One of the things that I really like about the Internet is its ability to bridge people and make them feel like every person, regardless of where he’s residing, is just a few inches away.

The Webcam is a marvelous complement to the PC. It puts a face behind the sea of text messages that we receive from somebody in Internet Relay Chats or Instant Messengers. It has also curbed fraud in the chat rooms. I guess some of you already have experienced meeting people from the Internet that didn’t exactly match the self-description that they’ve given before you met.

Unfortunately for many workers, it has extended their working hours and the four corners of their offices. Before Web cams became staples, office tasks came to a halt when the boss leaves for a business trip. Nowadays, managers and executives make their presence felt in the office even if they’re hundreds of miles away therefrom. I guess it’s safe to say that the Web cam isn’t that too popular in the office.

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More and more people are getting hooked on Internet Relay Chats (IRC) and Instant Messengers (IM). The reason is not that surprising. Many find the Internet as a very convenient tool for communication and socialization. Some chat with friends that they’ve already known for a long time, while others browse through the list in search for new acquaintances.

While there’s nothing wrong in making new friends on the Internet, the danger involved in getting to know somebody in cyberspace is a bit higher than meeting somebody in person. The physical dangers may be absent in e-dates or e-meetings, but the peril is still as grave and as real when done virtually.

Part of the problem in getting to know somebody from the Internet is that you have no way of knowing whether what the person is saying about himself are actually true. You can’t entirely trust a person that you haven’t seen. Who knows, he might be misrepresenting himself the whole time.

Be very careful in giving personal details to persons that you’ve only met in chat. Double your guard when he’s sending you questionable files. It’s possible that such file might be a phishing tool or something that might corrupt your Windows registry or other important system components.

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Have you ever thought of giving your mom a desktop or a laptop for Mother’s Day?

The digital divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” is also replicated between those who grew up playing board games and those who spent their summers holding keypads and tapping keyboards. It’s not surprising then why many old folks are virtually clueless as to what a CPU is.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not saying that they’re entirely clueless about PCs. That’s impossible considering that almost every human activity is assisted, facilitated, or somehow affected by Information Technology.

While it would be great or ideal to orient the older generation on how easy or convenient life could be with a computer around, teaching them how to incorporate new things in their daily routines could be a very challenging undertaking. It’s not as if using a computer is similar to operating a blender. PCs need constant maintenance. While it would be easy for you to demonstrate to your mom how to use instant messengers, teaching her how to clean the registry or get rid if viruses could be a very daunting task.

I’m not discouraging you from giving your mom a brand new PC on Mother’s Day. On the contrary, I’m encouraging everybody to give their moms that sleek HP or Compaq notebook that adorns the display window of many computer shops. Just make sure that the unit is ready to use. Don’t expect your mom to know how to install the operating system, antivirus, registry cleaner, and other essential system utilities. Guide her through the process step by step. Or better yet, install all necessary applications first before giving it to her. Make things easy for her, especially on the day that’s dedicated to women like her.

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