Date: Fri 10-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Bob-Brand-Web

Full Text:

WITH PHOTO: Helping Ordinary People Untangle The World Wide Web

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

What's the big deal about the Internet and the World Wide Web? Just what do

words like megabytes, RAM, modems, cyberspace, and "surfing the Web" mean? And

why should you care, anyway?

Enter Bob Brand, a computer savvy Newtown resident who loves to cut through

the hype and give people explanations of terms, pertinent information on what

works, and how they can get started at the least cost. He'll be writing a

weekly column for The Bee that untangles the Web and guides the reader step by

step through deciding what equipment to buy, to the pros and cons of a

personalized "home page" (another term he'll explain). All in plain language

with a twist of humor.

"There is something on the Internet for everyone," said Mr Brand, who works in

administration at Fairfield University and writes a regular computer column

for Eastern Aftermarket Journal , a publication for business owners in the

automotive industry. "If someone has an illness or medical problem, he can

find huge amounts of information on the Internet, and can find people with

similar problems to talk to."

Someone interested in art can "visit" a museum. Pet lovers may have a home

page boasting a photo on and vital statistics of their favorite four-legged

friend. Or someone might want to join a support group for people who have quit

smoking. "Virtual communities" are places where people interact through the

computer, share interests, and learn about each other, although they may never

meet face to face, said Mr Brand. People express concern if an active

contributor doesn't appear on the screen for a few days; and for that reason

some people will actually let members of their circle know they are going on

vacation. Recipes, the life works of Albert Einstein, career opportunities,

demographics, wild flowers, wedding planning - just about anything imaginable

is available through the Internet's World Wide Web.

"It's a non-threatening environment. You're sitting in front of a keyboard -

who you are is what you type," said Mr Brand, who is an officer in the PC

Users Group of Connecticut and gives an hour-long talk about the Internet

before each monthly meeting. "If you are careful in crafting messages [and

don't have a lot of grammatical or spelling errors], people will have a

positive image... And slowly, pieces of your personality are exposed."

What the "cyberfriends" in Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, or Rocky Hill might

find out when they converse via computer with Mr Brand is that he considers

himself "kind of a one dimensional person" because he is so enthusiastic about

computers. He and his wife, Joan, moved to Newtown 23 ago and raised two sons.

The youngest is graduating from Hartwick College this month; the eldest is

managing editor for Shot In LA , a magazine that has a home page on the

Internet. "We exchange files back and forth, send two or three e-mails a

week," he said.

His first exposure to computers came 15 years ago when he was laid up after a

bad car accident, and his best friend brought over a single board computer. He

kept adding to his technological inventory and now has four computers. "I

felt, if I got so much out of it, maybe some other people might have the world

opened to them," he said, explaining why he wanted to teach other people about

the Internet. "It is a whole new experience, a whole new world."

Some people may wonder how you can communicate with diverse cultures

throughout the world. English is the official language of the Internet, said

Mr Brand, and often world news is available to computer users faster than

through other media.

"The Internet is a resource. Computers have an impact on our lives and people

shouldn't be afraid to use them," said Mr Brand. "It really gets my juices

flowing when I educate people - explain things and actually have them use the

information."

His first column, which will appear next week, is aptly titled "Where Do I

Start? - Hardware needed and other basic requirements." The second column will

discuss modems, the third software and finding a cheap service provider...

"You don't need a lot of money to do this - you need a 386 computer with 4

megabytes of memory and a VGA monitor. You don't need a pentium computer," he

said. "The column will not talk about esoteric stuff. We'll talk about what

people use - I want to recommend what works."

Mr Brand said his goal is to make his columns interesting and timely. "I want

to unlock the fun that's there," he said. "And be realistic - if something is

slow, I'm going to tell you it's slow."

"There are tremendous resources out there - how do we get at the really neat

places?" asked Mr Brand. That's what he will show people. "What tends to

happen, if you're exposed to it and like it - you really like it and get

bitten by it!"

If you clip the columns and keep them in a binder, you will have a handy

reference book that is more up to date than much of what you will find in the

book store. But you won't be clipping these and hanging out on the line next

to them if you run into a glitch. You can just drop a note to Mr Brand and he

will do his best to help you figure out the problem.