Also in this section... - Connecting to the internet - Searching the web Elsewhere in the site... - Promoting your website - Ideas for good content

Tucows is a good starting point for software and internet resources, on all platforms. If you have a new computer, the chances are it will have current web browser and e-mail software already loaded. If not, you could get a copy from a computer magazine (eg PC World) cover CD, or download from the web. The files are seriously big, so expect a lengthy download if you're using a modem.

If you're not familiar with either computers in general, or internet software, don't be frightened of it! It's all quite straightforward, and a short demonstration of the fundamentals - how to switch the computer on, how to launch and use the web browser and e-mail software - should be an adequate primer to building up experience on your own.

ISPs and Telecoms

An ISP - or Internet Service Provider - provides access to the internet by connecting the user vai a telephone line to their internet connection. You need an ISP account before you can go online. This can be installed and configured - either from a CD, or with software already on your computer called 'Internet Setup Assistant' (on a Mac) or 'Internet Setup Wizard' (on a Windows machine). Alternatively you can do a manual setup using your computer's control panels.

If you're going online for the first time, the choice of ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and telecoms packages, plus combinations of the two, can be bewildering. Until recently it was simple: you paid £10 per month to one of the small number of ISPs, and paid BT the standard local call rate.

Free access was popularised by Freeserve, the first large scale operator in the market, followed by many others. Free access means that you do not have to pay to access the internet, but you still have to pay for the phone calls.

The 0800 internet access which was hyped in late 1999 has largely failed to materialise. This was inevitable, and the major players are now moving towards more sustainable options. NTL, whose NTLWorld free service is swamped with users, also offer a service called PC Internet, which allows calls to the internet at 1p per minute at all times. BT are offering a product called Surftime, which allows unlimited off-peak use for £6 per month, or continuous use for £20 per month.

Some ISPs who will remain nameless here - the ones who swamp you with lavishly packaged free CDs delivered with the post - offer packages which are still almost as expensive as the pre free ISPs and BT-only calls days. These are best avoided.

• Detailed information on all UK ISP and combined
  ISP/telecoms packages can be found at Net4Nowt.

Finding things on the web

There are plenty of search engines to choose from, but if you want to get about fast, consider using Metacrawler or Dogpile. Both trawl through lots of search engines at one go, getting you a pretty definitive list for your keywords.

Web indexes offer data in a more orderly format. All entries are checked and categorised by humans, who tend to be better than software at these things. Yahoo! is the best known and most popular search source on the web, and can always find an answer to your request either from its own data, or failing that from it's [excellent] fallback data source Google. Other major indexes include Looksmart and the Open Directory.

UK Plus, UK Max and Search UK are specifically UK search engines, which may be worth using if you only want British results. The UK editions of major search engines are better - try Altavista, Excite, Infoseek and Lycos.

If you have a web site you should have a basic knowledge of how search engines work - even if we're handling the promotion for you. See Self Promotion and Search Engine Watch for lots of relevant information and links.

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