Has the Internet Left You Behind?

Have you noticed the Internet hasn't disappeared? Even with all the online business failures, "dot-bomb's", high-tech stock declines and the general doom and gloom of the world's current economic outlook - the Internet grows. Most experts expect the Internet to surpass all records this year in terms of total users online and the amount of business conducted.

Despite current events in the world, everyone has not traded in their email program for a "Bic Banana Writer" pen and legal pad of paper. In fact, more people have logged on to use email and the Web than at any other time in history.

So where do you stand?

How do your skills measure up in the real "new economy" on a landscape where the phrase "email me" rates as common as "call me"? It seems everyone has an email address now and people honestly look at you funny if you don't.

Many households have at least one computer, and virtually everyone has computer and Internet access through their local public library. The "experts" all predicted a world of technology have's and have not's, but I think they should have predicted a world of people who embrace new communications technology and those who don't.

Why?

Something happened most people didn't expect: technology got dirt-cheap and became widely available, even for those who still can't afford to buy a computer. Email got so widely available and flexible that, with a web browser and Internet connection, you can send and receive email to and from anyone in the world - from anywhere in the world - FREE!

If you haven't kept up - and the penalty for not keeping up isn't just getting left behind, it's getting *left out* of a whole lot of connection and communication with loved ones, income opportunities, and personal expansion - then you must immediately start to obtain and use the necessary tools and skills.

The first step to "making it" in the electronic information age means getting totally familiar with the basic tools and information distribution equipment of the times. That means access to a computer with an Internet connection and your own email account.

Next you must learn how to use the computer by acquiring the basic skills of operating a computer, keyboard, and mouse, as well as installing and upgrading software, and maintaining and updating anti-virus software.

The next level of proficiency represents all the fun! You must learn how to send and receive email, open and send "attachments", download programs, surf the web, make purchases online, read ebooks and make web pages. These skills enable you to thrive as an individual in the Internet age.

On the other side of the coin, the inability to do these things will create more and more frustration in your life in the very near future.

In the end, be prepared to make mistakes, ask for help and make a commitment to a never-ending process of learning and discovery. Always look for new ways to use technology to make your life and the lives of others better, because that ultimately represents the true measure of anyone's online success.

Jim Edwards writes a syndicated newspaper column in plain language for non-technical people about current Internet issues, challenges, news, HOT new tools... and much more! "The Net Reporter" http://www.clickforcontent.com/re/ebksecrets.htm

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