 |
Net Gains (Apr 21, 98) |
Those of us with Internet connections are blessed - we can communicate
instantly with family, relatives and friends spread all over the
world. But the problem arises when someone you know doesn't have
access to email - what then ? The very thought of putting pen
to paper is daunting to say the least, at least once you've got
used to email. The person without email ends up being the person
without mail too in such a situation, unless you have the will
to sit, write a letter, find an envelope, find a stamp, and locate
a postbox to post it in !
People on the Internet found a solution. If the recipient had
a fax machine, but no email, you could send an email to a server
located closest to the recipient, and the email would be faxed
across for free, the costs usually being advertiser supported.
This email-to-fax service is available from various sites on the
Net - The Phone Company (http://www.tpc.int) being one of the
bigger names in the business.
A few weeks ago, Britain's post office and Microsoft announced
plans to jointly launch a mixed Internet and postal service that
will enable Microsoft Network users worldwide to send e-mail to
Britain where printed copies will be sent by first-class or airmail
delivery in Britain and Europe. A joint statement described this
service (named RelayOne) as "fast, convenient, and simple,
providing a real alternative to regular mail, fax or courier services,
while reducing the cost and increasing the speed of sending letters
and documents." The cost of sending a letter via RelayOne
is US$2.5 for one page, and decreases as the number of pages increases.
Two months before RelayOne was announced, Multinet Infosys Pvt.
Ltd, had been offering a similar service for free. Called Online
Post
(http://www.homeindia.com/post/), this service enables Indians
residing outside the country to communicate with their family,
friends and relatives anywhere in India. The Online Post homepage
allows an NRI to send his message (along with the recipients full
postal address). Multinet then prints and posts the message to
the recipient's address via snail mail (aptly describing our postal
system). This cuts down the usual time a letter would take to
reach India from the sender's post office, allowing the letter
to be delivered in about one third of the normal time taken. This
service is offered for free, though donations are welcome to recover
local postage charges. They currently handle about 500 messages
a day, even though these messages are restricted exclusively to
people staying outside India. So, while you cannot use this service,
you could help connect other friends to their relatives here by
telling them about the service. One big chunk of readers who would
benefit would be all those students going abroad for further studies.
Every student in the US has email access, though their folks at
home may not - here's a service that could help them keep in touch.
Sadly enough for them, there also go their excuses for not writing
home now ("Ma - you don't have email. When you get email,
I'll write to you everyday, promise !")
Net/What.If ?
In the recent past, many readers have complained that the bom3
server has been down for hours on end without any warning notice
(or an apology later) from VSNL - holding up scheduled work and
Net related activities. If this was Illinois (in the US), VSNL
would have to be extra careful. Addressing some Net users' frustrations
about unreliable service, a state bill has been introduced there
that would let customers request a refund if their online access
is unexpectedly interrupted for more than four hours. Major US
ISPs already offer service guarantees to their business clients
- a full day's refund for each 15 minutes the service is down,
while individual consumer refunds are done on a case-by-case basis.
Are our lawmakers listening ?
Net/Birthday
For those who follow royalty, it's Queen Elizabeth II's birthday
today. Find out more about her on the Web at :
http://www.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/ United_Kingdom/Society_and_Culture/Royalty/Elizabeth_II