Introduction
Don't forget the Internet is a great place for networking. Write webmasters about their pages or Usenet and mailing list posters to get more information. Subscribe to special Internet mailing lists and participate. The Net is not for couch potatoes!
A Personal Inventory
The Internet is changing so rapidly in content and context that it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with the changes. In deciding on a personal strategy for keeping up with the Internet, you need to consider not only what is happening on the Net, but also what is happening in your own life (career, family, free-time & down-time).
Key Questions:
- What is your job? How is the Internet related to your job?
- What are your own interests - news, work, hobbies, etc.?
- What tools are available to help you keep up with the changing Internet? (i.e. subscriptions to databases, magazines, online services, classes)
- Could you (or your employer) invest in tools that would make keeping up easier for you to do?
- How much time do you have available to learn about new stuff on the Net?
- How can you best spend that finite amount of time? (reading, online exploration, or conversation)
- Who can you share your explorations of the Net with? Will they share too?
- What is your tolerance for uncertainly? How does it affect your use of the Internet?
Develop a personal Internet update strategy based on your responses to the above questions. On the following pages you will find a list of online sources that you may find useful. Try to schedule one or two short time periods each week or month that you can use to visit these sites.
