Book Review

Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes

By Nicholas Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

If you feel left behind when it comes to the Internet, you might want to look at Galen Grimes's new edition of SAMS Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes.

This 162-page book offers a straightforward, easy-to-understand approach to setting up your PC and getting you onto the Internet, then showing you what you can do once you get there.

Grimes promises to teach you how to connect, configure, browse and search by key word. He also promises to teach you how to find people on the net, e-mail and chat, shop and download. All in 10 minutes?
Not exactly. The book is organized into 10-minute lessons that can be read one at a time. Or you can read all 18 in less than three hours.

The first lesson gives a brief history of the Net and defines e-mail, newsgroups, chat and so on. The second lesson deals with hardware and software you'll want. Each lesson contains six pages of simple prose. What Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth and brevity.

Each lesson is a bare-essentials treatment of elements of the Internet that will make you feel that you finally have a clear grasp of what the wired world is talking about.

Grimes is playing to the common fantasy of wanting it all to be easy, but the fantasy hides the trap. Just because the explanation is simple it doesn't mean that it is simple.

It's like the old Monty Python joke: "On today's show, we'll teach you how to play the guitar: move one hand up and down the neck and strum back and forth with the other. Next week: How to Play the Flute." In fairness, this book should come with a disclaimer: "12-year-old computer whiz not included. Some frustration may result."

Things are left out. There is nothing about e-mail attachments -- a serious omission. There's no trouble shooting section or a "further reading" section. Grimes talks about viruses and getting anti-virus programs -- but not where to get one, or which names to look for.

Another shortcoming: in the fifth lesson, Grimes explains how to add www.nfl.com to your favorites list in Microsoft Internet Explorer, but the illustration provided is a picture showing Macmillan Publishing being added to the list. That's just confusing. It is hard to forgive that sort of self-promotion when it gets in the way of clarity.

All in all, Teach Yourself the Internet is a tour of a strange new country from the safety of an air-conditioned bus. It won't make you a native, but it may give you the confidence to explore further. Grimes achieves his aim of providing a broad range of helpful information about the Internet. Wary new Internet travelers will find his book a handy companion to have when venturing into unfamiliar territory.

At $19.95 Canadian or $12.99 US, this book is a good primer that will alleviate a lot of panic and dread for the beginner. But be warned: it leaves out a lot of details -- so expect to be back at the bookstore if you are planning an e-commerce career.

Reviewer's rating: 4 / 5
Comments: Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes outlines quick, easy steps for fast results, provided nothing goes wrong. It's good airport reading for beginners who want to become familiar with the various parts of the Internet quickly, but don't need all the details.

Title: Teach Yourself the Internet in 10 Minutes
Author: Galen Grimes
Publisher: SAMS (div. Of Macmillan Computer Publishing)
ISBN: 0672316102
Price: $12.99 US, $19.95 Canadian