Long gone are the days when the internet was the domain of geeks, and mere mortals just checked their email. Broadband has bought the internet to us all - so make sure you use it to its full potential.
Anyone over the age of 21 will probably remember 28 kbps connections that allowed you to send emails....and that was about it. Web pages were very simple and generally very ugly because anything complicated took hours to appear. But everything has to start somewhere - remember, the world's first computers, far less powerful than the ones we have in our homes now, took up whole rooms. Nowadays, you can connect to speeds at least forty times faster than 28 kbps and as a result do so much more with your internet connection.
Some broadband packages now boast speeds of up to 24 Mbps - over 800 times faster than those old 24 kbps connections - and they're rising all the time. Forget being able to load complicated web pages in seconds, you can now download whole movies and play computer games against people half way across the world. If you have a broadband connection, or want one (and if you don't you may well after reading this) read on to find out what you can really do with it.
It's no longer a novelty to download a music track - lots of people download hundreds of tracks every week for their MP3 players. The internet is packed with sites offering legitimate downloads for less than £1, and this is a great way to try out new music without buying a whole album.
Then again, why pay for MP3s when you can listen to your favourite digital radio station on your computer? The BBC, along with lots of other sites, offers all its radio content live for free. Simply click on the link and turn on your speakers. You can even listen to shows broadcast a week ago - ideal for people with busy lifestyles.
But what's next? The emergence of portable video players has encouraged internet users to download films and TV programmes to watch whilst on the move, and higher connection speeds mean this can be done in minutes. Want to watch your favourite film on the way to work? No problem.
And of course it's even easier to watch a video on your computer. Various TV channels are moving towards offering downloadable content to 'rent' on their site. Channel 4 have launched their 'On Demand' service where you can purchase anything from that day's 'Deal or No Deal' episode, to your favourite Channel 4 show from ten years ago.
Friends and family can be scattered all over the globe, and keeping in touch can be not only difficult but expensive too. Broadband offers lots of ways to share experiences and news with people hundreds of miles away. Forget email, you can call someone in Australia over the internet for a fraction of the cost of a landline call. With a simple microphone and headphones, using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, you can call anywhere in the world. If the other person picks up the call via the internet then it will be even cheaper - if not free. Lots of companies are providing this service including Skype and Vonage.
Maybe you want to share photos from your most recent trip, or see pictures other people have taken. Fast connection speeds mean you can upload hundreds of high resolution pictures to photo sharing websites, for everyone to see. Then you can access a friend or family member's account and download their pictures too.
When you're done with all the entertainment, don't forget that a broadband connection can help you with your everyday life too. You can send larger emails faster, manage and share your work files online and shop for just about anything on the internet - food, cars, holidays, you name it. In fact, it would be possible to live your life through the internet, without ever leaving home. Yes, you could do a lot of these things with a dial up connection, but it would take so much longer. Broadband has enabled many companies to realise the potential of using the internet to sell or provide services. So, the question really is: What are you waiting for?
So, now you know what broadband can do for you there's just one more thing to consider. All these activities involve downloading information, and with broadband providers putting restrictions on downloads you need to be careful. The quickest way to find out the right download limit for you is to use our simple and free usage barometer. You wouldn't buy trousers a size to big or too small - so why buy a broadband package that doesn't fit?
Broadband Jargon Buster
Getting the usage to suit you
C4 On Demand
iTunes UK
BBC Radio
Skype