Using the internet for the first time - what is your experience?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
May 26, 2011 12:56pm CST
At the moment my husband is teaching my mother-in-law to do use the internet. She is a complete beginner, and my husband sometimes gets impatient if she doesn't understand the things he explains. He forgets that everything is completely new to her and that the things that are incredibly easy for him aren't easy for her. When we know how to use the internet there are so many things that we take for granted. We open and close websites, use multiple windows, check our emails, search information etc without really thinking about what we do, we just do it.
I still remember the very first time I used the internet. I didn't know how to close the websites that I used and I didn't know how to open more than one window. I also needed help when I wanted to create my first email account and I needed help when I wanted to send an email. Now I don't even think about those things.
Which things did you find difficult when you started using the internet? Did you learn it on your own or did someone help you in the beginning?
2 people like this
9 responses
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
27 May 11
I learned my internet knowledge through my local library. I remembered that i borrowed a lot books about internet knowledge and i slow grasped my knowledge through them. It is not easy for the first time, since i don't understand some of the function. So, i learned from my senior, when i tied helping my company to send some emails. I remembered that my senior ever asked me to send a few emails with attachment to our customers. But, instead i send a few emails without attachment because i don't know how to add attachment to my email at that time....
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 11
I also had problems with the attachments first time I wanted to send an email with attachments, and I had to ask someone to show me how to attach them. Now it is very easy for me to send emails with attachment and it is easy for me to change the size of the attachments etc, but I still remember the first time that I tried it. I think it is a good idea to borrow books about the internet, that also helped me in the beginning and I learned a few things that I wouldn't have learned on my own.
@topffer (42156)
• France
26 May 11
I learned alone and got the Internet in 1995 with a 14k -- ! -- modem and Netscape... 1.0 . At this time it was very different than today : quite no commercial pages, downloads by FTP and things that have disappeared today, like gophers for text files and a finger to surf with your identity written on your back -- there was no spammers in these happy days --. I had a web page on a state university server and we were about 6000 French connected
. It was a lot more technical than today : there was no dedicated html editor and you had to learn to code your pages, so many pages were black or blue on white with no real layout, and I needed a few months to learn how to write and manage my pages.
. At this time it was very different than today : quite no commercial pages, downloads by FTP and things that have disappeared today, like gophers for text files and a finger to surf with your identity written on your back -- there was no spammers in these happy days --. I had a web page on a state university server and we were about 6000 French connected. It was a lot more technical than today : there was no dedicated html editor and you had to learn to code your pages, so many pages were black or blue on white with no real layout, and I needed a few months to learn how to write and manage my pages.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 11
The page that you used at that time sounds too technical for me I started in 1997, and at that time there were few websites compared to today. If I were able to go back to that time now I would probably find the internet quite boring and slow, but at that time I thought that it was fantastic! My internet habits have also changed since that time, in the beginning I only spent a couple of hours a month online, now I spend several hours online every day...
I started in 1997, and at that time there were few websites compared to today. If I were able to go back to that time now I would probably find the internet quite boring and slow, but at that time I thought that it was fantastic! My internet habits have also changed since that time, in the beginning I only spent a couple of hours a month online, now I spend several hours online every day...1 person likes this
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
28 May 11
Hi Procospino, it will take time for your mother-in-law to learn internet. Because she is an aged person. It is difficult for young person also to learn everything of internet. When I start using computer I took help of others to know a b c d of computer.Still I have to learn many things about computer.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
28 May 11
I also think that it will take a while before my mother-in-law learns how to use the internet. She is completely news to computers, so she has to learn everything from the beginning. My husband helps her, but he also suggested that she sign up for an internet course in order to learn all the basic things. Like you I got help from others when I started using a computer. Now I am able to do all the basic things and I am able to use the internet in many different ways, but there are still things that I would like to learn. My husband has taught me how to use PSP and I use it in my art, but I still need to ask him for advice sometimes because I forget some of the things.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
5 Sep 11
I experienced the same thing when I was a beginner, I didn't know the basic things about the internet, I didn't know how to open or close a site etc. One of my teachers helped me use the internet in the beginning. It was like a new world to me and I found it very interesting to visit the different sites. At my school we got introduced to the internet and afterwards we had about one hour to experiment on our own, but I wanted to continue when that hour was over
@rainbowink (296)
• Philippines
27 May 11
Haha Funny the first time I learned how to use the internet was by online chatting. Because the first time I learned it was also my first computer hands on experience, I really had a hard time controlling the mouse. HAHA. I looked like a robot with a hand ailment. I also had a hard time typing in wordpad/word processor programs. I learned saving pictures and contents from the net easily but it was hard for me to locate which folder/drive I should save it to.
