How to take a SIMPLE picture with a nikon D50?

I just got this camera from my dad and I have NO IDEA HOW TO USE IT. Searching online doesn't help me at all! Everything I find online is so specific, and I don't understand ANY of the camera lingo. It's So frustrating! I just want to take simple pictures! Pictures outside, pictures of my dogs, pictures of my friends! JUST SIMPLE PICTURES! Please! I press the button by the on/off switch, but nothing happens. Does that means the settings are off, or does that mean the camera is broken?

You have a lot to learn.

What memory card to you have in the camera?

Did you format it using the format feature in the camera?

Did you charge the cameras battery?

Do you have the user manual? If not, you can download a copy from Nikon's website

It is clear that this is the first fully adjustable camera you ever had in your hands, so you need to at least read the manual

It's not that easy. There are a few things that have to be considered before you even press the on/off switch.fotoace already mentioned a few, like charging the battery, putting in the correct memory card, some cameras ask you to put in the date and time when you fist turn them on. I'm sure your dad was being nice when he got you that camera but it's really overkill. This is not a camera to take simple pictures, as you have just found out.

You're going to need to read the manual but you are going to need to know all the lingo before you read the manual.

Get the user's manual. Read from cover to cover.

Turn the dial to Auto (the green one methinks). When outside, adjust ISO to 200. Look at the front of the camera and locate the AF/MF switch. Set to AF. When shooting indoors, set ISO to 200 or 400 depending on how low the light is. When shooting action, set ISO to 1600. That's it.

To learn more about the basic principles of photography so that you will be able to maximize the abilities of your fantastic dSLR, go to this page.

http://www.illustratedphotography.com/basic-photography

If the camera does not respond, either the battery is dead or there's something wrong with the camera itself.

Here is the user manual
http://www.nikonusa.com/...D50_en.pdf
You could take pictures simply by turning the mode dial to Auto.
The camera needs to have an SD card (maximum 2 GB) to take pictures. It does not support SDHC (4 GB or higher).

If I remember correctly, the on/off is a switch, not a button. It's located near the shutter (picture-taking) button.

Nothing pops up on the screen when you turn the camera on because it's designed that way. You take pictures for the viewfinder and only use the LCD screen to review your images or change certain settings.

To put your camera in dummy mode to take 'simple' pictures, rotate the mode dial to the green camera icon.