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Use the Net to learn about the Net - Directory

Plenty of sites are available to teach basic and advanced topics -- and most are free

We live in the Age of Information, with knowledge exponentially.

You need information to gain knowledge, and knowledge to gain wisdom.

In practical terms, as the noted economist Peter F. Drucker has written, knowledge more than technology is key in giving individuals and companies a competitive edge.

If you're like me, though, your head often spins from the thought of how much you don't know. Information technology -- particularly the Inte.net -- can help you gain knowledge. But first you need to know how to use it. And even if you understand the basics, if you're not using the Inte.net to its full potential, you're likely missing out.

One of the things the Net has always done exceedingly well is help you learn about itself.

The following is a roundup of some of the best Web sites today aimed at teaching you the ins and outs of Inte.net technology. Unless indicated otherwise, all are free.

.NET Help.com, at www.help.com, is a huge repository of well-organized tips and tutorials about not only the Inte.net, but also hardware, software, games and consumer electronics.

Webmonkey, at http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/guides, isn't extensive in scope, but it won't be overwhelming for beginners. It links technical terms to a glossary and walks you through specific procedures such as using the Net to find a job or manage your money.

Learn the Net, at www.learnth.net.com/english, includes a wealth of basic information about business topics such as e-commerce along with more general topics such as e-mail or Web surfing.

Yahoo How-To: A Tutorial for Web Surfers, at http://howto.yahoo.com, does a good job of covering the basics with easy-to-follow instructions. Unfortunately, when explaining a subject such as chat services, it often lists Yahoo's own offerings first or even exclusively.

About-the-Web.com, at www.about-the-web.com, is more of a home-grown effort, and truer to the Inte.net's heritage, than other sites described here.

Beginners Central, at www.northernwebs.com/bc, is for newbies struggling with such matters as configuring a newsreader and FTP'ing files to a Web site.

Darwin Magazine's Learn at www.darwinmag.com/learn, is all business. Subjects covered, among others, are e-business, customer relationship management and outsourcing.

Wiredguide, at www.wiredguide.com, is a portal providing links to tutorial resources located elsewhere on the Web.

ZDNet SmartPl.net, at http://smartpl.net.z.net.com/fp. asp?layout=computing_home&learning_zone_id=4, provides paid instructor-led courses.

One recent five-day course called Exploring Electronic Commerce costs $19.95 and requires the purchase of a textbook, which also costs $19.95.

Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway.