Cruzio/The Internet Store Newsletter - Number 27, October 1, 1999
1. December 1st rollout for Cruzio DSL
2. Sell stuff on the Web
3. The Internet can be confusing...
4. Cruzio is Dreamcast compliant
5. Business Brown Bag on Thursday, October 28th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm
6. Cruzio's fine new General Manager
7. Coming up: an essay contest for students
8. Don't be shy, use our online databases
9. Appreciate account id on payments
10. About this newsletter
11: How to Reach Cruzio (dial-in or tech support)
1. December 1st rollout for Cruzio DSL
DSL is a way of using a plain old telephone line for a connection that's
substantially faster than 33.6 or 56k. Cruzio has been investigating the
technology, and it seems like a good choice for individuals and businesses
that have been hankering after fast speeds, but don't want to pay hundreds
of dollars per month.
Cruzio has ordered the equipment and will begin testing the service in
the next few weeks. We expect to have it available to customers starting
December 1st, 1999. So if you feel you could really use a faster
connection, check:
http://gate.cruzio.com/support/dsl.html
2. Sell stuff on the Web
Classes start on Thursday, October 7 for Cruzio's new "E-commerce" series.
There's still plenty of time to register or to call and ask questions.
The world of e-commerce is growing quickly, and Cruzio knows that our
members are interested in it. An informational web page for your business
is great; a web page that actually does transactions is a cash register
running 24 hours a day. Cruzio has been researching options for small- to
medium-size businesses, and we'll walk you through the steps needed for
creating an e-commerce site in our new "E-commerce" series.
E-commerce students are expected to be familiar with general Web site
creation, including HTML and FTP (these are covered in Cruzio's
"Publishing on the Web" series -- see below). Students who choose to do
so may take an exam and complete a project to receive a Cruzio E-commerce
Certificate, suitable for showing potential clients and employers.
The series costs $250, the certificate program is $100 extra. (Cruzio
members receive discounts.)
Get started soon! Christmas is just around the corner, and it would be
nice to have the online sales going by then...
3. The Internet can be confusing...
Do you know someone who can't get around much on the Internet unless
they have someone there to help? Remember that Cruzio teaches classes
for beginners, as well as intermediate and advanced learners.
There's still Plenty of Time to sign up for all series.
For beginners, there's our "Using the Internet" Series, which covers
the basics in a thorough way. Perhaps you've used e-mail without
knowing advanced features that could save you time and trouble. Perhaps
you've surfed the Web, but wished for tips and tricks to find good
information faster. The classes are fun, there's lots of hands-on practice,
and our teachers (Amy and Sam) are patient and knowledgeable.
For intermediate learners, "Publishing on the Web I and II" are a popular
series of classes (our most popular, in fact). These classes teach you
how to create and manage web pages for your business or hobby, how to
find and include good graphics and other design elements, and how to
place interactive features on your pages such as forms and guest-book
entries. John, Mark, and Kathy teach these classes, and they consistently
get high marks for their good humor and in-depth presentations.
For advanced learners who are ready to sell stuff on the Web, Cruzio
provides e-commerce classes. See the separate newsletter item above
(these classes are new, so they deserve their own entry.)
Please check http://www.cruzio.com/classes for more information. To
register, just call us at 459-6301 and press 4 for sales.
In addition to these Cruzio classes, we also offer classes in conjunction
with the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department:
Computers for Non-Geeks
Scintillating Amy guides newcomers to the challenging world
of computers.
Computers for Kids
Jessica provides responsible, fun lessons to children between
the ages of seven and thirteen.
Taking Computers Apart and Putting the Together
Haven't you always wondered how to do this? Mark takes you through
dis-assembly and functional assembly of a computer and explains
the process clearly.
For more information on these 3 classes, or to enroll, please contact the
Parks and Rec Department at 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, (831) 420-5250.
4. Cruzio is Dreamcast compliant
Have you read the hype surrounding the new Dreamcast game machine from Sega?
You may even already have one, or be planning to buy one for the holidays.
One feature of this 200-dollar unit is a built-in 56k modem and software
that allows you to hook up to the Internet. Cruzio picked up a Dreamcast
for testing (our engineers were thrilled to be assigned this task), and
we are happy to report Dreamcast is easy to set up and works fine with our
service. Our tech writers were also thrilled with the job of writing
up instructions for setting up a Cruzio-Dreamcast connection, and these are
now available at our store, or you can download them from the web at
http://www2.cruzio.com/~docs/t.dreamcast
Have fun!
5. Business Brown Bag on Thursday, October 28th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm
Cruzio's first business Brown Bag lunch was a tremendous success.
A room full of local businesspeople were able to listen to and ask
questions of an acknowledged expert in the Internet business (Cruzio's own
Fearless Leader, CEO Chris Neklason.) The talk was lively, the information
current, and many participants contributed their questions and experiences.
Our next Brown Bag:
"Building a Successful Internet Presence for Your Business, Part 2"
hosted by Cruzio CEO and founder, Chris Neklason. We'll cover interactive
web sites, e-commerce and general tips for utilizing the Internet in your
business. You don't need to have attended the first Brown Bag to understand
this topic.
Date/Time: Thursday, October 28th, noon to 2:30pm
The price is $5, more if you'd like us to order you a sandwich.
Please go to http://www.cruzio.com/support/business/brownbags.html
to register for the event on the web. Pre-registration is required,
as seating is limited (we want to keep it comfortable). Please send
e-mail to events@cruzio.com if you'd like us to order a sandwich for
you.
6. Cruzio's fine new General Manager
A friendly new face around the Cruzio office is our new General Manager
Barbara. Coming to Cruzio from radio station KUSP, she's a marvel at
getting things done and we look forward to getting straightened out
around here (Ouch! Oooch!) She'll be helping out at the counter, learning
the ropes, so do say hi if you drop in.
7. Coming up: an essay contest for students
Cruzio is planning an essay contest for local students, where we will
publish winning essays and web page work on the Web. We'll be announcing
details in November, but right now we are looking for judges and
prizes. If you'd like to be a judge, which means reading dozens of
grammar school to high school essays, or if you have a business and
would like to contribute a prize to the contest (you'll get free
publicity for this), please contact events@cruzio.com.
8. Don't be shy, use our online databases
Cruzio's online databases are gaining steadily in usage. The databases
include:
Calendar, to publicize your events and look up what's happening
Classified Ads, to sell and buy stuff
Directory, to list your business or hobby or find businesses
Every Cruzio member gets to list 2 items in each database free of charge.
The listings are particularly handy because there's a space to include
e-mail and Web page addresses. So people browsing the page can, with a
click, send e-mail to the seller or visit a web page for more information.
If you want to publicize something locally, it's ideal.
9. Appreciate account id on payments
The bookkeeper would appreciate it if every customer could remember to
put their account id (email address for regular customers, 4 digit
number for internet office customers) on their checks. This helps her
avoid making mistakes when crediting your account and also saves time.
Your account number is stated on your bill. When in doubt, enclose a
copy of your bill. Thanks!
10. About this newsletter
Cruzio 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. Please email support@cruzio.com
with any comments or questions.
11. 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 and under: 459-6230
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, Will, Alec, Rachael, and Barbara (the grownups);
Jake, Annika and Carly (the kids)
Congratulations to Kathy and Alec on their recent wedding!
When Carly, age 2, was told that the sleeveless dress she was wearing
was a "jumper", she got very excited and leaped and skipped around the
room shouting "Jumper! I Jumping!"
