Contents:

• Introduction to the Internet
• Search Engines
• E-Mail
• E-mail Discussion Groups
• News Groups and Forums

Introduction to the Internet

There are a number of Internet tutorials and glossaries of Internet terms., e.g. Learn The Net. The Doctor's Guide to the Internet requires a subscription fee.

Search Engines

You've probably already used these! It's hard not to use Google - fast, simple and relevant. Mooter is a new arrival! Others include AltaVista, Lycos and Search.com. When searching for specific information these systems can at times be the best way to find information on the net.

If you are looking for medical information alone, dedicated medical search engines such as Citeline include Medline searching and specifically index medically relevant content. Medical World Search (subscription required; headlines free) and the Medical Matrix ($US89 annual fee required) are similar. MedHunt is a selective annotated search tool for locating medical sites.

Electronic Mail (Email)

Email is an informal and insecure means of communication. Email can be secure if your email software is capable of encrypting messages and attaching digital signatures.  Be aware that what you think is private email can easily be forwarded to anyone else in the world. The general rule of thumb regarding email is: "Don't send something written in email that you wouldn't want to read in public." More info?:

Here's some information about spammers (uninvited junk-mail). General principles of spam avoidance include:

• don't turn image viewing 'on' in your email application
• don't give your primary email address to anyone you don't trust
• make a second 'disposable' email address for insecure purposes
• don't use common names in your email address (easily guessed)
• never allow your email address to appear on a web page

E-mail Discussion Groups

Email discussion lists allow groups of people with similar interests to communicate easily by e-mail. Every e-mail sent to the the list server is automatically forwarded to every person on the list.

Most anaesthesia discussion groups are listed the ACCRI Discussion Groups Page. This is a complete listing of all the e-mail discussion lists that have relevance to anaesthesia.

If you subscribe to a list, save a copy of the help document that is sent to you - it can be very useful later on!

I strongly suggest subscribing to David Crippen's CCM-L if you have an ICU interest.

Keith Ruskin's GasNet Anesthesiology list is still continuing although the web site is offline. Ivan Hronek started the AnaesthIdeas web-based discussion group early in 2008.

Some more general health-related electronic mail discussion lists can be found on the Topica web site.

UseNet News Groups and Forums

HeartBoard is a web based Perfusion and Cardiac Anesthesia discussion forum from the Perfusion Home Page.

Nurse-Anesthesia.org is a US-based site for nurse anaesthetists.