d unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “sch

The Internet has become the most valuable tool in everyones life since the telephone, but I’ll admit, it was a little scary at first. If you’ve never had contact with the World Wide Web, it’s hard to not be turned off by the countless stories of identity theft, fraud, and predators on the net. True, the bad guys log on as often as the good guys, but don’t let the fear of cyber criminals, swindlers and predators stop you from using the Internet. Honestly, the majority of the online experiences you have will be with good people, that have good values and want to be safe too. Even if you do not know how to protect yourself, it's better to be safe than sorry, here’s a beginner’s guide to using the Internet to make your life more hassle-free, while still keeping yourself and your possessions safe.

Learning The Internet is the largest library in the world, and you have access to it from the privacy of your own home. Whether you need a quick fact or want to read one of many articles on a specific topic, they are readily available at your fingers. The best way to find information on the Internet is by using a search engine.

Search engines are services that search the web for keywords. For example, if you want to learn about volcanoes, all you have to do to bring up more information than you could ever need is to type the word volcano into a search engine’s search box and hit enter. Some of the best and most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com.

Be as specific as you can when typing in keywords. You can put quotes around words you want the search engine to look for together. Using the example above, typing the word volcano into Google will bring up hundreds of thousands of web pages. Typing “active volcanoes” will bring many less. Continue to narrow the topic until you have a manageable number of website to view.

Sometimes, certain more non-general search engines require you to sign up before using them. These smaller databases don’t search the entire web, but they can lead to more specific information, such as real estate records or literary articles. There may also be a fee associated with these services. Be wary whenever any site asks you for personal information. If asking for a credit card number or social security number, the site should advertise that it is secure. Read the entire terms of agreement, because some websites may send your email address to third parties or have other policies that are annoying or potentially dangerous. Search engines are a convenient way to get information without hitting the library, but remember that you always need to protect yourself. Also, remember that anyone can write anything they want on the net—unless you pay for a service, it cannot be guaranteed that you will find factual and unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “scho

e Internet to make your life more hassle-free, while still keeping yourself and your possessions safe.

Learning The Internet is the largest library in the world, and you have access to it from the privacy of your own home. Whether you need a quick fact or want to read one of many articles on a specific topic, they are readily available at your fingers. The best way to find information on the Internet is by using a search engine.

Search engines are services that search the web for keywords. For example, if you want to learn about volcanoes, all you have to do to bring up more information than you could ever need is to type the word volcano into a search engine’s search box and hit enter. Some of the best and most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com.

Be as specific as you can when typing in keywords. You can put quotes around words you want the search engine to look for together. Using the example above, typing the word volcano into Google will bring up hundreds of thousands of web pages. Typing “active volcanoes” will bring many less. Continue to narrow the topic until you have a manageable number of website to view.

Sometimes, certain more non-general search engines require you to sign up before using them. These smaller databases don’t search the entire web, but they can lead to more specific information, such as real estate records or literary articles. There may also be a fee associated with these services. Be wary whenever any site asks you for personal information. If asking for a credit card number or social security number, the site should advertise that it is secure. Read the entire terms of agreement, because some websites may send your email address to third parties or have other policies that are annoying or potentially dangerous. Search engines are a convenient way to get information without hitting the library, but remember that you always need to protect yourself. Also, remember that anyone can write anything they want on the net—unless you pay for a service, it cannot be guaranteed that you will find factual and unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “sch

enter. Some of the best and most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com.

Be as specific as you can when typing in keywords. You can put quotes around words you want the search engine to look for together. Using the example above, typing the word volcano into Google will bring up hundreds of thousands of web pages. Typing “active volcanoes” will bring many less. Continue to narrow the topic until you have a manageable number of website to view.

Sometimes, certain more non-general search engines require you to sign up before using them. These smaller databases don’t search the entire web, but they can lead to more specific information, such as real estate records or literary articles. There may also be a fee associated with these services. Be wary whenever any site asks you for personal information. If asking for a credit card number or social security number, the site should advertise that it is secure. Read the entire terms of agreement, because some websites may send your email address to third parties or have other policies that are annoying or potentially dangerous. Search engines are a convenient way to get information without hitting the library, but remember that you always need to protect yourself. Also, remember that anyone can write anything they want on the net—unless you pay for a service, it cannot be guaranteed that you will find factual and unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “sch

terary articles. There may also be a fee associated with these services. Be wary whenever any site asks you for personal information. If asking for a credit card number or social security number, the site should advertise that it is secure. Read the entire terms of agreement, because some websites may send your email address to third parties or have other policies that are annoying or potentially dangerous. Search engines are a convenient way to get information without hitting the library, but remember that you always need to protect yourself. Also, remember that anyone can write anything they want on the net—unless you pay for a service, it cannot be guaranteed that you will find factual and unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “sch

d unbiased information on the websites you visit.

Another way to learn on the Internet is by taking online classes. Many school's offer this option for adult students who have little time or students who live in areas where college is impossible. Online classes are a great way to add to your professional skill, but make sure you are taking them from a reputable college before you begin. If you plan to transfer to a physical college, call their college relations or academic advising department to get a list of online classes that will be accepted for credit when you transfer.

If you plan to complete your degree online, research your options before you pay for any classes— some “schools” have classes taught by unqualified individuals just trying to make a buck. Be especially wary of online schools that advertise their schooling as inexpensive; education is important, so quality will rarely be low-priced. Generally, just be cautious and protect yourself. You don’t want to finish a year’s worth of work and then realize that the school can’t offer you an official degree, only a certificate of achievement. Online schooling can make your life easy because the learning is on your own time, but make sure you are getting the services you want from your online school.

Keeping in Touch When kids move away from home, they don’t have a lot of money, so calling friends and family longdistance won't be a good option. However, as soon as they have signed up for an email account, they find out that not only does the Internet make communication easier, but it also makes it faster. Within a few days, they will be talking to all of their favorite people daily for no cost. If they wanted to they can even set up an account for there 85-year-old grandmother and teach her how to log on to her email at home or at the local library. Sure, it is much quicker for her to write a letter than type, but she receives replies from them, this way easily and instantly. A number of websites offer free email accounts. There’s really no reason to pay for email, unless you have specific needs that can’t be met by a normal account, such as would be used by a business. Keep yourself safe by using one of the better-known services—MSN’s hotmail and Yahoo are two good options.

Once you have an account set up, be selective with who gets your address or account information. No one at any website should ever ask for your password. Protect this as you would a PIN number for a bank account. Also, you’re bound to get some spam, no matter how careful you are with your email address. Spam is the Internet equivalent to junk mail, and is usually harmless. However, never click on any links or install any programs brought to you by spam, because this may install spyware onto your computer. By doing this, hackers really can spy on you to find out information such as bank account numbers, passwords, and social security numbers.

Shopping and Paying Bills Shopping on the Internet is dangerous for me—my collection of fun Internet toys has grown by at least 20 fold in the last month. It’s hard to stop myself when I see the awesome price that discount websites are offering. Not to mention the fact that I can shop at all of my favorite stores without leaving my house—everyone’s got an Internet store these days, and I’m loving the time-saving convenience. And what I can’t find on a store’s Internet site, I can find on eBay and usually for cheaper than the store price.

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