Let’s Go Surfing Now

As printed in Hearing Health, volume 20:1, Spring 2004

By Donna L. Schillinger, assistant editor

You’ve held out for a long time but you’re certain now that the Internet is not just a fad. You’re tired of being asked for your email address only to admit that you don’t have one. Determined to dive into the 21st century, you’re ready to cybersurf.
Like the ocean, the Internet is so vast it boggles the mind. It is free and belongs to everyone and hosts incredible variety.

The concept of network intercommunication was first introduced 30 years ago by Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf, who is coincidentally hard-of-hearing. Further development by the U. S. Department of Defense brought into being the Internet (aka the Net, information superhighway, World Wide Web and cyberspace), a huge network of computers connected by high-speed data lines.

Internet Security Tip Sheet

Internet users can be easy pickin’s for hackers – criminals of above-average intelligence who haunt cyberspace. Although the World Wide Web was initially designed to facilitate free and easy information exchange, utilizing this resource now requires protections like passwords, encryption and anti-virus software. Not all cybercrime can be prevented but there are ways to minimize risk to your computer and data.

Get the latest version of an anti-virus software (standard with most new computers) and set it to automatically check for updates each time you go online.
Make a complete backup of your personal files once a month. Between backups, print important documents you’ve created.
Vary usernames and passwords and keep a card file of your choices rather than storing them on your computer.
Do not use your checking account debit card for online purchases. If cybercriminals get that number, they have access to your cash flow.
Do not use your debit or credit card pin numbers, Social Security number or birth date in your passwords.
Use one credit card with a low credit limit to make online purchases. When the statement arrives, carefully review it for unauthorized transactions. Better yet, register the card online and check the statement weekly.
Make online purchases only at secure sites.
If you access the Internet via broadband, acquire personal firewall software that blocks malicious data from entering your computer’s ports.

Users send and receive information translated by Internet protocol (the language computers use to communicate with each other) into itsy bitsy packets. They are channeled through routers (really big computers that direct Internet traffic) to intended destinations and then reassembled into data.

Small amounts of data, like an email, take only seconds to span the globe. Even sending or receiving something as large as a book can take but a few minutes.

To access the Internet, you need a machine: a desktop or laptop computer, a hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet-ready cell phone or Web TV.

You also need a way to connect to the Internet. Newer computers have internal modems that hook up to a regular phone line to create a “dial-up” connection. “Broadband” refers to a DSL modem linked to a phone line or a cable modem connected to the same type of cable used for cable television. A satellite connection requires a dish and coaxial cable in addition to a modem and phone line. DSL, cable and satellite providers will supply the equipment you need when you sign up for their service. New wireless technology in cell phones, PDAs and top-of-the-line computers does not require any lines or hookups.
Most computers come with browser software that enables you to view and navigate the web. Popular browsers are Netscape and Internet Explorer. You can easily update with a newer version of the provided software over the Internet, usually for free, or purchase other browsers over the web or from retail outlets.

An Internet service provider (ISP) interfaces your computer with the rest of the world. Although Internet connection software is standard with new computers, you may prefer to use an ISP that provides its own. There are several popular providers: America Online (AOL), Microsoft Network (MSN), Compuserv, Earthlink, Prodigy, etc. There is also a plethora of smaller and/or local providers who undercut the big guys’ rates. Prices vary by type of connection, speed of data transfer and server amenities and range from as little as $4.95 to more than $50 per month for really fast connections. Urban dwellers may have a dozen servers to choose from while people in rural areas may have only one choice.

The server you use determines how you connect to the Internet (dial-up, broadband, wireless, etc.) and how rapidly you are able to send and receive data. Dial-up is the slowest connection which means it will take a little longer for webpages to load or appear on your screen and your emails to be delivered from the server. Some providers offer only dial-up while others may offer the faster DSL connection to customers within a certain geographic perimeter.

