Tag: Internet

How the Internet Can Help You Be a Better Thinker

A focus of my blog is Technology. The internet has a lot of uses, and arguably has hurt humanity, but it does have its upsides and advantages. The following contributed post is entitled, How the Internet Can Help You Be a Better Thinker.

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Are you someone who wants to improve their intelligence or learn how to think about novel ideas in a more interesting way? Maybe you want to know more about our history, so you can learn lessons that will serve you well in the future, or you want to be able to think about the big questions of life in a more fruitful way? Well, you’re lucky to be alive right now because the internet means you have more information than ever before available at your fingertips, and many of its websites, tools and apps, can certainly help you to be a better thinker, as you will see below. Ready to CTRL your thinking?

1. Use Search Engines Like a Detective, Not a Tourist

Google is more than just a spell-checker for your tweets. When you treat search as a skill, rather than a last-ditch panic button, you unlock precision and depth. Start by using quotation marks to find exact phrases (“confirmation bias” yields better results than confirmation bias). Try minus signs to exclude irrelevant topics (pandas -the animal). Dive into advanced search filters—date ranges, domains, file types. Suddenly, your search results look less like a lottery ticket and more like a curated dossier. With practice, you’ll feel the thrill of unearthing obscure white papers or the original source of that dubious infographic your cousin posted.

2. Historact and Other Time Machines for Context

Historical perspective is thinking fuel. Historact, for instance, offers interactive timelines of political events, cultural shifts, and landmark inventions. Instead of flipping through dusty textbooks, you can zoom through centuries of data, spot patterns, and connect dots you never knew existed. If you’re researching the rise of social media you can see when Myspace peaked or how Twitter reacted to major world events. Thanks to these digital chronologies, you develop a habit of asking, “Has this happened before?” and avoid reinventing the wheel when you’re busy inventing your next genius idea.

3. Podcasts are Brain Snacks on the Go

Forget mindless scroll-seshes during your commute. Swap them for podcasts that challenge your assumptions or introduce you to new frameworks. “Stuff You Should Know” breaks down complex topics with the charm of your favourite bartender. “The Daily” offers deep dives into news that actually matters, not the usual celebrity nonsense. If you crave hardcore intellectual grit, try “Philosophize This” for a guided tour of big ideas, from Socrates to postmodernism. With earbuds in, you’ll absorb new vocabulary, fresh perspectives, and unexpected arguments—no PowerPoint required.

4. Online Courses for University Without the Moustache-Stroking Professors

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) let you audit lectures from top universities for free. Platforms like Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy cover everything from logic and critical reasoning to cognitive science and behavioral economics. You can binge-learn at midnight in your pajamas, without feeling judged for pausing the video thirty times to grab a snack. Completing assignments and peer-review exercises helps you apply concepts rather than just hoard knowledge. Before long you’ll be casually dropping terms like “Bayesian inference” into dinner conversation, and maybe even impressing your in-laws.

5. Reddit and Stack Exchange are Like Debate Clubs for Keyboard Warriors

There’s value in exposing your ideas to polite disagreement. Subreddits like r/AskHistorians or r/ChangeMyView host rigorous discussions where claims must be backed by evidence. Stack Exchange communities specialise in everything from philosophy (philosophy.stackexchange.com) to programming puzzles. When you post a question or answer, you refine your arguments for clarity and accuracy, because the internet’s best critical thinkers are lurking, ready to correct your grammar or your logic. Skin thickens, reasoning sharpens, and you learn how to argue without sounding like a clickbait headline.

6. Mind-Mapping Tools to Visualise Your Thoughts

Cluttered ideas lead to cluttered conclusions. Mind-mapping software like MindMeister or Coggle lets you lay out concepts, subtopics, and relationships in a zoomable canvas. Instead of scribbling random arrows on paper, you can drag nodes, colour-code branches, and collapse sections as your plan evolves. When tackling a big topic—say, climate change—you can map greenhouse gases, policy measures, economic impacts, and ethical debates in one interactive diagram. Seeing the whole structure at a glance helps you identify gaps, contradictions, and connections you might have missed.

