By ANGELA DRAKE
The Internet is the baby of the Information Age, pampered and praised as the communication standard for the future.
But what does that mean? Sure, BYU students know of the Internet, but can they effectively use it? The Internet is foreign to inexperienced students.
'They might as well be talking about China,' said Catherine Ybarra, a junior from Orem.
The Internet Club, a BYUSA-approved club as of March 1996, is designed to educate and prepare students to use the Internet, according to Eric T. Peterson, president of the I-club.
The I-club is the largest club on campus. There were 256 members in October, Peterson said. The club is organized into 14 committees, including Internet technology and employment. Each committee has its own web page. Club members receive an Internet account and participate with the committee they are interested in, Peterson said.
Meetings are held on Wednesdays on the second and fourth weeks of the month at 7 p.m. in CTB 340. The meetings provide hands-on experience in workshops and information from local Internet Service Providers.
Guest speakers stress the value of the Internet in the work force, Peterson said. Russ Barrett, employed with Internet Servers Inc., informed the I-club that college graduates can earn an additional $10,000 with web master or Internet administrator experience.
The next workshop, scheduled for Jan. 29, will teach members to make their own web pages, Peterson said.
'The I-club is wonderful for beginners to start to learn the ropes of the Internet,' Peterson said.
The I-club is not limited to beginning students, Peterson said. Advanced Internet users can use their skills to serve the beginners and can improve their abilities with the club's resources. Staff members, employees, and representatives of BYU-approved organizations are all welcome to join, Peterson said.
Most of the members are freshmen, since they became familiar with the Internet in high school. But the Internet is for everyone, Peterson said.
Professors can benefit by learning to put their curriculums on the Internet. The I-club is interested in a faculty member with Internet experience to serve as their adviser.
'I have gone from being almost completely Internet illiterate to being knowledgeable enough to submit templates for the (I-club's) fundraiser,' said Nancy Webb, a senior majoring in social work and chairman of the I-club's education committee.
Webb said Internet experience could give her an edge in her profession.
'The Internet is the wave of the future,' Peterson said. His interest in the Internet started with e-mail and increased with experimentation. 'I could find everything I needed.'
Half of the I-club officers own Internet-related businesses as a result of their applied knowledge, Peterson said. This side business covers their college expenses.
Internet interest led to an informal club before Cougarnet became available, Peterson said. It started with engineering and computer science majors who used a server on campus, Peterson said. He refers to them as the pioneers of the I-club.
Peterson encourages students and faculty of BYU interested in membership to e-mail him at cougar@byu.edu, or to inquire through BYUSA, located on the fourth floor of the Wilkinson Center. The Internet Club's home page is found at http://www.et.byu.ed~~~u/~encp/iclub/.