For eons (approximately one year in World Wide Web time), novice Internauts have used Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com/) to take their first tentative steps towards finding material of interest in Cyberspace. Yahoo! has become the directory of first choice for Web rookies because browsing its Internet links is as easy and fun as browsing a bookstore by subject categories.

Now the folks at Yahoo! want to make Web surfing by subject easy, fun and safe for kids ages 8-14 with Yahooligans! (http://www.yahooligans.com/). Yahooligans! has the same look and feel of Yahoo! but the goal of its architects is to list sites for kids which are, in their words, "cool, goofy, fascinating, fun, hysterical, philosophical, surprising, sedate, silly, seismic, popular, obscure, useful, and ummmmm...interesting." They refuse to link to sites that are "sleazy, slimy, snarly, paranoid, hateful, hideous, harmful, pornographic or prejudiced."

Yahooligans! gives kids the opportunity to browse in the following sections: "Around the World," "Art Soup," "Computers, Games and Online," "Entertainment," "School Bell," "Science and Oddities," "Sports and Recreation," and "The Scoop." Kids are also invited to join "Club Yahooligans!" to receive early notification of contests and cool Web sites.

Another site devoted to safe Web surfing by kids is Kid's Wave (http://www.safesurf.com/sskw ave.html/). Kid's Wave features "SafeSurf" approved "Sites for Elementary Ages," "Sites for Older Kids & Parents," "Space Stuff," and "Interesting Commercial Sites." Both Kids' Wave and Yahooligans! provide information for parents and kids on staying safe on the Web.

For assistance in connecting to the World Wide Web via University computer accounts, contact the Computer Center's Help desk at 645-3542.

-Gemma DeVinney and Don Hartman, University Libraries