7. Newsletters and Blogs Offer Curated Wisdom in Your Inbox

Tired of doom-scrolling through sensational headlines? Subscribe to newsletters that deliver distilled insights. Benedict Evans analyses tech trends with data-driven clarity. Farnam Street explores mental models and decision-making tools that help you think more effectively. Aeon essays provoke deep reflection on philosophy, science, and culture. By receiving quality content in digestible bites, you cultivate a habit of regular intellectual stimulation. Over time your inbox becomes less junk pile and more personal think tank.

8. Social Media Smart Use

Social platforms can be echo chambers or idea marketplaces, depending on how you use them. Curate your feed by following thought leaders, academics, and experts outside your comfort zone. Mute or unfollow accounts that thrive on outrage or clickbait. Use Twitter lists to group sources by topic—journalists in one, researchers in another, satirical accounts in a third. Engage with posts by asking clarifying questions or linking to credible sources. Even 280 characters can teach brevity and precision in argumentation, if you resist the urge to flame someone who disagrees.

9. Google Scholar and Research Databases Offer Access to the Ivory Tower

When you really need evidence, turn to Google Scholar or institutional repositories. Abstracts give you the gist, while full-text PDFs (if available) provide the rigorous data behind claims. Save citations, export bibliographies, and track citations to see who’s building on whose work. Whether you’re investigating the psychology of decision making or the efficacy of online learning, these academic tools root your thinking in peer-reviewed studies, not unverifiable listicles. It’s like upgrading from fast food opinions to gourmet scholarly cuisine.

10. Writing Platforms for Reflection through Composition

Writing is thinking. Platforms like Medium, Substack, or a private WordPress blog give you space to articulate and organise your ideas. The act of drafting forces you to structure your thoughts, identify weak spots, and seek supporting evidence. If you publish publicly, reader comments and feedback spur further refinement. Even a simple journal in Evernote or Notion helps solidify your learning. Plus, looking back at past entries reveals your intellectual growth—proof that your effort is paying off.

11. Virtual Discussion Groups and Webinars for Live Idea Exchanges

Nothing sharpens your mind like real-time conversation. Join Meetup groups, professional forums, or webinar Q&A sessions on subjects that fascinate you. Services like Zoom and Discord host book clubs, coding workshops, and philosophy salons. Interactive polls, breakout rooms, and live chat channels create an environment where you can test ideas on the fly. This dynamic exchange builds confidence, exposes you to alternative viewpoints, and injects a dose of serendipity into your learning journey.

12. Browser Extensions are Your Personal Thought Assistants

Little helpers can automate the mundane so you focus on the tricky bits. Extensions like Pocket let you save articles for offline reading, so you never lose a thought in the chaos of tabs. Linguix or Grammarly catch writing slips before they distract readers from your brilliant arguments. Dark Reader makes late-night study sessions easier on the eyes. And if you really want to gamify productivity, tools like Forest reward you for staying off social media when you should be concentrating.

13. Trend-Tracking and Alert Services to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Understanding emerging ideas keeps your thinking flexible. Use Google Alerts to notify you when a topic of interest appears online. Feedly or Inoreader aggregate RSS feeds from niche blogs, journals, and news sites so you can scan headlines at a glance. Services like Exploding Topics surface growing interests before they hit mainstream. When you spot a rising field—say, quantum computing or blockchain ethics—you can dive in early, positioning yourself as a knowledgeable voice rather than a late-arriving bandwagon jumper.

14. Collaborative Documents Offer Collective Brainpower

Google Docs, Notion, and Dropbox Paper allow multiple minds to work on the same page. Whether you’re planning a project, drafting a debate script, or co-authoring an article, real-time collaboration exposes you to other peoples’ thought processes. Comment threads become mini-workshops where ideas evolve through constructive critique. You’ll learn how to present arguments succinctly, respond to objections gracefully, and synthesise diverse insights into a coherent whole.

15. Digital Libraries and Archives are Treasure Troves of Thought

Public domain collections, like Project Gutenberg or the Internet Archive, give you free access to classic texts from Plato to Virginia Woolf. For modern works, your local library’s OverDrive or Hoopla services lend ebooks and audiobooks without late fees. Google Books previews let you skim chapters before you decide to buy or borrow. These resources feed your curiosity and build a rich backdrop of knowledge that informs all your online explorations.

