THE WORLD AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

By Janna L. Graber

With so much news about the Internet, it's hard to ignore. And maybe

you haven't. Perhaps you're already a wired woman like Donna

Cunningham and Bethany Swain, who describe their on-line experiences

below.

But if you're among those who have yet to log on, here's a primer to

send you out into the wired world.

WELCOME TO THE WEB

Getting connected

First things first: You have to be connected to the Internet to

get anywhere. There are many different ways to connect. Here are some

options:

- Dial-up modem (via phone line). Cheapest but slowest.

- ISDN (integrated services digital network). Faster speeds at a

reasonable price.

- DSL (digital subscriber line). Faster than ISDN, wider bandwidth.

- Digital cable connection. One of the fastest, not widely available.

- Satellite. Very fast option for people in rural areas; very

expensive, not widely available.

Choosing an ISP

Now that you have a connection to the Internet, you will need an

Internet service provider (ISP). An ISP provides access to the

Internet and other services like e-mail and Web site hosting. Some

ISPs, like Juno and NetZero, offer free access.

Web browsers

Where ISPs allow you to log on to the Web, browsers let you point and

click your way around. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer are

two of the most popular browsers and typically come preinstalled on

your computer. Once you find interesting Web pages, you can print them

or bookmark them so you can return later.

Surfing the Web

So now you're on-line. Where do you want to go? If you know a Web site

address, you can type it into your browser's address line and go

directly there. This Internet address is called a URL, uniform

resource locator. It includes a domain name (an identifying Internet

name on the Web) and usually ends in .com (for commercial sites), .net

(for networks), .org (for organizations) or .edu (for educational

institutions).

Search engines

If you don't know a site's URL, you can look for it using a search

engine. There are many free search engine sites available on the

Internet, such as AltaVista, Lycos, Google, Northernlight and Mamma.

Engines search the Web by looking for keywords. Want to learn about

Western horseback riding? Type those words into a search engine like

AltaVista, and you'll get hundreds of sites to explore.

Found it, now download it

Once at a web site, you can pull down the computer files (called

downloading) to your machine. You can download pictures, programs or

even music. Audio/video streaming technology allows you to play a song

or video while you download it.

On-line shopping

Many Web sites are virtual storefronts for companies selling

everything from books to camping gear. You can view products, check

out sales and even buy on-line. E-commerce is a quick and easy way to

shop. However, it's extremely important to make sure that the site you

purchase from is secure, meaning that the data is encrypted to keep

others from viewing your credit card information, for example, as it

is transmitted.

Send e-mail, save 33 (cents)

Electronic mail (e-mail) allows you to send messages to users all over

the Internet. E-mail addresses always include the @ sign and a domain

name. Some companies, like Hotmail.com, offer free e-mail accounts.

You can even append other computer files and send them along with your

e-mail. These are called attachments. Electronic magazines also can be

delivered as e-mail.

Viruses

Viruses are programs specifically designed to harm your computer

files. Opening some e-mail attachments could infect your computer with

a virus that erases all your files or disables your hard drive. To

protect against a virus, install an up-to-date virus-checking program.

You can buy anti-virus programs at computer stores or on-line. And

don't open e-mail attachments from someone you don't know.

On-line communities

Interested in a specific subject like quilting, skiing or small

business? Chances are there is an Internet newsgroup devoted to any

subject you want to discuss.

A newsgroup is an on-line discussion site or bulletin board. Messages

are posted to a central Internet site and then redistributed to

newsgroup users. Messages is usually sorted according to topic.

Newsgroup users are expected to know basic Netiquette (Internet

etiquette). Capitalizing all letters (the equivalent of shouting);

spamming (sending out unsolicited mail to a large group); or flaming

(giving someone a verbal lashing) is usually discouraged. Newsgroup

users are asked to read the FAQ (frequently asked questions) before

jumping into a group discussion.

Modems

Nearly every new computer comes with a 56K modem already built in. The

K stands for 1,000, so that's 56,000 kilobytes of data being

transferred per second at peak capacity. That might sound fast, but an

industrial-strength T1 line transfers at almost 12 times that speed.