In every Club WebTV issue, we will publish WebTV Networks-related stories, suggestions and comments submitted by our customers. If you have an amusing or informative story, a suggestion, or a comment that would be of general interest to all members, please send us a message at clubwebtv@webtv.net. We'll make every effort to include your submission in a future issue of Club WebTV. Please be sure to state in your message that your submission is for the Customer Corner column.

Thanks to all the club members who sent submissions for this month's column! While not all submissions may be published here, rest assured that your suggestions and requests have been duly noted. Here is a sampling of club members' comments received in response to the premier issue of Club WebTV! Editors' comments are in green.

Testaments to the Ease of WebTV - Even Mom Can Do It!

I bought my mom WEBTV the very first day it was offered, on QVC, along with the remote keyboard. The closest mom comes to a computer is the bank ATM; since I am something of a computer geek myself, I of course wanted to share all the excitement of the Internet. I'm also a lazy letter-writer and use email all the time, so wanted mom to have access to email, as well. WEBTV appeared to be designed with my mom in mind.
   Well! WEBTV was a mild hit on xmas morning, and I promised to set it up when I came to visit in February (mom's in San Francisco; I live in San Diego). I hoped for more enthusiasm once the thing was set up. As it turned out, I didn't have to wait that long - mom gave me the best surprise by setting it up herself (!) and the rest is history. Mom quickly became an email fiend and we both love the new, daily emails back and forth.

What Limitations? The Advantages of the WebTV terminal

I recently went on vacation and took my majic box with me. I was fortunate to be in an area that had a local ISP. The three days on the road put me a little behind on email replies. I had notes from Australia to France, and from friends and family across the USA. I really had a great vacation, enjoyed my WebTV, and sold another customer on it's advantages. On our return trip to home, we stopped and met a friend that I haven't seen since my Air Force days in England thirty-three years ago. All of this was possible thanks to WebTV and being able to locate friends who I had lost contact with over the years. I now proudly wear the WebTV cap and T Shirt. I am your best word of mouth advertiser. I just love WebTV. Thanks guys and gals.
(Just try putting a PC in your suitcase!)

When I bought my WebTV unit, I had never used a computer. I thought I would have trouble surfing the net and building a web page. I was wrong. I invested in a book called The Idiot's Guide to HTML, which is essential to build a web page. What I have found out is that I can do just about anything, and go almost anywhere. It is my friends with computers that are limited to what programs they own. A couple of my friends don't even know HTML. They asked me for help. I have already surpassed them in knowledge and they've spent thousands of dollars more than me. Thank You!

I purchased my webtv in jan and have used it almost daily since then. Not wanting to invest in a computer, i opted for the web, one of the best investments i've made. I got hooked on e-bay auction site and have sold enough items to pay for my webtv. I am now in the profit category. My webtv has more than paid for it's self.

I have to tell you that I have made some friends through WebTV and some of them are very curious on how it works. I just explain to them how it works and to go out and get one and see for themselves...I'm even trying to talk a very good friend who lives in Maryland to get one instead waiting to see if he can take a laptop home from work so we can chat. Maybe he will soon so I can stop bugging him about it. I hope that some day WebTV will supersede the computer totally as far the Internet goes. My hats off to WebTV!!

The War Against Spam - Another Strategy

You write, "When all else fails, use the delete button." An idea just occurred to me - instead of the delete button, how about using the reply button to send the spammer's spam right back to him? I doubt that spammers would like it if their own e-mail boxes got stuffed with returned mail!
(Sometimes, this works -- generally when the person sending the spam isn't aware they're doing something bad. However, some malicious spammers forge their return address, which can end up victimizing an innocent user or system. It's okay to send a complaint to the return address, but don't make yourself part of the problem!)

WebTV Internet Terminal Expands Horizons for the Hearing Impaired

I just read the Club WebTV letter from the person who has a deaf daughter. I too am profoundly hearing impaired and have found the WebTV to be of enormous value to me. I also have a TTY/TDD (telephonic device for the Deaf) and find that, although I use it daily, not nearly as much now that I have WebTV which I love and depend on. Cannot imagine what I would do without it! It is a boon !

I just read about one of your customers who used the WebTV to communicate with his "deaf" daughter. Well I am deaf and I must say that the WebTV would be a great way for other deaf people to communicate! It is cheap and easy to use! I love it and think that the deaf community would too as a form of "communication" with each other and the "hearing" world!

