If you grew up before the internet was a necessity in every household, you might feel like you have some catching up to do in order to keep pace with current technology. Technology is developing at an exponential rate and many users feel overwhelmed by the rapid changes. Read on to find out about some great websites that will teach you how to make the most of your internet usage.
How to use a search engine
Without search engines, the vast wealth of knowledge that is available to us online would be useless. If we can’t find the information we need, it might as well not be there. Learning how to effectively use search engines is one of the most important skills an internet user can develop. Here is a link to an article that demystifies search engines: http://www.learnthenet.com/how-to/search-the-web/index.php. There is even a website dedicated to using one of the most popular search engines in the world: Google. Check out www.googleguide.com to learn everything you need to know about conducting searches with Google specifically.
How to send an email
Email is one of the most common ways people use the internet. As a child, I remember having an email service for at least a year before my family finally got an internet service that allowed actual surfing. A great guide on how to send emails is located here: http://www.learnthenet.com/how-to/send-email/.
How to bookmark a website
In your internet exploring, you will undoubtedly find websites that you want to be able to return to quickly and easily. Bookmarks are place holders that you can add to a list on your web browser that will allow you to return to your sites with one click. There are free services that you can use to organize your bookmarks like www.delicious.com or www.google.com/bookmarks. A simple article that explains bookmarking for beginners can be found at http://www.learnthenet.com/how-to/bookmark-websites/index.php.
How to subscribe to an RSS feed
RSS feeds are indispensible for people who find themselves frequently returning to the same blogs or websites to check for updated content. With RSS feeds, readers can choose to subscribe to frequently updated blogs and websites. All newly posted content will be automatically sent to the user’s RSS feed and they can read them all in one place rather than visiting each separate website every time they want to read the new content. Guidelines for setting up an account with an RSS service are outlined here: http://www.learnthenet.com/how-to/subscribe-to-rss-feeds/index.php. Some of my favorite RSS reader services are www.google.com/reader, and www.feedreader.com.
How to start social networking
Social networking is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family or even to market a business. On social networking sites, internet users can create personal profiles that house their own pictures and information. Users can interact with other people through their profiles and create “groups” for individuals with similar interests. Businesspeople can market their products for free on social networking sites by creating profiles for their businesses and inviting people to become “fans”. Here are some tutorials on how to use the most common social networking sites: http://www.learnthenet.com/learn-to-social-network/, http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/facebook_step_by_step_guide.html?CMP=KNC-360I-MSN-ATM&HBX_OU=52&HBX_PK=how_to_use_facebook&utm_source=MSN&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=how%2Bto%2Buse%2Bfacebook&utm_campaign=MSN-ATM%2B-%2BLifestyle.