Why would I need a computer?

Good question!  In my opinion, most people don’t really need a computer.  Those that make their living in the computer industry, certainly need one, but what about everyone else? I think most people that use a computer would say they can’t do without it.  Heck, just ask my kids.  Is that the same thing as needing one? Some would say “yes”, others would say “no”.

In reality, it’s the wrong question to ask.  The better question is “Why would I want a computer”?  Well, that’s a whole different animal.  There is a lot of reasons you may want a computer.  But first, you need to know what they can do … more specifically, what they can do for you.  Here is a partial list:

Keep in touch with friends and family. This is probably the number one reason. Keeping in touch is so paramount that there are a multitude of ways to keep in touch using a computer.

• E-mail – The oldest one in the book.
• Text messaging.  This is where you can type a message to a friend or family member and they see it instantly and can immediately respond back with a text message to you.
• Video chat.  This is the really exciting one.  It lets you have a real face to face live conversation, where you can both see and hear each other.
• Voice chat.  This is not much different than a phone call.  I only include it for completeness.  It’s just a easy to pick up the phone and make an actual phone call.

Research any topic without going to the library.  This is only limited by your imagination.  Using reputable web sites you can get reliable information on just about anything, including travel, health, hobbies, news, taxes, financial advise, etc.  The list goes on and on.

Online shopping.  You don’t have to leave the comfort of your home to shop, day or night.  Purchase products or services, or just browse and compare prices.

Play games.  You can play single player games, like Solitaire or word puzzles or play against the computer with games like Chess, checkers, or action games.  For more interaction, you can play games with other players over the Internet.

Share photos.  Another really popular activity is to share photographs with friends and family.

This is only a partial list.  Some of these activities are very easy to do, others a bit more complicated.  But there are always easy-to-use versions of almost any computer activity available – some are free and some cost money.