In 1995 my mom bought our first computer as a Christmas present. I had been asking for one since I was five, and it was a great surprise. I remember my mom telling me to be careful setting it up.

After few months, the games got boring. I tried to convince my mom that we needed the Internet. At the time, we had no local Internet Service Providers, and the only way to get service was through commercial companies which were too expensive, with outrageous long distance charges. But as more people became interested in the Internet, a local provider opened. I finally was able to explore the Internet, and it wasn't just a big pile of information - it was a community of wonderful people.

After being on the Internet a few weeks, I discovered that there were places called talkers where people from all around the world gathered to chat. After trying a couple of different places, I decided on a few I liked. I met many people, and made some good friends. I would go on the Net just about every day to see how my friends were doing.

One of my first friends from Sweden had been using computer for years, and knew a lot about the Internet. He helped me start my own talker. But I only had my talker a few months when, to my dismay, I was forced to shut it down. I was kicked off of my account that I had been running it on for hacking. I found out the hard way that the Intemet can get you in trouble.

The Internet is really a great place to meet new people, and make new friends. It's great to be able to find people like that, from all around the world, by simply typing hello. l