10 Good Tips About How To Use The Internet Safely

In this article I want to go over the first of 10 good tips for how to use the Internet safely -- there's a lot to cover, so I'm going to break it up into multiple articles.

Before I go on, let me just clarify that the Internet includes *both* web pages, and email, as well as other things such as instant messaging (chat programs like iChat, MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, etc.) and so on.

I'm mentioning this because I've found that many people think the Internet just means web pages, so I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page (excuse the pun) before I went on and gave you these 10 good tips about how to use the Internet safely.

These tips should be considered computer basics, and are not meant to cover every possible Internet safety & security tip, but they cover a lot of the most important things.

So here are the first few of 10 good tips about how to use the Internet safely:

Internet Safety Tip #1) Use the right web browser.

This is a huge blunder that unfortunately most people are still making! A web browser is, of course, the program you use to view web pages. Examples include Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple's Safari.

The vast majority of people out there are using Internet Explorer (the blue 'E' icon) to go to web sites. This is a very bad idea!

Microsoft is the same company that makes Windows, and they include Internet Explorer with every copy of Windows -- this is the reason most people use Internet Explorer, NOT because it's the best option.

One of the single best things you can do to increase your Internet security if you use Windows is to stop using Internet Explorer -- go to Mozilla's website and download their free web browser Firefox.

No program is perfect, and it doesn't guarantee your Internet safety, but it is a big help. Internet Explorer is full of bugs and security holes that can make it possible to get your computer infected just by visiting a website!

Mac users should also stop using Internet Explorer if they're still using it, but this is more to do with the fact that IE hasn't been updated for the Mac for several years, and so it just doesn't work with a lot of modern web pages anymore.

If you have an Apple Mac, then either use Safari (which comes on all Macs made in the last few years) or if you have an older Mac and can't get Safari, you should download Mozilla Firefox for Mac (it's free and will work better with a lot of sites than old versions of Safari).

Internet Safety Tip #2) Install security patches & updates

This is a very important one which, fortunately, happens pretty automatically on most computers made in the last few years.

If you use Windows, the security updates or "patches" (think patching a hole in a program like patching a tire to fix it) come as "Windows Updates" which on most PCs running Windows XP or Windows Vista, get downloaded and installed automatically these days.

You may see a little "word bubble" like a word bubble in a cartoon or comic book pop up from the system tray (the group of icons to the left of the clock on the bottom of your computer screen) from time to time on your computer that says updates are available to install.

You should make sure to install these right away when they come out. These updates (at least the security ones) are being released because there is a specific threat to your computer which needs to be taken care of.

Click the bubble and follow the prompts to install the updates, then restart the computer when it asks you to.

If you have an Apple Mac, then these security updates are called "Software Updates". Most Macs are set up to automatically check for new updates every week or so, and then it prompts you to install them if they're available.

Unfortunately, many people don't bother, or they have their computer set up so it doesn't check for them. Don't do this!

When there's an update, you should install them to better protect your computer. Just click through the prompts, and enter your computer's password when it asks, then restart when it says to.

If you don't see a window appear every so often that's called Software Update, then you can check for them manually by going to the Apple menu and clicking "Software Update..."

Worth Godwin is a computer coach with over 15 years' experience helping computer users of all levels, and has also worked for many years "in the trenches" as a hardware and software tech, solving real-world computer problems.

Worth has also been studying the human mind, and how people learn, since the early 1990s. He draws upon all of this experience, as well as his English and writing degrees, to teach people in a unique way with explanations that really make sense

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