Associations and the Internet.

Associations have a new opportunity to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and communication with their memberships. Electronic mail communication on the Internet currently connects about 25 million users, according to the Reston, Virginia-based Internet Society. Internet e-mail is fast and

What is the Internet?

The Internet is an international confederation of some 12,000 electronically linked computer networks -- most of them at universities, government agencies, and corporations. The Internet enables computers of all kinds to share services and communicate directly, as if they were one seamless global computer. In the future, the Internet will be at the core of the National Information Infrastructure, an information superhighway dubbed the Infobahn.

The Internet uses a global network of satellites, fiber-optic cables, telephone lines, and mainframe and desktop computers to exchange information. Just as the postal systems of countries agree to trade letters, these member networks agree to exchange the contemporary equivalent: electronic packets of digital information. For example, an Internet e-mail message from Singapore to Malaysia, countries separated by only a mile of water, might go first to the United States then back to Malaysia. Moreover, the Internet system may not use the same electronic route each time but will automatically adjust to access the fastest route.

Is the Internet easy to use?

Accessing the Internet through a telephone modem is as simple as using an automated teller machine. For example, from your desktop, notebook, or laptop computer, you can meet someone who can answer important questions for you, set up an online conference, plan a meeting, check schedules and reserve airline tickets, prepare reports, or simply leave a message. Internet also lets you tap into forums, information libraries, or bulletin boards that list government and corporate activities, rulings, and legislation; access electronic mail and fax services; and get up-to-the-minute news and stock quotes.

The Internet and e-mail are open to anyone who has a computer with a modem, the appropriate communication software, a telephone line, and an account with an online computer services company linked to the Internet. An association could use e-mail to sign up new members, broadcast current events and newsletter excerpts, and have members sign up for meetings and pay dues by credit card.

Associations could offer members a free or inexpensive e-mail service during international or domestic meetings. Members could send inexpensive e-mail messages to their offices or other individuals using a laptop computer provided by the association.

What does e-mail cost?

Using the Internet may be the least expensive means of communication with your membership -- cheaper than a letter, fax, or telephone call. You can use a local telephone number to send Internet e-mail messages around the world, for pennies. For instance, using CompuServe, the charge to read or send Internet messages is 15 cents for the first 7.5 kilobytes (abbreviated KB) -- about 900 words -- and 5 cents per additional 2.5 KB -- about 300 words. This is significantly less than a normal telephone call or fax would cost. A typical two-page fax from the United States to Hong Kong can cost $8-$10, while a longer e-mail message would be less than 60 cents.

An online service provides a gateway to the Internet. Once connected to an online e-mail service, association staff members can access numerous resources from their desktop computers through a telephone modem. (A 14,400 bps, or bits per second, fax-modem is probably the best option today; one costs $100-$150 and normally comes with the appropriate software.)

Shop around for an online service (see sidebar, "Online Service Options"). Look for a flat monthly access rate, not more than $10-$30. If you will use the service only occasionally, timed access may save you money. That should not cost more than $3 or $4 per hour. Considering that sending an e-mail message is generally fast, hourly usage should be almost insignificant, a substantial savings over a fax. One caution: Some services charge to send e-mail, some charge to receive e-mail from the Internet, and some limit the size of files you can send or receive. Check on this before agreeing to join a service.

At this writing, establishing an account with Compuserve costs $8.95 per month plus an initial $39.95 setup charge that includes Windows-based software. This gives you an e-mail address and free connect-time to read mail. CompuServe normally has a local telephone number even when you call from outside the United States. Other service companies offer a similar service but do not usually provide the international network connection via a local telephone number.

Who is on the Internet?

Chances are that many of your association's members are among the 25 million people using Internet e-mail. The International Association for Dental Research, Washington, D.C., has more than 1,000 members on the Internet, and the number grows daily. Today, agencies whose focus is scientific research have the highest level of Internet connectivity. They include most universities, the U.S. departments of energy and defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Smithsonian Institution, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and virtually all of the Fortune 500 companies.

The White House aims eventually to replace fax communication among government officials with Internet e-mail and encourage agencies to use e-mail to publicly disseminate policy announcements and other published information. In April 1993, the Library of Congress put its card catalog on Internet and is studying the possibility of electronic access to some of its vast holdings. Many members of Congress now have an Internet address.

The National Library of Medicine was among the earliest agencies to put its databases online. The National Technical Information Service plans to place Fedworld, a collection of government databases, on the Internet as well. Also, the Federal Bulletin Board, a collection of Federal electronic bulletin board systems managed by the Government Printing Office, is slated for the Internet soon.

What is an e-mail address?

The key to sending an Internet e-mail message lies in the Internet address. This is your location on the Internet. A typical Internet e-mail address might look like this: Internet: jsmith@cix.compulink.co.uk (depending on the software, the "Internet" element may not be necessary). In this example, the address belongs to John Smith, and he is a subscriber at (or ) "cix," the full name of which is Compulink. Everything to the left of the "@" symbol is the individual's address within his or her organization, and everything to the right is the Internet destination information. Also, the periods (called dots) where shown are essential to the address line. The last two designations show that Compulink is a company located in the United Kingdom rather than an educational institution (.edu), private organization (.org), network resource (.net), military (.mil), government agency (.gov), and so forth. The Internet address is always in lowercase using alphanumeric characters with no spaces between them.

