Internet Service Tutorials Tutorial 2 — What Can I Do With The Internet?
The Internet has many exciting things to offer and you can easily lose yourself for hours just searching for a single article on one of your hobbies. Time goes by quickly if you’re not careful. Even some of the most disciplined Internet users might find an entire evening disappear when entering the Internet for what was intended to be a quick search to find out “why stars twinkle”.
You Can Send E-Mail
Probably the most popular function of the Internet is e-mail. From your computer you can type a letter to anyone you want (providing they have an e-mail address) and they can get the letter within seconds after you “send” the e-mail. You can even write your congress person and let them know how you really feel about things. For an up-to-date list of our Country’s congress member, simply go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/. Place your mouse icon over your state and click once. To e-mail is just that easy! Learn more about this exclusive Internet feature in Tutorial Tutorial 3 – E-mail made easy.
You Can “Surf” the Web
Second in line of popularity is searching or ‘surfing’ the web for information. The Internet is like a big humongous library. The Internet can be especially helpful to a student in high school needing to write reports, or someone studying for their PhD and conducting research. Surfing the web isn’t just for the student though, it’s for anyone who has an interest in anything. You’ll find information on the Internet in virtually every subject you can think of. A survey conducted by PEW / Internet in 2005 said that on any given day some 40 million Internet users would surf the Internet “just for fun” ; no particular reason in mind other than to pass the time. To learn about surfing the web, the tools you need and how to navigate your way through the web, read Internet Tutorial Tutorial 4 – The World Wide Web Explained.
You Can Do Online Banking
Today, most large national banks, many regional banks and even smaller banks and credit unions offer some form of online banking or Internet banking. Most of the large banks now offer fully secure, fully functional online banking for free or for a small fee. Some smaller banks offer limited access or functionality; for instance, you may be able to view your account balance and history but not initiate transactions online. As more banks succeed online and more customers use their sites, fully functional online banking likely will become as commonplace as automated teller machines.
You Can Do Online Dating
Online dating is a common and popular service for people to communicate with other people, which includes finding love and is probably the most significant shift in American dating culture that we’ve seen for a very long time. Online dating now offers additional functions that reduced the time people spend searching for documents. Now, the Internet is not only for searching for information, but for also meeting friends, finding love, and finding people who share the same habits and religious beliefs.
You Can Chat
Some of the very first programs written for the first timesharing computers in the early 1960′s were designed to support real-time chat — it was almost immediately recognized as a natural use of this new technology to support human communication. Many different chat programs were written by various people in university and research organizations.
Chat services have come a long way since the early ’60′s and chatting or Instant Messaging is one of the most popular Internet activities with the under 25 crowd. But chat service is for everyone, regardless of age and there’s a whole vocabulary used when chatting that you can learn quickly and easily. In Tutorial 6 — Instant Messages in Real Time, I get into more of what all the terms mean and get you starting ‘chatting’ quickly with your friends and family.
You Can Go Shopping
Now, most every business has a web site and it has become easier and easier for you to shop at your favorite stores over the Internet. You’ll also quickly notice that more and more stores and retailers are available to you through the Internet. And fortunately, over the years, Internet security measures have been put into place that now make it a safer and more reliable way to shop. You should always take care though on where and when you give your credit card or personal information. Always be at a reliable site that is familiar to you and that offer a secure site for your business transaction. Because buying over the Internet doesn’t allow you to touch or smell the merchandise before you purchase, make sure you’re aware of the store’s return and refund policy before making the purchase. It’s also a good-rule-of-thumb to go with your instincts; if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.
News and Politics
Now, more than ever before, people are turning to the Internet to get their daily news and updates on politics. This has largely to due with high speed home connections that are now easier to get and more affordable. And, the fact that most major news papers and agencies have sites on the Internet that are updated throughout the day with breaking news.
Life’s Major Moments
It’s of no surprise that the Internet has become increasingly important to users in their everyday lives. And for Americans, the Internet has helped in making many of the life decisions that we’re faced with everyday. Because the Internet has so much information, it has quickly become the resource tool that we look to when we have questions. Mom and Dad still rank high on our list of advisors, but the Internet is able to provide information often times in an unbiased format that allows us to make informed decisions. Some of the most popular decisions made with the help of the Internet are:
- Medical Information and coping with a major illness
- Training for Career Advancement
- Investment and Financial Decisions
- Finding a new place to live
- Finding the right school or college
- Buying a new car
- Finding a new job or making a career change
To continue, please select "Tutorial 3 — Email Made Easy"
Beginners Series Tutorials
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