful. If you don't know what a MOO or a BBS is, find a good glossary.) Even more important: don't channel-surf the Web. Click on the "mailto" buttons. Send e-mail to the guy who puts crazy pictures of stray dogs on his web page. Drop a note to the person who wrote a thoughtful essay. If a particular page amuses or angers you, let the author know. Engage the people on the other end of your connection. Participate. Communicate. React.

The hype about the Internet is all true. It has the power to transform your life. Really. It's a delicious, digital stew. The only missing ingredient is you. (I know. I sound like your grandmother, but - lalala - I don't care!) Make yourself known. You never know what doors might open when you let us know what's on your mind.