Way of a Web Wanderer
Life is a process of purification, elevation, enlightenment. So too of web wandering. This page represents my accumulated wisdom and links to enhace your experience.
Tips for Surfing the Sprawl
- Don't believe your browser
- Many browsers will snub you with a Connection Refused By Host message or an even more ominous, unable to locate host. Most errors end up being some human's fault, but like everything else in life, persistance pays off when web surfing.
- Persistance pays
- Keep trying! Hit that broken link more than once to be sure it isn't working. It may just be crowded, or your network connection may just be tweaked. If it still won't yield, and you think it should work, try later. Unless, of course, you get a
- 403 Forbidden
- This message means that the sysadmins of a server have taken a page offline, or made it off limits. This often happens to sex sites, or any other sites that get hit an inordinate amount immediately upon exposure. If you get this message, and you really want to see the page, put it in your hotlist and try again a few days later. I've noticed that it is rare for a 403 to come back online - at least at the same URL. To see examples of 403ed pages, try my shuttered sites section.
- Time your surf
- The web calleth daily, hourly - the sprawl urns a surfin'. Once plugged into that information source, it can be so hard to go without! But like everything else in life, timing is key. I have found the best times to wander the web are after 4pm Pacific Time on weekdays, and all weekend long it is fairly deserted. It's more fun to run around in when no one will get in your way. The difference between 2pm on a Friday and 11am on a Sunday is pheonomenal.
- Turn images off
- This matters only to the people using graphical browsers. It is a matter of personal preference, but for me, the only way to surf is with images off. I can do without 80% of the graphics on the web, the vanity banners, etc.
- Join the fun
- Get involved - make your own web pages. It is critical for individuals to continue to expand the scope of the web, by adding bits of themselves and enriching the environ. Plus, setting up an outpost coordinating your interests can serve to draw other like minds to yours. It's like discussion! YeeHah!
- Practice considerate surfing
- Communicate
- So few people doing the cool stuff are actually being paid for it - so go ahead, take the time to drop them a note. Tell them what you think - what you like and don't - it's a great way to express your appreciation for a good web site! Anyways, since many of us do this for free, feedback is the only payment we recieve.
- I know I appreciate the comments I've been sent
WebWandering Resources
There's a lot out there to help the fledgling web surfer get their legs under them, or even to enhance the experience of any expert.
- Someone has begun collecting Useless WWW Pages.
- Check out the Websurfer's Handbook. They have a semi-clever list of "Top Ten Signs Your WWW Home Page Is Not Cool" and a very clever "Web to English Dictionary" (ubiquilink is a word I coined - I've had it up one my terms page for months). A humourous pause indeed.
- Every web surfer has her collection of links lists, search tools, resources to help them find stuff out there. My Links to Lists and Lists of Links pinpoints pages that will aid your search.
- As a web surfer, it is always a good idea to keep up with what the publishers and people are doing.
This page and all its contents Copyright 1994, 1995 Justin Hall. All rights reserved. Contact me with any questions you might think of, permissions you might want, or problems you may have.
Yer Mama Net Productions / Justin Hall / <justin@cyborgasmic.com>