(The newsletter is jam-packed with info - please at least scan
the headlines so you'll catch anything relevant to you)
Cruzio/The Internet Store Newsletter - Number 21, March 15, 1999
1. Secure server now available for e-commerce
2. Fixed!!! 28.8/33.6 line problem
3. Fixed!!! 56k lines no longer busy
4. March 17th, free Internet Business workshop
5. ADSL, ISDN and other high-speed connections
6. New Web-Publishing classes
7. Y2K free workshop
8. Classes for children and beginners
9. Recent Spam increase
10. Cruzio matches pledges to KUSP
11. Can you take your computer apart? Learn how.
12. Are you an e-commerce consultant?
13. About This Newsletter
14. How to Reach Cruzio (dial-in or tech support)
1. Secure server now available for e-commerce
Cruzio has a new service which many of you have been requesting.
We now have special "Gold Key" accounts on a secure server so that
customers can safely handle online transactions, such as credit-card
payments. We named it "Gold Key" because in most web browsers when you're
on a secure server an unbroken gold key appears in the lower left-hand
corner of the window.
The Gold Key accounts include 40 megabytes of web space on a secure server,
ability to run your custom scripts, and a built-in method to process
transactions. The cost is $45 per quarter ($15/month) with a $45 setup fee.
This service can open a whole new realm of income to your organization.
A good deal.
2. Fixed!!! 28.8/33.6 line problem
At last! Cruzio is thrilled to report that after months of work and
daily phone calls to Pacific Bell, finally a technician came in who
understood the lines and was able quickly to fix our problem. All our
lines are now available to our customers and that should mean no
busy signals on these lines -- hopefully never again. That's what we
work for. Thanks for your patience with this problem.
3. Fixed!!! 56k lines no longer busy
Cruzio's equipment move went very smoothly. It occurred 2 weeks ago
without much interruption to service at all, thanks to our crack
engineering staff, led by Jay (and in this case, Pacific Bell also did
a good job). After we moved we were able to obtain the much-overdue lines
we needed for the 56k/ISDN pool. Now that we've moved we will endeavor,
once again, to be busy-signal free. We are keeping a sharp eye on the
usage patterns of these lines, since it seems that people tend to stay
on-line much longer when they're at higher speeds.
4. March 17th, free Internet Office workshop
On March 17th (this Wednesday evening) from 5-6pm, Cruzio will be
holding an Internet Office workshop. We'll be discussing the many
features that Cruzio can provide a business or other organization
-- lots of things you may not be aware of, which are simply too
complex to list easily in a newsletter or other brief mention.
The workshops are also fun. Led by the ebullient Kathy and John,
Cruzio also provides snacks and each attendee gets a free Cruzio
t-shirt (we have many fashionable colors in stock). If you are
curious about our new e-commerce services, we will be outlining
them in the workshop. Attendance is limited. If you'd like to attend,
please email feedback@cruzio.com. There are still several seats open
as of this writing.
5. ADSL, ISDN and other high-speed possibilities
For those of you who want more speed than you can get through a 56k modem,
a reminder that Cruzio offers single-channel ISDN service (64k) at the
same price as our regular dialup, and dual channel ISDN service (128k)
for an additional charge. ISDN requires a special digital line from
PacBell and an ISDN adapter which takes the place of your current modem.
You can get more information about ISDN at
http://www.cruzio.com/support/modems/isdn.html
Cruzio is also planning to offer DSL service in the near future. Keep an
eye on our newsletters for more information.
6. New Web-Publishing classes
Along with our popular series on "Using the Internet" (for beginners
or those wanting familiarity with the basics) and "Publishing
on the Internet" (for those ready to put their own web pages on the
'Net) we are adding some new classes. The old "Webmaster" series, which
includes more advanced features to add to your web pages, has morphed into
"Publishing on the Internet - Intermediate Level". We have completely
re-worked two of the classes to contain new material on CGI scripting
and Javascript. If you'd like to learn how to impress web readers with
fancy graphics or interactive features (such as buttons which change when
the mouse passes over them), please have a look.
The new classes will be starting in April, taught by two of our
experienced and patient instructors, Mark and John. The other series'
are ongoing; they meet 4 times a month. For more information, such as
a schedule, please look at our "classes" web page at
http://www.cruzio.com/classes
7. Y2K free workshop
We worry about it. "Y2K". Will it be a nightmare? As computer
professionals, we'd like to provide as many resources as possible
to our customers to help them consider the possible effects of
"Y2K" on their business and their lives, and how deal with potential
problems. We're holding a workshop on Wednesday, March 31st from
5 to 6pm, led by our community-minded staffer Kathy. Please bring
questions. If you'd like to attend, please email feedback@cruzio.com,
as attendance is limited. As of this writing there's still room.
