SO HERE you are, wired. The modem is buzzing, the pc is humming and you're on the internet. Now you are wondering well, where do I go? You could start by visiting some of the literally millions of sites on the World Wide Web, the vast majority of which are places to be visited only once, if that.
That said, software sites are a must even if you have a phobia about technology because many of them also deliver other forms of information. Take www.microsoft.com or its close relative, www.msn.com. (For an alternative view check out the hilarious www.microsnot.com). There is plenty of new software to download and many other excellent links to chase down. And it is constantly updated a must for any decent site. There are others home.netscape.com, www.thesite.com or www.windows95.com spring to mind but arguably the best site for up to date industry information and software is www.cnet.com, a wonderfully rich resource for everybody from the new user to the experienced old hand.
But the Web is about more than technology that's what makes it so fascinating. There's news information, much of it from trusted names such as the New York Times, the LA Times and, of course, The Irish Times, there are some very interesting new media ventures, such as Wired magazine's online offshoot, Hotwired, (www.hotwired.com), but the best of all is Salon (www.salon1999.com), a liberal, cool, intelligent online mags of some substance.
If news of a sporting kind is your cup of meat then look no further than ESPnet (espnet.sportszone.com), the online offshoot of the US sports channel. Followers of the beautiful game will reach their goal with the official site of the Carling Premieriship (www.fa-premier.com), though there are many offical and unofficial football and club sites, including some for League of Ireland clubs.
If none of the above helps, then resort to a search engine of which there is no shortage. These help, in a crude way, to find what interests you. The American Yahoo was among the first, but such is the overwhelming volume of registered web sites that it is now broken down into country specific areas such as that for Britain and Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk). The same is happening at Digital's excellent AltaVista search engine, but you can still use it from www.altavista.com.
THE last bit of advice is best keep your eye on regular guides such as Computimes's weekly list of new sites. Every week thousands of sites come online, and many more are reborn with new looks and more bells and whistles. Trust the old print medium to show the way through the morass.
