AzTeC Free-Net Newsletter - September 2003

Greetings AzTeC Users !

The good news is that we are adding new users and some of our old ones
are returning. We have also have people willing to volunteer a few hours
here and there as their schedules permit. Donations are up a bit too and
that is a positive sign. Web mail is still being tested but there will be
about another month or so delay due to vacations. Still have not found the
telnet version of Scrabble which one of our users suggested we add. Have to
admit I ran away for a few weeks to New England and didn't get time to work
on the new brochure. Once this heat abates I think we all will feel more
energetic!

It looks like a public meeting may have to be delayed until the first of the
year. This is when many of our winter visitors come back too, so it might be
a better time than fall. I neglected to mention in my last newsletter that
we actually had a birthday in August. We have usually celebrated it in the fall
due to the heat. Seems like a long time ago (1994) when the city of Tempe sent
out notice of our new community server in their August water bills! I remember
it well as our help line was absolutely deluged with calls! As I recall, three
of us tried to keep up with it and called everyone we knew to help! Those
were the days my friends! Can it happen it again? You bet! We are working on
some publicity and have an offer of help from a professional news person and
a good AzTeC friend. It is clear that secure POP3 mail is a winner and once
the news gets out to the public of this free service there is every reason to
expect new members. Spam filtering has been good too. It is not perfect as
sometimes mail from a particular IP address gets caught up with a bunch of spam
and doesn't get through. For the most part it is a temporary condition. There
are always tradeoffs. We have not yet put in an opt out for spam but you can
check the Operational sig for more info on this. Think carefully though as
there are literally thousands of spam msgs now being blocked. Also, remember
some of you have not changed your address to "aztecfreenet.org" If the mail
goes through the old ASU address we cannot control the spam. In February this
forwarding will end.

In case you missed it the new senior sig is going well. It can be found under
the listing of sigs on the main menu (#12.) Even if you haven't read the sigs
recently take a minute to look at the discussion group which recently listed
low gas prices, the operational sig which answers questions about AzTeC, the
Current Events sig which gets pretty intense sometimes and join any of them
when you have time. If you haven't tried Usenet you will be amazed to find all
kinds of interest groups too. Lynx was upgraded some time ago as were many
other items on AzTeC. If you have trouble finding your way around, call the
helpline at 480-391-6565. Be sure to leave your phone number and a time to
call you.If your phone is blocked you must temporarily unblock your line for a
call back. To do this use *87. People out of the Phoenix area can email any
of our directors for help. List of directors is under AzTeC Administration on
the main menu.

At the request of a user in Prescott I've printed how to access AzTeC at the
end of this msg. Feel free to offer your suggestions anytime. This next month
will be a little quiet as our tech takes a well deserved R&R. In Oct. we will 
gear up for some of the new services we've mentioned.

Here's hoping for some cooler days ahead!

Nathalie

Nathalie Goss
President, AzTeC Board of Directors

Donations can be made out to AzTeC and sent to the address below.
AzTeC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

AzTeC
P.O. Box 15844
Phoenix , AZ 85060-5844

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Attention Prescott! Directions for access to AzTeC:

Prescott Library: Dial : Prescott: (928)771-9775
First screen: log in with ID and password of 'aztec' for both.
This will take you to the AzTeC login screen for your personal
ID and password.

Note: This double login is due to security and system requirements. New
subscribers would use guest for an id and visitor for the password after
arriving at the AzTeC site. They still need to use aztec for the FIRST
id and aztec for the password on the first screen.

Modem Software:
Set your modem software parameters for: databits-8, stopbits-1, parity-none
terminal emulation-VT100 or VT102
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web address: http://aztecfreenet.org