I. Do you really need a computer and the Internet?
A. You need to understand the costs involved in money, time and frustration.
1. Upfront equipment cost.
a. Computer; monitor; webcam, if any; scanner; printer and supplies PLUS good surge protection and a battery UPS is much preferred.
b. Software.
c. Extra warranty for the gear.
2. Repair and replacement cost.
3. New software cost.
4. Interesting new hardware like portable music players, digicams and phones that hook up to your computer.
5. Internet fees.
6. Subscrition fees for paid sites like encyclopedias.
7. Unknown costs.
B. Do you understand the time needed to get your gear going and keep it working?
C. Do you understand the frustrations involved to keep your gear in order?
1. Time spent hooking up the gear.
2. Time spent on the phone with technical help.
3. Frustrations involved with daily maintenance like updates.
4. Time spent learning to understand the computer and Internet.
5. Time spent actually finding what you want online.
As close as I can get for the entire 12 years of having computers and 9 years of being online with low end gear, it has cost me about $63.00 a month. Think about that.
Today, you will likely spend more. Original purchase price, upkeep, new hardware and software, fees, online access and broadband could easily be more than $100 a month. Also think about the fact that you can get unlimited long distance calling for $63.00 or less a month.
Anyway. That is all about the money. If this is within your budget, no problem.
My suggestion on buying a computer is get Dell. It always ranks on or near top for service, equipment and accessories. I have had 4 different brands, Dell is the best for my money.
Go to their site http://www.dell.com/ , surf around, understand the benefits of notebook computers vs. desktop, choose one of these, choose a model, buy it, set it up and use it. That is all and set up can be surprisingly easy, don't be fooled. Kids do NOT know more about computers than adults do. Kids may have more experience with them, may not worry about hurting their gear but adults can gain experience too. Do not be intimidated. You are much more capable than you think or soon will be with patience.
If you can afford it, get online with broadband: cable, DSL, wi fi and satellite are options in different places. Dial-up is cheaper of course but the cost in money is nothing compared to the frustrations of slow connections. Just emailing? Dial-up is fine. For all the rest like information gathering, videos, surfing, gaming, collecting interesting links, all of the rest of the Internet, get broadband. I will also recommend that if you depend on the Internet for business, extended time usages like entertainment and finding friends, that you also have a dial-up account for when broadband is out. This WILL happen.
Cheap dial-up accounts can be $10.00 a month and are often a good place to have your main email address. [ OK, this part is not necessary but should you take this advice, use http://www.netzero.net/ and put in my user name snorfle as the person who recommended you, I will get a bit of ca$h and you will have the ISP I have used for 5+ years. ] Later you can tell folks about the service and you get the $30.
At any rate, regardless of your choice of dial-up accounts, I heartily recommend having one. You can input this query at http://www.google.com/ to find other choices, " low cost internet access " You can click the sponsored link for Netzero on the right and both google and Robin can benefit. : ^)
Here are some tips:
NEVER set your computer up without first using a very good surge protector or preferrably a battery UPS, uninterruptable power source. NEVER.
NEVER use the Internet without a good virus scanner that is kept updated automatically.
NEVER use the Internet without a firewall that is updated automatically.
Get several spyware removal programs, update them regularly and use them at least weekly.
Do your computer chores regularly. This includes updating your programs; running defrag weekly and running scan disc / chk disc at least monthly to check for errors on your hard drive.
"Remember to do your work." This is a quote from an earlier book, Zen and the Art of the Internet. We can become so entranced by the computer and online world that everything else is forgotten. Real life can take a back seat. "Remember to do your work."
When you get online find a good user name, a nickname / nick. Remember it, see the next tip for the whys. Find a way to generate passwords that you will ALWAYS remember and that is "strong enough" so it cannot be hacked easily. Your birthday, names of friends and family etc. do not work here.
If you want to find most anything online, learn how to use http://www.google.com/ . This search engine is vast and powerful. Simply input what you want and sift the results. For instance, type, without the quotes, " how do I defrag my computer " and you are led to articles / tutorials that tell what you want. Another query, " tell me what surge protection is, " will do just that. In other words, everything I mention here is something you can find out by using a search engine. Use the power of the Internet to explain computers, the Internet itself and most any bit of information if you dig deeply enough.
Do not think searching for the meaning of life or how do I get rich and retire early are questions the Internet can deal with. Information, email, entertainment, business, education ARE online, the meaning of life is not.
My # 1 tip may seem odd to newcomers. Get a spiral notebook or the like, record all email addresses you need, record all your user names and passwords, everything you are sure you will miss if you don't. I guarantee you will thank me some time for this.
The next part is short, some benefits and pitfalls of being online.
II. What can a computer and Internet access do for you?
A. The Computer. It can help you:
1. Crunch numbers.
2. Play games.
3. Give you lots of information.
a. Dictionaries.
b. Encyclopedias
c. Learning new skills like math, history, language lessons etc.
3. Build and run a business.
4. Help you type better using powerful word processing programs and output this to a printer.
5. Use other very powerful programs like CAD, spreadsheets and more.
6. Learn to program computers.
B. The Internet can help you:
1. Play interactive games with people all over the world.
2. Find even more information than just a computer alone.
3. Communicate with people all over the world with VoIP, video chat and other programs.
4. Help you find friends with similar interests.
5. Let you publish your own interests and share them, as in a blog / a weblog, an online journal.
6. Let you give your opinion to companies, other people in a new and unique way.
And the list goes on and on. Give it a chance, find things to do and use the computer and Internet. Do not let them use you. Be safe online. Keep yourself from many of the pitfalls like losing your money to an identity thief. Do not become unduly enchanted by people you meet. Keep a clear head when / if you use chat rooms and personals online. Don't leave your computer open to attack from hackers.
Its all new for many people. It can be wonderful fun. Exciting new learning can happen. Take your time, "do your work," remember to eat etc. and you should do just fine.
I wrote another version of this. Feel free to email me for a copy. Internet & Computer Quickstart Guide 1.
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