How to Use the Internet

Getting started using email, reading news, finding entertainment, researching information and using other online services

Co-authored by Crista Beck

Last Updated: April 18, 2024

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Using the internet is a vital thing for this century. However, some people don't know how to use the web. To learn many of the ways that you can use the web, just get started with Step 1 below.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Keeping Up with Friends and Family

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1
Use email. Email is a lot like regular mail and you can use it in many of the same ways. You'll need to sign up with an email service in order to get an address, though. Many email services are free and good ones include GMail and Outlook.com. When you go to check your email, you will go to the website for the service you signed up with and only the service you signed up with in order to read your mail.
- Email addresses don't look like street addresses. They are in a format like yourname@website.com. For example, the email to reach us here at wikiHow is wiki@wikihow.com. If your name is John Doe and you sign up with Gmail, your address could look like JohnDoe@gmail.com, JDoe@gmail.com, JohnD@gmail.com, or even something totally different like WarVet63@gmail.com.
2
Use Social Media. Social media is a term that encompasses a lot of different kind of websites, all for connecting and communicating with other people. Commonly used forms of social media include:
- Facebook, which is used for lots of different purposes, from messaging to sharing pictures and videos.
- Twitter, which is used for sending very short updates and thoughts about your life.
- Instagram, which is used for sharing pictures.
- |Pinterest which is for sharing items you find on the internet.
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Read or write blogs. A blog, which was derived from the term web log, is an online journal. You can put text, pictures, and even videos in a blog. You can write your own or you can read someone else's. Blogs cover all sorts of different subjects, and are starting to replace certain sections of the newspaper in their function.
You can use the internet to talk directly with people you know (or even people you don't know). If you want to talk face-to-face or with voice like a phone, you can use services like Skype, which is often free or a low price. You can also type-chat, which is like talking but with just text, using a number of different services (like AOL's Instant Messenger service AIM).

Bill Gates, Businessman & Philanthropist

Use technology to make your life easier. "Technology is unlocking the innate compassion we have for our fellow human beings. The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life."
5
Start dating! You can also date online! There are sites that are free, as well as sites that you pay for, all with the goal of helping you meet someone that's right for you. There are even specialty dating websites, for people in particular professions or with special interests. Match and eHarmony are the most common. Meetme is a popular free dating site and app for smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- Some dating sites have premium subscriptions that could benefit your search for a partner, as their paid features may help you meet a targeted group of people.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Keeping Up with Events

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You can read the newspaper online, often for free or cheaper than what you would pay for print. Most major newspapers include an online edition. These often may pair with videos for a multimedia experience. Try searching for your favorite newspaper! New York Times and CNN are common news sites.
You can also watch the news online. Go to the website for your local TV station to see what they offer, or watch clips from major news networks, like the BBC.
You can get op-ed style articles as well as financial, sports, and political analysis easily online, from blogs, news sites, and other websites. One popular source of online analysis is Nate Silver, through his FiveThirtyEight blog.,
Twitter, while a common form of social media that is mainly used for telling all your friends about something weird you just ate, can also be used to keep up-to-date on important events. Follow Twitter feeds for official offices, like the White House or major news networks, to get the latest on events as they happen.

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Managing Your Life

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Many major banks allow online banking, in which you can get your statements, make deposits and withdrawals, order checks, and do other common bank activities. Check the official site for your bank or call them to find out more information.
You can also often pay your bills online or even set up automatic payments, so you don't have to worry about paying a particular bill each month. You can set this up through your bank's website (sometimes, depending on the bank) or you can go to the website for the company that you have to pay (if they have online bill-pay set up). Call them for more information.
You can use free services like Google Spreadsheets to set up a tracker for your monthly expenses. This will be easier if you have experience with programs like Microsoft Excel, but you can also get templates that are easy to fill out. This service is free, as long as you have a Google Account.
If you love playing the stocks, you can even invest your money online, using websites like ETrade to buy, sell, and track your stocks. This is easy to do and gives you much more control over you trades.
You can keep a calendar with all of your appointments, birthdays, and anniversaries using tools like Google Calendar. You can even share your calendar with friends and family, so that they know where to find you and what's going on in your life.
If you want to get a paid job or even a volunteer position, you can find many opportunities online, using websites like Monster.com. You can search by what you want to do, where you are, how often you're available, etc. You can even do things like make resumes.

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Researching Information

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1
Find professional services. The internet is quickly becoming like a giant directory. Most professional services these days either have a website or at least a Google listing, so that you can easily get addresses and contact information, as well as hours and pricing. You can even use some websites to get recommendations, like AngiesList.com.
- Reader Poll: We asked 458 wikiHow readers, and 64% of them agreed that the best way to seek help and information is by searching online or using search engines. [Take Poll]
You can take full university courses or even just free courses online, if you want to learn a new skill or keep your brain active. You can find free courses from major universities on websites like Coursera, but actual degree programs online usually cost money.
If you're in the mood for more of a lecture than a full class, you can also find this kind of bite-size info on the internet. Go to websites like TED to see interesting lectures from some of the best minds in the world, for free. You can learn loads of basic skills (and not-so-basic ones!) on websites like this one, wikiHow. You can also find websites like Wikipedia, which is a free online encyclopedia and contains a vast wealth of information.. YouTube has lots of information and entertainment in video format.
If you're interested in your family history, you can do research about where you and your family come from. There are lots of ancestry websites which can provide not only information but also sometimes things like pictures or draft cards. Try Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and EllisIsland.org. Many publicly available census records are also online.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Entertaining Yourself

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You don't have to have cable any more if you don't want to. Many popular TV shows and movies can be watched through services like Netflix or Hulu, which can even stream right to your TV. These usually cost money, but it's much, much cheaper than paying for cable.
Youtube carries all sorts of different video content. You can watch funny clips, family movies, full TV shows, full movies, clips of either of those things, or even just do things like listen to songs.
You can play games online (or even gamble!). Websites like Games.com offer lots of free, classic games that you can play. Another option are games like fantasy football: a number of league are available online that you can enjoy for free.
4
Read comics. If you loved reading comics when they were in the newspaper, you can read many of those same comics online. Try a search for your favorite comic...you might be surprised!
- Read Garfield here.
- Read Family Circus here.
- Find new comics. There are lots of new comics that have never been up in the newspapers but can be read for free online. These are called webcomics, and cover a huge range of topics.
You can also listen to music online. There are many free websites that let you listen to music that you like. Pandora is a free internet radio that lets you choose what kind of music to listen to. Slacker.com is similar to a satellite radio service with a wide variety of music of all genres. You can also try to bring up specific songs or artists using websites like YouTube.

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How do I open Internet Explorer?

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Go into the Start menu of your computer and look for Internet Explorer. Click on the application to open it. Alternatively, click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop.

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What do I do if I can't find love on the internet?

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Don’t give up! However, trying to find love in person might be a better option for you. You can also try more dating sites.

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Warnings

Be careful not to give your bank information or any other important identifying information to people on the internet that you don't know. There are many terrible people on the internet that would like to take advantage of you, but if you're smart you can avoid them.

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