"How I Get the Most Out of Being Online"

by Aliza Sherman

I first went online a couple of years ago, testing the waters with two commercial online services - America Online and Women's Wire. I didn't know what I would find online and was hoping it wouldn't be too difficult, too expensive or too weird. What I found was a seemingly endless wealth of information. I soon learned that networking, marketing, communicating, and researching were not only possible online, but easy, too. The things I have accomplished online and the benefits I've gained from cyberspace are too numerous to count, but I've listed a few below.

Most importantly, for me, being online has helped me in business. For example, while I was the Executive Director at the Domestic Abuse Awareness Project, I was able to access important government reports, domestic violence statistics, funding information, as well as put out information about domestic violence to help others. Later, when I put in my notice and was searching for a replacement, I located the perfect candidate on Women's Wire commercial online service. She was hired for the job. A few months later, while working on a book about the adoption process, I was able to research adoption resources on the Internet. I even received requests to review and purchase my book as soon as it is published.

When I decided to start my own business as a computer online consultant and started designing Web home pages, I knew that getting a new business off the ground could be difficult. Through my email correspondence with other women who were pursuing similar ventures, I've gained a great network of support for my new career. Our email has since turned into an official Internet mailing list called Spiderwoman where we share our experiences, discuss problems we are facing (both technical and business-related) and seek advice from each other.

To encourage other women to network online, I started my own electronic mailing list called The Women's List. In addition to creating and distributing an online Networking Directory for members, I also inform them about issues that affect them, both in cyberspace and in the real world. Occasionally, I'll send announcments for actions, asking the members to call their senators or representatives about important issues. Recently, I distributed information from San Francisco NOW for a letter writing campaign to Wilson Sporting Goods protesting their hiring of a convicted batterer as their new celebrity spokesperson. What started out as a way to make business connections online has quickly become a forum to encourge women to become active for causes in which they believe. Disseminating this information via the Internet saves me time and money.

Making information available online is not easy to execute, but the potential audience for the information is enormous. Online postings or forums can be seen by hundreds, thousands and even millions of people around the world. Wanting to put useful information online, I started SafetyNet, a forum on Women's Wire to discuss issues of violence against women including domestic violence. I also created a Web page by the same name to offer information on domestic violence including bibliographies, a domestic violence handbook, and statistics. I regularly receive email from people around the world, including Canada and Israel, confirming the usefulness and reach of this online resource.

In addition to creating online lists and forums, I have also participated in online conferences for women. One of the pioneers of women in cyberspace, Eva Shaderowfsky, hosts several women's online conferences which are held live - in "real time". Real time means that the guest and audience are online at the same time and can type their questions, comments and replies for all to see in an immediate way. Some past guests include Peggy Orenstein who wrote the book "Schoolgirls"; Jane Mattes, author of the book "Single Mothers by Choice"; and Donna Ferrato, founder of the Domestic Abuse Awareness Project whose domestic violence photographs and text appear in her book "Living With The Enemy". Some topics discussed in the online women's conferences have ranged from "Working Out of Your Home" to "Feminist Parenting" to "Balancing Your Family and Career."

My online explorations have allowed me to "visit" virtual offices of women's organizations around the world including branches of NOW, Global Fund for Women, Rock for Choice, the Women's Building in San Francisco, and more, all in a matter of minutes and without leaving my home. When you go to a virtual office for an organization, you can read their mission statement, peruse their recent newsletter, learn about their activities and special programs and find out how to make a donation to them. Many of the women from these organizations and other activists are now participating in a new list called Virtual Sisterhood where one of the current topic of discussion is the UN Conference in Beijing this year. From this list alone, I am being introduced to women from all over North America and from places in South America, Europe and Asia.

I not only meet many interesting women online, but also organize regular gatherings for New York City members of Women's Wire. We've met for brunch and for dinner several times since the beginning of last year. A recent gathering of WWire members included a psychotherapist who specializes in Holocaust victims, a woman who is graduating from Columbia University with her MBA, a journalist from New York Newsday who is looking to get more out of being online, a writer working on an expose of several large law firms, the regional president of Business and Professional Women, a financial advisor and a computer online consultant (me).

Overall, I have found that going online is very easy to do, and that assessment comes from someone with no technical background. I would say with average use, your monthly cost for being online shouldn't be more than a regular phonebill. And with just a little knowledge and persistence in cyberspace, the world can be at your fingertips or even in the palm of your hand.

Mailing Lists:

The correspondence from these lists are sent via the Internet directly to your email box (be forewarned that you could receive anywhere from 20-100 messages a day but certain lists offer a digest version). To subscribe to these lists, you sent an email message to a main server with a certain message in the body of your email.

Spiderwoman
To subscribe, send an email message to: [email protected]
Put the following in the body of your message:
subscribe spiderwoman yourname@emailaddress

Virtual Sisterhood
To subscribe, send an email message to: [email protected]
Put the following in the body of your message:
SUBSCRIBE vs-online-strat

World Wide Web home pages:

To get onto the Web, you need an Internet shell account and preferably a PPP account (all obtained through an Internet Service Provider). You also need a Web browser such as Netscape or Mosaic. Web sites are databases that are presented as linked pages, often with photographs and graphics and sometimes sound and video. The Web address, or URL, will always start with http:// as shown below.

Web sites:

SafetyNet - http://www.cybergrrl.com/dv.html
Global Fund for Women - http://www.igc.apc.org/gfw.html
Rock for Choice - http://bianca.com/lolla/politics/rockforchoice/r4c.html

Web directories about women:

Women's Guide to the Internet -
http://mevard.www.media.mit.edu/people/mevard/women.html

Feminist Activist Resources on the Net -
http://www.clark.net/pub/s-gray/feminist.html

Feminism and Gender Issues -
http://tigger.cc.uic.edu/~lauramd/fem.html

Commercial online services:

Women's Wire - national commercial online service with over 90% female members. The Women's Building and several branches of NOW are located on this service. Eva's Chat in Real Time happens every Sunday at 9pm EST. $9.95/month with 3 free hours and $3.95/hour after. 1-800-210-9999

America Online - national commercial online service with 30% female population but has regular weekly women's conferences hosted by EvaS. Tuesday night at 9pm EST is Women's Issues - Keyword: IES. Thursday night at 9pm EST is the Women's Room - Go to People Connection and check Available Rooms (usually toward the bottom). $9.95/month with 5 free hours and $2.95/hour after. 1-800-827-6364

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