Introduction to the Internet

• About the Internet  What is the Internet?  Who uses the Internet?  What can you do on the Internet?  What is the World Wide Web?
• What is a Web Browser Browser Menu Bar, Browser Toolbar Buttons, Cursor and Links, Status Bar
• Anatomy of a Web Address What is HTML? What is a Home Page?
• Searching the Web Search Engines, Search Tips
• Evaluating a Web Page Authority, Currency, Purpose, Organization, Presentation and Treatment, Format, Special Features
• Glossary of Internet Terms

About the Internet

• What is the Internet?  The Internet is the vast collection of inter-connected computer networks also referred to as the Information Superhighway. A computer network is two or more individual computers connected together so that their users can send messages to each other and share information.
• Who uses the Internet?  Originally, the Internet was designed to help scientists communicate and share computer resources in scientific research. It use has progressed beyond its original mission and it is used today by anyone who has access to it through a personal computer equipped with a modem and serviced by an on-line service provider. Companies, organizations, institutions of higher learning, government and citizens of any country may use the internet for sales, advertising, sharing information, and distribution of products among others.
• What can you do on the Internet?  There are many things that one can do on the Internet, but the following are the most popular features in using the internet:
  • Electronic mail or e-mail - a way to send and receive personal messages
  • HTTP or World Wide Web (WWW) - getting multimedia information
  • Gropher - a menu-based program that enables you to browse for information without having to know where the material is specifically located
  • Conferencing or Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - also known as "chatting" on-line with other users
  • News Groups or NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) - a way to read and post information of special interest
  • Mailing Lists - a way to send and receive information in a large special interest group
  • Instant Messages (IM) - a way to send a personal message to an individual in real time.
  • Remote Access or Telnet - a way to use a computer at another site
  • File Transfer Protocol (FTP) -  a way to send and receive computer programs and information
• What is the World Wide Web?  The World Wide Web is the group of computers on the Internet that allow you to access information that has text, graphics and even sound! Using a "browser" you can look at any information that is posted on the Web. Two types of browsers that are known are Netscape and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. We will be using Netscape.

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What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is the software package used for browsing the World Wide Web.   The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. 

• Browser Menu Bar

  • File: The File menu offers the kind of choices you find under File on Macs and Windows.

  • Edit: The Edit menu offers the kind of choices you find under Edit on Macs and Windows.

  • View: By clicking the View Menu and then Document Source, you can see the HTML code that produced the page you are viewing.

  • Go: You will find a list of the web sites you have visited under the Go menu

  • Bookmarks: If you find a site that you want to remember, try this. Click the Bookmark menu and then Add Bookmarks. That site will be added to your bookmark list.

  • Options: Use the Options menu to control the look of your screen

  • Window: The Window menu offers you choices such as News, Mail and Bookmarks.

  • Help: Click the Help menu and then Handbook for printable tips and instructions.

• Browser Toolbar Buttons

  • Back: The Back button brings you back one page.

  • Forward: The Forward button brings you forward one page.

  • Home: The Home button brings you back to the opening web page.

  • Reload: The Reload button is like the redial button on your telephone.  If you are unable to get a connection to a web page, click the Reload button to try again.

  • Open: When you click the Open button, a box will appear where you can type a web page address.  Then click the Open button in the box and you are on your way to that Web page.

  • Print:  Click the Print button to print what you are viewing.

  • Fine: Click the Find button to make Netscape Navigator look for and highlight the word you type.

  • Stop: Clicking the Stop button is like hanging up the telephone. When you click Stop, Netscape Navigator will stop trying to connect to the address that you requested.

• Cursor and Links
  • The Cursor can vary in shape, either an I-beam, an arrow pointer, or a hand.
  • The cursor is shaped like a Hand when it is pointing to a Link.
  • A Link is a connection to another Web site.  Just click, and you will connect to that site!
• Status Bar  The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the screen.  It does two things for you:
  • It displays the address of any link that you point to.
  • It displays messages that tell you what is happening after you have.

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Anatomy of a Web Address

To find a particular web page, you need to know it's Uniform Resource Locator (URL).   The URL is a unique address of the web page.

Example:  http://www.communitygateway.org/tutorials/internet.htm

• http://www.communitygateway.org/tutorials/internet.htm

http:// - This stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. This is what allows sound and graphics as well as text to be displayed on the World Wide Web.   Remember that the URL must be typed exactly to bring you to the correct web page.

• http://www.communitygateway.org/tutorials/internet.htm

www.centralmass.org - This part of the address is called the "domain name."  This is the name of the server or Internet Service Provider that makes the page available.

