The 24/7 Solution: Why the Internet is a Godsend for Women Toward the end of my grandmother's life, 20 years ago, she came to visit at my parents' house. She was still sharp as a tack. After dinner, we all wound up playing one of those Trivial Pursuit-type games where you ask each other questions from a card. My brother, who was in college at the time, read this question to my grandmother: "What's the proudest accomplishment of your life?" I cringed. I thought this question was awfully personal for my grandmother to have to answer. At the same time I was curious about what she'd say. Would she mention her relief work during two World Wars; the inventive cost-saving measures she took during the Depression; protecting her children from polio; founding a community college; surviving thyroid cancer; hosting refugees from the Middle East; becoming the president of her class at Vassar; putting up with her irascible husband? No one was prepared for the answer. "My driving," she said simply. "I am an excellent driver. My car has always been neat as a pin. I have always dealt with the mechanics myself. I have taken trips all over this country." She paused and continued. "I learned how to drive as soon as I could, and at a time when not too many girls did. Driving gave me great independence. It made it possible for me to do what I wanted to do. It made it possible for me to deliver food to families who needed it. It made it possible for me to take your mother to the hospital when she had acute appendicitis. And I was always very good at it." There's an analogy here. The Internet is a solution for our generation of women with as much potential as the car had for our grandmothers' generation. This is the way to get information on the basics that women care about: family, work, money, health, and more. There are tools and calculators to help plan meals; to keep track of our finances; to remind us that it's time to reorder vitamins or send a birthday card. Errands can be run without leaving the house. College credits can be earned without leaving the house. An hour-long commute can be cut to zero: the technology makes it possible to work from home. This technology is also a new way for women to be in touch with one another. E-mail is a miraculous way to stay in touch. It's not the same as an eye-to-eye conversation, but it is a viable substitute. Now it's possible to communicate with a friend in the middle of the night without disturbing her. Many millions of women are online and have a sense of the Internet's tremendous potential already. An equal number of women say they don't know where to begin. That's why we've created SheClicks.com. This is where to begin. We want to help women master the Internet, so they can make the most of the technology to solve their problems, answer their questions, and get a grip when they feel stressed. We think this is one way for women to cruise through their to-do lists and have more time for the more important stuff, like taking care of themselves, and having fun with their families. We believe the Internet can help women get their important work done–just as the car did for my grandmother. Please share how you're making the Internet work for you. E-mail me at Sarah@SheClicks.com. I'll share some of your stories in upcoming columns.