Hello Cyber Travelers,Students (I've actually recieved enrollment requests )...
Here we go again. Let's use some anonymous names. Mr. Fresh says to Ms Nubian, " You haven't tried the Commerical Online Services yet?". Ms Nubian responds "No,....care to enlighten me on exactly what I might expect to find on a Commericial Online Service?" Mr. Fresh says, "let's do this...". So begins this lessson...
On Commericial Services you will find among many things Databases. Databases hold a wealth of information. During a Job hunt, I once did a D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) Report on a perspective company. I was able to get a snap shot view of the company, BEFORE the interview. In another scenario, I was tasked with a Term Paper for my Foreign Exchange and Theory Class. I had to track a major Currency (other than U.S) and graph the movement of the currency as well as post what I thought was the reasons behind the movements.
For the D&B report I used a database on Compuserve Online Service, I believe such as IQUEST or similar. With the FX project I used the Dow Jones News Retrieval Service to get historic rates on the Currency of my choice, which was the British Pound. In addition the Services of America Online where helpful in that, I was able to get Feed back via News Info, of why Market Experts felt that certain currencies fluctuated for a specified time as they did.
Databases allow for a wealth of information. Those who are in the Job Search Market will find that Commerical Online Services often use the service known as E-Span. Here you will find a database of Job offerings by Geographic Location as well as by Occupation Desired.
Yes these are all Databases, but you will find a difference. You will notice that some DataBases are part of the Commerical Online Service it self. Such can be a Database of Files, as found on America Online. Such can be a Database of Membership records for searching for members of similar Interests. The Databases mentioned in the above paragrahs are not necessarily provided by the Commerical Online Serviced themselves. but rather by was are called Information Providers. These parties offer their services at cost via the Commerical Online service. One such database found on numerous commerical online services such as Prodigy,America Online,Compuserve and others is the Airline Services of Easy Sabre. Through this service you are connected to multiple Airlines/Hotels and Car Reservation Services.
You can see that these Databases offer a wealth of informaiton. Also you will find on Commerical Online Services Special Interest Groups. They will apply to the Areas that specialize in a particular topic. So wether you are a Lawyer or Musician, you can most like find an area of interest amoung these groups. We can consider these groups very similar to the Message Areas you may find on a local Computer Bulletin Board System or on an UseNet NewsGroup (another lesson...)
Some Online enthusiast like to do things online that they like to do offline. One such example is Shopping. You will find on Commerical Onlines Services that some Department Stores such as JC Penny's offer their products for order directly online. So you don't have to leave your home, but can shop right on your PC. So when gift giving time comes, you can get that special someone, that special something, via your PC.
It is important to note that Commericial Online Services are often owned by Parent Companies. I believe the service GENIE is owned by General Electric Company. Often you will find that Commericial Service offer you the Software needed to acces them, which may in fact be optional. As with aforementioned service, they offer as an option the Software Aladdin.
As we can see the Database again can vary from one Commericial Online Service to the next. Let us close with looking at a few Commercial Services and a Database they carry...
Genie
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Reuters
America Online
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Help-Wanted Classified
Compuserve
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Standard & Poors
Delphi
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Knowledge Index
Well that raps up this lesson, hoping your CyberTravels are good ones...
Info Highway Lessons...NOW PLAYING at a CyberStation near YOU
Mike