E-mail lets you echange letters with anyone in the world who also has an e-mail address.   There is typically no limit on the number or length of letters you can send or where you may send them.  There is no postage.   

Web "pages" are files you can actually view on your computer's screen.  This is a web page.  It is actually a file residing on a Web server in downtown Elko,  but it could reside anywhere, on any Internet server, and still be visible to you. 

Who creates Web pages?  Everyone from White House staff and the world's leading scientists to people like you and me.  Most Internet access providers allow you to publish your own Web pages and make them available to the world.   

OTHER RESOURCES 

Files and Programs are available to you for downloading from the Internet.  FTP servers around the world house huge archives of software and documents available to you.  You need only save them to your own computer's hard disk.  Available software is often Freeware or Shareware.  You can use shareware free for an evaluation period; then you must pay for it.  It is only in saving programs and macros that you are vulnerable to viruses over the Internet.  If you plan on downloading software, a virus protection program for your computer is a good safeguard. 

USENET Newsgroups are also a feature of the Internet.  There are thousands of public, topic-oriented discussion groups.  You may read posts and contribute posts of your own. Because these groups are readily visible to the global public, they are frequent targets for verbal vandals ("flamers") and often contain information of little consequence.  However, this is not a resource to be overlooked.  Select your topics carefully and you may find on USENET others who share your interests.  Many a lively e-mail correspondence has started from acquaintances formed on USENET. 

Listservs are mailing lists organized around special interests.  Messages arrive by e-mail to all members of the listserv group.  Replies to the group are generally delivered to every member.  Listservs can clutter up a mail box but are less public than USENET newsgroups.