General resources -- computers and/or the
Internet
Don't overlook the tutorials that you have
right on your own computer if you have Windows
XP. For example, click Start > Help and
Support > Networking and the Web to find
lots of helpful information about email,
connecting to the Internet (they call it
Networking), security and fixing problems.
Click Start > Help and Support > Windows
basics to learn more about using your computer
and fixing problems. You'll even find interactive
tutorials in Windows "Help and Support".
This porridge is too hot... This porridge
is too cold... This porridge is just right...
You may feel like Little Red Riding Hood
when it comes to computer things. Sometimes
it's hard to find answers at your level.
Sandy's Classroom explains things "just right" for
people in the middle. Don't miss her "Cut-andPaste" or "Mouse Clicking" tutorials if you're a new computer
user. Her trademark, "Compu-KISS®"
stands for "The Computer
World - Keeping
It Short and Simple". It
represents
her approach to helping others
understand
the world of computer technology.
Smart Computing is a computing magazine written in plain
English. It features computer articles, tutorials,
and hardware and software comparisons, along
with reviews, tips, and troubleshooting advice.
If you are a subscriber, you can find and use hundreds of articles
and tutorials there .
There are a wide range of computer courses
and tutorials to choose from at Learnthat.
AARP has a number of interesting topics,
for example, Getting Started with E-mail,
in their How to Guides.
The PC Guide is more encyclopedic than tutorial. I've
included it here because it compliments the
PC tutorials very well. There is an extensive
set of guides here on just about any computer
topic.
Deee's Computer and Internet Reference Guide is an even more extensive encyclopedia on
a wide range of both computer and Internet
topics.
Tutorials About Computers has many links to computer and Internet
tutorials and other information.
Internet tutorials
Internet 101.org © is probably the best site for new users
to learn about the Internet. It's thorough,
yet easy to follow.
Internet for Beginners and particularly Internet 101: Beginner's Guide to the Internet are two excellent places to get help on
the Internet.
Learn the Net offers tutorials (free) and classes (fee).
It's comprehensive, well organized and well
written.
Microsoft has a site they call The complete Internet guide and Web tutorial. It is well organized and well written --
not too hard for beginners, but
with good
information for more experienced
Internet
users.
AARP has a well done series of tutorials on learning the Internet. Start with the
Basic Browsing tutorial, and move on to Intermediate Browsing.
Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's
Guide to the Internet is more for *advanced* beginners, but if
you want to look up a specific
topic quickly,
it's a good place for anyone
to go.
Email basics
There's an excellent series on "Email
Basics" Part 1 - Part 2 - Part3 at TNPC."
Netiquette has a nice guide on how to do email right.
Microsoft has a useful article titled Compose and Send E-Mail Messages Using Outlook
Express
If you just can't resist forwarding that
joke, a tutorial by Somewhere in Time shows how to forward it properly using "Bcc".
Inside OE Home is a definitive site that covers all aspects
of Outlook Express.
Search sites and searching tips
Searching is one of the best ways to find
things on the Internet. Some people keep
only a few key "favorites". They
just rerun their search when they want to
find a site again. You can even save those search results as
a favorite. It does take a bit of experience to get
useful results from searches though.
Fortunately, there are plenty of places on
the Web where you learn about searching.
TechTV --"Search Basics"
Search Engine Watch --"Searching Tips" along with
some fun facts, such as what people search
for.
Lookoff.com -- "Search Engines & Tutorials"
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It's completely feasible to learn all about using the Internet by using the Internet itself. It's not easy for beginners to do that though. The hard part is knowing where and how to get started. It's relatively easy, once you know how, to learn about virtually anything -- using your computer, brewing beer, laying tile, celestial navigation, genealogy, fixing appliances -- on the Internet.
Some people have learned how to use the Internet effectively by just poking around. Most people can extend their basic computer and Internet skills more quickly by using a structured process. There are online tutorials that can help you do that, and they're the place to start if you don't have much Internet experience.