8. Classes for children and beginners
Cruzio is offering beginning computer classes for adults and
beginning/intermediate computer classes for kids. We've set them
up through the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation department. We've
had the first several classes and they are a blast.
Grownup classes, "Computers for Non-Geeks", meet on Monday evenings.
Kids classes are on Saturday afternoons (we thought the parents could
take advantage and slip out for some coffee...). For more info, or
to enroll, please contact the Parks and Rec Department at 307 Church Street,
Santa Cruz, (831) 420-5250.
9. Recent Spam increase
Spammers -- people who use the Internet to send multiple copies of
advertising or other promotional junk -- have recently had a big
increase on the Internet. They are using ever-more sophisticated
means to find e-mail addresses and to sell them to other spammers.
For more info, check out:
http://www.cruzio.com/support/email/spaminfo.html
Cruzio's policy is that we never refuse any e-mail that is from
a valid address and sent to one of our users. That means that our
users do sometimes get spam and we do not stop it. Any filter that
we would use might block legitimate, wanted mail and that, to us,
is the greater crime. Users can filter mail using their own
using e-mail programs such as Netscape or Eudora Pro, and we
encourage you to set up filters if you do not like spam.
Cruzio's policy on spam originating on our system, which occasionally
happens, is very firm. Anyone found sending spam from our system
will have their service terminated.
Cruzio never sells or otherwise reveals information about our
users to outside parties such as marketers. Your information is
considered private.
10. Cruzio matches pledges to KUSP
Cruzio, in conjuction with Guenther Computers, is making a challenge
contribution to public radio station KUSP (88.9fm) for their upcoming
Spring Roll fund drive (March 16-25). Cruzio is matching dollar for
dollar, up to $500, any contributions that KUSP receive via their
online pledge form, which is hosted on Cruzio's Gold Key Server
(see other newsletter item). If you'd like to help us help KUSP via
the web, visit the KUSP web page at
http://www.kusp.org/
and click on the link to "Pledge Your Support to KUSP".
11. Can you take your computer apart? Learn how.
Knowing the insides of a computer, putting in memory or video cards,
and putting it back together so that the thing functions -- great
job skills and very handy knowledge for the home user. Cruzio is
hosting, with the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department, a class
on "Taking Computers Apart and Putting Them Back Together." For more
information, or to enroll, please contact the Parks and Rec Department
at 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, (831) 420-5250 or go to their web site:
http://www.santacruzparksandrec.com/
12. Are you an e-commerce consultant?
If you are an knowledgeable e-commerce web consultant, our customers
are interested in talking to you. Cruzio has set up a new section
on our consultants' page (http://www.cruzio.com/consultants) for
e-commerce. Please go to this page and register if you are interested
in helping folks set up their online stores.
13. About This Newsletter
Cruzio doesn't like to waste bandwidth with extra email, but we sometimes
have events and announcements that users need to know about. This seems
like the most efficient way to let people know what's happening. Hope
it's helpful. Please email support@cruzio.com with any comments or questions.
By the way, we would love to have a regular, predictable schedule
for this newsletter...but we simply do not send it unless there is real
news enclosed. Thus the haphazard datelines.
14. How to Reach Cruzio (dial-in or tech support)
To reach the Cruzio Information Center, for online technical and
sales information:
http://www.cruzio.com/support
To dial in to Cruzio, set your software to dial one of the numbers
below (note: we've expanded and joined modem pools, so you may be
using another number. If so, don't worry, it still works just fine).
56k: 459-9408
33.6 kbps or 28.8 kbps modems: 459-6230
14.4 kbps modems: 459-6200
To call Cruzio:
459-6301.................Use this number to check Cruzio's system status,
pay your Cruzio bill, find out more about our hours and location,
or to reach someone in customer service and technical support.
To send email to Cruzio, use one of these addresses:
support@cruzio.com.......for technical support
office@cruzio.com........for billing and ordering information
webmaster@cruzio.com.....for questions about Cruzio's World Wide
Web service
Thanks very much from Cruzio:
Chris, Peggy, John, Julianne, Patton, Kathy, Mark, Martin,
Georgette, Jay, Tapati, Hilary, Jessica, Amy, Temoc,
Sam, Brittany and Will (the grownups); Jake (7 today!)
and Annika (the kids) and Carolyn Rose (the toddler)
