Do you know how useful the Internet is? You can do more research in one day online than in a month in a library. Huge amounts of information are just a few clicks away. A report about Albania due in two days? Between online encyclopedias and web pages devoted to all things Albanian, you could find enough information in twenty minutes. You can also find out about news, hobbies, and more in a matter of minutes. Current events are reported on as they happen. No more waiting for the paper, TV news, or magazines to find out what you wanted to know.

The Internet is an invaluable tool for students as well as a reference for anything imaginable. But some believe that it is the "Devil's workshop." It is true that there are some websites that are inappropriate for young children, but children should be supervised by parents. There are also cyber stalkers online who try to give small children explicit material, but this is preventable, by using the parental controls provided by online services.

The Internet is not without its problems. People use and make special "programs" that are annoying but harmless, or can make a computer stop working correctly. Echoers are one of these harmless programs, which does nothing but repeat what someone says in a chat room. The more harmful programs are IM bombs, punters, and e-mail bombs. An IM (instant message) is a service AOL provides. It allows you to talk to a friend online, like a mini-chat room. If you are IM bombed, the program sends you IMs one after another, so fast that you cat do nothing until they stop. A punter sends you so many IMs that it disconnects you . An e-mail bomb sends a large number of blank e-mails, which fill up your mailbox with junk mail, so you cannot receive more email. The use of these programs is prohibited.

The Internet should not be labeled wicked because of the actions of those or who enjoy making people suffer. With so much knowledge available, it makes learning easier. Even as you read this, more and more information is being "uploaded" (added), making the cyber library even larger. u