Getting connected to the Internet

Although it's getting increasingly hard to find people in the United States that aren't connected to the Internet, you might be surprised to learn that by the end of 1999 only about 30% of the population will be online. If you are one of those people, then you will need a few things before you can actually create an online business. Some of the things that you will need, include:

• Personal computer
• Phone line
• Dial-up access to the Internet,  Try AOL now, Best Offer Yet!
• Web site development software
• Peripherals, like a digital camera

For the purposes of establishing an online business, the most important tasks that your personal computer (PC) will be required to perform are getting connected to the Internet through a modem and having enough disk space and memory to run any Web site software development packages. Most sub-$1,000 PC packages that you can buy today, provide enough features and functionality to perform these tasks. Your job, prior to deciding on a PC package, is to ensure that it comes equipped with an internal modem (capable or 56Kbps downloads), and that it at least meets the minimum RAM, processor speed, and hard disk space requirements recommended by the software manufacturer.

Many Internet users first go online with their existing phone line. This means that while they are online, normal phone calls either go unanswered, or must be forwarded to a voice mail system provided by the phone company. You will find that this solution is cumbersome and inconvenient for your online business. Therefore, you should plan on having at least one additional phone line installed for your online business. This will ensure that you don't miss any important phone calls while you are working with your Web site.

Today, America Online (AOL) is the company most associated with dial-up access to the Internet. AOL, or any other dial-up service, gives you the capability to access the Internet through a traditional phone line and a modem connected to your PC. Many PC packages now offer free Internet dial-up service and are certainly worth investigating if you do not already have access to the Internet. These dial-up services should also come equipped with Web browsing software, like Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

You do not need to buy Web site development software in order to get your business online. Once you have a computer system, and a dial-up connection to the Internet, you can get your business online using some of the software tools provided by your Web hosting service, as described in the following section. However, Web site development software is strongly recommended for content sites, or sites where you want complete flexibility and control over your online business. On the other hand, if your site is going to be mainly for e-commerce, and you are willing to sacrifice some control and flexibility, try one of the e-commerce packages offered by your Web hosting service.

Most PC packages come equipped with the peripherals you will need for your online business, like a monitor, printer, keyboard and mouse. However, if you want to display merchandise on your e-commerce site, or need to provide informative pictures for your content site, then you will need a digital camera or scanner. Digital cameras give you the capability to load pictures directly from the camera into your PC, while scanners load pictures using an existing photograph. Normally, you can get higher quality pictures using a digital camera, but it will cost more than using a traditional camera in conjunction with a scanner.