Sending an e-mail message to someone you know may be the most difficult issue. There is no address directory yet. The best way to find an address is to call by telephone and ask. Many association executives include an e-mail address on business cards and publish member e-mail addresses in membership directories.

What is "full access" on

the Internet?

If your association is looking for more than electronic mail messaging from the Internet -- if you want so-called "full access" -- start by looking for a public-access, dial-up provider in your area. Full access is for associations that need more sophisticated services and capabilities, such as setting up and maintaining an online electronic bulletin board.

There are two easy ways to find a full-access, dial-up provider. You can get the PDIAL list, which lists Internet access and service providers by area code, by sending an e-mail message to info-deli-server@netcom.com with the phrase "Send PDIAL" as the subject; you'll receive the latest list. You can also call the Internet Network Information Center, (800) 444-4345, and work through its menus with a touch-tone phone.

Another approach to connect to the Internet is to reach another computer through a SLIP or PPP connection. SLIP (serial link internetworking protocol) and PPP (point-to-point protocol) are two types of connections that make your computer not just a window to the Internet but a part of it (still using a standard telephone line). If your association has the means, you can buy a computer server, router, and software, and lease a high-speed telephone line for a full-speed connection. Organizations like Performance Systems International, in Reston, Virginia, lease all the equipment you need, including hardware and connections.

How do you navigate

the Internet?

There are software tools to navigate the Internet that make it easy for explorers to tunnel from one place to another. The University of Minnesota's "gopher," for example, organizes the contents of the Internet into an endless series of Windows-style menus. The Internet is more than just e-mail: There are 5,000-plus Usenet news groups, other gopher servers to browse through, files to download, and numerous databases to search. The Internet is capable of shuttling video footage, photos, text, music, and sounds in digital form. You can request The Guide to Network Resource Tools by sending an e-mail message to listserv@earncc.earn.net and typing "get nettools txt" as the body of the message; it will arrive automatically as e-mail.

What's in the future?

In the near future, associations, corporations, and government entities not connected to the Internet may be information have-nots. Progressive associations will find it essential to access the Internet at some level to maintain adequate and cost-effective communication with their memberships. It actually may become a matter of survival -- imagine not having a fax or telephone today. Now is the time for association executives to explore options for Internet access.

Of course, not every new technological innovation is appropriate for every association. Just as the investment in upgrading office computers or software may or may not result in a quantifiable cost benefit, investing in a new technological capability may or may not provide a satisfactory return on investment. Affordability, practicality, and utility are all issues to address.

Looking into the future is a dizzying endeavor. Where will the next high-tech opportunity surface? The way people communicate in the future will be vastly different, and associations need to ride the next wave of change. See you on the Internet.

HIGHLIGHTS

* On the Internet, users can browse through libraries, databases, and other resources all over the world, all with a local phone call.

* Associations can use electronic mail to ease member access to data, to simplify registration, and to talk to each other.

* With a relatively small cash investment in the hardware and software, associations can use e-mail as little or as much as they need.

Online Service

Options

To gain access to the Internet and to send and receive e-mail, you need an online service connected to the Internet. This is similar to choosing a long distance telephone carrier for your office or home. There are dozens of online services to choose from.

Among the most popular and least expensive online services are these:

* CompuServe, (800) 848-8199;

* GEnie, (800) 638-9636;

* America Online, (800) 827-6364;

* eWorld, (800) 775-4556;

* Delphi, (800) 695-4005; and

* Prodigy, (800) 776-3449.

A service will provide you with an electronic mail address that association members can access through Internet, regardless of which service they use.

Another choice is MCI Mail, (800) 456-MAIL, a nationwide e-mail-only service that will give an Internet address and an 800 number to dial. There are no hourly charges, but you pay a yearly fee of about $30 plus at least 50 cents per message. There is no charge to receive e-mail. MCI Mail is a good, inexpensive option if you need to send only occasional e-mail messages.

E-mail the

White House

Although for now the White House answers its electronic mail with traditional paper letters, you can use the Infobahn. Include your U.S. Postal Service return address to get an answer.

* On Internet: president@whitehouse.gov

* On Internet: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

* On CompuServe: "ClintonPZ,"75300.3115@compuserve.com

* On GEnie: "WHITE HOUSE"

* On MCI Mail: MCI ID 589-5485

* On ZiffNet: "Go ZNT:EXEC"

Gene S. Bartlow (76202.2472@compuserve.com) is president, American Wood Preservers Institute, Vienna, Virginia, and former deputy executive director, International Association for Dental Research and American Association for Dental Research, Washington, D.C. ASAE's main Internet address is asae@asae.asaenet org; for more information about communicating electronically with ASAE, turn to page 14.