Your Brain, Upgraded and Online

As you can see, although the internet often gets a bad wrapf or making us stupider, frying our brains with endless memes and conspiracy theories, it is actually one of the greatest tools we have at our disposal when we want to smarten up, think better and ponder the world around us in a more interesting way. The key is to use it right, and these 15 tools will certainly help with that!

How the Internet Has Changed The Way We Learn

Two of the focuses of my blog are General Education and Technology. The internet has been a game changer on several fronts. Having information and the ability to conduct business with the click of a mouse has created a whole new world. One of the most significant ways it’s changed the world is in the realm of education. The following contributed post is entitled, How the Internet Has Changed The Way We Learn.

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Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

For better, or for worse (mostly better), the internet has changed the way the world learns. Today, if we don’t know the answer to something, the majority of us will reach for our smartphones and ask Google. We are used to having information at our fingertips. Technology has changed the way we view and consume knowledge, allowing those outside the formal education structure the opportunity to learn.

Not only has the internet given the power of knowledge to everyone, but it has also changed our traditional schooling systems too. With an array of tools and technologies, students can enjoy a richer, more engaging experience.

#1 It Allows For An Immersive Experience

Knowledge is no longer simply words on the page of a textbook. Students can learn through webinars, videos, podcasts, virtual reality, and other interactive learning materials. In their blog ‘How To Enhance The Learning Experience With QR Codes’ Flowcode state that this is “a way to approximate an augmented reality experience for students”.

This interactive experience is great for encouraging learning in those that might not respond to a more traditional, book-based approach.

#2 Knowledge Is Not Just For The Privileged Few

Access to learning is now open to everyone with an internet connection. Institutions have recognized this and the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) like EdX and Coursera has been huge over the last 10 years. Now, you can take courses from the likes of Harvard, MIT and the London School of Economics with no qualifications, and no tuition fees.

Online learning of this nature is gaining traction as a valuable addition to a resume when it comes to employers.

#3 Research Is A Lot Easier

Researching and revising is now a lot easier, instead of spending hours in the library, combing through books, you can now turn to the internet. Over 90% of students questioned said that they use Google to help them with their assignments. As long as the information we’re getting is from a reputable source (and not just Wikipedia), then it is a great tool to find accurate information quickly.

#4 Improved Communication & Engagement

The flexibility of blended learning means that students can communicate with their teachers and peers much more easily. If you’re absent from the classroom, you can catch up with the resources online or talk with your classmates about assignments.

By not being so focused in a classroom environment, it gives the opportunity for those people who have a different learning style, a chance to still be involved and not fall behind others. Similarly, if someone is suffering from health problems or cannot keep to a structured timetable, then they are still able to engage with the materials and other students and not be isolated.

The internet’s role in education is not without its pitfalls. For example, when it comes to book based research skills, or learning a topic in-depth rather than in bite-sized pieces on a web page. It has, however, overwhelmingly change the opportunities to learn and the ways in which we can access knowledge forever, and that can only be a good thing.

Using the Internet to Help Your Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital age, using the internet is critical if you’re running a business. It can help make your operations known not only in your immediate location, but around the world as well. The following contributed post is entitled, Using the Internet to Help Your Business.

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No matter the size of the business that you work for, whether you work from home, have a small business, or work for (or are in charge of) a large corporation, there won’t be one day that goes by that you don’t use the internet for your business. It is a vital part of the day-to-day running of your business, but it can also be used as a really important tool to help promote your business and to grow your business. In fact, there are so many ways that you can use the internet for your business, that it can seem quite endless, and as a result, it can be a little overwhelming.

So if you want to know how to use the internet in the best way for your business, then starting small and staying simple will help you to use the internet in the best way to make the business more efficient. One of the last things that you want is to make sure that everything is used daily so that it can pack the biggest marketing and promotional punch. Here are some of the ways that can make a difference.

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Set up a business page on multiple sites

If you have an established business with some loyal customers already, then it is important to encourage them to leave some positive reviews on various sites that you can register with. It helps to validate your business. Use sites like Google to list your business, as well as sites like Yelp and other local business finding sites, like how Interstate Dry Wall is listed on local business finder pages. These sites are great to help you to advertise your business, and it allows you to list things like your location and business phone number so it can help potential customers.