Nice post! Made me laugh at how silly I looked like before. lol
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 11
Chatting was also one of the first things that I did online. I remember how confusing it was, I didn't know any of the abbreviations or the smileys, and I didn't understand half of the conversation I chatted to someone and he asked me if I had ICQ and I wrote "No I don't think so, what is it?" and he found that very funny. Later I often used ICQ and similar sites, but at that I time those things were just a bunch of unknown words to me.
I chatted to someone and he asked me if I had ICQ and I wrote "No I don't think so, what is it?" and he found that very funny. Later I often used ICQ and similar sites, but at that I time those things were just a bunch of unknown words to me.
@goldenPlanet (328)
• Philippines
27 May 11
when I first used the Internet, i was like a total idiot hihih, i didnt know what to do not even compose an email message. It was so complex for me at first, and Internet that time wasnt so good looking as compared today. well there is always a first time for everything and it is coupled with a lot of failures, funny moments and of course a triumph over a new endeavor.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 11
I remember the time when emails were a new world to me. I didn't know how to create an email account and I didn't know how to send a message to my friend. I remember I wrote the message and then I had to ask for help, because I couldn't figure out how to send it Now those days seem like a long time ago, and today I send and receive lots of emails every single day. It is funny to think about the problems that I had in the beginning, and it shows me how much I have learned since that time.
Now those days seem like a long time ago, and today I send and receive lots of emails every single day. It is funny to think about the problems that I had in the beginning, and it shows me how much I have learned since that time.
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
26 May 11
That's wonderful your hubby's helping. I've had computers since the 1980's, and have been on the internet since the beginning. While I haven't had 'newbie' problems, I've helped lots of others. One place I always tell them to check out is a site called Worldstart. Worldstart helps people, from beginners, to the advanced. I was thinking your hubby could bring up a page and she could read it. One thing that might help (for when he's not right there beside her) is to show her how to open up notepad, and keep basic instructions in there. You know, like how to copy and paste, how to close a window, or open a new one...basic stuff like that, so she can check up on it herself. One thing I do notice, is that when they're new to the computer, is that they need to do it hands-on, and not just explained. When you do it yourself, even if somebody is explaining, then they seem to get the hang of it better. Good luck to your Mom (and to your hubby...may he be fortified with extreme patience lol;-)
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 11
Thanks for your response and the ideas 
I had never heard about Worldstart, but I went to have a look at the site when I had read your response. It looks like a very useful site and I am going to return to that site later. Maybe it will also be useful for my mother-in-law 
I think you are right, she has to try the different things herself in order to really learn them. My husband has written down some instructions for her and sometimes he tries to guide her over the phone when he isn't able to help her in her home.
I had never heard about Worldstart, but I went to have a look at the site when I had read your response. It looks like a very useful site and I am going to return to that site later. Maybe it will also be useful for my mother-in-law I think you are right, she has to try the different things herself in order to really learn them. My husband has written down some instructions for her and sometimes he tries to guide her over the phone when he isn't able to help her in her home.
@kingparker (9673)
• United States
26 May 11
Well, no one help me at the beginning, it is all started with my own. I have to learn it myself though. As time goes by, you gain the experience through messing around with your own PC. Although your mother is old, she still can learn much more about computer, keep it coming.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 11
That is true, when we have used computers for a while we get some experience. My teacher introduced me to the basic things about the internet, but the rest of things I have learned on my own mostly through a process of trial and error. I still remember how confusing some of those things seemed in the beginning...The first time I joined an online forum I had no idea how it worked and I didn't know how write, quote, use smileys, upload an avatar or anything like that, but little by little I learned everything. I think that my mother-in-law is going to learn it as well and I think that she will find the internet very useful once she learns to use it.
@original8 (107)
• Belgium
26 May 11
I tried to teach my dad to use the internet,, dear god, it takes ages he still can't go open it =) i always have to open it and say typ the letterp etc.. and then he gets it but then what do i do next everytime he askes the same :P
but i like it though love teaching him how to use the internet although it will take alot of time =D
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 11
My mother-in-law has the same problem as your dad. Sometimes she finds it hard to remember the things that my husband told her and so she asks him again and I think that the reason why he gets a little impatient sometimes. It is new world for her so I think it will take some time to learn the different things. My husband and I have been using computer and internet for years, so it is much easier for us, but I think it great that my mother-in-law had decided to learn it. There are so many possibilities and so many things you can do on the internet and I think that it will be useful for her.
