A Guide To The Internet.

There is such a huge assortment of choice when it comes to the Net that it can get really bewildering. The purpose of this article is to make the procedure of setting yourself up online simpler.

I have been on the Internet since 1988 (with a 2Kb modem in those days) and have used dial-up telephone line connections, high-speed broadband and satellite links.

At whatever level you are thinking about entering the net market, you will need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may just want to surf the Net and exchange emails or you may want your own website too. Let us talk about these in turn.

The most widespread kind of UK net access at the moment is high-speed broadband, whether it comes from a cable provider or a telephone line, normally provided by BT. If you are still using a dial-up 56 Kb connection, you have a wonderful experience in store for you.

If you are thinking about going online for the first time, don't give dial-up a second thought - it is painfully slow, once you have used high-speed broadband.

If you have a cable TV provider, you will almost certainly find it simpler to buy your connection from your present supplier, otherwise I suggest going with BT Broadband.

BT has plenty of experience, a long-standing good record and are very competitive too these days. You can read an piece on broadband Internet access by clicking through to BT's web site.

Most ISP's will allow you a couple of email addresses and a limited amount of their disk space to host a personal website. This may be adequate for most individuals, but these days, with lower prices and higher individuality desired, I think that most individuals would prefer a more personal web site and the personal email addresses that go with it.

For example: would you rather 'be referred to as' (ie have an email address of):
owen1954-8@ntlworld.com and a site address of http://ntlworld.com/owen1954-8/index.html
or
owen@amiabledragon.com and an address of http://amiabledragon.com ?

(These are real examples: I was with NTL before, but have left them and the Amiable Dragon is one of my websites).
In this example, amiabledragon.com is my domain name, so I can put anything I like before it to create an email address.

It is far more personal AND it can be utilized for business, if I want, whereas lots of ISP's ban the use of their websites for business use. If you opt for having your own domain, then you will have to host it somewhere (ie someone will have to keep it on their computer for you).

Finally, you might like to enhance your Net experience by upgrading some of your accessories; for example: buying an optical or radio mouse, a wireless router, a better seat or desk et cetera.

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