Amazon.co.uk Review
While most Internet directories are weighty enough to prop open heavy wooden doors, this pocket-sized guide packs a lot into 430 pages. Published by the same folks who do the popular Rough Guide travel series, The Internet & World Wide Web makes a terrific resource for travel, but it's also a good directory for your desk. The first section of the book covers the basics of the Net: how to get connected, how to choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP), e-mail, mailing lists, file transfers, newsgroups, the Web, search engines, how to create a Web page, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), online gaming, and how to stay connected while travelling. While the guide doesn't study these topics exhaustively, it provides enough to get your feet wet. Section 2 lists over 600 well-known Web sites, which you can access from the book's Web site. The third section features a well-done discussion of Net "contexts", a short history of the Net, a glossary, and "Net language", such as emoticons or the acronyms used as shorthand in posting and chat. An ISP listing concludes the guide. And if you are bringing this guide on your travels, it provides a list of 50 things to do with selections from the book. --Amazon.com

Book Description
READ ME Hooking up to the Internet isn’t such a big deal these days. So why do you need a book to get online? Or more to the point, why do you need one once you’re already online? You don’t, of course. In fact, most people just install some Internet software, start clicking, and worry about the consequences later. That’s why they catch viruses (p.142), get scammed (p.178), unwittingly install 'spyware' (p.262) and wonder why their computers keep crashing (p.98 and p.336). It’s why so few know how to get the best from a search engine (p.157), take part in online discussions (p.197), collect their email on the road (p.134), set up a second account (p.112), maintain their privacy (p.92 and p.138), and stop junk email (p.131). And why most of their time is spent sifting through rubbish Web sites instead of going straight to the best (p.317). You can do it the hard way too, if you don’t mind wasting half your life. Or, you can do it the smart way and leave the hard work to me. I’ve spent the best part of the last decade test-driving software, sorting through sites, torturing search engines, and figuring out what works best. You’ll find the latest results distilled in this small book. Everything from scoring a free email address (p.105) to building an online photo gallery (p.292). If you only read one chapter, make that 'Find It' (p.152). Know it back to front and you’ll have the Net around your little finger. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you become an expert.

The fact that I find myself flipping through this guide from time to time suggests to me that it’s as much a desktop reference for old timers as a beginner’s guide. If I’ve done my job properly, I’m hoping you’ll buy the next edition, and maybe even keep a dog-eared copy by your computer for many years to come. Best wishes and bon voyage!

Angus Kennedy angus@easynet.co.uk --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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