THE Competitive Internet Access... Local Internet Access and Good Service

Suggestions are always welcome!
If you have any comments, suggestions, or just a tip or trick that works well for you while you browse the Internet, please email to newsletter@the-cia.net. We are waiting to hear from you!

Check out our Newsletter Archives:

April 2000

THE-CIA.NetNews
New Braunfels, TX (830) 609-0361 FAX (830) 606-1948
Seguin, TX (830) 372-1470 FAX (830) 372-0930
Gonzales, TX (830) 672-1151
Luling, TX (830) 875-3280
Poth, TX (830) 484-2604

Newsletter #8
November----Harvest moons, cool evenings, holiday family gatherings, Thanksgiving. A great time of year for family, friends, and neighbors. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your Autumn!

Components necessary for Optimum Internet Connectivity.
1. A computer in working order. We know this may sound odd, but if a computer is throwing error messages at you like darts then it is more than likely that you won't be getting an optimum internet connection.
2. A modem. There are many types of modems. 56K modems come in two types: hardware driven and software driven. Then there are 33.6 V.34 and earlier analog modems. It is a good idea to know what type of modem you have so that if you encounter problems later, you will be able to relay that information to your support technician.
3. Current modem drivers. Usually the drivers that were installed with your modem work fine, but often a modem manufacturer will find it necessary to release updated drivers for your specific modem to enable it to work under the new V.90 digital standard.
4. A phone line. Your phone line must be clear and static free. Extra phone cords, splitters, and extensions can cause unnecessary line noise.
5. An Internet Service Provider. That would be us. Do you know the difference between an Internet Access Provider and an Internet Service Provider? We will give you in-depth information about each one of these points in our next few newsletters.

Junk E-Mail (SPAM - inedible kind).
Do you receive lots of junk email messages from people you don't know? It's no surprise if you do. Just as more people use the email as part of their daily routine, many marketers use email messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers say they find unsolicited commercial emails - also know as "SPAM" - annoying and time consuming; others say they have lost money to bogus offers that arrive via email. We endeavor to avoid junk email SPAM. We do not participate in marketing strategies. We respect your privacy and do not release email addresses or account information to anyone.

SPAM continued.....
Other pestilent phenomenon that isn't necessarily SPAM, but just as dangerous is chain mail, "send this to everyone" mail, "virus warnings" and the like. If you get e-mail that requests -- even urgently -- that you spread the message far and wide, that's a warning sign that you should dump it. These campaigns often claim they are "helping" a "good cause", but truly cause problems for the people and organizations touted in these types of emails. The "virus warning" mails are fake too, and keep going despite being years old, and spreading them around causes nothing but resource drains, bother, and sometimes panic to the people you send them to. Then there are the urban legends. You get stories in your e-mail all the time that say they're true. A ship telling a lighthouse to get out of the way. The jet-equipped car crashing in Arizona. The snorkeler dropped from the water-scooping plane onto a fire. All are urban legends and are not true. If you see any plea or warning floating around the net, especially if it tells you to "send this to everyone you know!", the best bet is to assume it's a gag, hoax, or urban legend unless otherwise by going to the source. Please do not send it on.

Your Email Address
Periodically, we send out important company, technical, and informational emails to all of our customers using their @the-cia.net email addres s provided by us. If you use a different email address, please email that address to webmaster@the-cia.net with a note letting us know that it is your preferred email address.

Tips, suggestions, questions, or comments? Please email newsletter@the-cia.net

Thanks! THE-CIA.net Staff