As someone who clung grimly to the familiarity of an old Amstrad when a spanking new Apple Mac sat in the corner just waiting to unfold its vastly superior capabilities to me, I can empathise with people who are reticent about embracing new technology. But the Internet has me hooked, not so much for its ability to dispatch information on everything from the mating habits of moles in Margate to finding a plumber in New York, but because it gives me access to email.

I use email a lot for work and increasingly as a means of keeping in touch with friends around the world. It's vastly cheaper than using the telephone and, while it's not the same as hearing someone's voice or getting a letter from your nearest and dearest, it's a fast, efficient and cost effective means of communication for both private individuals and companies.

With computers in virtually every company and many households these days, getting linked into the Internet is relatively straightforward. It uses your existing telephone line so there is no need to incur the extra cost of a dedicated line unless you especially want that.

We opted for a second line for the convenience of having our main telephone line free for in or outgoing calls if one of us was using the system. Linking up to the Internet costs the price of a modem (if your computer doesn't come with one already built-in), an appropriate software package to run it and a subscription to one of the service companies which will carry your messages to their destination.

After that it's just a question of getting to grips with the basics of using the system to set up appointments, send and get information and read up on the latest developments in your company's business area. Alternatively you can use it to remind Tommy in Toronto or Betty in Brisbane to wash their socks and send granny a birthday card.

If you can prevail upon a competent Internet user to show you the ropes, you're half way there. However, if you feel a bit of professional training would help dispel the apprehension factor, a number of organisations offer Internet courses.

The Arthouse Multimedia Centre in Dublin's Temple Bar might seem like an unlikely place to find corporate types at eight in the morning. But since early September the Centre's Cyberia Cafe has been serving up hot croissants, coffee and Internet tuition to busy executives over breakfast.

The courses are aimed at those who want to learn the basics in double quick time. If a company can spare its staff for two hours, then Arthouse tutors will soon have them surfing, browsing, navigating and nonchalantly speaking the jargon.

"Our Cyberbreakfasts take place between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on weekday mornings," says Arthouse public relations officer Aisling Breen. "We can accommodate eight people in a group. Training takes place in an informal atmosphere. It includes an introduction to the Net and how to use email as a cost effective communications tool. We will also help companies to understand how the Web can work as a resource for their specific needs."

Roughly 100 people have been on the Arthouse courses since they began, including a group from Celtic Aerospace, the aircraft spares company. "We were very aware of the increasing importance of the Internet," says managing director Andrew D'Alton. "While we had the facility here, we were not making much use of it because people were either scared of using it or didn't really know how to. "We use phone and fax extensively at the moment and telecommunications is a big cost for us so anything that would help reduce this overhead would be of value. More and more of our customers are linking in to the Net and we can see it becoming a very important means of communication for us. We left the decision about coming on the course up to people individually and all those who were available came."

People were very interested in finding out more about the so-called information superhighway, says D'Alton. "We enjoyed the session a lot and at the end we could all use the system. We will be making a concerted effort to integrate it into our business from now on. I was a bit sceptical to begin, but the course was well run and I felt we had value for money."

Katy Carroll is marketing manager of the Irish arm of the German pharmaceutical company, Schering AG. Five staff from her organisation took part in a recent Arthouse cyberbreakfast. "We decided to go on the course because the Internet has become an important source of information about our industry and we needed to know how to use it properly," she says.

"We were attracted to the Arthouse course because what we needed to know was concentrated into two hours and we could all be back at our desks before lunch. The course was conducted in a very easy and helpful atmosphere and it was very `hands on.' We each had a terminal and we were working at the keyboard almost from the beginning."

A series of practical tasks were set. This meant that the group from Schering had practical experience right from the beginning. "They concentrated on showing us what was relevant for us as a company," says Carroll. "We came away from the course motivated and enthusiastic about using the Internet. From now on all those in the company for whom the Internet is relevant will be logging into the system at least once a week and feeling competent to do so."

Contact:

Arthouse Multimedia Centre run a number of training courses related to the Internet. For information phone (01) 605 6800 or email info@arthouse.ie