Pagans especially have reason to take advantage. Many interesting pagan, witch, magick and related Web sites exist for your edification and amusement (I list some at the end of the article), and if you have esoteric knowledge you want to promulgate to the masses, putting up a Web page is a lot cheaper than printing a book. In alternative newsgroups such as alt.pagan, alt.religion.wicca, alt.magick, alt.divination, alt.religion.asatru, alt.religion.druid and so on, you can connect with other like-minded types and listen in on or respond to current conversations. Web pages and newsgroup conversations are great ways to make long-distance connections if you're moving somewhere or plan to visit and want to check out the pagan-oriented happenings. And, if you make some friends online, you can exchange personal e-mail - if you have an e-mail address.
Generally, browsing the WWW with a tool such as Netscape allows you to view pictures, and sometimes movies, which can be part of a WWW page. Browsing the WWW with a tool such as Lynx allows you to view text only (see the UWIN section for instructions on using Lynx). Generally, you must have an account of your own to be able to receive e-mail; you do not need an account of your own to browse the WWW, though it can be helpful. If you're just getting started on the WWW and don't know where to go, try an index such as that at the address http://www.yahoo.com/ - an index created by Yahoo, a company whose software locates, identifies and indexes Internet material.
One thing before I start: If you're a college or university student or staff member (especially at the University of Washington) you have the right to a full Internet account for free, and you have the right to use fully equipped computer labs for free. Just go to a lab and show your student identification. If you work for a company that is connected to the Internet, it's possible you can get service through them, but you should be aware that privacy rights of Internet users aren't as universally acknowledged in the workplace as they tend to be in academic situations; it depends on your employer. Finally, all universities and colleges (and some employers) allow dial-in access to their Internet accounts over the modem, so you can access your account from your home computer; check with a lab or your system administrator for details.
If you don't have a computer...
To start with, don't feel bad because you don't have a computer. The top-quality equipment you can use for the price of a cup of coffee at the Speakeasy and the Online Cafe is more costly than most people could afford anyway, and there's nothing you could do on the Internet with a home computer that you can't do in one of these places. I'm going to list your drop-in computer use options below, in order of preference.
The Online Cafe is a conveniently located Internet cafe, slightly smaller but much less smoky than the Speakeasy. The Online Cafe is located on Capitol Hill at 219 Broadway E. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday; you can call them at 860-6858 if you have questions. The Online Cafe offers fully equipped terminals running Netscape for surfing the WWW; use of these is $3/half-hour. For a mere $5/month you can get a simple e-mail account, and for $8/month with a $10 setup fee you can get a "shell" account, which allows a wide range of activities including setting up your own WWW page. Printing is also available. Recently, the Online Cafe has added a membership program; for a $10 setup fee and $5/month you get an e-mail account and 15 minutes of free computer time per day. This is a great deal!
The Speakeasy is an Internet cafe where you can relax, drink coffee and browse the Internet. The Speakeasy is located in Belltown at 2304 Second Ave. Hours are 8 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; you can call them at 728-9770 if you have questions. The Speakeasy offers fully equipped terminals running Netscape for surfing the WWW; use of these is $4/half-hour. The Speakeasy also offers text-only T1 terminals running Lynx for surfing the WWW; use of these is free, or $1 if you want to telnet to another account. (Telnet is a command that, among other things, lets you use one of your Internet accounts if you are currently logged into another account or machine.) If you want to have an account so you can receive and send e-mail and set up a WWW page of your own, the cost is $10/month. Printing is also available.
UWIN: A little-known fact is that you can browse the WWW using the text-only browser Lynx for free from any of the "library catalog" terminals in any of the University of Washington (UW) libraries. You can do this whether or not you are an enrolled student at UW. Also, the connection is fast, and there are no time limits on your use of it.
Basically, using the mouse, select "UWIN" from the options on the library terminal. Then, using the cursor keys, select "Internet Resources." Now, select either "List of Internet Resources" or "Lynx: World Wide Web Gateway." Now you're in Lynx. Type "G", enter the WWW address you wish to browse and press return. You're there! You can use the cursor keys to move around, you can type "G" to enter a new address, and you can type "Q" followed by "Y" to quit.
Make sure you quit when you are done! Also, be sure to quit if there are others waiting for your terminal; using the library terminals for library searches takes precedence over all other activities, and I wouldn't want to see WWW features be taken off these terminals because people were abusing the privilege. It's likely that you can do something like this in libraries at other colleges and universities too. One thing, though: You won't be able to receive e-mail or save documents using the UWIN approach.
Seattle Community Network and the public libraries: Terminals in the Seattle Public Library system and in the King County libraries are equipped to connect to the Internet. There are often time limits for use of the Internet through these terminals, though, and the Internet connection is often slow. You have two options for use of the Internet through these terminals: Seattle Community Network (SCN) and UWIN.
