I got my first internet address by joining PC Magnet, which was free and used Compuserve (so you got a Compuserve email address). I believe PC Magnet was the precursor to Ziff net. If you knew, you could sign on to PC Magnet and then type "go cis" which got you to most of Compuserve. I remember buying a Hayes 1200 baud modem (which was the cream of the crop at the time) for $300+.