Take advantage of email marketing

If you are able to keep your current and past business clients and customers informed about what your business has been doing or latest information and deals, then it can really pay off. It can help to create a good relationship with customers and clients, and it means that it is more likely that they will use your business again in the future. You could send out a weekly email, or perhaps less often like a monthly email. You can also really personalize what you send out, so that it can be personal for a customer’s birthday or deals over certain holidays, and so on. You can also track who opens emails and who doesn’t, if you use a newsletter subscriber, so you can measure the success of them.

Use Social Media

Social media has risen and grown over the past decade or so, and there is no sign of it slowing down. So are you making the most of sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, for example. It is important to make sure that you don’t use too many sites, as you won’t be able to manage all of them to a good standard. So think about your ideal customers and the sites that they would use, and then you can go from there.

Online Resources And Why We Need Them

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Technology. So much of our lives today are lived online. While the digital world has made our lives easier, it’s created some other complexities and caveats as well. The following contributed post is entitled, Online Resources And Why We Need Them.

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Let’s face it most of our lives are played out online when it comes to communication and gathering information. We look at Google to answer any question, we watch YouTube for entertainment and education, and also listen to podcasts in the car whilst we are driving around. Even the music is streamed these days and is not actually owned or downloaded. But why is this important? And are we at an advantage because of it? We may think the answer to this is yes. But there are many scenarios where the answer to that is questionable. So why do we rely on the Internet so much?

Photo by Mia Baker on Unsplash

Ease
If you look at history, and the reasons that we have evolved in many ways, you will think that we have made fantastic strides in technology and other areas. But curiosity aside, one of the main reasons that we are advancing all the time, it’s because it’s so much easier. We now pick up the phone or laptop (same thing) and do a quick search online to find their answers. This is, of course, much faster than the way in which we found our information previously. Books written by professionals can now be searched online, the latest online course review and even news articles, are now commonplace online. The only problem with this is that generally speaking, the information on the Internet can be incorrect. And even though websites such as Wikipedia can be amended by anybody, there are plenty of people looking at sites to check accuracy. The trick to using the Internet successfully is defined more than one resource And make sure that you find references to back up the information.

Sociable
Humans are sociable, that’s a fact. We rely on each other to get ahead in life. We have friends and family and work colleagues that always help us along the way. We are team players, which means that the Internet opens a whole world of communication with us. The great thing about this is that we have a support network at the touch of a button. We can make new friends quickly. And we can ask for opinions whilst we’re sat on our sofa, and gain feedback within minutes. Of course, this is also the downside, because as quickly as we can access people that support us and speak to family and friends with ease. We can also find those less supportive people and those who are only looking to upset others.

Recording
There are many different social networking sites, photo sharing, and sites such as Pinterest, which we all love to use, we really enjoy record in our lives, and sharing that with other people again it’s because with sociable, and that’s a huge resource to us. We can also tie in our business endeavors with this, and use these as avenues of marketing as well, and many people do.

Whichever resources you use online, and for whatever purpose use them for, there is no denying that everybody is in the same boat. Where are using the Internet as a tool for day-to-day life, and it doesn’t look about to change any time soon.

Using The Internet To Give Your Business A Competitive Edge

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. A key to doing business today is understanding the best types of technology for your business operations. Properly leveraging technologies like the internet can be the difference between your business succeeding or failing. The following contributed post is entitled, Using The Internet To Give Your Business A Competitive Edge.

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Take a second to look around you in a cafe or see what people are doing on the bus or metro to work every morning. What do you see? In the vast majority of cases, you’ll see coffee shops, carriages, and seats filled with people staring at screens or frantically scrolling through feeds. The Internet has changed the way we communicate with others and access information, but it’s also revolutionised the world of business. If you’re looking to drive sales and entice new customers in the digital age, here’s a useful guide to help you capitalise on the popularity of the Internet to give your company a competitive edge.

