Browsers - Which one, Why, What is the difference?

Deciding which browser to use is usually easy.  Your computer most likely came with Internet Explorer and it works fine for most things so you have always used it.

But did you know that there are others that you can use?  First, without trying to insult anyone's intelligence, let me just explain what a browser is.. very simply, it is the program that you use to open web pages and they are not all created equal.

Internet Explorer is good for most sites in general, it doesn't always like scripts or tables but will work most of the time.  Firefox (aka Mozilla Firefox) is my other predominant browser.. and I didn't even start using it until some really weird things started happening when I was opening websites.

Take GoDaddy for example.  I could not for the life of me get some things to work.. Poor customer service.. I was on the phone with them no less than 4 times a day trying to build my site because half the stuff wouldn't work.  FINALLY someone asked me.. "Which browser are you using?"

My initial response was "Huh?"  Now, I am a "self taught" computer geek of 20 years and I can figure out and use almost any software program on the market but I could not believe I didn't have a clue as to what this guy was asking me.  So he explained it, I downloaded Firefox and Whala.. GoDaddy works!

Why didn't anyone explain this to me before?  So now I felt really empowered.  I ran off to those other sites that I couldn't get to work and opened them using Firefox.  Good gravy they worked.

So if you are having similar problems, I would encourage you to download and use Firefox on those "problem" sites.  It doesn't cost anything and its not perfect either, but it may solve some problems for you.

I have listed several links on the right of websites for free basic computer skills and knowledge.  If you find any others that are helpful and are free please let me know.  What I have found helpful is if I run across a term I don't understand that doing a Google search on that term usually will return the results I need to get a better understanding.

To run an internet business online effectively you will need an understanding of:

• Email - POP 3, filters, whitelisting, spam folders, forwarding, attachments, signature lines, how to recognize when something is coming from an autoresponder and how to unsubscribe or change your details for the list you are on.
  
• Domain Names & URL's - What they are, purchasing, forwarding and masking.
• Bookmarking - How to set up bookmarks or favorites for websites, rss feeds etc.
• Webinars - This is a biggy.  A webinar is a way to attend an online seminar by clicking on a link provided to view the video presentation and then dialing a phone number to hear the audio.  Most webinar invitations have a "Add to Outlook" so that it is put in your calendar and reminds you with all the information you need to attend.
• Audio/Video - An understanding of how to download a PDF file then open it, and an understanding of how to view a video file.
• Understanding your computer - No you don't have to be a geek.  You do need to know how to copy and paste, what are the keyboard shortcuts you can use, basic commands and what computer terms mean (browser, forms, tables, URL, html, etc).  Did you know if you type into Google "How do I copy and paste?" it returns over 94,000 pages?? Be adventurous.  Type in the most obscure question you have and see what comes back.
  

As I mentioned I am totally self taught.  I have messed up my computer more times than I care to admit but with each mistake I have learned how to do something new, or at times had to pay to have things fixed.. I will admit very few times because I am of the mind that I will learn vs give someone my hard earned money unless I absolutely must.  I realize not everyone feels the same but I know it can be done.

As you learn the basics the rest is just software.  Most every software program on your computer has a help file either within the program or it takes you to heir website.. USE THEM!