The Internet in print

Nation's Business, May, 1997 by Tim McCollum

Not everything about the Net is on a screen. Here are some useful publications on the topic.

The high-tech, all-digital Internet has spawned a prolific industry in book and periodical publishing to meet the demand for information on how to make the most of the Internet. Most of the published material can be found in bookstores and on newsstands. Here's a look at some of the most useful titles:

On The Newsstand

A good way to learn about the Internet is to become a regular reader of at least one of the many Internet-related magazines. Internet World, a monthly, covers news and developments concerning the Internet. Departments offer information on various topics and tell what types of new services and software are available on the Internet.

NetGuide seeks to be the Internet equivalent of TV Guide. Much of the monthly NetGuide is devoted to reviews of World Wide Web sites and Internet software and hardware products that might appeal to consumers.

Online Access, like NetGuide, tells users what's available on-line and recommends products that will help them get there. The monthly's specialty is its "Hot List," an extensive listing of capsule reviews of Internet sites by category.

ZD Internet, a PC Magazine for the Internet, specializes in reviewing the latest computers, software, and peripherals for using the Internet. Most of the reviews and features cover the business side of things such as the latest Web-server hardware and software.

Books For Getting Started

These books explain what the Internet is and how to use it.

Internet Starter Kit for Windows 95, by Adam Engst, Corwin Low, and Stanley Orchard (Hayden Books, $35), does a good job of describing the Internet and explaining how to get started. The authors tell how to choose an Internet service provider and how to use Internet features such as electronic mail, FTP (file-transfer protocol, for copying or moving files via the Internet), newsgroups, and the Web.

Using Email Effectively, by Linda Lamb and Jerry Peek (O'Reilly & Associates Inc. $14.95), outlines when and why e-mail should be used in companies, discusses its capabilities, and deals with matters such as broadcasting to a mailing list and keeping records of e-mail "conversations" with clients and co-workers. The book gives readers hints for keeping up with e-mail they receive.

Doing Business

The number of books about using the Internet in business is growing. Many are focused on marketing and customer service on the Web. Others look at how the Internet can improve the business as a whole.

Corporate Politics and the Internet, by James Gaskin (Prentice Hall, $24.95), details legal and management issues that can arise when companies use the Internet. Topics include computer security network management, copyrights and intellectual property, and e-mail privacy.

Creating the Virtual Store, by Magdalena Yesil (Wiley Computer Publishing, $24.953, gets into the nuts and bolts of building a sales site on the Web. The book emphasizes the importance of planning and creating an on-line storefront that will appeal to shoppers.

CyberPower for Business, by Walter Bock and Jeff Senne (Career Press, $14.99), outlines on-line business models such as sales, subscriptions, advertising, services, cost cutting, and enhancing operations. Then the authors walk users through basic strategies for doing business on-line and suggest tools and applications that can help companies reach their goals.

Doing More Business on the Internet, by Mary Cronin (Van Nostrand Reinhold, $29.95), shows how firms use the Internet. The book offers a balance among marketing, customer service, and internal applications such as e-mail, information gathering, and document management.

Another book by Cronin, Global Advantage on the Internet, also $29.95 from Van Nostrand Reinhold, shows companies how the Internet can help them compete globally.

Web Visions, by Eugene Marlow (Van Nostrand Reinhold, $29.95), through interviews with corporate decision makers, shows how companies are using the Web and how they got started. The book includes sections on advertising, communications, and electronic commerce.

Finding Things

Guidebooks abound on tapping the Internet's vast network of resources. Harley Hahn's Internet & Web Yellow Pages, by Harley Hahn (Osborne/McGraw Hill, $29.99), gathers an eclectic mix of Web pages, newsgroups, and mailing lists. It's not a definitive guide to the Internet, but it does provide links to information on the economy, investing, law, management, and marketing.

Luckman's World Wide Web Yellow Pages, by the editors of Luckman Interactive Inc. (Barnes & Noble Books, $24.95), provides listings and ratings of more than 10,000 Web sites in 187 categories. There is an extensive amount of business information covering advertising, banking, business resources, finance, international commerce, management, and marketing.

The Prentice Hall Directory of Online Business Information 1997, by Christopher Engholm and Scott Grimes (Prentice Hall, $34.95), is a hefty guide containing short reviews of more than 1,000 business-information sites on the Web. The sites are grouped in categories such as general business, personal finance, career advancement, business services, and industries.