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Introduction
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Given the sheer vastness of the Internet, it is sometimes difficult for a beginner to know where to start. This brief overview of Internet uses should provide beginners with a strong foothold on the mountain of the information highway.
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The World Wide Web
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The World Wide Web is an extremely useful tool, whether it is used for practical tasks, academic research, finding people, getting up-to-the-minute news stories, playing games, or shopping. It allows people to display such things as personal information and family photos so that they can be viewed from anywhere in the world.
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A Communication Revolution
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The Internet has revolutionized the way one person can talk to another, from anywhere in the world to anywhere else. E-mail (electronic mail), chat rooms (where you can exchange instant messages in real time), and newsgroups (online discussion groups) can put you in contact with old friends and far-off relatives, and also offer the opportunity to make new friends on the net community, with users who share your hobbies and interests.
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E-mail
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Over the last 10 years, the use of e-mail has increased greatly in both personal and business communications. Text messages are not the only thing that can be sent by e-mail. You can send files, which may contain photos, documents, or other data as attachments to e-mail. This is very easy to do in most e-mail applications. Read your program’s help files if you are not sure how to do it.
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| Browsers |
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Surfing the web requires a web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Browsers feature a window in which you can type a web address (called a “URL”) and contact that site. Explore the pull-down menus in your browser application to learn about the browser’s various features. For example, one of the most useful features of a web browser allows the user to “bookmark” pages (save a URL address so that the particular web site can be easily contacted in the future). This saves you the trouble of having to remember numerous, multi-part web addresses.
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| Instant Chat |
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Chatting over the web is a pastime for millions. Sending a distant correspondent instant messages - and receiving their instant replies - is a free alternative to expensive long-distance phone calls. Large Internet Service Providers such as America OnLine include chat areas in their software, and there are lots of links to chat rooms on the Web.
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Usenet
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Usenet is a vast Internet system containing over 30,000 newsgroups. Each newsgroup is devoted to a particular topic. These topics include music, sports, politics, science, and much more. Users participate in a newsgroup by reading and posting messages on it.
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More Shuf Help
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Shuf.com provides a glossary of Internet terms for the beginner.
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