Contents
	Your First Steps	What is the internet and what does it have to offer? We start at the beginning and show you how easy it is to get connected.
	As easy as ISP	You'll need to choose an internet provider before you can get online,but what choice! We help you make the right decision.
	Online alternatives	You don't have to own a computer to surf the net. We see what internet cafes,mobile phones and set-top boxes have to offer
	Step-by-Step: How to use email	Follow our workshop and learn how to send and receieve your first emails,plus hints on getting the most from your email software
	Step-by-Step:Make your own webpage	Why not join the online community by creating your own page on the internet? We show you how in our Workshop project
	Get Surfing!	Once you're connected to the net you'll want to know where to visit and what to see and do.We point you in the right direction
	Best on the net	The pick of the best sites taken from Computeractive's Web Guide directory
	Jargon Buster	Internet and computer terms explained in plain English

GETTING STARTED

Your first steps

The internet is on the tip of everyone's tongues.
But what exactly is it, and what's in it for you? Read on to find out

The internet. You've heard it mentioned a million times on everything from Blue Peter to The Money Programme but what is the Internet exactly and, more importantly- how can you benefit from getting yourself connected? Well, read on for the Computeractive treatment - a plain English guide to everything you need to know about the internet and your first steps to exploring it.

In a nutshell
Put simply, the internet is a collection of computers that spans the world. They are linked together by high-speed communication cables and satellites, and you can become part of this network by connecting your computer to it with a modem.
All the computers are able to pass information on to each other, so a connection to the internet at one point allows you to access computers anywhere else - just like an ordinary telephone allows you to connect to any other telephone in the rest of the world.

But why would you want to connect to a computer somewhere else in the world? Well, the internet can give you access to an amazing amount of information. You can look at pictures direct from weather satellites, find other people who share your hobbies, do your weekly supermarket shop without even stepping outside or just float around (surfing) until you find something of interest.

You might not believe it but once you're connected, using the internet really is as easy as picking up a phone and dialling a number. You can simply tap in a website address (such as www.computeractive.co.uk) using your keyboard and then lust wait for the information to appear on your screen. And, just like the telephone system, you don't need to know how it's done to be able to benefit from it.

What do you need to get on the net?
Connecting to the internet has never been easier: so long as your PC has a modem - and almost all new ones do - it's literally a case of plugging a connecting cable into a telephone wall socket, popping a disc into your computer's CD-ROM drive and following some on-screen instructions. You can get such a disc from any one of around 200 companies that now offer free internet access- read our guide to internet service providers (ISPs) .

QUICK START GUIDE - GET ONLINE IN A MOMENT Make sure your computer's modem cable is plugged into a telephone wall socket. Now use your mouse to double click on the icon labelled Internet Wizard.Otherwise, look for an Icon called Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator/Communicator and double-click on that. If you clicked the Internet Wizard icon,your PC will now take you through the process of getting online. If a box like the one on the left appears on your screen type in the user name and password given to you by your internet service provider (see page 8 for more details on internet service providers). You will now see some messages as the modem dials, and you may hear it screech and squeal, too. After about 30 seconds, the connection should be made and your web browser should appear. Type the website address (such as www.computeractive.co.uk) of the page you want to visit into the Address/Location box at the top of the browser's window and press the Enter button;on your keyboard. In a few moments, the page will appear on your screen. Well done you've visited your first web page!

And don't worry if you don't have the very latest PC kit - modern computers are easier to get connected but any PC with Windows and at least 16Mb of memory has the potential to get you hooked up to the net.

You'll need to buy a modem if you haven't already got one: these cost from around £50, and are very easy to attach (or you can fit them internally if you're short of desk space and handy with a screwdriver). A year ago we might have told you about differing modem speeds and standards but 12 months is a long time in the computer world: if you're buying from the high street these days then you can be confident picking up anything that says 56Kbps on the box.

Once online you can send emails to people all over the world, or maybe to your favourite magazine!

What next?
Once you have your computer and a modem, it's time to complete the equation - you need to choose and subscribe to an internet service provider. These are companies that do all the hard work of making your computer talk to others, and you cannot get on to the internet without one.

