Table of Contents
AOL For Dummies, 2nd Edition
About the Author
Dedication
Author’s Acknowledgments
Contents at a Glance
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Driver’s Ed for the Digital Traveler
Chapter 1: What You Got Yourself Into ( And What You Need to Enjoy the Trip)
What Online Really Means
All It Takes Is a Bunch of Stuff
Enjoying a High-Speed AOL Experience
Chapter 2: I Didn’t Know You Could Do That Online!
Signing On
Checking the E-Mailbox
Reading the Latest News
Eyeing the Markets
Internet On Ramp, Next Right
Let the Fun and Games Begin!
Following the Ball, Puck, and Sinker
Nailing Down the Details
Enjoying a Little Chat
When Problems Come Up
Handling the Rude, the Crude, and the Socially Maladjusted
When It’s Time to Say Goodbye
Chapter 3: Peering through AOL’s Windows
Starting at the Top with the Menu, Toolbar, and Navigation Bar
Meeting Your Windows on the World
Chapter 4: Dealing with Spams, Scams, Viruses, and Hoaxes
Spam, Spam Everywhere and None of It to Eat
Canning Spam with AOL 9.0
Fooling the Bulk Mail Behemoth
What If You Just Gave Your Password to Someone?
If Someone Asks for Your Password, Just Say “ No”
Viruses Come in the Darnedest Packages
Recognizing Hoaxes: No, Bill Gates Won’t Give You $ 5,000
Part II: Settling Into Your Online Home
Chapter 5: Making Your Preferences Known
What Preferences Do, Where They Live, and Why You Care
Managing Your Personal Info and Online Personality
Controlling How AOL Looks to You
Communicating and Exploring Online
Guarding Your Safety and Privacy
Chapter 6: Doing the Screen Name Tango
What’s in a ( Screen) Name?
Dealing with Screen Names
Turn a Bit and Let Me See Your Profile
Chapter 7: Taking Away the Online Car Keys with Parental Controls
Reviewing the Basics of Online Safety
Starting the Controls — and Backing Safely Down Your Digital Driveway
Tailoring Online Life with Custom Controls
Chapter 8: Navigating the System and Marking Your Favorite Destinations
Unlocking the Keys to Keywords
Getting There Fast with QuickView
Organizing the Places of Your Heart
Chapter 9: Where’s Your Buddy? Where’s Your Pal?
Who’s Your Buddy?
Privacy Preferences: Please, I Vahnt to Be Alone
Tweaking Your Buddy List Settings
Building an Online Treehouse with Buddy Chat
Chapter 10: AOL Companion: Look — on the Desktop! Something Small, Blue, and Useful
Meeting the Companion
Covering the Basics
Flipping Through the Tools
Part III: Connecting and Communicating
Chapter 11: E-Mailing the World, One Mailbox at a Time
Sending E-Mail to an America Online Subscriber
Writing to the @’ s: Sending Internet E-Mail
E-Mailing with Panache
Linking with Ease
Incoming Missive, Sir!
Delving Into Your Mailbox
Organizing Your E-Mail Mess( ages)
Catching People with Your Address Book
Chapter 12: Chatting the Day ( And Night) Away
They Don’t Call It Community for Nothing
Ambling into a Chat Room
Finding Conversations among the Keystrokes
Seeking Out a Chat Room
Beware the Password Scammers
Enjoying a Little Private ( Room) Time
Attending Classes — and Enjoying Them
Recording Your Conversations
Chapter 13: Dropping a Quick “ Hello” with Instant Messages
Online Telepathy with Instant Messages
Intercepting Messages with the IM Catcher
Turning Off Instant Messages Because Sometimes You Just Want to Be Alone
Catching Password Scammers
Taking Instant Messaging Anywhere with AIM Express
Chapter 14: Posting On the Message Boards and Joining the Groups
Winding Your Way through the Message Folders
Reading, Replying to, and Generally Browsing the Messages
Free Online Toolkit with Every [email protected] AOL! Act Now!
Chapter 15: Reading, Keeping, and Sharing Thoughts with an AOL Journal
Browsing the Virtual Journal Shelves
Sharing Comments with Others
Creating a Journal of Your Own
Adding Entries to Your Journal
Tossing In a Quick Entry with IMs
Adding a Picture ( Instead of 1,000 Words)
Speaking Your Thoughts So Others Can Hear
Part IV: Diving Into the Fun Stuff
Chapter 16: Finding People, Places, Things, and Information
Finding People: Sniffing Out Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Novel Folks
Finding Places: Tracking Interests and Meeting Informational Needs
Finding Cool Programs and Nifty Files
Chapter 17: Cruising the Internet
AOL. com Basics
So Just What Is This Internet Thing?
E-Mail the Internet Way
Topic Hopping on the Web
Newsgroups Talk about the Craziest Things
FTP Downloading for the Nerd at Heart
Chapter 18: There’s Music in the Wires
Pushing Guitars Through the Internet Takes More Than Strong Biceps
Tuning the Online Radio
Jamming to the Music Videos
Turning Your Computer into a Jukebox with MP3s
Buying and Burning Your Favorite Songs
Chapter 19: Tracking News, Weather, Markets, and More
Getting the News
The Weather Outside — Is It Frightful?
Watching the Markets
Part V: Secret Tricks of the AOL Gurus
Chapter 20: Customizing Your Online Persona
Designing the Profile of Your Dreams
Expressing Yourself in IMs, Desktops, and Toolbars
Chapter 21: Dressing Up Your Software with Fresh Buttons and a New Menu
Dancing the Toolbar Tango ( Or Is That the New Button Bop?)
Building a Welcome That Matches Your Mood
A Menu to Call Your Own
Dressing Up Your Menus with Favorites
Chapter 22: Spinning a Web ( Site) of Your Own
Why You Might ( Or Might Not) Want Your Own Web Site
Stuff to Do Before You Build
Building a Place to Call Homepage
Doing It Yourself in the Great Out There
Chapter 23: Sampling AOL’s Advanced Tools
Taming Your E-Mail with Communicator
Putting AOL in Your Palm ( And Your Pocket PC)
Connecting through the Web
Reach Out and Touch Your E-Mail
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Chapter 24: Ten Fun Things to Do Online
Decoding Digital Terminology
Strolling through the Children’s Art Archive
Ferreting Out Long-Lost Friends and Businesses, Wherever They May Be
Tripping through the Coolest Online Areas
Sending Online Cards, Flowers, and Other Things That Smell
Playing with Your Mind ( In a Good Way)
Downloading the Best Software
Tracking Packages All Over the World
Practicing a Foreign Language
Collecting Free Stuff from the Government
Chapter 25: Ten Things That Can Go Wrong ( And How to Fix Them)
Yodeling to AOL Tech Support
The IM Catcher Doesn’t Catch Anything
The Computer Almost Signs On
The Host Isn’t Responding to You
The System Rudely Kicks You Off
America Online Doesn’t Say a Word
File Downloads Take Too Long
A MIME File Starts Motioning from the Mailbox
Your Internet Mail Comes Back Undeliverable
An Extra Window Appears Every Time You Sign On
The New Item on Your Go To Menu Goes to the Wrong Place
Index
