2torial #0912:
Learn2 Choose an Internet Service Provider (continued)

Ask other Internet users

The best way to find out whether an ISP will provide the access you need is to ask the opinion of people who use various services. Even huge national providers can have reliable service in one area of the country and unreliable service in another. Here's what you need to ask your online friends:

• Have you ever noticed that service slows down at peak access hours? Sometimes, when a lot of users are connected simultaneously, the display of web pages can slow to a crawl if the ISP isn't set up to handle them.

• Have you ever gotten a busy signal and been unable to get on the web or access your email? ISPs only have a finite number of phone lines for their customers to dial into. When all of these lines are in use, everyone else gets a busy signal and can't get online.

• Does the ISP provide technical support? Many ISPs have a hotline you can call if you're having trouble gaining access or setting up your software. Everyone--especially new users--can benefit from having this type of service. Also ask people if the support staff was able to solve the problem they called about. Bad technical support can sometimes be more frustrating than no support at all.

• Have you had any trouble with billing? Billing problems can make dealing with any company a nightmare. Most ISPs ask for a credit card number so they can bill you automatically every month. Has anyone you know ever been overbilled? Does the credit card charge happen on the same day every month?

• What's your setup like? It's best to talk to users who have the same skill level and needs that you do. For example, if you're an advanced user who's planning on setting up a website, talk to other users about their experience with their ISP's web-hosting service. Be sure to talk to users who are accessing the Internet using the same type of computer you're using, whether it's a Macintosh or a PC.

In addition, if you're considering using an online service, you need to ask your sources these questions:

• Was the web browsing and email software easy to install? Added services aren't any good if you can't get to them because the software is difficult to install. Users who've had problems can also tell you about a service's technical support.

• Is the software easy to use and are the added services useful? Ease of use is usually the most important benefit of online services. However, you also need to talk to users of several different systems to see if added services, such as searching, chatting, and shopping were helpful. Balance your desire for particular features against all other available options.

More experienced users may want to know about features like space for a website, email aliases (for example, the ability to use one email address for business and another from the same account for personal correspondence), limitations on the size of files that can be sent, and the number of recipients that a single email message can be sent to (a problem if you're performing surveys or sending out a newsletter via email). Talk to everyone you know who accesses the Internet--especially those with the same skill level and needs that you have--and you'll see that services and quality can vary greatly.