INews Newsletter - Oct 22, 1999
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
* * * manager@inebraska.com * * *
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Volume 2, Number 21 October 22, 1999
Welcome to another issue of INews, Internet Nebraska's customer newsletter.
This biweekly newsletter communicates service bulletins, announcements and
other useful information to our customers. Please let us know what you think
of it. Archives of INews are located at http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: Espernet
FAQ
Longer Hours
Mr. Internet
*** Espernet ***
As you've perhaps read on our home page or in earlier e-mail, Internet
Nebraska is joining Espernet.com, a network of ISPs to be joined in the
next few weeks. Here is the press release, and following that, a few of
the most Frequently Asked Questions.
Internet Nebraska to Join Espernet.com
Wednesday, October 19, 1999 Lincoln, Nebraska
Internet Nebraska has entered into an agreement to become a
member of the espernet.com national network of Internet service
providers. Internet Nebraska (inebraska.com) is Nebraska's
oldest dialup Internet service. Espernet.com (espernet.com) is
a new ISP network that will include more than 40 ISPs from
around the country.
Internet Nebraska anticipates that this new relationship will
provide enhanced and expanded services for its customers, while
continuing Internet Nebraska's dedication to premium customer
service, and requiring no change to customer addresses.
Expanded services will include nation-wide dialup access and
24x7 hour helpdesk access.
Steve Reichenbach, President of Internet Nebraska said: "Our
goal is to build on Internet Nebraska's tradition of great
service and to expand the espernet.com's national network."
To kick-off the new service, Reichenbach announced expanded
helpdesk hours and aggressive introductory pricing for new
espernet.com accounts opened through the end of the month,
including 6 months for the price of one month on new flat-rate
accounts. "Espernet.com will be one of largest Internet
service providers in the U.S. from day one and the national
network will provide a foundation for growth in the next year."
According to Reichenbach, Internet Nebraska will be a hub in the
new network. Eric Erlandson, Vice-President of Operations for
Internet Nebraska, will be hub manager. Reichenbach will be
a member of the espernet.com Council of Presidents.
*** Some Espernet.com Questions ***
Most of these questions are answered in the press release, but they're
important enough to ask and answer again.
Q: Will we keep our addresses?
A: Yes. Nothing whatever will change about your addresses or settings.
(We're still shaking our heads about how a certain other company handled
an issue like this.)
Q: Will we keep our addresses?
A: Yes. :)
Q: How soon will we be able to dial in from locations nation-wide?
A: Integration of the many ISPs involved will take months. This is
something that will be important to a lot of people, so it will be a
priority. There are many operational plans that still need made.
Q: Who _is_ espernet.com?
A: As you might expect, we point you to their home page. There isn't
much there yet, because the bundling of smaller ISPs like us into a larger
whole won't occur for a few more weeks. A great deal of information about
espernet.com will be distributed to the userbase as soon as it is
available.
*** Annie's Jellies & Jams - Advertisement ***
Annies Jellies & Jams, a cottage industry, is
operated by Annie and Dave Kime, life-long residents
of the Sandhills of Nebraska. The Kime family has
enjoyed wild fruit jellies for years and it only
seemed natural to provide their wonderful flavors
to others. In 1994, Annies Jellies & Jams began
with 3 flavors and has expanded to over 12 varieties.
The wild fruit jellies are made from native berries
of the Sandhills. Using traditional home recipes,
Annie makes her quality gourmet products the old-
fashioned way, in kettle-stirred batches.
-- http://www.anniesjellies.com/
*** New Hours! ***
We've expanded our hours, and they're easier to remember, too.
Monday through Saturday: 8AM - 10PM
Sunday: 10AM - 6PM
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
402-464-8888, and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** Mr. Internet ***
Q: What's a .pps file?
A: A few days ago, one of you Internet Nebraska customers called the Help
Desk to ask about a file with a ".pps" extension. I don't know if you ever
got your answer because the techs working at the Help Desk that day didn't
know for sure what a .pps file could be. Now I know that it is a
PowerPoint Slide Show that was created by MicroSoft Office 2000. I found
this answer quickly and easily at No Wonder!
On the No Wonder! home page is the following explanation of and
justification for their existence.
As major companies drop free technical support services,
we have stepped in to fill the void. Free technical sup-
port to all Internet users, by Internet users. A great
way to get support for almost every product software or
hardware, for almost every consumer computer platform.
It might sound crazy, but we have been doing it for
almost 3 years. Join our staff of over 1300 technical
savvy volunteers and make some fellow netizens smile.
Here at Internet Nebraska we get a lot of questions about modems and
Internet connections (!) so I looked closely at the quality of the
solutions for connectivity problems. Although No Wonder! does not have a
forum devoted exclusively to modems or communications, the Windows and
Macintosh forums did have a couple hundred entries that touched on the
topics.
I did not find any answers that were just plain wrong. A few answers
seemed to be a bit off-target, but for the most part, the technical
support responses were relevant and certainly worth trying out. I learned
something from one of the 1,300 No Wonder! tech support volunteers:
One trick that I've learned in dealing with 56K is this.
Lets say the phone number is 123-4567. After the phone
number put 3 comma's ,,, So your DUN would look like
123-4567,,, Now I'm sure your asking what does that do?
Well the ,,, makes your modem bypass the 56K handshake.
This will limit your connection to 33.6K but it almost
always allows you to connect.
Worth a look. http://www.nowonder.com
Mr. Internet is a regular feature of the INews, and he welcomes questions
of any kind. Just mail them to mrinternet@inebraska.com, and he'll answer
one or two each issue. Those he doesn't use will not necessarily be
answered, and you should still use 'manager' and 'accounts' for regular
business.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Referral Bonus ***
Don't forget the referral bonus we introduced in the last INews. For the
time being, referrals are worth a whopping $19.95 CREDIT to the balance of
your account.
Just get someone to sign up for any account whose first payment is $19.95
or greater, and as soon as we've received that payment, we'll credit your
account $19.95!
See the previous INews for further hype and some of the restrictions --
http://www.inebraska.com/inews
*** Advertise on Our Home Pages ***
What better way to advertise your business than on a Web page that is seen
tens of thousands of time every month? None, if you're paying as little
as we charge for it!
We are now offering banner advertising that rotates on all our pages, and
which is priced based on the number of impressions (viewings) per month.
Your banner can reach thousands of Nebraska residents, and this is a
unique way to advertise your Nebraska business to residents in the area.
Prices for banner advertisement can be found at:
http://www.inebraska.com/ad.html
We will also be selling links from our main page. Please contact
erikw@inebraska.com, or give us a give us a call at our office,
402-434-8680, and ask how you can reserve banner spots on some of the
hottest URL's in the state. The advertisers in this issue did, and we
recommend them highly.