1) If I were to give advice to a patron looking to use the Internet for the very first time, I would begin by showing them Google.com. It is the number one search engine and has a tool for just about anything you need or want to do on the Internet, including shopping, watching videos, viewing news articles, digital pictures, email and much more. Also, Google.com is simple to follow for beginners, which can help to build their confidence. 2) The next site I might refer them to is 50 Best Websites of 2010. This list could help guide someone that doesn't have a clue where to begin, by starting with a category of a topic that might interest them and following the links to some of the best sites to visit. 3) Assuming that our patron enjoys reading, I would suggest Shelfari.com where they can create a virtual library, discover new books, connect with friends and learn more about their favorite books and authors for free. 4) Next, I might lead them to Seriouseats.com to find the best place to dine out, search for recipes, watch videos about food and join the serious eats community to blog about it all. They can get tips, advice, recommendations and news all about food and share with others if they so choose. 5) If our patron showed an interest in digital photography, I would suggest Flickr.com. Here they can upload their photos to store them safely, organize them using tags, share them with friends and family and even make stuff with them like calendars, postcards and holiday greeting cards. I'd also make sure that they explored The App Garden to get an idea of how many options are available. 6) I would show them Pandora.com for streaming live music because I love listening to music and thought that this was one of the best websites to use. They might want to create a station of their own or link to the itunes store to purchase new music for their mp3 player or any other device.
There are many websites that could be helpful, but I think that this list would start a newbie with a nice variety of things to do on the Internet. And, as we all know... they would have to devote a lot of time to fully explore even six websites completely. I've completed the online survey.
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