WebTV Networks continues to help people find long-lost Friends and Relatives!

A month ago I received an E-mail from a man who did a search of his last name and he found me with a listing of my maiden name attached to some poetry under a cancer resource. This is really special for me because I thought our family name would die with my mother since there are no sons to carry on the name. I purposely used my Maiden name when I authored a book so the name would not be completely dead. The name is unique because it was a German spelling of Voeller changed to an Anglicized spelling Phalor by an English professor. Now I know that another branch of the family which goes back 4 generations is still carrying the name. I met one of them yesterday. He lives only 30 miles from me. Thanks to WEBTV I have a whole new set of relatives!

I am deep into genealogy on my birth father & the Web has been a big help. I now contact people all over the US and also in Belgium where my father was born. I met a Belgian friend through the Web and he has helped me in my search. Just two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go to Belgium and I met him. Small world! This has saved me much money in phone calls and is quicker than the mail. Also, I do not have to worry about updating.

I got on-line about 5 days ago. This is the coolest machine!!! I decided to look up a childhood friend that I haven't seen since I was 11 years old. In only 15 minutes I was able to locate him and that's something I haven't been able to do in almost 20 years. I accomplished this on my second outing into the internet! :-). I'm still discovering new capabilities. This is an awesome machine!!! I'm also impressed with the moderated newsgroup that ya'll provide. It's great to be able to talk to your moderator and the other helpful folks out there about the good experiences and those awful frustrations with the new technology that plague us newbies. Thanks so much for the device and the outstanding service.

I'm just like everybody else i love my webtv. i am always buying new gadgets and it drives my wife crazy, but since i have showed her how to use it ,i have to get up early to use it. By the way we have owned ours since november. Last week end we seen a imfomerical about webtv and they said the printer adapter was available. Could you advise me where i could purchase one? Thank You

I just wanted to tell you how much I love my WebTV. I always wanted a computer and could not afford one. My husband gave me WebTV for Mother's Day and I don't think I have watched tv since then. Is there any thoughts in the future about being able to hook up to a printer? That is all this needs to be perfect.
(Believe us, we're as eager for the printer as you are! Call Philips at 1-888-813-7069 or Sony at 1-888-772-7669 for availability of the printer adapter. Hewlett-Packard printers may be purchased at many consumer electronic or computer stores.)

Positive Feedback

I really enjoy the monthly newsletter, keep it up. I got my PM unit the latter part of November 1996 and I am having a great time with it. It let's me keep in contact with family that are in other states and have contact with the grandchildren. I also use the e-mail to contact officials on matters that concern me. The access to the internet was a new experience to me and I am sure that I have barely scratched the surface of things that are out there. I am waiting for the upgrades anxiously. Thanks to WebTV for giving the Internet to the rest of us.

I have never been on the web before until I bought the WebTV. I had many questions that weren't answered, so I tried out the email and send questions to WebTV customer assistance address. There were so helpful and determined to help. I had a question about if I were to take my WebTV to a new location, would I get charged, and I didn't quite explain that well, but after patience and 4 different email messages, I found the answer I was looking for. Thanks for the help.
(You can take the WebTV Internet terminal with you. When plugged in after being disconnected, the WebTV Internet terminal will ask if you have moved to a new location. Simply choosing Moved will prompt your terminal to reconfigure its dialing patterns for the numbers nearest the new location.)

What's In a Name?

What is a Web TV user called? No, that is not a riddle, but a question. We are not "computer nerds", Web TV is not a computer. At least not in the customary sense. That means that "hacker" is also out. A hacker is a "Nerd Extraordinare". One who has reached a higher level of expertise. WebTV is (so far) little more than an internet terminal, no Offense meant. Sort of a "disembodied browser" On this premise, I have been using terms like "Inter-Nerd" and "Web-Head". While nobody has sent me an viruses for this (yet!), I would like to know if WebTV-ians DO have an OFFICIAL nickname.
(WebHead - I like it. I've also heard SofaSurfer, but I don't think we've been around long enough for an official nickname. Suggestions? And, of course, you can't get viruses using a WebTV Internet terminal!)

Exactly What Do We Mean by Club WebTV?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am so happy "we" are now able to print and have Javascript!! I mean "we" because we're like a special little family. It's like we have our own special Internet! This has been the best purchase I have ever made! Keep up the good work!
(We couldn't agree more. WebTV Network users are a unique group on the Internet! Welcome to Club WebTV, one and all!)