Like many of us, I’ve been online for several years and during that time, I’ve started taking a few of the things I do for granted. I can’t remember what I ever did before.
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[li]Web comics - I love that I’m not stuck with only those that a newspaper editor thinks would sell to the general public. I never have to read Family Circus! But I can get a daily dose of Angst Technology, a niche comic that only gamers would enjoy. People like Chef Troy can garner a very large following with his comic strip, which may or may not fit with traditional newspapers. I also love that I can get back issues of popular comics like Foxtrot and Dilbert.[/li][li]Online news - I don’t watch TV or read the newspaper. I get every bit of my news from the Internet, meaning I get much greater detail in a much faster time than would be available in traditional news sources.[/li][li]General cuteness - The Random Kitten Generator, for example. Before, you had to look at posters or buy books to see tons of pictures of cute kittens and puppies. The same goes for the thousands of jokes that we see. [/li][li]Meeting people - I regularly exchange ideas and opinions with people I never intend to meet (such as the majority of the people on this board). I once had an ICQ chat with a 15-year-old Malaysian kid. I have a very good friend who I’ve only met in person once in almost two years of knowing him (though we talk on the phone regularly).[/li][li]My D&D group has a private message board in which we are able to pose questions to the DM, talk about strategy, and discuss when the next game is held. We don’t have to do the back and forth phone thing to get a game going.[/li][li]Instant Messenging - I can talk to my husband at work without disrupting either of us. I’ve renewed contact with former classmates. [/li] [/ul]
So what are some of the things you like about the Internet?
instant access to anything you want. from the loftiest educational site to the most debased scat-porn video, its all there waiting for you just a few clicks away! Your only limit is your capicity for learning and imagination.
and what Why A Duck said: I’ll never have to buy a stupid set of cheesy, soon-to-be-outdated encyclopaedia to take up space on my shelves.
oh, yeah! a little site (DO NOT GO HERE!! WARNING!!! ITS DISGUSTING!!!) called “bangedup”!
I love all the resources to find things from online stores and auction sites for that hard to find gift, to business directories and company websites.
I can’t even think what we used to have to do in order to find all this information.
It is so easy to find out a restuarant address, their hours of opening and sometimes even a menu before you even leave the house.
The other thing that makes the internet great is the people. You can meet people from all over the world who have a wide variety of interests. People say you can even fall in love on the internet, but I’m not so sure about that
My fear of opening a phonebook. Thank you, internet! Now I never have to wonder to myself, “now what is that under? Auto…auto dealers…auto parts…automotive service…rims…rim jobs…tires…tire service…wheels…”
In addition to what others have listed, I’ll throw in the ability to research new purchases to avoid duds and get bargains. I love going to DVD Price Search and finding which of the two-dozen vendors have the best price for a new movie, going to epinions.com and reading about which wide-screen TV is worth buying, and going to deal-mac.com to find bargains on computer gear.
I never would have finished my @$*(^@(% thesis without it! The stuff I needed would have required probably a couple of years in archives in Moscow, which was no way going to happen. But now it’s on various NGO and Russian Web sites, free for the taking. And some of it was stuff my advisor didn’t even know existed!
finding stuff out
price comparison shopping
grocery shopping
book shopping
underwear shopping
being able to buy a CD that I’d heard a track from on an Bollywood/Bhangra channel on TV, even though there are no Indian record shops anywhere near here.
finding cheap hotel deals
getting the football news and gossip
message boards!
IRC (my very own Virtual Pub)
little flash games. I had fun doing cow jigsaws today.
> Being able to track down old friends and schoolmates.
> Being able to order a month’s grocery shopping for home delivery the next day (I don’t have a car).
> Being able to order CDs from the US that aren’t available in the UK.
> Being able to keep up to date with news not covered in my local newspapers or on TV.
I like having most information I am seeking instantly available. Before the Internet most things I wouldn’t bother to look up unless it was really important.
Meeting new people and making friends. While most of the people I “meet” online is limited to email, chat or perhaps by phone, I have actually met a few of them in person.
Passing the time during inactive periods at work and when needing to take a break. What did people in offices used to do to entertain themselves to keep their sanity in check?
Being able to instantly exchange photos with family and friends
The SDMB, of course, along with Snopes, The Onion, lots of other sites I enjoy regularly visiting
While I don’t do it often, online shopping is convenient
– Being able to hear a song on a bus, type a few lyrics into a search engine, and own the CD within days even though it’s too obscure for most stores around here to carry.
– Spotting plagiarists! Students, if you can find it on the Internet, I can find it on the internet. Trust me.
– Getting to meet Dopers in four different countries (so far). Pretty cool.
