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For the first couple of months, my magazine consisted largely of reviews - pointers to nifty net nuggets with commentary. Engaging, sure, because I found cool stuff and I liked to talk about it. Beck then, it was hard to find guides in cyberspace, and I relished that role. I had anticipated a trend - soon the net was huge, and everybody and their service provider had a list of hot links (some even using my material!). In this smattering of sites, covering everything was pointless. To alleviate self-referential online uselessness, I shifted gears. In addition to luscious links, I now publish stories about my life. Having been at this for over a year and a half, talking about myself keeps me going. Storytelling is cathartic in any medium. The web offers widespread communication, community. I have received many messages from people who have experienced similar agony, trying to be close to someone who is depressed. They tell me about their relationships, some promise to post their tales on

c o m p u t o p i a Links.net : Justin Hall 's personal site growing & breaking down since 1994 watch overshare: the links.net story back me --> contact me links.net : vita : fam : 7/21/95 c o m p u t o p i a sharing stories humanizes computer connections I've spent endless hours a week on a computer since I was seven . Thirteen years of bits and bytes, and I'm just now discovering the underlying zeitgeist. It took the Internet to make me a believer. In the eighties, I consulted , teaching people how computers could enhance their lives. But it was hard to evangelize a DOS machine running Word

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