If you don’t own a computer, PDA or other Internet-ready “hardware” or choose not to sign up with a server for a monthly fee, you can easily access the web at your local library for free or at an Internet café for very reasonable rates. A bonus of gaining access in this manner is that there is usually someone handy to help you if you need it. Except for being able to surf while dressed in your pajamas, you can do most anything through access at these public settings that you could do with an at-home setup.

Startup, Surfing and Beyond
Upon your initial connection to the Internet, the home page of your server appears on your screen. You can subsequently select any webpage as your home page. Starting there, you can click on links (underlined text or text that changes color when you pass your curser over it) that take you to other pages on your home website or to other websites. You can also go directly to another website by typing its uniform resource locator (URL) or “address” – www.hearinghealthmag.com, for example – in the long white box at the top of the browser window.

Let’s say you want a recipe for spinach crepes. You start out at www.recipes.com. Ten minutes later, you find yourself purchasing lingerie. This is a familiar outcome from surfing – exploring the Internet, following the currents of vast amounts of information, sometimes being carried away by the riptides of marketing, and surfacing 10, 20 or more sites away from where you first hit the water. With practice, you can learn to stay focused among the world’s largest collection of data and services and actually accomplish what you set out to do in a single Internet session.

The Internet has many useful applications. You can buy groceries, send pictures to Grandma and check world headlines. The possibilities are endless and the convenience unrivaled. Primary uses include:

Communication: The most common method is by email. If you are a paid subscriber, your server hosts your mailbox. Anyone can also set up a free mailbox at www.hotmail.com, www.yahoo.com or many other websites, a boon for public access users.
As with regular mail, you send email and wait for recipients to check their mailbox and reply. You can send mail to one or one thousand people at once.

For even quicker response, there is instant messaging (typed realtime interaction) that need not be limited to two people. All parties have to be online at the same time and the conversation is initiated by one person and joined by the others.

With a web camera that attaches to your computer with a built-in microphone, you can upgrade from a text-based interchange to videoconferencing where you see others and talk and/or sign to them “live.” Many businesses conduct meetings using these tools as do friends and families.

The Internet can help you keep in touch with people you know, “meet” new people and make cyberfriends from around the world who share your interests. Many websites sponsor “chatrooms” where text-based conversations progress in real time. Others offer listservs and newsgroups through which you can initiate or respond to discussions and offer your opinion to hundreds or thousands of other people whenever you like, though the dialogue is not in a live interchange.

Buying and selling goods and services: Books, music, hearing aids, furniture, stocks and bonds, real estate, antiques – if you can imagine it, you can buy it on the Internet. The best way to find what you want is through a search engine, a website that scours the Internet to find other sites with the “key words” you specify.

On the home page of a search engine, like www.altavista.com or www.google.com, type in key words that describe what you want to find (e.g., “hearing aid batteries,” “amplified phone,” etc.), hit the Enter key and dozens of links will appear. Click on one and check it out. To get back to your search results, simply click the Back button at the top of your browser window until the search results appear.

Beyond goods, the Internet also offers a surprising array of services. You can attend college, book a vacation and file your taxes online. Research and learning: On the Internet, you can find the answer to most questions. Whether you want to discover how to identify edible mushrooms or learn Greek, there is no better starting point.

Again, visit your favorite search engine and simply type in “identifying mushrooms” or “learn Greek” and hit Enter. The magical keystroke will yield possibly hundreds of links. If you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, try rewording your search slightly, perhaps “edible mushrooms” or “Greek lessons.”

The Internet is so user-friendly that children can manage it but don’t be surprised or frustrated if it takes a bit of time and practice to feel familiar and comfortable. The most difficult thing is deciding to take the plunge.

Start small with a search of a favorite hobby. In no time, you’ll feel savvy enough to set up an email account or make a purchase. Once you jump in, you’ll find that what seemed like perilous waves of technology are actually quite easy and fun to ride. n

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