Articles Index
The Top 35 Torrent Sites of 2009
Bit torrents have become the backbone of P2P file sharing. At the center of this P2P frenzy: the Top 35 Torrent Search Engines of 2009.
The Top 5 Anti-Spyware Programs, 2009
Here they are: The Best Anti Spyware Tools of 2009! There are some old friends here, but a couple of new players have joined the fray and set a new standard in the War on Malware. Read more here...
What is "I.M." and "Instant Messaging"?
A quick explanation for new I.M. users.
Hacker Attack! How It Works...
Jacques Erasmus is a "white hat" hacker... a once-dishonorable craftsman who has now chosen to work for the protection of corporate networks. Here is a video of how Windows XP gets hacked, and Jacques explains the steps...
Torrents 101: the Basics of How Bittorrents Work
It's the latest way to download music and movie files from the internet. Quickly becoming more popular than Kazaa and eDonkey, BitTorrent sharing is actually quite easy to learn. Here is a 10-minute tutorial on Using BitTorrents.
The Student's Quick Reference Guide to Internet Research
What every college, university, and high school student should know about successful academic research using the Internet.
eBay 101: Sample Transactions
A free online e-book, from the About.com Network: Beginner's Guide to eBay Basics
Try Google Earth: a Magnificent Satellite View of the World.
An introduction to one of the most impressive Google products today: searchable satellite photos of the planet.
How to Create a Good Password
Has no one ever explained to you the secrets to a strong password? Here are several examples of strong passwords, and how you can create your own...
The Anatomy of Internet URL's
Tutorial: Anatomy of an Internet URL. An explanation for beginning users.
Plug-Ins 101
"Plug-Ins 101" is a quick tutorial for explaining the top 11 Internet browser plug-ins, and how to find and install them. Brought to you by your About Guide to Internet for Beginners
Email Tutorials
Email Essentials: basics for newbies, and intermediate and advanced tips for users who want to message more effectively.
Internet Research Guide for Students
Here at About.com, we have assembled a quick reference guide for students to successfully utilize the Internet and Web as part of their academic work. Proper citation, resource checking, and formatting are all addressed in this student research guide...
Student Researching: The Best Internet Search Engines
From About.com: the Student's Quick Reference Guide to Internet Research.
eBay 101: Beginners Guide to eBay Buying and Selling, 2009
For the new eBayer: a free online e-book reference from the About Network - The Learner's Guide to eBay.com and eBaymotors.com
How to Speak Like an Internet Gaming Geek
So, you're tired of those teenage kids knowing more about computers and computer games than you. They speak in an obscure subculture language that is part technical, part expressive. How do you get started in speaking their language? Well, About.com can help you. Here is your crash course in learning to speak "geek" in the gaming world...
The Top 15 Reference Web Sites
The Top 15 Reference Web Sites of 2009
Emoticons and Smileys 101
Emoticons are modern day hieroglyphs. These "emotional icons" are used as creative shorthand in email conversations to convey emotion and style. Here is a list of both the common and the creative emoticons used today.
Lock Down Your PC!
Broadband home users beware: you are targets for hackers and crackers! Have you changed your guest account, enabled ICF service, configured your restricted folders, and retooled your admin login? If not, then you better read this Survival Guide...
The 20 Best Hacker Movies
While none of these movies depict what hacking truly involves, each of these stories is memorable in some way as good escapist fiction. Here they are: The 20 Best Hacker Movies, as voted on by a panel of opinionated judges...
Firefox Browser Handbook, Version 3.0
Firefox Browser Handbook: Beginner and Intermediate Guidance on the slickest new browser today.
Speed Up Your Dial-Up Connection!
Are you stuck with a slow dial-up Internet connection? Short of getting high-speed bandwidth, here is a compression-proxy solution that will get you six- to ten-times regular modem speed while still using your modem connection.
StumbleUpon.com: a Smart Alternative to Googling!
StumbleUpon.com is a special free web navigation service. Instead of using library science and Google indexing, Stumble Upon is based on a community of users who share their personal interest suggestions with each other. A very intelligent and very useful way to surf the web...
The 15 Most Addictive Flash Games, 2009
Here they are: the 15 most addictive Flash online games, as voted on by the About.com readership.
What is "The Invisible Web"?
90% of the Internet is "invisible" to search engines. As of August 2007, over 220 billion web pages cannot be found through Google or Yahoo or Ask.com. Oddly, this invisible content is the most interesting part of the Internet. Here is the explanation...