Much enthusiasm surrounds the potential of the Internet to improve people's lives in numerous domains from health matters to education, from creative expression to financial independence, from political engagement to on-the-job performance. While it is easy to come up with hypotheticals on how the Web may improve people's life chances, we know relatively little about the extent to which such potential is being met and who is more or less likely to benefit from the various opportunities. Drawing on unique data collected about a diverse group of young American adults' Internet uses, this presentation will look at predictors of various types of online engagement and participation. In particular, the talk will point out variation in people's online skills and how differences in Web know-how influence what people do online.