Logan Daily News

Net Watch
by Bob Green

Since I've been writing this column, a number of people have mentioned that they are very interested in "getting online". In other words, getting a computer and linking into the Internet with a telephone line. The main question seems to be "How much will it cost me?" In today's column we will look at the cost of the computer, the cost of the telephone line, the basic cost of Internet access and some additional costs. This hopefully will give you a good idea of the financial commitment needed to "get online".

The cost of the necessary computer can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars. At the risk of alienating some of my non-computer using readers, it is important to discuss the features that a computer must have for Internet connection. First of all, it is possible to get attached into the Internet with virtually any computer that has a modem (a device that connects the telephone line to the computer) and a phone line. The type of information that can be received varies widely from the slower older computers and the newer extremely fast multimedia computers. Internet connection with the older machine and the slower modem may only allow the user to view text, and dependant upon the modem speed, even that can be extremely slow.

The newer machines will enable the user to see the full range of multimedia on the Net. Multimedia means the ability to view text, pictures, hear sounds, and watch video. This is certainly what most people envision when they decide to subscribe to the Internet. I don't know about you, but if there's a video, or a sound, or a pretty picture there, I want to see and hear it all. The cost of one of these machines varies between a thousand to thirty five hundred dollars. The features that you want to make sure that the computer has are a 28,800 baud modem, at least 8 meg of ram, a sound card and speakers, and a large enough hard drive to store all the games your little heart desires. Get at least a "gigabit" sized hard drive if possible. These features are the basics for those that want to use what's currently out there on the Web. There are a number of computer resellers, so look around. Two of the biggest stores in the Columbus area would be Incredible Universe and Micro Center. Calls to these two retailers will give you a good idea what to look for as far as prices.

The next cost to consider is the telephone line. Most people try to use their one phone line for both the computer and the family phone at the start. Once connected into the Internet, it's easy to spend several hours just looking around. During that time nobody can reach you by phone. If you have call waiting and someone tries to call, it can shut down your internet session. It's virtually impossible to reach around to the back of the computer and unplug the telephone line and then plug it back into the telephone before the caller hangs up. This can be extremely frustrating, because you can't even express your feelings to the culprit that just destroyed your work. It doesn't take too many of these interruptions before you are calling good old GTE to find out about getting another telephone line. If a second line doesn't currently exist coming into your premises, there will be an installation fee. I believe I paid around seventy five dollars for installation of my second line. Somebody had told me that the second line was always cheaper. They were wrong. You'll pay as much on basic service for your second line as you do your first. This cost will range around twenty two dollars per month.

The cost for Internet access will vary dependant upon the area you live in. Logan residents can get access for less than thirty dollars per month. In addition, Loganites can get unlimited usage for that fee. Lancaster has several providers and Lancaster residents also enjoy low Internet rates. The Circleville calling area has only one choice, the rates are high, and the service leaves a ample room for competitors.

As you can see, the cost of entry into the information superhighway is not cheap. Are the benefits sufficient to outweigh the costs? That is something that's very hard to answer. The answer is going to be different for everybody, but here are some ideas to consider: It appears that more and more business is moving in this direction. I just heard that many employers are favoring applicants that have Internet experience for certain types of job positions. Older job seekers need any edge they can get. If your job is uncertain, this may be something you can do to insure future employability for yourself. If you dabble in stocks or futures, rapid information is a must. If you or a member of your family has a health problem or disease, you will probably find many support groups that can lead to potentially money saving or even life saving information.

To properly and fairly answer the question of financial benefit, you would need to know everything that's currently available on the Internet. That's virtually impossible because it is constantly changing. Once again, I can't answer this question for you, but I hope I've shed a bit more light on the subject.

Whatever your decision, I hope it works for you. For those of you already online, keep surfing and I'll write you next week.