The CPA Journal

MBA's Guide to the Internet

By Stephen L. Nelson and Pat Coleman

Published by Redmond Technology Press, Inc.; 624

pp.; $39.95; ISBN 0-9672981-6-4

Reviewed by Marc Niederhoffer

Many CPAs use the Internet to do our banking, buy stocks, check the weather, and e-mail our friends and business associates. It has become an important part of our daily lives, and as more individuals conduct their business on the web, CPAs need to become familiar with how to use it more effectively. For the many occasions where one needs to do something on the web but lacks the know-how, Nelson and Coleman have written this essential Internet reference for business professionals.

The book is organized into four sections. The first part contains seven primers that introduce us to the Internet, Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, newsgroups, security issues, and other Internet services. The second section was written for the business user and introduces Internet search services, fee-based and free information resources, government websites, and wireless web and e-mail services. The third section outlines hands-on projects such as designing a website, making a PowerPoint presentation, setting up a web store and intranet, and using the Internet for recruiting and online banking and investing. The final section is a three-part appendix. The first part explores using the Netscape Navigator web browser and Netscape Messenger e-mail program. The other two parts cover the Macintosh versions of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.

The authors have written this guide in a nontechnical fashion that is easy to follow and understand. In addition to being well organized, each section takes you step-by-step through each application. Abundant illustrations show actual screen shots. The book also provides recommended Internet sites with additional helpful information.

I shared my copy of the book with my firm's MIS director, a self-proclaimed Internet junkie. His analysis was simple: The authors' definitions are straightforward. The book is an introduction and by no means replaces software technical manuals. He also pointed out-as do the authors-that the illustrations in the book are from Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional; some of the steps and illustrative figures may vary for users with other versions of Windows. That said, reading the book gave me answers to a number of nagging questions, and introduced several areas of the Internet that were completely new for me.

For better or worse, the rate of change on the World Wide Web is such that many of the uniform resource locators (URL) in the book are no longer active, and, as the authors themselves point out, it would be impossible for them to be entirely up to date. As with many of the tax publications, annual updates to this volume would be expected and welcome.

Marc Niederhoffer, CPA, a partner of Buchbinder Tunick & Co. LLP, is a member of the NYSSCPA Emerging Technologies Committee.