Explore! You'll find plenty of areas on America Online that interest you. What's more important, you'll find plenty of people that interest you. But you'll have to find them first.
Most people are incredibly excited to get their first piece of electronic mail. If one of your friends has an electronic mail account, find out what their address is, and tell them your mail address on America Online. In all likelihood, you can exchange mail with your friend even if they're not on America Online. See chapter 6 for more information about electronic mail.
Downloading your first piece of software may be one of the biggest thrills you get. With a modem and a membership in an online service, you have access to thousands of free software programs. The AOL Software Hall of Fame in chapter 15 lists some files you may be interested in as a member of America Online. Chapters 7 and 8 will help you with downloading files.
To get an overview of America Online, use keyword "tour" or "discover".
To chat with other members, choose Lobby from the Go To menu. If you don't feel comfortable, just sit and watch for a while. Once you get comfortable, say hello. Sometimes that's all it takes to start a conversation. You'll find more information about chat rooms in chapter 10.
 
If you're interested in computers, check out the Computing and Software Department. There are plenty of knowledgeable people there who can help you with your computer problems and buying decisions.
If you have a computer, but you're interested in other things, try the Lifestyles and Interests or Entertainment departments. Keyword "exchange" is a great place to start.
America Online has a special section just for kids. It's called Kids Only Online. KOOL has message boards for kids, and a special section for getting help with homework. You can go there with the keyword "kool".
3.02 How do I find things on AOL?
Files AOL's file search will find all files on AOL except those in the company support areas and the User Group Forum. See chapter 7 for help with using file search.
Members You can find people who have filled out member profiles by searching the member directory. See chapter 10 for help.
Messages There's no way to search the message boards on AOL for individual messages. You'll have to remember where you posted your messages.
Services and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) The Directory of Services (keyword "dos") is a searchable database of AOL services. _The Official AOL Tour Guide_ by Tom Lichty covers the services and forums on AOL in detail. It's a great book for AOL members, and it includes ten free hours of AOL time when you buy it at a bookstore. The version you can buy online does not include the free hours. See chapter 14 for details about the free ten hours.
You may find what you're looking for by browsing the AOL keywords. Choose Keyword from the Go To menu and click Keyword Help to get a complete list of keywords. Appendix A of the FAQ contains a complete list of AOL keywords.
Explore! Dig through the various departments. Besides finding what you were after, you may discover some things you hadn't expected.
If all else fails, use go to Members Helping Members (keyword "mhm") and post a message in the "Where on AOL do I find" folder. To keep that folder from being overloaded, please try the other options first.
3.03 Where can I get help with America Online?
The America Online Beginner's Forum (keyword "abf") is a great place for new members to visit. ABF has message boards, live conferences, and many helpful files.
While offline or online, you can get help by choosing Help from the Apple menu. The help is quite useful. Even if you're not having problems, you should read it sometime. The information was helpful to me when I was writing the FAQ.
While online, choose Members' Online Support from the Go To menu (keyword "help"). This area is free of billing charges, though access charges still apply to members outside the lower forty-eight states. There are options to leave messages to administrators or members, or to chat live with a member of customer support. You can leave also leave a message in Members Helping Members, which is one of the best places to find advice.
Use keyword "cs live" to enter a free area where you can chat with a customer service representative.
3.04 How can I get help with AOL if I can't get online?
The Help item under AOL's Apple menu may help. And I hope the FAQ will be of some assistance. If you need to get in touch with AOL, there are several ways to contact them without signing on.
To talk to a customer service representative in person, call the Customer Relations Department at 1-800-827-3338. Canadian users should call 1-703-893-6288. The Technical Support department is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 AM Monday through Friday and 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. The Billing and Sales department is open from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM Monday through Friday and 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. All times are in Eastern time.
AOL also has a technical support BBS. To call the BBS, you'll need a terminal emulator. You can't use the AOL software to call the BBS. If you have one of the works program (ClarisWorks, Microsoft Works, etc.), use the communications module. Payware terminal emulators include Communicate Lite, MacIntercomm, MacKnowledge, MicroPhone, QuickLink, SITcomm, SmartCom, VersaTerm, and White Knight. ZTerm is an excellent shareware terminal emulator.
Set your terminal emulator to 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. The phone number is 1-800-827-5808. The BBS supports any modem speeds up to 19200. When asked if you want ANSI graphics, say no, unless you know that your terminal program supports ANSI graphics. Most don't. The ones that do have to be configured properly.