An ISP runs a network that connects to other parts of the internet and also has banks of modems that you can call from your PC at home. Your internet service provider also fulfils a number of other important functions. Perhaps most importantly, it stores electronic messages (emails) sent to you so that you can collect them the next time you connect to the internet. Your ISP will also give you some space, known as web space, to publish your own information, so that people can see it whether your computer is switched on or not -this is what people are talking about when they refer to their 'home page' on the web.
Some ISPs also give you extras on top of just an internet connection- for instance, they may have dedicated areas that only their subscribers can view, with online magazines, news reports, chat areas and facilities to send or receive faxes or voice messages. Some will also let you have more than one email address, so that everyone in your household can receive messages privately.

How much does it cost?
One of the things that many people worry about when they first start to use the internet is how much it's going to cost - after all, if you're talking to computers on the other side of the world, won't you be paying out a lot of money?

Thankfully, that's not the case. Regardless of where you are in the UK, it's possible to find someone who can connect you to the internet for the cost of a normal local telephone call - which can be as low as a penny a minute at weekends, even before you take into account any special discount schemes that you might take advantage of to reduce costs ever further (such as BT's Friends & Family).

Once you're connected to your ISP's modem, you don't pay more to access computers in other parts of the world - you'll pay the same to connect to someone down the road as you would to someone in Sydney. It's the ISP that foots the bill for the long-distance stretches of your net adventure.

Avoiding net gridlock
Remember, that just like the motorways, there are times when the internet is busy, and it will take you longer to access the information you want. For instance, things are often quicker on the internet earlier in the day, when most of America is asleep - but equally, that's also the time when the phone calls you need to access it are dearer during the week. You'll need to weigh up the pros and cons before deciding if you want to go online at a certain time of day.
And, of course, remember to keep an eye on the clock. It can be very easy to become engrossed and not realise that while you're reading things or chatting online,you're running up the bills. So don't just tell your computer to hide away the display of how long you've been online - check it regularly, and bear in mind that each minute spent online costs money.

If the provider you choose offers the facility to do so, then just dial up, collect your messages, and disconnect, then read them at leisure - you can send responses the next time you connect, and you'll save plenty of money.

The simple rule is: think - remember the time of day, the phone bill and whether what you're doing really has to be done while you're still connected to the internet. Yes, you can break the bank when you go on the internet, but you don't have to.

INTERNET HISTORY LESSON You may think the internet is a recent invention but it's actually been around for more than 30 years. The original net was a US-led project to link computers together in a way that could cope with major problems like war destroying some parts of it. Over the years it has grown, with well-known companies joining in droves the original core of education and military facilities,resulting in the predominantly commercial internet of today. Some of the biggest internet service providers, such as AOL,have more than 10 million users. Since the mid-1990s, when the world wide web was developed and it became possible for  horne users to connect cheaply and easily, the internet has grown incredibly fast. What started out as just a few expensive computers dotted around America communicating with one another has now evolved into a global phenomenon that every day sees thousands of people joining the hundreds of millions already online.

Ready for lift off
Once you've chosen a service provider - and you'll find our guide to getting the right one starting over the page - connecting to the internet is usually very simple. Most providers wIll provide you with a free CD ROM, and all you'll need to do is put it in your computer's drive and wait for the installation program to run automatically.

Make sure your modem is turned on first so that the internet software can find it, and plug it into the phone line. If you have a 'call waiting' facility on your phone line, it's a good idea to turn it off when accessing the internet, as it can sometimes disconnect you unexpectedly.

You'll usually have to enter some information to help the internet software set itself up -for instance, your name and address details may be required, and perhaps your credit card details if you're signing up with an ISP that charges a monthly subscription.
In some cases everything will have been set up for you, so it's best to check the instructions from your ISP.
Once the software's installed, all you need to do is double click on the icon for Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator - the two most common web browsers - and wait a moment. You'll have to type in the username and password that you were allocated by your provider, and then the modem will dial. A minute or so later, you'll he connected to the net.

The first thing you'll see will he a start page appearing in a window on your computer's desktop. It might not look much at first, but you can go wherever you want now the connection has been made. You're online, and ready to explore!