image

Internet Tip



How do I get around the Internet?


The most typical way to get around the Internet is by using a computer connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The connection may be by telephone dial-up, telephone DSL line, cable, satellite, or wireless hotspot. Viewing Internet web pages requires a browser. A browser is a software program having many features to facilitate your web browsing. Several free browsers are available. The most common one used came with your Windows Operating System, called Microsoft Internet Explorer. Other browsers are Mozilla Firefox, Avant browser, Netscape Navigator, and Opera browser.

There are several ways to get around the Internet, they are:

  • The Startup Page: When you first start your browser, a startup page will be displayed. Users normally set their startup page where they can read the latest news and access their email.


  • A web address (URL): This is a unique web page address which allows you to immediately go to the web page you desire. For instance, a friend may tell you to go to www.amazon.com for online shopping. You would then type this web address into the elongated address box at the top of your browser window and hit the ENTER key.


  • Web page links: The most common links are in the web page navigation bar. Each web page in a web site will have a navigation bar on the left side of the page and/or across the top. These links provide you a way of looking at the other pages in that web site. Normally when you hover over a link with your cursor, it will change to a hand with the index finger extended. Other links will be buried throughout the page and may take you to other web sites.


  • Favorites or bookmarks: These are web site locations that you want to "remember" so that you can return to them. Some browsers refer to them as favorites and others use the name bookmarks. When saving a favorite, the browser will prompt you for a description that will make it easy for you to recognize the site. When organizing favorites, you will want to set up folders, such as, Health, News, Reference, Shopping, Weather, and whatever else interests you. Under these groups, you would then save specific favorites to sites matching that group.


  • Search Engines: Another way of finding a web page is through search engines. A search engine is a web site used to search web pages for specific keywords and then returns a list of the pages where the keywords can be found. The most common search engines are Google and Yahoo. Here is a website that lists several popular search engines and describes some of the differences.



Finding Stuff On The Internet: Through experience, you will learn your own techniques to finding what you are looking for on the Internet. Here are a few sites that can help you:
image