Internet Basics without fear! Quick-Start Guide for Becoming Internet-Friendly In just a Few Easy Steps (Revised Edition)

Rating:
Summary: I can't recommend this book
Review: As a reference librarian, I'm eagerly awaiting a book I can recommend to patrons who are eager to get started on the internet - one that explains the basics of the 'net and gives basic steps to getting started. I had high hopes that this was the book ... but this is an awful little book, full of generalities that are misleading, and narrated by a condescending self-promoting author.

The first fifty pages of this 130 page book are nothing more than the author ranting and raving about those "other" internet books, and why you need to buy his book instead of theirs. I have to say, I have read the various "Internet for Dummies" books and found them excellent ... they explain the various technical terms you are about to encounter with humor and grace ... the author of this smug little book has no grounds for criticizing the Dummies books.

When the author does finally get around to discussing the internet, he jumps right in using terms like "portal" and "url address" without ever defining them, which is sure to confuse and frustrate the "fearful beginner" he presumes to be teaching.

At best, this book is vague, incomplete, hardly helpful. If you really are a beginner looking for a good book to get you started, try one of the excellent visual guides available, or stick with "Internet for Dummies." I simply cannot recommend "Internet Basics Without Fear."

Rating:
Summary: I can't recommend this book
Review: As a reference librarian, I'm eagerly awaiting a book I can recommend to patrons who are eager to get started on the internet - one that explains the basics of the 'net and gives basic steps to getting started. I had high hopes that this was the book ... but this is an awful little book, full of generalities that are misleading, and narrated by a condescending self-promoting author.

The first fifty pages of this 130 page book are nothing more than the author ranting and raving about those "other" internet books, and why you need to buy his book instead of theirs. I have to say, I have read the various "Internet for Dummies" books and found them excellent ... they explain the various technical terms you are about to encounter with humor and grace ... the author of this smug little book has no grounds for criticizing the Dummies books.

When the author does finally get around to discussing the internet, he jumps right in using terms like "portal" and "url address" without ever defining them, which is sure to confuse and frustrate the "fearful beginner" he presumes to be teaching.

At best, this book is vague, incomplete, hardly helpful. If you really are a beginner looking for a good book to get you started, try one of the excellent visual guides available, or stick with "Internet for Dummies." I simply cannot recommend "Internet Basics Without Fear."

Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend this book to any non-technical beginner
Review: I highly recommend Internet Basics without fear! to any non-technical beginner. Unlike my colleague from Idaho, I found Internet Basics to be exactly what I was looking for. I am a teacher, educator and user of the Internet both at home and at school. I am not, however, a dummy. That is why I so welcomed the format and content of Internet Basics without fear! It eased me into the subject -- without patronizing or exasperating me with too much tekkie talk too soon. I found that the author's introductory discussion on the "fear of technology", including his personal anecdotes about his own early experiences on the Internet, both comforting and reassuring - and a darn good read to boot. I could certainly identify with his feelings (eg. hitting the wrong key and demolishing the innards of my computer) and I imagine that most non-technical beginners would, too.

Like the author, I found that tekkies (even friends) tended to talk down to me when I was first learning my way around computers and the Internet. They may not have realized they were doing it -- but the more they did it, the stupider I felt. In contrast, I found this little book talks simply and directly to me and my needs. Without, I repeat, patronizing or exasperating me.

In total contrast to what the librarian from Idaho stated in his review, I personally find the "Dummies" books daunting, with their almost 400 pages, and way too much technical jargon for a rank beginner! I just flip through one of these tomes and my eyes glaze over. After all, the only thing I wanted at the beginning was a little book that could tell me as simply as possible about the absolute basics on how to surf the Web and send and receive e-mails. This is what this little book claims to do in a manageable 130 pages, and that's what I found it has done for me.

One of the many user-friendly features I liked about this book was the separate chapter defining "Common Internet Terms" -- the ones that we see everyday in the newspaper or hear mentioned on the subway or on the TV. Terms such as "portal" and "url address" are defined in this chapter in simple straightforward language that I had no trouble grasping. I also appreciated the chapters on "Nice to Know Information" and "Frequently Asked Questions". These parts opened my eyes to some of the things one can do on the Net these days, and they also dispelled a number of misconceptions that I had.

In conclusion, I believe The Revised Edition of Internet Basics without fear! is an ideal little starter book to help any non-technical person get launched into cyber space. Quickly, easily, painlessly.

Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend this book to any non-technical beginner
Review: I highly recommend Internet Basics without fear! to any non-technical beginner. Unlike my colleague from Idaho, I found Internet Basics to be exactly what I was looking for. I am a teacher, educator and user of the Internet both at home and at school. I am not, however, a dummy. That is why I so welcomed the format and content of Internet Basics without fear! It eased me into the subject -- without patronizing or exasperating me with too much tekkie talk too soon. I found that the author's introductory discussion on the "fear of technology", including his personal anecdotes about his own early experiences on the Internet, both comforting and reassuring - and a darn good read to boot. I could certainly identify with his feelings (eg. hitting the wrong key and demolishing the innards of my computer) and I imagine that most non-technical beginners would, too.

Like the author, I found that tekkies (even friends) tended to talk down to me when I was first learning my way around computers and the Internet. They may not have realized they were doing it -- but the more they did it, the stupider I felt. In contrast, I found this little book talks simply and directly to me and my needs. Without, I repeat, patronizing or exasperating me.

In total contrast to what the librarian from Idaho stated in his review, I personally find the "Dummies" books daunting, with their almost 400 pages, and way too much technical jargon for a rank beginner! I just flip through one of these tomes and my eyes glaze over. After all, the only thing I wanted at the beginning was a little book that could tell me as simply as possible about the absolute basics on how to surf the Web and send and receive e-mails. This is what this little book claims to do in a manageable 130 pages, and that's what I found it has done for me.

One of the many user-friendly features I liked about this book was the separate chapter defining "Common Internet Terms" -- the ones that we see everyday in the newspaper or hear mentioned on the subway or on the TV. Terms such as "portal" and "url address" are defined in this chapter in simple straightforward language that I had no trouble grasping. I also appreciated the chapters on "Nice to Know Information" and "Frequently Asked Questions". These parts opened my eyes to some of the things one can do on the Net these days, and they also dispelled a number of misconceptions that I had.

In conclusion, I believe The Revised Edition of Internet Basics without fear! is an ideal little starter book to help any non-technical person get launched into cyber space. Quickly, easily, painlessly.

Rating:
Summary: Technophobes and Internet Beginners need look no further.
Review: Internet Basics without fear! By Shaun Fawcett, M.B.A., Final Draft Publications, 1999, softcover, indexed, illustrated, 106 pages. The title says it all. Technophobes and Internet beginners need look no further for the ideal tool to help them get online. Jargon-free and nurturing, this well-indexed book cuts to the chase in clear non-technical language, offers step-by-step instructions on mastering the Internet, suggests interesting sites, and devotes several pages to overcoming computer fears. Review by Judy Wayland, good times Magazine.