Cyberia

By DAVE GUSSOW

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 13, 2000

ON THE CONSUMER FRONT: The rise of the Internet will empower consumers, says author Tom Murphy in Web Rules: How the Internet Is Changing the Way Consumers Make Choices (Dearborn, $25) because it gives them access to information to make more informed decisions, and businesses will have to be responsive to that new dynamic to survive. Murphy talks to a number of people, such as Barry Diller of USA Network, Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Andy Grove of Intel to look at this change. On the other hand, the sheer size of the Internet can make sorting through all the choices difficult. Internet cool guide: Shopping (teNeues Publishing, $9.95) edited by Rula Rezak features 600 shopping sites, chosen for security, customer service, content and, of course, "overall coolness."

I WANT MY BNTV?: Using music videos as its inspiration, Barnes & Noble has introduced "bookVideos," three-minute features to promote books and authors. The first video in the online series (www.bn.com) tied in with the book The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw, the widow of one of the victims in the Perfect Storm saga. The feature will expand this fall to include daily video interviews with various authors.

TECH SUPPORT: How complicated can software be? One bay area company estimates that a consumer uses only about 10 percent of the functions in programs such as Microsoft Word. So forgive some people if they become exasperated trying to figure out programs, get tech support or understand a user's manual (if one is provided). Waterfields Guide to Computer Software (Waterfields Press, $19.95), edited by Dr. Arthur L. Delcher, gives an overview of how major software programs work, defines terms and jargon and uses 200 illustrations to help.

PLACES FOR WRITERS: Writers can showcase their work for the world on the Internet. WritingTree.com calls itself a free Internet publishing community, where writers can post their works and get critiques and other feedback online. They'll have to settle for the artistic satisfaction, since there's no pay. At www.themestream.com, writers also can post their works -- and get paid the royal sum of 10 cents per click.

SCHOOLS AND COMPUTERS: As students, parents and teachers get ready for another school year, it's a good time to assess the state of technology in our education system. Digital Divide, Computers and Our Children's Future (TV Books, $24) by David Bolt and Ray Crawford looks at the the problems students and schools face trying to adopt and adapt to technology.

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