When asked for your username, type "new", unless you've been on the BBS before. Your AOL screen name and password won't work on the BBS. The BBS is completely separate from AOL's main computers.
3.05 Where can I get help with my Macintosh?
There are plenty of places on AOL to get help, but don't assume that AOL is the first place to go for advice. Sometimes the best way to get help with a specific piece of hardware or software is to get in touch with the company that makes the product. Their technical support staff often have quick answers to the most puzzling problems. I've spent hours trying to troubleshoot problems, only to call tech support and have the problem solved in minutes.
The product's manual will have a phone number for technical support. Try that first. If the phone lines are always busy, or if the technical support number is a toll call, find out if the company has a support area on AOL. Many do. Choose Keyword from the Go To menu, click the Keyword Help button, and doubleclick the Industry Connection item. You'll get a list of the companies that have support areas on AOL.
There are plenty of other places on AOL to ask questions about the Macintosh. When you sign on to America Online, click the Departments button, then doubleclick Computing and Software. You'll see a list of the Macintosh forums on AOL. The list follows, with keywords in parentheses. Instructions for using keywords are in chapter 13.
Beginner's (abf) <-- an especially good place for new Mac and AOL users
Business (mbs)
Communications & Networks (mcm)
Desktop Publishing (mdp)
Development (mdv)
Education (med)
Games & Entertainment (mgm)
Graphic Arts & CAD (mgr)
Hardware (mhw)
HyperCard (mhc)
Multimedia (mmm)
Music & Sound (mms)
Operating Systems (mos)
Personal Digital Assistants (pda)
Utilities/Desk Accessories (mut)
Doubleclick on the forum name to enter the forum. All forums have message boards where you can read messages others have posted, or post your own questions. Please take the time to find the appropriate place to ask your question. The forums also have live conferences that meet several times a week. Check the forum calendar to see when the conferences meet.
There's usually a technician online whom you can talk to. Use keyword "titf" and then doubleclick the item "Check for Live Discussions". Look for something like "Mactech A" or "Mactech B".
_Macworld_ magazine and _MacHome Journal_ have their own forums on AOL. Use keywords "macworld" and "machome", respectively.
3.06 What do terms like BTW and LOL mean?
BTW is short for by the way. LOL means laughing out loud, meaning that the writer thought something was hilariously funny. AOL calls these shorthands, which is a good name, but they're called acronyms or abbreviations anywhere else. While online, use keyword "shorthand" to get a brief list of the more common abbreviations.
3.07 What does :-) mean?
:-) is a smiley, meaning the writer is smiling or being funny. Rotate your head ninety degrees to the left to see why it's called a smiley.
;-) is a winkey, meaning the writer is being sarcastic, mischievous, or flirtatious.
:-( is a frowney, meaning the writer is not happy about something.
You can leave out the nose to make a midget smiley, as I almost always do. Otherwise, you have to press the shift key to make the eyes, release the shift key to make the nose, and press the shift key again to make the mouth. That's too much work for this jerk.
AOL also calls these symbols shorthands, but they're known everywhere else in cyberspace as smileys, or, less commonly, emoticons. There are hundreds of smileys. They're all clever, but most are too obscure to be useful. The three smileys above are probably all you need, except in the chat areas, where smileys are used liberally.
Appendix C has a long list of smileys.
3.08 What are the Terms of Service (TOS)?
The Terms of Service are the terms that you implicitly agree to by using America Online. I've summarized some of the more important Terms of Service below. Use keyword "TOS" to access the complete Terms of Service.
Vulgarity. Using vulgarity in a public area is strictly prohibited. Expletives are not allowed. Expletives with letters missing are also not allowed if the original word is still discernible.
Copyrighted software. Members cannot upload copyrighted software without the copyright holder's permission.
Privacy. AOL, Inc. will not intentionally read members' email, but "reserves the right to cooperate fully with local, state, or federal officials in any investigation concerning or relating to any Mail transmitted on America Online."
Membership information. "Members' addresses, phone numbers and other relevant information will be provided to information providers, service providers and Merchants for the purposes for which such information was collected."
Responsibility for payment. Each member is responsible for the payment of his or her bill, as well as any access charges owed to SprintNet, Tymnet, etc. Should another person gain illegal access to a member's account, the member is liable for any unauthorized charges until the member notifies AOL, Inc.
Termination. AOL, Inc. reserves the right to suspend or terminate without cause a member's use of and access to America Online. Termination is effective on the day that AOL gives notice of termination.
