GNN Help

Welcome to GNN, a global information service and navigational aid for the Internet community. If this is the first time you've seen GNN, you probably have a few questions about what GNN is and how to find your way around.

You've come to the right place.

What is GNN?

Think of GNN as the Internet equivalent of a town center: a virtual village square where people can engage in a variety of activities -- personal and professional, practical and recreational -- at a single location. Come and visit as often as you like.

Getting Started with GNNworks

If you're using the GNNworks browser, you may want to learn more about the many features and options available to you. Read Using GNNworks for a good overview and see GNNworks Frequently Asked Questions for answers to some common questions users have. And refer to Local Access Numbers for GNN Dial-up Service for your best connection to the Web and GNN.

Getting Started in GNN: The Opening Screen

The best place to begin any visit to GNN is at the GNN Opening Screen, which describes some of the current features in GNN; or at the GNN map, which is similar to the table of contents in a printed magazine. On the GNN map you will find categories describing all the services available through GNN.

At the bottom of every page in GNN is a GNN Map icon that looks like this:

Click on this icon anytime you want to skip directly back to the GNN map.

Getting around in GNN

The GNN Web site, like the World Wide Web itself, is simply a collection of computerized documents, or "pages," that are joined together by underlined words and point-and-click pictures called "links" or "hyperlinks."

A link on a page might look like an underlined word -- GNN opening screen, for example -- or it might be represented by a picture that looks like a button or icon. In either case, when you click on the link, your computer automatically requests a copy of the linked document and then displays it on your screen. So "surfing" the Internet is really just a matter of reading a series of documents, which you display on your computer screen by clicking on links contained in other documents.

(Note that not all graphics are hyperlinks; some are simply design elements.)

World Wide Web pages are stored in a kind of computer called a "server." Thousands of servers are connected to the Internet worldwide, with millions of documents open to public access. The process of following links from one Web page to another can lead you to documents stored in any of those servers, making the Internet a vast network of information and entertainment available to you through your computer's modem.

Getting Back to GNN

Many of the links in GNN lead out of the GNN Web site to other servers on the Internet. If you surf your way out of GNN, you will no longer see a GNN Map icon at the bottom of your screen. How do you get back to GNN?

We can assume you've found your way to GNN at least once, because the page you are reading now is within GNN -- but just in case you stumbled upon GNN, here are instructions for finding the GNN opening screen from any place on the Internet, or when you first turn on your computer.

First, make sure your Internet connection is open, and your Web browser software is running. (A "Web browser" is a software product that lets you read pages on the World Wide Web; typical Web browsers are GNNworks, Netscape, and Mosaic.) The URL (Uniform Resource Locator -- the "Internet address") of the GNN opening screen is http://gnn.com. Type this in the "Location" blank of your Web browser (clearing any URL that's already there, if necessary). Then press Enter on your computer keyboard and the GNN opening screen will come up on your monitor.

More Ways to Get Back

If you like GNN and plan to return often, put GNN in your browser's "bookmark list" or "hotlist" for easy access. In most browsers, including Netscape and Mosaic, it is also possible to choose a startup page that loads automatically when you start a session on the Web. If you're using GNNworks, the GNN opening screen is already set for automatic loading. If you're using another browser and you want to make GNN your default home page, pull down the "Options" menu at the top of your Web browser, select "Preferences" or "Configuration," and then type http://gnn.com in the "home page" line. Once you've done this, the GNN opening screen will appear on your screen each time you start your Web browser and whenever you click on your browser's Home icon.

A Word About Breakdowns

The Internet is a busy, imperfect, and ever-changing system. New Web pages are continually being added, and existing sites frequently move to a different address or are taken off-line. So things don't always work the way you expect them to.

If you click on a link and you get a cryptic "not available" message, try again, and again if it still doesn't work. If the server you're contacting is particularly busy, you might have to try again later. Sometimes you'll get a message that says "404 Not Found." This probably means that the page you're requesting has been moved or deleted, and you won't be able to get access to it unless you can find an updated URL (Internet address) for the document. Problems like these are a fact of life on the Internet.

Don't get too discouraged. If the document you're seeking is no longer available, you might want to use the Whole Internet Catalog to locate another Web page on the same topic.

Surf's Up!

Now you're ready to begin exploring GNN and the rest of the Web using our navigational aids. Click on the GNN Map icon below to get to the GNN map, or click on All About GNN for access to more information about GNN and its services, including a GNN Map Orientation.

Return to All About GNN