No matter who you are, or how far your career has moved forward, there is an advantage to exploring the information on the web. And once you develop some comfort in navigating the medium, you will want to explore the ways it can benefit you in marketing yourself as well. If you think about it, that is what this new medium is all about. Whether you need to get your résumé, video and audio samples to a company immediately, or find information about auditions and competitions more efficiently, or simply offer the world easier ways to communicate with you–the Web can provide many ways to help you advance your career.
Here are five easy steps any computer novice can follow in order to test drive the World Wide Web.
1. Get online.
There are two places that offer you easy access with limited pressure. One is your local library, and the other is the popular web coffee house, or “cyber cafe.” You can usually find an employee or reference librarian accustomed to getting the first-time user online.
2. Learn to navigate.
You will be surprised how many times you will see the word “search” on the screen of your computer. You can search for information using a search engine, such as Alta Vista, Webcrawler, HotBot, Excite and Yahoo! Many engines can be found by simply clicking the button at the top of your browser screen, labeled “Search,” or “Net Search.” Once there, simply type in any word or phrase you like, and go! What will appear is a list of web sites that are relevant to the word or words you entered.
3. Explore something of interest to you.
You may want to start with a search for websites about your career, or a hobby or interest you have. For singers, that could be online translations of text; the latest news on specific opera houses or composers; audition listings and classifieds, on sites such as Classical Singer. Once you find a place of interest, write down that web page’s address so you can reference it again. The address (or URL) appears in the top of your browser window and starts with http://.
4. Pay attention to what you are using.
Look at the computer you are using. Ask yourself if it is comfortable for you–the screen size, the mouse in your hand, the keyboard type. Ask questions concerning the type of computer you are using, such as its speed and memory capacity. These things are going to become more important to you as you begin to explore the option of owning your own computer.
5. Begin to communicate.
The best way to begin using the web as a means of communication is to establish an e-mail address. Believe it or not, you can do that without owning a computer. Today many companies offer free e-mail services, just for the asking, that will allow you to send and check for e-mail messages at libraries, cafes, and other venues that provide Internet access.
The most popular place on the web for a free e-mail account is HotMail, located at www.hotmail.com. Once you get your e-mail address established, you are not too far away from the next step in your journey on the web, joining interest groups where you can exchange ideas and start dialogues with others. It’s not as hard as learning to ski, and it will take a little more effort than turning on the TV or picking up the telephone. But if you take the plunge now, it won’t be too long before the web can become an invaluable tool in helping you advance your career.