3.09 What do all of those computer terms mean?
AOL and the AOL FAQ are loaded with computerese. To increase your silicon fluency, the Learning and Reference Forum (keyword "learning") has a searchable dictionary of computer terms. Use keyword "learning", then doubleclick the item labeled "Dictionary of Computer Terms".
By popular convention, "memory" means the
  amount of random access memory (RAM) your
computer contains. Don't use "memory" when you're
talking about your hard drive. "Memory" means RAM.
The size of your hard drive is your "disk space"
or "storage space".
To find out how much memory your Macintosh has, choose About This Macintosh... from the Apple menu. (Under System 6, it will say About The Finder.) You'll see the total memory listed in kilobytes. 1024 kilobytes equals one megabyte.
The About This Macintosh window also shows the version of the system software you have. That's important to know. Version 2.1 of the America Online software requires System 6.0.5 or higher.
3.10 Is the AOL software compatible with (fill in the blank)?
The AOL 2.1 software is compatible with the following:
•System 6.0.5 or higher, System 7, 7.0.1, 7.1, 7.1p, 7.1.2, and 7.1 Pro
•32-bit addressing
•virtual memory
•PowerBooks
•Performas
•Quadras and other 68040 machines, with or without caches enabled
•AV Macintoshes
•PowerMacs
•the GeoPort Telecom Adapter
•the Apple Express Modem
The minimum requirements are:
•Macintosh Plus or later (the Plus was introduced in 1986)
•System 6.0.5 or higher
•a hard disk
•700K or more of free RAM
3.11 How do I track down extension problems?
America Online advises members to try turning off extensions if they're having trouble. That's generally good advice. Extensions cause more than their fair share of Macintosh problems. Use as few extensions as possible to avoid problems. Under System 7, "extensions" include extensions and control panels. Under System 6, they were called inits and cdevs. After Dark and Adobe Type Manager are two popular examples.
Turn me off If you're having trouble with AOL or with your Macintosh in general, try restarting the computer with extensions off. To turn off extensions under System 7, choose Restart from the Special menu and press the shift key. Keep the shift key down until you see the message "Welcome to Macintosh. Extensions off." If you have a custom startup screen, keep the shift key down until the hard drive icon and trash can icon appear. To turn off extensions under System 6, remove all inits and cdevs from the System Folder and restart.
Diagnosing extension problems If the problem disappears when extensions are disabled, you know that an extension was to blame. Which extension was the culprit? If the problem started after you added a new extension, remove it from the System Folder and see if the problem goes away. Otherwise, note what programs are running and exactly what you're doing when the problem occurs. Then remove all extensions and add one at a time, restart, and repeat the circumstances that cause the problem. Then add another extension and repeat the process. When the problem returns, the last extension you added is probably to blame.
The halving technique A less time-consuming method is the halving technique. Say you have 32 extensions. Put half of them in the System Folder, restart, and see if the problem occurs again. If it does, one of those 16 extensions is the problem. Test eight of those extensions, then 4, then 2, and finally you'll know which extension is the problem. If the problem doesn't return, those 16 extensions are OK, and you can begin testing the other 16 extensions.
Extension Conflicts The only problem with the halving technique is that is doesn't detect extension conflicts. An extension may be fine by itself, but may interact badly with another extension. ("If you two extensions don't start behaving, I'll have to separate you.") Casady and Greene's payware Conflict Catcher II is helpful for diagnosing extension conflicts.
Extensions managers Life with a Macintosh is much easier if you use an extensions manager. These managers allow you to disable and enable extensions singly or in sets. Several commercial versions exist. Two of the more popular ones on America Online are Extensions Manager by Ricardo Batista (RicardoB4) and Symbionts by B. Kevin Hardman (KHARDMAN). Extensions Manager is better for managing extension sets. Under System 7.1, EM can control which font suitcases load at startup time. Symbionts has a flashier interface and reports how much memory (RAM) each extension uses. Try both and decide for yourself.
3.12 Why does AOL 2.1 crash my PowerMac?
The PowerMacs use System 7.1.2, which uses an entirely different memory manager. To make AOL 2.1 work on a PowerMac, give AOL more memory. To do this, quit AOL, select its icon, and choose Get Info from the File menu. Make sure the file is not locked, and increase the Preferred Size setting to between 1500 and 3000 K. If necessary, turn off the Modern Memory Manager in the Memory control panel.
3.13 How do I access AOL through another computer?
If you need to access AOL through a second computer, use keyword "friend" or keyword "upgrade" to request the software. The former is free, the latter costs money. The AOL software is also available for Apple ][, DOS, and Windows computers. You can use the same AOL account through multiple computers.