Learning about digital marketing
Traditional marketing techniques, such as print adverts and flyers, can still be hugely effective, but more and more companies are investing money in digital marketing. Consumers spend more time online than ever before, and online shopping has become the primary means of acquiring products for many customers. Even if you don’t sell anything online, it pays to have presence on the Internet. Think about yourself as a consumer, rather than a company owner for a moment. How often you use a search engine, for example, if you’re trying to locate local services or find a product quickly and easily? You might find that you use Google to find a plumber, a restaurant or the best price on a pair of trainers you want to buy. As a business owner, it’s crucial to recognise the influence of the web and to move to ensure you can use it to boost your profits and market your brand.

If you don’t already spend money on digital marketing, it’s worth learning more about techniques like SEO (search engine optimization) and social media marketing, and getting up to speed with the latest trends and the benefits an effective, targeted digital marketing campaign can offer. If you’re not a marketing expert, and you don’t have an in-house marketing team, explore the option of outsourcing, do some research and install the Internet Marketing News skill for Alexa to give you instant access to relevant headlines. Digital marketing can help you compete with rivals, reach out to a huge online audience and create more leads in your local area. Internet marketing trends evolve continuously, so staying ahead of the game will pay off.

Image from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1444327

Designing a website that works on every level
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of a website that works in the 21st century. Regardless of whether you sell products online or not, having a great website that is visible and accessible to interested parties could make all the difference. Focus on designing a site that looks the business, but also delivers on a practical level. Moving from one page to the next, finding information and making a purchase should be effortless. If your site is old, it’s slow to load, or it looks dull and drab, now is the time to revamp your pages, improve user experience, and use the site to lure customers in and encourage them to take that all-important next step. That could be adding an item to the basket and completing the checkout, it could be signing up to email newsletters or it could be making a call to find out more or get a quote, for example. Think about the sites that you enjoy using as a consumer, and always bear your target market in mind. The design and the content should be relevant to the brand and the ideal buyer persona.

Picture credit https://kaboompics.com/photo/8962/elegant-home-office-with-golden-accessories-macbook-iphone-x-watch

Improving your search ranking
Your website is up and running, and it looks brilliant. The trouble is that you’ll still not getting many visitors. If this scenario sounds familiar, you’ll need to take steps to ensure your pages and links are visible. To do this, you can utilize SEO to improve your search ranking. When you conduct a search on sites like Google, you’ll be presented with a list of links. As a customer, your attention will almost certainly be drawn to the links at the top of page 1. As a business owner, your goal is to climb as high as possible. If you’re struggling to get past page 5, traffic will be slow. Use SEO-friendly content to ensure that your links appear when customers enter words or terms that are related to the products or services you sell, use social media to promote your business, and keep content fresh, exciting, and interesting. Everything you share should serve a purpose. If you’ve got a blog on your website, for example, and you offer home maintenance and renovation services, useful guides, how-to video tutorials and informative articles are a great idea. SEO is an art, and if you don’t have expertise in this specific area of marketing, it’s worth seeking advice from professionals with industry experience.

Image via https://pixabay.com/illustrations/seo-internet-marketing-search-2192823/

Attracting rave reviews
Did you know that more than 90% of people now look for reviews before buying a product or choosing which local business to contact or hire? Feedback has never been more important for modern businesses looking to boost sales and client numbers. As social media and consumer review sites are so popular, it only takes a couple of negative reviews to make an impact. In extreme cases, a story can go viral putting a company out of business in a matter of minutes. To maximize the opportunities offered by the Internet and harness its power and influence, it’s beneficial to strive for positive reviews. Focus on customer service, make use of feedback, and go the extra mile to turn 4-star reviews into 5-star ratings. Take both the positive and the negative comments on board, and interact and engage with your customers. Consumers today don’t just want to buy a product. Often, they want an experience.

Picture source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/feedback-opinion-customer-1977986/

The Internet has changed the way we behave as consumers and provided businesses with a host of new opportunities to reach new customers, establish relationships with clients and upsell products. If you think your company could be achieving more, consider how you’re using the web, and how you could change your strategy to hit targets. Learn more about digital marketing, sign up for updates on marketing news, and think about what your ideal customer wants. Make sure your website is fit for purpose, and invest in SEO to elevate your ranking and increase traffic. Prioritize customer service, use feedback to improve review scores and ratings, and utilize social media to engage with clients and strike up relationships.