Internet Basics

 

Some terms for reference – no need to know the definitions, but people use them frequently!!

Ø      Icon – image used as a small symbol on a computer screen for a program or operation.  (large blue “e” usually stands for Internet Browser, getting you to the Internet with a double click)

Ø      Internet – world wide network of computers that communicate with each other and share information with permission.  Sometimes called “The Net.”

Ø      World Wide Web – a system of sites giving permission to access their information through the Internet.  Also known as “The Web.”   WWW in a web site address is short for “world wide web.”

Ø      E-mail – electronic mail that travels faster than the postal system “snail mail.”

Ø      Web Site – a collection of information at one place and accessed through the Internet

Ø      Home Page – main page of a web site

Ø      Surf the Web – random wandering from site to site

Ø      ISP – Internet Service Provider such as AOL, Socket, Media Com, Earthlink, Embarq

Ø      URL – Uniform Resource Locator, or in common language, an Internet web site’s address.

Ø      HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or the “language” used in communicating with a web site

 

Look at the following URL for Yahoo:

 

http://www.yahoo.com

 

From the definitions above, you know the basic meaning for “http” and “www.“  “Yahoo” is the name of the site.  The category of sites is “com” and stands for “company.”

Common categories:

edu – educational institution           com – company           net – network

gov – government                           mil – military

org – organization                           int – international

 

Ø      Online – connected to the Internet via a phone line (modem, DSL) or cable TV

Ø      DSL – Digital Subscriber Line (connection through a phone that is faster than a modem and doesn’t tie up the phone line)

Ø      Modem – a device that communicates with web sites through use of a phone line.  Slower communication than through cable or DSL

Ø      Cyberspace – the network of communications by human beings via computers.  Think of it as just modern radio or television waves – unseen, but mysteriously there.

Ø      Browser – a program that allows the user to interact with web sites (Microsoft Explorer, Netscape)

·         Title Bar – blue bar across the top of the window with name of the site to the left.  On the right are icons for minimizing (minus sign), maximizing (box), closing (x) the window.

·         Tool Bar or Button Bar – icons for “backward,” “forward,” “stop,” “refresh,” etc.

·         Menu Bar – buttons labeled “file,” “edit,” “view,” “favorites,” “tools,” and “help.”

·         Address Bar – blank area for typing (or copy/paste) a web site’s URL.

·         Scroll Bar – the vertical “elevator” bar along the right edge of the open window.

·         Status Bar – bar at bottom of window showing sites that are open and loading activity

Ø      Search Engine – a site that searches registered sites, indexes them, and then allows users to access those sites within seconds through use of key words.  Two common ones are Google and Yahoo.

Ø      Key Words – unique words or phrases used for finding a topic through a search engine.

 

Helpful Hints

http://www.jcfumc.org/library/tips.html

or click on “Computer User Help” category button found alphabetically in the left-hand margin list of topics on the “General Information for JC Community Use” page at   http://www.jcfumc.org/library/links/geninfo.html  (Many people have this site saved in their Favorites or Bookmarks for quick access)

·         When a blue site link in a list changes color (usually to dark pink), you’ve been to that site already.

·         To print only part of a page, highlight what you want to print, and then click File, then Print.  Change the print choice from “all” to “selection.”  Then print.  This cuts down on wasted paper.  Printing without selecting may end up wasting 40 or 50 pages!

·         To save a picture, RIGHT click on the picture and choose “save picture as.”  Take note of where you are saving to; change folders if the location isn’t suitable on the computer.

·         Use the “Back” button on the Tool Bar to move back to the last window visited.

·         If a site doesn’t open up in a reasonable amount of time, press the “Refresh” button on the Tool Bar to get the computer to try again.

·         If you want to return to a window but the “Back” button isn’t active, it means an additional window opened.  Close that window as usual and you’ll see the previous window behind it.

·         When exiting the Browser, click File and then Exit.  Avoid clicking the upper right hand corner X unless that is the only way to get out of a popup window.

·         If you click a link and get the message “Error 404” that means the site is either no longer at that address, or it is temporarily unavailable during site maintenance.

·         If text is hard to read, click View in the Menu Bar and then Text Size.  Choose a larger font.

·         To get rid of cookies and temporary files, click on Tools in the Menu Bar, then Internet Options.  Choose to Delete Cookies and then Delete Files also.

 

Use the local “General Information for JC Community Use” site to access any of over 400 sites without typing in the addresses:

                        http://www.jcfumc.org/library/links/geninfo.html

The general category pages may be accessed directly through the above site by choosing the corresponding topic in the left-hand margin of the page such as:

Also listed are school subject sites such as Art, Business, History, Language Arts (literature/grammar/drama/writing), Math, Music, Psychology, Sciences

Below “General Information Links” on the main part of the page, general sites are listed, including:

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