On this page:

Why the web?

I think most probably that this [internet] technology will be helpful, to get information easily. In that way it will make clear what is truth, what is reality and what is false propaganda. I think that provided each individual uses their own intelligence or mind to investigate further, this technology should be very useful.
— His Holiness Dalai Lama

It's extremely important for the Tibetans to get well acquainted with the internet so that we can make use of its boundless potential.
— Monlam Lobsang, Managing Director, TVA

It is crucial that the Tibetans be able to make use of this technology, in order to provide better employment opportunities for Tibetans, advance the Tibetan economy, keep Tibetan culture alive in exile, and make the cause of Tibet's freedom struggle better known throughout the world.
— TCRC, DIIR, Central Tibetan Administration

The Internet is now our primary marketplace for ideas. News announcements and debates that generations ago took place on the village commons are now taking place on the Internet. Because of this new technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult for opponents of any idea to stop or limit the spread of that idea.

On the internet all voices are equal.

why is the web important?

The "web" is the most powerful thing to come to human culture since the printing press in the West. It is changing how all the world's people talk to each other, play, do business, and even how we do politics and science. It brings all the world's people closer together than ever possible before.

Communication
Today the world is communicating through websites, email, chat, Hi5, Flickr, and many other things. These all use the internet and the web.
When you know how to use these things, you have the power to communicate with everyone. When you know how to make these things, you have even more power and ability.
You may not want to become a web designer, developer or programmer. But if you have an idea how the web works, you can use it better, and you can talk better with those web professionals, when you are getting a website made for you.
Tibetan cause
More and more, the conversation about the situation of Tibet is happening on the web. The more powerful that Tibetans can be on the web, the more they can help Tibet and Tibetans — and the world.

what is the web?

The "web" is part of the Internet.
So what is Internet?
Millions of computers all over the world that are connected to each other, through wires, as well as satellite, wifi, mobile connections.
We think of websites as the Internet. Other parts of the Internet are email, messaging (like Yahoo Messaging and Skype Chat), p2p networks such as BitTorrent, bank networks, and much more.
So - the web is one part of the Internet. It is the part that you get with your web browser.
The web isn't owned by any company. You don't need a lot of money or licenses to be part of the web. All you need is knowledge!
These computers use languages to talk to each other.
You are already good at languages — to live in India you have to know some English and Hindi as well as your own Tibetan!
You have learned HTML language. There are other languages, like PHP, SQL, Ethernet, HTTP, and more. They are more simple than human languages actually! They seem hard because we have to be more careful how we "say" them — because computers are really not as smart as people!

how to learn how to use the web?

If you have an email address, and if you are reading this page, you have some idea of how to use the web.

There is always more to learn — because the web is huge, will millions of websites, and because it is always changing. That doesn't mean we have to know everything :) — but we can learn a few things to make it more useful to us.

The best way is just get on the web, follow links, see what you like, ignore what you don't like.

This page may give you ideas of where to start: Using the web

how to learn how to make the web?

Yes you can! You need a few things:

A computer than you can use freely - outside of class!
Why? It's like learning to ride a bicycle, or how to cook. You need to have lots of time to ride the bicycle, or to cook the food, trying different things, and having fun.
You can learn about it in a class, but you only learn how to do it by — doing it!
A good class or teacher or friends who know these things.
When you get good with the web and the basics, you can learn even without a class or other people! Everything you need to learn is on the web — many great websites tell you all.
Share what you know. I learn more by teaching others, and i think this works for everyone. The web is about sharing and giving.
English. Whether we like it or not, most of the things for learning how to make websites are in English. Books, references, websites. And the Web languages themselves are based on English.
Patience and determination to practice and practice, try things, make things.
Your enthusiasm! If you don't enjoy it, and have enthusiasm for it, it can be very boring.

Know more

There are many great places on the web to learn about the web. The below links aren't the best, or the only — they just give you somwhere to start.

Why the web?: What's so important about it, and why do you want to learn to use it — or to make it?!
tibetangeeks.com: Tech info for Tibetans
webwalker.to/technotech/: Web teaching in McLeod Ganj
Google.com: When you learn how to use Google search, you can find out anything and everything.

All content not copyright by anyone else is copyright © 2003–2010 James Walker.
License for use is the GNU Free Documentation License. Find it:
here in the License directory
or at the Free Software Foundation, www.fsf.org

It would be great to have Tibetan and Chinese translations of this page. Can you help? Contact us! http://tibetangeeks.com/contact/