When we talk about getting online, we mean being connected to the Internet---a giant network of computers that connects people and information all over the world. The Internet has a lot in common with other forms of communication: Like the U.S. postal service, the Internet allows anyone who knows your Internet address to send you a letter. (It’s called electronic mail or e-mail for short.) Like the telephone, the Internet allows you to “chat” with other people by participating in online discussing groups. Like the library, the Internet contains information on almost any topic you can imagine in many formats, including books, articles, videos, and music recordings. Like the newspaper, the Internet can give you new information every day, including world news, business, sports, travel, entertainment, and ads. In addition to words, one part of the Internet---the World Wide Web (often shortened to WWW or Web)---is especially interesting to people because it includes pictures and sounds. The Internet began in the 1960s as a U.S. Department of Defense communication network. Soon after, university researchers and professors began to use it to communicate with others in their fields. Internet use really took off in the early 1990s with the arrival of the Web, which make it easier to find and view information online. Today, millions of people throughout the world are connected to the Internet. No one is in charge of the people throughout the world are connected to the Internet. No one is in charge of the Internet; it’s growing and its format and content is being changed by its users every day. A computer that is connected to the Internet allows your home, community center, local library, or school to turn to a place of unlimited information and communication. The Internet can help your family: Find educational resources, including up-to-the-minute news, copies of important documents and photos, and collections of research information on topics ranging from weather conditions to population statistics. Get help with homework through online encyclopedias and other reference materials and access to experts Increase reading skills by providing access to interesting materials and suggestions for additional reading. Improve technology and information skills necessary to find and use information, and meet a growing demand for these skills in the workplace. Connect with places around the world to exchange mails with electronic pen pals and to learn about other cultures and traditions.