Want to communicate with a friend across town, in another state, or even in another country? Perhaps you would like to send a drawing, a photo, or just a letter. Looking for a long-list friend? Looking for travel or entertainment information? Perhaps you’re researching a term paper or exploring different career paths. Where do you start? For these and other information-related activities, most people use the Internet and the Web.

The Internet is often referred to as the Information Superhighway. In a sense, it is like a highway that connects you to millions of other people and organizations. Unlike typical highways that move people and things from one location to another, the Internet moves your ideas and information. The Web provides an easy-to-use, intuitive, multimedia interface to resources available on the Internet. It has become an everyday tool for all of us to use. For example, you can create personal Web sites to share information with others and use instant messaging to chat with friends and collaborate on group projects.

Competent end users need to be aware of the resources available on the Internet and the Web. Additionally, they need to know how to access these resources, to effectively communicate electronically, to efficiently locate information, to understand electronic commerce, and to use Web utilities.