A ‣ Using email

Think about the way you use email.

1. How often do you check your email [look to see if you have any messages]?
2. How many emails do you send a week? Are they all essential [important/necessary]?
3. How many emails do you get every week? Do you read them immediately [without waiting]?
4. How quickly do you reply to [answer] the emails you receive?
5. Do you delete emails regularly [remove them from your computer often]?
6. Do you get much spam [emails that you do not want, usually adverts; also called junk mail]?
7. Have you got anti-virus software [a program that stops a virus entering your computer]?
8. How often do you send or receive attachments?

B ‣ Getting started on the Internet

To go on the Internet, you need an ISP (Internet service provider) that will connect [join or link] your computer to the Internet and give you access to [the ability to use] email and other services. When you go online [use the Internet], you can then send and receive emails, or you can browse the Internet [look at websites]; you do this using a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Many websites also have links: if you click on a link, it will take you to a different website, or move you from one part of the website to another.

C ‣ Using the Internet

Many people now have Internet access and Internet use is changing all the time. These are common uses.

1. Students search the Internet [look for information on the Internet; also do an Internet search] to help with their studies.
2. People download [copy onto their computer; opp upload] information, pictures, music, video clips [small parts of a video recording], etc.
3. People buy books, clothes and food online, book their holidays online, take out insurance online, etc. People go to a website, select the item [product, e.g. a book] they want and click add to basket/bag. When they have finished shopping they go to checkout and pay for their items, usually with a credit card.
4. Some people have a personal website to provide news about a particular subject, or just write about events in their life. These are called blogs, and people who write them are bloggers.
5. Some people just like to spend hours surfing the web [looking at different websites].
6. Some people spend a lot of time on social networking sites [places on the Internet where you can have a discussion with other people, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.]. On these sites people post comments [leave messages] to their friends.
7. Some people do a lot of instant messaging [send and receive messages in real time].