Keeping up with jargon can be tough in any field, but when it comes to technology, things get even more confusing. After all, it seems like something new is getting rolled out every couple of months, each new device is branded as being superior to what was around before, and often, the differences are unclear. Things get even trickier when it’s something that is actually new, like a first generation device or new communications method.
However, it’s important to remember that everything you use on a daily basis was once something confusing and new. Therefore, there’s no reason to get completely overwhelmed by new gadgets and developments. Instead of resigning yourself to a life of cell phones and wireless internet, it is possible to push things forward without getting too confused.
One of the biggest developments of the past couple of years has not been a particular device, per say, but rather, a faster means of sending and receiving data. Cell phone companies around the United States rolled out their respective 4G networks in select cities, seeing how people everywhere from Seattle to Boston found the fastest network in existence. With reception extremely positive–mostly because it was now possible to do just about anything online through a cell phone, including stream video–cell phone companies went ahead and expanded their new networks to wider coverage.
Meanwhile, the development of WiMax meant that wireless actually became wireless. Instead of depending on a router attached to a single modem to create a wireless network, this new technology–its name is short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access–depends on towers that mirror signals, allowing for a solid and dependable network that spans not just a college campus or coffeeshop, but entire cities and states. With the technology primed and ready to expand beyond a single country, there is even potential in the future for a global version of wireless, where people are able to travel with their enabled laptop and never have to configure a network for a moment.
The combination of better, faster technology and the swiftest network around is the reason that WiMax is such a big deal. Since it is also operating on the world’s fastest currently-existing network, this means that data is being sent over a 20 Mhz wide channel, usually at speeds comparable to non-mobile broadband. With that much space for data, it is possible to accomplish things that would never be possible with coffeeshop wireless, like sending huge files or live streaming of video content. Business travelers are particularly in luck, because this development means that it’s possible to videoconference from just about anywhere without concerns about delays.
More than just connecting people to the internet, WiMax also has the capability of using those very same towers to connect people to the same content, no matter where they are. Consider what it means to have your own network within a network, meaning that information that would only be accessible in the office or on a college campus can now travel with its users no matter where they are, even if it’s not stored on their hard drive. This makes everything, from business to keeping up on college classes, significantly easier for all parties involved. After all, innovation is about a whole lot more than just who has the fastest network that can handle the most data in the most locations.
Today (free of charge, zero money down, no shipping and handling) I’m providing you with a list of tips that, when followed, will cause your aura to radiate “INTERNET EXPERT” like a big, bright neon sign.
I suggest at least a modest attempt at making the following practices somewhat automatic for you. At the least, devotion to these practices will keep others’ eye-rolls, snickers, and impatient sighs at bay. At the most, you may find yourself being carried about on your co-workers shoulders all day, caught in an outpouring of endearing stares, listening to shouts and cheers of respect somewhere along the lines of “Hear hear for the Internet Expert!”
TIP #1: Never ever use the terms “AOL” and “Internet” as if they were completely interchangeable.
Example no-no: Someone asks if your company has a website. You reply, “Oh yeah! We’re totally on AOL!” Big awful buzzer sound here. AOL is NOT the Internet; AOL is simply one of many browsers that allows you to maneuver about the Internet. It is also a company that likes to put holographic CDs covered with infomercial-like promotions in post offices in attempts of persuading more people into using their services.
TIP #2: Click correctly.
When you’re surfing about the Internet, you likely get from place to place using hyperlinks (a.k.a. “links”). You should be aware that links require nothing more than a single click from the left button on your mouse. Double (or triple . . . or quadruple) clicking and right-clicking on links when you simply want to be taken to a different location are a few of the primary causes of those behind-your-back eyerolls you may not know people have been sending your way. Remember this: With links on the Internet, “one-click, that’s it.”
TIP #3: Remember that search engines are for searching, not for typing in complete URLs.
This means that you do NOT need to head over to Google or Yahoo Search or any other search engine to reach the specific website you already know you want to visit. Instead of typing “www.google.com” into your address bar and then typing in the URL of the site you want to visit in the search box. . . just SKIP going to Google and type the URL of the site you want to visit in the address bar instead!
TIP #4: Understand the term “download” and know how to pull files off the Internet onto your computer when you need/would like them. If you are unclear about the term ‘downloading’, take a look at the simple explanation offered right here.
TIP #5: Use an Internet browser that’s not older than your average kindergartner.
I’ll tell you right now: if you’re using something along the lines of Netscape 1.0 (born 1994) or Internet Explorer 2.0 (born 1996)—you’re seriously not appearing Internet Savvy. To be completely honest, even the use of AOL or Internet Explorer 5 to navigate the web won’t help your image (or your overall Internet experience) all that much either. To appear savvy, consider downloading and using something a bit more recent, such as Internet Explorer 7, or Firefox 3.
TIP #6: When someone’s surfing the Internet with you and they ask you to “open up a new window,” do NOT furrow your brow and say “huh??”.
This will most definitely not make you appear Internet savvy. Instead simply reply (in an oh-so-suave tone, of course) “Why, of course!”. Then either hold down the “Ctrl” and then the “N” keys on your keyboard OR click on the “File” menu button at the top of the browser screen, then click on “Open New Window.” Many people find that having more than one browser window open at once is extremely handy for viewing multiple websites simultaneously. Try it out.
TIP #8: Whenever a friend or coworker asks a question that no one in the near vicinity can answer, calmly say “Oh I know that.”
Then excuse yourself for just a moment, run to your computer, hop on the Internet, access Google (or your favorite search engine), look up the answer, and return to the questioning party with an eloquent, detailed explanation. Simply being aware that the Internet is home to a mind-boggling amount of information about pretty much everything instantly makes you appear more savvy in general to those around you. It may also encourage you to search the Internet with more regularity, which in turn boosts your true Internet savvy—not simply the appearance of it.
TIP #9: DO NOT click on flashing advertisements that: a) claim you’re the sites 1,000,000th visitor, b) ask you what your favorite color is and show you 4 or 5 circles or hearts or something of the sort, c) state that you were randomly chosen from all site visitors to win $100, etc. etc. etc.
People who are Internet savvy know that those type of advertisements are nothing more than tremendous wastes of time.
TIP #10: For heaven’s sake: always remember that the Internet does not bite.
So don’t act like it does—especially when you’re in the company of others. Doing so will not make you appear Internet savvy.
And that, my friends, is a list of tips that should help you on your way. If you don’t actually become Internet-savvy, well then, I suppose at the very least . . . you can at least appear it. Have fun!