• http://www.communitygateway.org/tutorials/internet.htm

This 3-letter suffix indicates that a nonprofit organization is making this page available.

• Here are other address suffixes you will see:
  • .com – stands for company or commercial business
  • .gov – stands for government agency
  • .edu – educational institution
  • .mil – stands for military
  • .net – stands for network providers
  • Also, different countries have their own suffixes, examples:
    • .ca - Canada
    • .au - Australia
    • .ie - Ireland

• http://www.communitygateway.org/tutorials/internet.htm

The / (slashes) are used to separate folders and files in the address.  In this example, tutorials is the folder that contains the file internet.htm.   In this case, internet.htm is the HTML document that you are looking at now.

Remember that the URL must be typed exactly (including letter case) to bring you to the correct web page.

• What is HTML?  Hyper Text Makeup Language is a language for formatting text and graphics for use on the Web.  This language is used so that all computers, (for example, IBM, Mac or Unix), can view pages on the web.  The pages will look basically the same regardless of the computer format.  However, There my be slight differences from one browser to another (again, the browser is the software used to view web pages).  In addition to basic text characteristics, there are ways to generate tables, columns and graphics. No special program is required to write web pages, just a text editor or a word processor that can save in text format.

• What is a Home page (also called a Web page)?  A home page is any information than individual, an educational institution, a non-profit organization, a government agency, or a company puts on the World Wide Web.   The web page is written using HTML.

 

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Searching the Web

Search Engines are the best way for find information on the Internet. Search Engines find the information requested using Keywords. Finding exactly what you are looking for can be challenging and the results of your search will depend on how you enter your keywords.

An Internet Directory is similar to a Search Engine, except Directories contain web sites according to their subject matter. You can "drill down" categories to find what they want. Yahoo! is the best example of an Internet Dictionary.

There really is no "best" search engine. It is mostly a matter of preference, and choosing the interface you like best.

Once you get comfortable with a search engine, experiment with the different options they offer. For example: Excite has a function: "More Like This." Hotbot offers the most flexibility. Check the ‘Help’ sections of each search engine to learn how to optimize that particular engine.

General tips for searching the Internet

• For exact phrases, use "double" quotation marks, so that the search engine will only look for that exact phase. Example: "cerebral palsy" Without quotations, the engine will pull up all pages that contain cerebral AND palsy. With quotations, the search is refined to specifically "cerebral palsy."
• If you are looking for a proper name, use capital letters. Example: "San Francisco."
• Use more than one word to describe what you are looking for. By using more keywords to narrow your search, you can locate documents that fit your information needs more precisely.
• Be specific. Try to pick words that are unique to the topic. For example: "Corvette" will get more precise results than "sports car."
• The order of your words is important. Use the most important words first. Example: Boston "electrical goods".
• If you do not find what you want in the first 20 sites, change the search keywords or try another search engine.
• If you find a large number of results, the most relevant content will appear at the top of the result pages.
• Each search engine has varies ways to refine your search. Depending on the engine you choose, check out their "Advanced Search Features."

Some of the most popular Search Engines

• Yahoo - www.yahoo.com (dictionary)
• Alta Vista - www.altavista.com (biggest database)
• Hotbot - www.hotbot.com (most flexible)
• Excite - www.excite.com (best personalized start page)
• Infoseek - www.infoseek.com
• Webcrawler - www.webcrawler.com
• Lycos - www.lycos.com (best for academic research)

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Things to consider when you evaluate a Web site

As the Internet continues to grow and evolve, it is changing the way people communicate, shop, do business and gather information. It is a wonderful resource for people with disabilities and their families. However, like any book, any magazine article, any essay, any television or radio program, any movie, or any other source of information, Internet/World Wide Web sites must be evaluated for the quality of that information. It is important to note that since anyone can put information on the web, some of what you find may not be reliable or even appropriate. You need to evaluate what you find and decide if the information is accurate.

Authority

• Who put this information on the Web?
• Did they include an e-mail address or mailing address?
• Is this an authoritative site?
• Is there a disclaimer?

Currency

• Is this information up-to-date?
• When was the last time this page was updated?

Purpose

• Is there a statement defining the purpose of this page?
• What is the stated purpose of this page?

Organization

• Is the organization of the page plain to see?
• In what order is the material arranged? Alphabetical, by subject category or by date?

Presentation and Treatment

• Is the information accurate and the presentation balanced?
• Check out this page for balance and accuracy

Format

• Does the web site look good?
• Does a graphic take forever to load?
• Evaluate the look of this web page.

Special Features 

• Are there any unique features that make this page especially useful? 
• What is unique about this site.

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