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According to a recent study, whether you are surfing, buying, or writing, you are using the Internet more and more. In fact, studies show that you use computers and the Internet more than any other age group. Approximately 75 percent of kids 14–17 years old and 65 percent of kids 10–13 years old use the Internet.
In fact, kids who use the Internet at home are watching less television. Parents even report that they are increasingly denying access to the Internet more than they are denying access to television as a punishment.
What are you doing with all that time on the Internet? Some of you are researching or getting help on your homework. Others are e-mailing or playing games. Many kids report joining online "chat" rooms. Though surveys show that kids are still doing most of their purchasing in stores, some of you are using the Internet to go shopping.
Of course, it seems like everyone has created a Web site these days. Whether you are starting your own business, posting your baseball team's victory pictures, or profiling and selling your comic book collection, you are now creating and publishing your own information for the world to see.
If you don't yet have a Web site, have no fear. All you need is a computer and access to the Internet. What makes all of this possible is a Web browser. A browser reads a certain kind of code and translates that into a Web page. That code is called HTML, or hypertext markup language, and it is the main thing you use to make your Web site.
The HTML code tells your browser how your Web page will look. Once you have figured out what you want your Web page to look like, you just have to translate that description into a language that your browser can understand—and that language is HTML.
Finally, once you have your HTML files written, all you have to do is send them to a computer that anyone on the Internet can get to. This is called a server. And, presto change-o, you have your own Web site!
Here's a helpful hint: You may want to create a tribute page to your parents for the next time they try to punish you by taking away your time on the Internet!
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