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Online shopping requires caution

Friday | November 30, 2001 | 9:17 pm  

Editors note: This is one of several columns that I wrote for the Columbia Missourian. They were originally called Your Digital World

You did it, didn’t you?

You probably went shopping last week and braved the hordes at the mall for the traditional post-Thanksgiving bonanza.

I used to take part in that bargain hunting free-for-all, until I found the Internet.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few years, you’ve probably heard about the ups and downs of e-commerce.

So with the threat of hackers, or more likely, your e-tailer going out of business, what’s an online shopper to do?

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Learn lingo before computer shopping

Friday | November 16, 2001 | 9:16 pm  

Editors note: This is one of several columns that I wrote for the Columbia Missourian. They were originally called Your Digital World

Soon, manufacturers are going to start digging into their pockets and shelling out funds for advertisements.

That’s right tech fans, it’s holiday shopping season.

So to help prepare you for the stores and e-tailers, I’ve compiled a list of terms you might want to have handy when shopping.

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Connect to Internet ‘city’ road system

Friday | November 9, 2001 | 9:15 pm  

Editors note: This is one of several columns that I wrote for the Columbia Missourian. They were originally called Your Digital World

The Internet.

It’s arguably the biggest innovation in computing and society in recent history. But some people have different perceptions of what it is. For instance, many people confuse the Internet with the World Wide Web.

If the Web isn’t the Internet, then what is it?

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Conversation can be in real time online

Friday | November 2, 2001 | 9:13 pm  

Editors note: This is one of several columns that I wrote for the Columbia Missourian. They were originally called Your Digital World

Bulletin board systems and e-mail groups are a great way to get involved in communities on the Internet.

People looking to take their involvement to a new level should consider the two best interactive ways to connect with people.

Chat rooms — Imagine all of the chatters as being at a great big electronic cocktail party. You mill about looking for interesting people and conversations. At a party, people talking about the same topic tend to cluster together; online they make up a chat room.

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