AzTeC is an acronym for Arizona Telecommunication Community, a nonprofit corporation set up to operate a computer communications network for the people of Arizona. AzTeC is part of an international group of computer networks called Free-Nets. Free-Nets give the people in their communities a chance to use electronic communications to share information and opinions and a way to tap into the world wide network called the Internet. There is no charge to use AzTeC; we exist to give to as large a portion of the community as possible, an opportunity to learn how to use the power of computer networks for information, education, and entertainment.
1. Find out what is happening in your community. AzTeC has areas where city governments and other organizations can list the times and dates for events. You might find notices for concerts, museum exhibits, plays, parades, rodeos, sports events, and who knows what else.
2. Find who to contact for help or just to compliment or complain. Many government and private organizations have listings of names and telephone numbers for officials and service providers. Want to find who is responsible for fixing the potholes on the street where you live ? Look at the city government information page.
3. Let others know what you think and see what they have to say. Special Interest Groups ( SIG's )let AzTeC users post their opinions, ask questions, or answer questions others have asked about areas, which are of interest. Ask people what they think about a brand of bicycle or if they have a favorite recipe for stewed squid, or let them know what you have found out about genealogy or great hiking trails.
4. Send and receive electronic mail. Not only will you be able to send messages to other AzTeC users, you can send to or receive mail from any of millions of users around the world on the Internet. You can have your own mailbox on the information superhighway!
5. Get an education. AzTeC has connections to OFCN Academy and Youth Net, services dedicated to Kindergarten through Grade 12 education. There are reports from students on their home towns, reference data on numerous subjects, contests for classes at all grade levels, and many other services for schools. AzTeC gives our local schools a chance to participate in the fun and the learning.
6. Catch up on the news. Usenet News has hundreds of areas covering almost any subject you can think of. You can look at the latest discoveries in Molecular Biology or you can read the latest jokes.
7. Surf the Internet. World Wide Web is a service that will let you browse through computer systems around the world looking for interesting information about thousands of subjects.
Note: This manual contains many examples of text screens and menus sent by the AzTeC system to users' computers. AzTeC is constantly changing, mostly by adding additional features, so what you see on your screen may differ in some details from the examples. In most cases, the features that are discussed will be the same; but their position on a menu may change due to the addition of new features.