Get up to speed with some basics

World Wide Web

The internet or "The Web" can appear a daunting place when you are first confronted with it.

Browsing devices [e.g. computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones etc.] are plentiful but some find it hard to get to grips with them properly due to a fear of unknown complexity.

This fear is pretty common but it is mostly down to myth. The idea that technical devices are difficult to learn, and use, is not necessarily true, especially if you use good software and take your time.

Provided you are prepared to put in a bit of effort, and have a few pointers as to where to look, then mastering your browser becomes a lot easier.

Remember your technical equipment is nothing more than hardware that is powerful but actually pretty dumb and just does what it is told when you select software options.

The browser can be really good at doing things quickly but remember that you are in charge, and all devices simply obey whatever commands or instructions are given them.

For newbies some of the biggest problems are knowing what a device is capable of doing; what features will be best for their personal use; and then knowing how to get the browser or whatever to do whatever it is you want it to do.

Software Applications [Apps], can be referred to as Programs, or Icons, or Widgets that are accessed via a User Interface [or UI for short] or a Graphical User Interface [GUI].

In the vast majority of cases usability has been made pretty easy over the years by the manufactures and software developers who provide the UI or GUI striving to make them more intuitive for you to use.

If developers do a good job with the UI or GUI then the finished products will have clear controls that are easy to understand, simple to access, and above all enjoyable / productive to use.

Now despite all this talk of complexity let's simplify a couple of things and explain two key topics that are really, really important for new users in need of a little help to get going :-

• The first, which may seem pretty obvious, is being comfortable with using a Web Browser which
  is the software that lets you navigate around all of the sites and services on the internet.

• The second, perhaps less obvious, is learning how to use a Search Engine to find out just about
  anything about any topic that interest you.

Remember the best way to improve your skills is just to dive in and get your hands dirty using a web browser and search engine you are familiar with.

Web Browsers:

There are several good web browsers around, many of which have versions that run across different hardware, so once you get used to using a particular browser on one device you should be able to move on other devices and feel at home straight away.

In order to keep things simple let’s just focus on one that is probably the most widely used - the Chrome browser from Google.

N.B. Most of the facilities in Chrome are provided in other popular browsers so you should be able to use them in a similar way no matter which version you happen to have. However Chrome does have the edge [no pun intended] when it comes to tight integration with other products in the Google ecosystem - this may, or may not, be very useful to you depending upon the type, and scope, of tasks that you undertake online.

Search Engines:

Again there are a number of very good, reliable, search engines available and just about everybody you ask will tell you they have have their own favourite.

Some search engines offer slightly different niche features that may suit to your needs more than others, it’s just a matter of personal preferences, what you get used, to and most importantly which works best for you.

Again to keep things simple let’s focus on the Google Search Engine but remember the key features provided are probably available in other search engines.

There is no getting away from the fact that the above links lead to what seems like a mountain of information that can take a while to read and absorb - "no pain, no gain" !!

Obviously it will take more than one quick visit to get up to speed, so be prepared to go back and forth and try out different things until you get used to them.

You’ll soon find that you are picking up the basics and with a bit of practice you should find that you get better and better at quickly finding good answers to your questions.

Apart from all the official Help material provided by Google you will hopefully find additional relevant tips as you work your way through the rest of these sites.