After you install the software, sign on to AOL. When asked for a certificate number, enter your master screen name (the one you created when you joined AOL). When asked for a password, enter the password for your master screen name. Your master screen name will be saved to disk. From then on you'll be able to sign on to AOL the normal way.
If your friend has the America Online software, you can use his software, even if his computer isn't a Macintosh. Launch America Online. Click on the screen name menu and select "Guest". Now click the Sign On button. After you connect to AOL, you'll be prompted for your screen name and password.
  As a guest, you won't be able to use FlashSessions.
At any rate, FlashSessions is a Macintosh feature
that isn't available on other platforms.
 
If your friend has a Macintosh, but no America Online software, you'll need to take it with you. You can take your AOL installation disk and use the procedure outline above for using AOL on a second computer. The downside to this is that you'll lose your preferences, Address Book, and so forth.
What follows is the method I now use to access AOL through another Macintosh. First, I remove everything from the Online Downloads folder, as well as any non-essential files, such as the Keywords DA. Then I compress the AOL folder with StuffIt; Compact Pro or some other compression utility will also work. After I copy the compressed file onto a floppy disk I'm done.
Using AOL 2.1 and StuffIt 3.0.7, my AOL folder compressed to 927K. (Your mileage may vary. In my case, I removed the mail from my mail folder.) If you compress the AOL folder, you'll need to decompress it on your friend's computer. I suggest making the file self extracting. That way you can decompress the file without packing along StuffIt, Compact Pro, etc.
3.14 How do I upgrade my AOL software?
The current version is 2.1, which is necessary for using 9600 bps. If you're still using a version earlier than 2.0, you should definitely upgrade. The FAQ was written for version 2.1.
If you're not sure which version you have, choose About America Online... from the Apple menu. The version number will be listed in the About box. You can use the same technique to get the version number of almost any Macintosh application.
You can download version 2.1 for free from America Online by using keyword "9600". Be sure to use the Download Now option. If you use Download Later, you may be charged for downloading time. Even better, you can call AOL's BBS at 1-800-827-5808 and download AOL 2.1 at 14400 bps. Use of the BBS is free. To call the BBS, you'll need a terminal emulation program; your AOL software will not work. See "Where can I get help if I can't get online?" for more information about the BBS.
AOL 2.1 is also available via Internet ftp at ftp.aol.com in the Mac directory. AOL doesn't support ftp, so you'll have to ftp from another service.
If you have the AOL Special Edition that comes with Performas, use keyword "performa" to download the new version.
After you download and decompress AOL 2.1, doubleclick it. Use the Upgrade option to copy your phone numbers, mail, preferences, Address Book, and other settings from your old AOL folder. There are some new dialing options in the new software, so be sure to select Setup and set your options. Chapter 7 has some useful advice for configuring your modem.
3.15 What about passwords, Les?
Forget your password? Call Customer Service at 1-800-827-6364. You'll need to provide your credit card number and expiration date.
Should I give out my password online? Absolutely not! You could be responsible for hundreds of dollars in charges if someone has access to your password. Not only can they run up your AOL bill, they can buy books, computer equipment, and plane tickets online. No AOL employee will ever contact you online, by email, or by telephone to ask for your password. If anyone asks for your password, send email to TOSAdviser and report them.
Storing your passwords You can store your passwords so that you don't have to type them in to sign on or use FlashSessions. This is a handy feature, but you should use it only if your computer is in a secure place where only you will use it. To store or erase your passwords, choose Edit Stored Passwords from the Members menu. When entered, passwords appear as eight asterisks (********), no matter how long they really are.
 
3.16 What is "information to be sent or received"?
When you try to sign off, you may receive this message:
 
You can sign off if you like, or you can choose to transfer the information. The information is one of three things:
Files to be downloaded You may have clicked the Download Later button to download files. Choose Download Manager from the File menu to check for waiting files.
Mail to be sent You may have composed mail and clicked the Send Later icon. Choose Read Outgoing Mail from the Mail menu to check for outgoing mail.
Mail to be received You may have mail waiting to be read. Choose Read New Mail from the Mail menu.
3.17 Where can I buy and sell things?
Posting of for sale items is restricted to certain areas. Unless the message board is specifically intended for trading, don't post for sale messages there. This also applies to Usenet newsgroups.
The best place for buying and selling is Classifieds Online (keyword "classifieds"). If you buy and sell for a living, try the Real Estate Forum (keyword "real estate") or use keywords "personal finance" or "quotes" for investment trading.