SCN is a free network that allows you to browse the WWW with Lynx and have an account to send and receive e-mail from. You need to register (a free process) to get the account, though. Once you have the account, you can access it from any of the library terminals. Select the "SCN" option from the library terminals for more information on registering, and to connect to it once you have registered.
If you don't want to register with SCN, your other option is to use the library terminals to connect to UWIN, and from there access the WWW, as described previously. To get to UWIN from Seattle Public Library terminals, select "Other Libraries and Resources," and from there select "UWIN." From King County library terminals, select "Internet Gateway," from there select "Gateway Access" and from there select "UWIN." Once again, be sure to quit properly when you are done!
If you have a computer...
Great! It can be very convenient to be able to access the Internet from home. You will need a modem to get online. If you haven't purchased one yet, get the fastest one you can afford; you'll thank yourself later. Since you'll be dialing into your account over regular phone lines, you'll also need some sort of Internet service provider. I strongly recommend choosing a local Internet service provider over one of the national services such as America Online, CompuServe or Prodigy; the local providers tend to be less expensive and have a much better record in resisting censorship. I'll recommend one here, but there are many other options; for a current listing of local Internet service providers, browse the WWW site http://thelist.com/
Alternative Access: This Seattle area Internet service provider has so far exhibited outstanding customer service and (most importantly) a high ratio of phone lines to callers, so you rarely if ever get a busy signal. The complete range of Internet capabilities is offered. Call them by modem at 443-3408 to register, or call 728-9585 for more information by voice. You can also browse their WWW page at http://www.aa.net/ or telnet to them at aa.net.
SCN and the public libraries: Although this approach will offer slower connections than utilizing a private Internet service provider, can yield many busy signals and will not allow graphical means of browsing the Internet, it is an option for those who would like free service from home but who don't have an account through their university, college or employer. If you have a free SCN e-mail or WWW account or would like one, you can dial them up at 386-4199, telnet them at scn.org or reach them through the public library dial-ups: Seattle Public Library at 386-4140, or the King Country libraries at 233-7100. Of course, you can also use the techniques involving UWIN through either library system once you have connected with them, as discussed in the previous section.
Learning more
Although the basics of learning how to use the WWW and e-mail are pretty simple, there's much more you can learn about the Internet if you want to use its more advanced features, including accessing newsgroups, or if you want to create your own WWW page. Check your local bookstore for a good general text on the Internet (and on becoming a good net citizen) or on creating your own WWW page; there are literally hundreds to choose from. There are also some fine online instruction manuals available for free over the WWW. Browse Yahoo at http://www.yahoo.com/ for information on this or any other online topic.
Finally, it should be noted that the freedom to use the Internet extends only so far as censorship is kept from the Internet. I urge you to stay informed on issues concerning civil liberties and free speech, and perhaps join a civil rights organization such as the American Civil Liberties Union; you can reach the ACLU at 624-2184.
This guide is brought to you by...
This guide was assembled through the efforts of two organizations: the Society for Human Sexuality (SHS) at the University of Washington and the Northwest Feminist Anti-Censorship Taskforce (NW/FACT). The SHS WWW page address is http://www.sexuality.org/ and the NW/FACT WWW page address is http://www.aa.net/~nw-fact/
Pagan-related WWW pages
Cynosure, a local pagan page featuring event information: http://www.speakeasy.org/~mimir/cynosure/cynomain.html
"Inspiration Is the In-Breath of Spirit": http://www.inbreath.com
Open Ways page, covering the Portland pagan community: http://www.9houses.org/9houses/OpenWays/intro.html
OrishaNet, a page on Santeria: http://www.seanet.com/~efunmoyiwa/welcome.html
The Pagan Pages, a Seattle pagan community forum: http://www.eor.com/pages/
Pagan Resources Index: http://www.ssc.org/~athomps/pagan/paganres.html
Used Karma, an astrology page: http://www.speakeasy.org/usedkarma/
Widdershins: http://www.sexuality.org/~shs/widdershins/
Yahoo Spirituality Index: http://www.yahoo.com/text/Society_and_Culture/Religion/
Other WWW pages of interest
Alternative Access: http://www.aa.net/
Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit organization advocating civil liberties online: http://www.cdt.org/
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) from the USENET (an international electronic bulletin board with 11,000 subject areas), sorted by newsgroup: http://www.smartpages.com/bngfaqs/
Local Internet providers index: http://thelist.com/
Movie times: http://www.movienet.com/
NW/FACT: http://www.aa.net/~nw-fact/
OAK Software Repository, which offers free computer software and information: http://www.acs.oakland.edu/oak.html
Pretty Good Privacy high-security cryptographic software distribution point: http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp-form.html
SHS: http://www.sexuality.org/
SurfWatch Software, a company making software to keep children from accidentally uncovering sexually explicit Internet material: http://www.surfwatch.com/
University of Washington: http://www.washington.edu/
Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com/
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