Today it seems that having an online connection is as important as paying the electric bill. Thanks to that connection, we can become informed, up to date, and even find a recipe or two. In my little world, it is unthinkable to not have a connection to all things web related.

But I was recently asked by an older friend about what would be the best service to get for an internet connection, and what to look for in the service. I immediately started to go through a litany of the differences between dsl and broadband, and tried to relate what they offered to what she was expecting to do online.

As we talked, it seemed that she was more interested in checking her email and getting an occasional picture from her daughter and their new baby girl. That, coupled with an interest in occasional online shopping, led me to suggest that she look at economically priced dial up, at least to start with. One thing I was trying to avoid is for her to overbuy her connection, and if her needs went beyond that, she could always expand to something more robust (but no doubt more expensive than the $9.95/month that Dial up can cost).

Of course, I firmly believe that once she discovers what joy those granddaughter pictures can bring her, she will consider the internet service as important as any of the other current utilities she now has. Who knows, maybe she will find it more important than the water bill. But I would advise her to keep the electric bill - after all, that connection isn't much good without the power to make the laptop work.