Netheads to get their own show on ANteve

Netheads to get their own show on ANteve

JAKARTA (JP): Private TV station Anteve in cooperation with
Onklik.com and computer distributor PT Acer Indonesia has
announced a new Sunday evening show dedicated to all things
Internet.

The program, Acer Onklik TV, is 30 minutes long and will be
aired for the first time this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. It is designed
to introduce the Internet to people from all walks of life and
help them understand more about cyberspace technology and its
benefits.

"We want to inform people, from youngsters to adults, about
the creature named the Internet. We will start with simple
explanations of chatting, e-mailing and browsing," Ilya Alexander
from Onklik.com told a media briefing on Wednesday.

Ono W. Purbo, an information technology expert from Bandung
Institute of Technology (ITB) and present at the briefing, said
the program would help people fully understand the Internet.

"Most people think that the Internet is expensive. Imagine,
from the 210 million people in the country, only some 1.5 million
have become (Internet) users.

"They are hundreds of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and
dot.com companies. If there isn't a sufficient increase in the
number of users, many such companies will probably die," Ono
said.

Recent reports say that by 2010 the country will need 350,000
information technology professionals, he said.

"So, if we don't introduce people to the latest technology,
the Internet will only be an illusory world for most people
here," Ono said.

The series, which is scheduled to run for 13 episodes, will
have different regular features, namely OnTopic, OnTalk and
OnHit, OnTips and OnQuiz.

Several guests, including MCs Tika Panggabean and Farhan, will
appear on the show, which is hosted by Venna Anissa.

Tika and Farhan shared their Internet experiences:

"I was working on my thesis and nobody was there to help type
it for me. I only knew how to operate Wordstar 5, and because of
the pressure I learnt how to run Windows and the Word programs,"
he said, adding that after that he began to learn about the
Internet.

Tika needed a helping hand to get her into the technology:

"My friend at Hard Rock Cafe taught me on how to use the
Internet and made me an e-mail address. I just played along
because I thought it was cool, but I actually had no idea how to
open it. So I asked my friends to answer my e-mail ...

Romanus Sumaryo of Onklik.com said he hoped the show could be
extended after the 13 episodes. (edt)