John December FAQ
This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that I get via email (with answers).
I am very sorry, but I am not able respond to all email sent to me. I do appreciate your interest.
If you asked a general question or want to build skills in navigating the Web, please see Internet Web Text or search the Web.
At this time (July 2012), I no longer provide consulting or teach courses.
If you asked a question about my work or where to find something on my site, please search johndecember.com.
If you are puzzled about email from december.com, see this information about email from and to december.com.
If you are a reader of one of my publications, or if you sent me an update or correction to one of my online publications, please make sure you used the subject line that is shown in the publication for feedback, otherwise your message may not have gotten past my spam blocking software. If you used the correct subject line, your message will get through, and I will save it for my update work. While I cannot promise that I will use your suggestion, I will consider it carefully as many improvements to my site have come from reader requests.
Sections of this FAQ:
- I. Questions About the Internet and the World Wide Web
- II. Questions About Computer-Mediated Communication
- III. Questions About My Publications and Online Resources
- IV. Specialized Questions
- V. Questions About Me
I. Questions About the Internet and the World Wide Web
For general questions, you can search the Web.- How can I find out about the Internet or World Wide Web?
Answer:
- As a starting point, check out my Internet Web Text.
- You can check for more resources in in my list called, "Computer-Mediated Communication Information Sources." This reference list will connect you to a variety of online (and some offline) information about the Internet and the field of study called computer-mediated communication.
- How can I find out about use various Internet tools and technologies like Java, HTML, and others? Answer: Check out the page on The HTML Station I provide. This will help you find out more about HTML and other Internet technologies. Also check for resources describing Internet tools in my list called, "Internet Tools Summary."
- How can I find something on the Web or Net? Answer: A good way to find things on the Net is to use either keyword searching tools or subject-based trees of information.
- How can I make money as a World Wide Web publisher? Answer: You can make money through participation in affiliate or advertising programs on your web pages. See Revenue Models.
- How can I find out about Java? Answer: See my list of online information sources about Java. This is from my book, Presenting Java.
- How can I find something on the Internet? Answer: I've summarized what I think are the best ones.
- How can I find someone on the Internet? Answer: To find someone, check out the resources on this list. Of course, another way is to try some keyword searches of the Web for that person's name, organization, or interests.
- How do I cite something on the Internet? Answer: Follow the bibliographic citation style (such as MLA, APA, etc.) and cite a web page or a Usenet news article similar to the way you would an article; then add the URL of the resource to the end of it. For the reference date in the citation, use the date you observed it.
II. Questions About Computer-Mediated Communication
- What is Computer-Mediated Communication? Answer: See my CMC definition/characterization page.
- What resources do you know about Computer-Mediated Communication? Answer: Check out the CMC Studies Center, which includes CMC Magazine; or my list, "Computer-Mediated Communication Information Sources."
III. Questions About My Publications and Online Resources
- Do you publish a magazine? Answer: I used to publish Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine monthly from 1994 to 1999. This magazine is no longer being published monthly, but is now being published as a continuously-updated Web page which includes links to articles from the archives plus links to current news feeds related to information technology.
- Can I advertise on your site? Answer: Yes! Please see this question answered on the Works Central page. Thank you.
- What have you written? Answer: See my list of publications; I've some conference papers listed in my presentations list.
- Why can't I access your online resources? Answer: My web server, johndecember.com, may be temporarily down. If the problem persists, send me a note.
- I sent you an announcement / press release about my resource online--why isn't it listed in your online resources? Answer: Not all the suggestions I receive fit the scope of my lists. If I didn't find that your suggestion fit the purpose of one of my lists, I won't be able to use it. For more general subject-oriented catalogs of Internet information, see the listing for subject-oriented resource listings on the Internet. If your suggestion does fit the scope of my lists, it may take me a bit before I add it, but usually not more than one month.
- I would like to use some of your material in my [course | CD-ROM | book | article | proposal | presentation | handout | bibliography | Web page | Gopher site | FTP site]. Answer: See the Terms of Use. If you maintain a web site, I ask that you do not copy over my files and serve them from your site. The reason is that I continuously update the pages on my site. If you copy over the pages, you'll lose these future updates. Then, when people find the pages on your site, they will find old information. So instead of copying, just link to the information at my site.
IV. Specialized Questions
- Could you give me or our organization advice on Internet communication or technologies? Could you perform a specialized Internet/Web search? Answer: I no longer provide consulting. See the Freelance Marketplace for many talented people who might be able to help you.
V. Questions About Me
- Will you give a talk to our group? Answer: I'm sorry, but I am not looking to do presentations to groups anymore.
- Can I interview you for a magazine/newspaper/web site/radio show/talk show.
Answer: My fifteen minutes of fame are up !
;)
. But if you'd like to interview me, please read a bit about me, and then contact me via email. - What's up with your last name, "December," is that for real?
Answer: Yes, my real, legal last name is "December." The surname originates from Andrew John Grudziecki, born 1852 in Posen Province, Poland, son of Jacob Grudziecki and Agnes Tempinksi. Andrew came to the United States at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1880 and later moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Like many immigrants, he changed his surname. Because his last name closely matched
"Grudzien," the Polish word for the last month of the year (Grudziecki and Grudzien share the same source word "gruda" which means "clod of earth" or "frozen mud"), Andrew changed his surname to "December," a name his descendants share today.
- No, I wasn't born in December.
- No, I am not related to golfers Don January or Bob May (Probably they aren't related to each other, either).
- Yes, I guess "December" is "my month."
- Yes, people often ask about my last name.
- Do you have an online biography? Answer: Yes, I've a biographical statement, a resume, and a home page.
- Where are you? Answer: This contact information is for my email, Web, postal address, and voice phone number.