Writer gives business Internet class highest mark

Balmy weather sort of slapped me up-side my head and said "Where do you think you're going?" as I trudged toward the New Horizons Computer Learning Centers' building for what promised to be a full day of ... Brain Work. Like a little kid, I wanted to skip school. But I'd won a drawing for a class it was free. And what starving writer ever turns down a freebie?

Under paying circumstances, I'd have to plop down $199 for the enlightenment I was about to receive.

Besides, New Horizons Education Consultant Lisa Rice had courteously and patiently helped me select a course that fit my interests Business on the Internet.

Although New Horizons offers courses up to five days in length as in Outlook 2000, PhotoShop and Quicken 2000 Business on the Internet is a one-day class.

The New Horizons building at 3330 S. National posed a businesslike, professional image with nice modern classrooms, up-to-date equipment and other amenities.

And the staff, from receptionist to instructor, were friendly, to boot. No reason there to bolt and run. So, long-story-made-short, at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5, I slid in front of a computer to learn from In-structor Jean Herbert. The class had about five students, making for an excellent student-to-teacher ratio, meaning more personalized attention.

Search engines

Herbert took us through basic steps, then introduced us to Internet search engines such as www.go.com and www.yahoo.com. She taught us to type only the name of a search engine say, AltaVista or Dogpile into the address field and press a combination keystroke (control + enter) to reach the engine's Web site. (Note: This worked like a wonder on New Horizons' system, but I've been unable to use the shortcut successfully on my own via AOL.)

Herbert next showed us how to make a search engine look for what we really wanted to find. She stressed that the more specific we were with our search criteria, the more specific our search results would be.

For example, at Ask Jeeves (www.askjeeves.com) the user can type in a whole question, or at Google (www.google.com) conduct a highly advanced search with multiple search terms, or at AltaVista (www.altavista. com) enter a boolean query or combination of words for a more sophisticated search.

Delving into Microsoft Outlook, we next played with e-mail, with the students sending messages back and forth. I also learned why sometimes e-mail I receive has odd symbols it's likely the sender is using Outlook Rich Text, not realizing recipients may lack that capability. Herbert advised us to use plain text if we want our messages read.

Next came a little board work, and Herbert asked what makes a good Web site. Our comments included: accurate spelling and grammar, easy navigation, frequent updates and good text color.

Comparing Web sites

Before lunch we watched a video, "Warriors of the Net," to help us understand exactly how e-mail get to its destination. When we returned, we visited several local and nonlocal Web sites to compare site features, good and bad.

Then came a PowerPoint presentation on fundamentals of e-commerce, ranging from what is needed to start, to security, to payment methods, to an e-business plan.

According to New Horizons' flyer, Business on the Internet is supposed to teach "how to take control of your browser, explore search engines, find specialized information, work with e-mail and look at new Internet technologies that continue to change the information landscape."

The class I attended achieved those goals. My only nitpicky suggestion is that future classes spend less time on Web site comparisons and more on e-commerce fundamentals.

In the past, I've been disappointed, even irritated, at the content and caliber of some computer classes I've sat through. This class came as a pleasant surprise and not just because I happened to win it for f-r-e-e. (No one at the computer learning center knew that I planned to write about my experience, so I received no special treatment or attention.)

What grade would I give the class? In my opinion, New Horizons' Business on the Internet experience gets an A.