When Jay Leno took over The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson, he regretted not thanking Mr. Carson for passing the mantle to him.
Now that John Byczkowski has gone off to seek his fortune in the on-line frontier, perhaps I should thank him for passing this spot on the page to me.
I do so reluctantly. Mr. Byczkowski is a first-rate journalist who relished the electronic cuisine of the Web. He bolstered his columns with thorough research and interviews with the Web community. As a Web reporter, he often had the phone to his ear, interviewing the creator of a Web site while he perused it.
''Online'' was one of the first newspaper columns to focus exclusively on cyberspace, and it was syndicated across the country by our corporate parent, Gannett. (John liked to run Input - Output e-mails from far-flung states.) Today, dozens of newspaper journalists write about surfing the Net, but none better.
He will be missed.
AOL REFERRAL, PART II:
A couple of months ago, I was almost flamed for saying America Online was probably a better route for computer novices to explore the Internet than an account with a local Internet service provider.
I agree that AOL (or CompuServe) is not the fastest or cheapest route to the Internet. But lately, I've been receiving a different kind of letter.
''Since I wanted a faster on-line service, I decided to join a local net server for the $19.95 per month flat rate for TCP - IP, PPP access,'' an AOL member wrote me. ''By the time I was finished paying for this 'deal,' my first payment ended up being $60. Also, they gave me a printout of how to download a browser (Netscape), which you must have in order to use their server (which they did not make clear to me before joining).
''I spent over $150 trying to download, load, figure out Netscape, which I never did! The most upsetting part of this is that I NEVER got a chance to use my new account except for trying to download all of these files for Netscape. When I called them for help, it took five tries to get through. When I finally got through, they said I would probably have to load it through AOL! This took over three hours on my old setup, and I still never got the files (because there are so many you need to really run Netscape).''
I've heard many similar complaints. It's why many people prefer AOL or CompuServe to connect to the Web: It might be slower, but it's a lot easier. As AOL CEO Steve Case is quoted in this week's U.S. News & World Report, ''We embrace new technology, then mask its complexity.'' That's why he's so rich.
ON-LINE SCHEME:
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about on-line scams. Since then, readers have contacted me about a work-at-home scheme that appears to be snaring people throughout the country, including Cincinnati.
It's called WorldNet Online. It bills itself as the next great on-line service, but it's just a small computer bulletin board in the Miami area. There are some shareware games and computer programs and ''Headline News'' and ''Sports'' areas with week-old wire stories. WorldNet even has a Web page (http://www.worldnetonline.com), but it's just an ad for ''making money on-line.''
How do you make money? You spend $69 to become a WorldNet ''agent.'' An agent sells ''agent packages.'' The agent package is a manual on how to sell more agent packages. You need a computer to send out dozens of e-mails and forum postings. You should join the major on-line services to post the ads.
The ads are similar to this one, taken from a classifieds board on America Online: ''PUT YOUR COMPUTER TO WORK processing orders for NATIONAL INTERNET COMPANY. Process orders and respond to e-mail in the COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME. Work full or part time and get paid $25 for every order you take. For info, e-mail . . . ''
If someone buys the $69 agent package from you, you get $25. After you've sold 20 packages, your $69 is refunded.
WorldNet Online's name is similar to AT&T's new Worldnet Internet access service, further confusing prospective customers. But WorldNet Online has absolutely no connection to AT&T.
Anyone considering these work-at-home schemes should contact the National Fraud Information Center (1-800-876-7060). Run by the National Association of Attorneys General, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Consumers League, they can answer questions and offer advice on what's probably a scam. They also have a Web site (http://www.fraud.org).