apanter@kawartha.net
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Author: Anne Panter
Graphics: Adam Panter
Reach us at apanter@kawartha.net
Ah, winter in the Kawarthas: skating and snowmobiling and evenings warming frozen toes by the fire. And, already, power outages and car doors frozen shut and snow-covered roads. Thank goodness for the old-fashioned community spirit of neighbours helping neighbours.
That same old-fashioned spirit is also alive and well in the new "computer age", where another kind of "helping hand" is needed, particularly at this time of year, as people discover that computer which Santa left under the tree isn't quite as "intuitive" as all the ads proclaimed. Operating a computer, like operating a car, requires a fair bit of knowledge, plus some aquired skills. Yet neither comes with "driving lessons". It's nice to know your neighbours are here to help. The same folk who help you jump-start your car or thaw your water pipes are available at the kawartha-online mailing list.
A mailing list is somewhat like a bulletin board. Any letter addressed to "kawartha-online" is sent to all subscribers. Once you have subscribed, you can post questions to the list, and, surprisingly soon, start answering some yourself. The easiest way to subscribe is to send an email to kawartha-online@kawartha.net, with the word "subscribe" in both the subject line and in the message itself.
To see what it's all about, go to the "kawartha-online" web page. Start at www.nexicom.net, then choose "user services", then "mailing lists", then "Peterborough and the Kawarthas", then "Kawartha-online". Here you will find a comprehensive site on which you can access past messages - even sort them by date, or by author. You don't have to be "subscribed" to do this - just choose "visit kawartha-online without joining". If you like what you see, you can come back to this point and click on "join kawartha-online" (or just send the email message as I mentioned above).
Of course this isn't just a "help line". Looking through past messages you'll find Christmas greetings, daily (sometimes hourly) doses of humour from our resident comedian, recommended sites (educational and otherwise - do check the Furby one) and notices of local events (including weather watches!). We also use this to post the agenda and minutes of the Kawartha Internet Users Group.
Then - to meet these neighbours in person, come to the next user group meeting - at 7 pm on Thursday, January 14th at the Lions' Hall, Main St., Bobcaygeon.