AIDS Internet: Treatment Information Online Introduction to a Series

The Internet's World Wide Web provides more choice of current AIDS treatment information than you can find in any other way. Almost all of it is free; and you can get to it anytime, from any place with a telephone and computer (or from some public libraries, if you do not have a computer). Unlike sending away for information, you see what you request almost immediately; so if it is not what you want, you can keep looking and follow dozens of leads in one session. And the World Wide Web is so easy to use -- once the equipment and software have been set up -- that you can learn it almost immediately, with no need for training or documentation.

On the other hand, there is a glut of information on the Internet, and quality and credibility vary greatly. The World Wide Web can be pictured as about one million(1) bulletin boards connected throughout the world. Almost anyone who wants to post almost anything can find a place to do so --and then it is immediately available to millions of people from anywhere in the world, if they are interested in the information, and know or can find out where to look for it. On the whole, quality is higher than one might expect --probably because truly anonymous posting is difficult and unrewarding, and those who place their work in a public forum want it to look good. (But those with an axe to grind are often inclined to do so in public. For example, few if any sites misspell the names of AIDS drugs -- but some do advise rejecting medical care for AIDS and relying on clean living alone, or on someone's favorite remedy.)

We are organizing this article series around different kinds of AIDS information which readers might seek on the World Wide Web, or elsewhere on the Internet; most articles will focus on one or more major sites, and list others as well. For example, the article below looks at AIDS news, focusing on the AEGIS site. For beginners not already using the World Wide Web, we will publish hints on getting started later.

References

1. Internet Archive in San Francisco is saving a copy of most of the contents of the World Wide Web, for use by future historians and scholars. It has found about one million different Web sites, and an estimated 80 million separate Web pages as of January 1997. For more information, see "Crawling Towards Eternity" by Mike Burner, WEB TECHNIQUES May 1997,pages 37-40. Or see "Preserving the Internet" by Brewster Kahle (the founder of Internet Archive), SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN March 1997, pages 82-83.