Mark Templeton Surfs the Net

THERE'S no need for expatriates to worry about getting their Christmas message across to relatives in East Lancashire this year...they can let the Lancashire Evening Telegraph do it for them.

We've created a special form on our Internet home page which readers can fill in with a yuletide greeting to their loved ones.

Then we'll publish the messages in our paper and on our web site over the festive period.

Better still, it won't even cost the price of a stamp. Because it's the season of goodwill to all men (and women) we're offering our special Christmas service for FREE.

We're sure our army of readers abroad who look at the paper every day over the Internet will love the chance to say Merry Christmas to their relatives in East Lancashire.

And similarly our readers in Britain get the opportunity to wish a high-tech Happy New Year to their relatives abroad.

Now all you have to do is head to our home page, click on the Christmas message at the top, fill in the form and we'll do the rest. So hurry up and send a relative a Christmas greeting they won't forget this year.

Web site: http://www.

newsquest.co.uk/let/

Evening Telegraph, the big hitter

MORE people are reading the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on the Internet than ever before.

The number of page impressions has grown from 80,855 in August to 88,339 last month.

On average we now receive more than 3,000 requests for pages EVERY day with our sports coverage attracting the highest number of readers.

The number of new readers is growing too. Last week 1,388 logged onto our site at http://www.newsquest.co.uk/let

for the first time. We are part of the rapidly growing Newsquest Lancashire web site which has attracted almost 4.5 million accesses to date.

So whatever you want, from a pram to a Porsche or even a promotion, just visit us at: http://www.newsquest.co.uk

Okay mister, reach for your mouse:

YEE-HAH! Fans of westerns can ride on over to a special site dedicated to cowboys and Indians.

Although it mainly exists to sell videos and memorabilia from the good 'ol days of the wild west you do get the chance to download clips from movies starring Tex Ritter, John Wayne (pictured in El Dorado), the Lone Ranger and Hoot Gibson.

Sound files enable you to add the call of a steam engine whistle to your computer and just try to resist taking a listen to John Wayne calling someone a "dim witted nail bender."

Web site: http://www.westerns.com

Sailing along

THE Titanic movie is due for release soon and it will either sink or swim (excuse the pun) but the film's web site sails along just fine. The Hollywood extravaganza is the most expensive movie ever made at a bank busting $280 million. You can get a sneak preview on the small screen at this wonderful site which has all the usual background and pictures you come to expect now from film web pages.

Web site: http://www.titanicmovie.com/

Donors' dip

THE National Blood Service has launched a Web site to encourage Web users to donate blood.

The site provides a host of fascinating facts and figures about blood, true stories from donors and patients, and regularly updated figures on stocks of blood. Service spokeswoman Patricia Murchie said: "We hope that this site will answer almost any question browsers may have about blood and its uses but, if not, we are actively encouraging personal interaction and feedback."

Web site: http://www.blooddonor.org.uk

Girl power

THAT loving relationship is over. He has left you to spend more time on the Internet. You'll never need him again, though. If you can't find a real shoulder to cry on, try the electronic one courtesy of female superheroine BreakupGirl. Who thinks of these things?

Web site: http://www.breakupgirl.com

Dilbert and his dog

DILBERT is the office worker who doesn't care. His dog, Dogbert, wants to rule the world and has a better chance of doing so than Dilbert. The pair of them feature in a hilarious cartoon available every day, for free, online. You too will get hooked. Web site:

http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/

YOU can contact me by e-mail at mtempleton@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk and take a look at our web site at http://www.newsquest.co.uk/let

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.