The Internet is a network of computers spanning the globe. This communication structure is a system connecting more than fifty million people in countries around the world.
A global Web of computers, the Internet allows individuals to communicate with each other. Often called the World Wide Web, the Internet provides a quick and easy exchange of information and is recognized as the central tool in this Information Age.
Internet BrowserAn Internet browser is a software program that enables you to access and navigate the Internet by viewing Web pages on your computer. The label Internet Browser describes a software program that provides users with a graphical interface that allows them to connect to the Internet and "surf the Web." Simply speaking, a browser is a software program that enables you to view Web pages on your computer.
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera Browser and Internet Explorer (IE) are four of many browsers most commonly used for viewing the Internet. Netscape and Internet Explorer share many of the same functions, and it is possible to use both. Microsoft is the creator of Internet Explorer, and Netscape Navigator, originally developed by Netscape, is now owned by America Online/Time Warner.
There are other browsers available as well. It does not take many users long to develop a preference and "adopt" a browser. You may have already made the choice. Which are you using?
Not only will you need to be familiar with your browser "brand," but you should also know the version of the browser you are using. Frequently new versions of browsers are made available to computer users; normally they are available to be downloaded from the Internet at no charge. It is easy to find the current version of your browser; let me show you.
Web SiteA site or area on the World Wide Web that is accessed by its own Internet address is called a Web site. A Web site can be a collection of related Web pages. Each Web site contains a home page and may also contain additional pages. Each Web site is owned and updated by an individual, company, or organization. Because the Web is a dynamically moving and changing entity, many Web sites change on a daily or even hourly basis.
Apply Your Knowledge.You can use the same method to find out the version of just about any software program that you are using. Whether you are in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Outlook, or Eudora, just click on Help and look for the About choice to find the version number of the program.
Web PageA Web page can be explained as one area of the World Wide Web. Comparable to a page in a book, the basic unit of every Web site or document on the Web is a page. A Web page can be an article, an ordering page, or a single paragraph, and it is usually a combination of text and graphics.
Home PageThe term home page has a couple of meanings. It is the Web page that your browser uses when it starts, and also the Web page that appears every time you open your browser. Clicking the home page icon on your browser screen will take you to the specific page you have set as your browser's home page.
Home page also refers to the main Web page out of a collection of Web pages. On each site, often you will see home page as a choice on a Menu Bar. Clicking on the word Home on a Web page will take you to the home or main page of that particular Web site.
Let's take it from the top. The name of the Web site or title of the page you are viewing is found on the top left hand corner of your screen. Traditionally, this horizontal blue bar runs across the entire width of your screen. This blue bar that contains the name of the Web site is called the Title Bar. The Title Bar will serve as a trusty anchor, always letting your know where you are by sharing the title of the Web site you are visiting. This bar does not take you anywhere, but it always lets you know where you are.
Underneath the Title Bar are other bars that can be used for moving around the Internet. If you are looking for quick and easy ways to navigate, the bars located at the top of your screen under the Title Bar will be helpful. One of the most useful bars is the Menu Bar. You will quickly appreciate each of the options found on the Menu Bar.
The Menu Bar is the horizontal band that contains commands and options that can be chosen. In Internet Explorer, these selections are File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, and Help.
Clicking on each of the items in the standard Menu Bar at the top of your page will drop down a menu that is a useful way to access the many features of the Internet Explorer program. The last menu item is the Help item. You will be surprised and relieved how often you will be able to click Help and find the answers you need.
The Menu Bar is a very useful tool when trying to make your way around a Web site. Because the Menu Bar offers so many helpful functions, the quicker you master File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, and Help, the better. It does not take long to learn the purpose of each of these menu items that help you move around the Internet.
How about another direction change? Ready to return to the Web page you were viewing before you backtracked with the Back arrow? Yes, there is a tool for that. The Forward icon can return you to square one by revisiting each page successively.
You cannot go forward if you haven't gone back. Your trusty Tool Bar will indicate this by showing the Forward arrow in a gray color. The gray color indicates that particular option is not available. When any menu item or icon is "grayed out," it means it is not an available option at that time.
Let's review. How would you find a page that you have just visited? To return to the last page you viewed, simply click the Back arrow icon on the toolbar.
If you want to view one of the last nine pages you visited in this session, just click that small black down arrow located to the side of the Back or Forward icon. You will see a list of the sites you have visited previously. Then just click the page you want from the list.
Stop and Refresh IconsIt will not take you long to appreciate two other icons found on the Tool Bar. The Stop icon is located to the right of the Back and Forward arrows. Clicking the Stop icon will stop the page you have selected from downloading.
This icon is especially useful. Click the Stop icon if a page is taking too long to download. What if you changed your mind and do not want to visit a page? Just click this icon. Occasionally you find that you have clicked on a wrong link. Again, the Stop icon to the rescue.
The next icon is not quite as intuitive as the old familiar Stop icon. It is the Refresh icon. Refresh makes sure you are viewing the latest version of the current Web page. Remember one of the unique characteristics of the Internet is that it is dynamic and fluid.
Information is continuously being added, and Web pages are constantly changing. It might be important to you that you are viewing the very latest information.
For that reason, you have a Refresh icon. Just click the Refresh icon and your browser will reload the latest version of the page you are viewing.
Home Page Icon
In reference to this icon, home page is the Web page that your browser uses when it starts, the Web page that appears every time you open your browser. Clicking the home page icon found on the Tool Bar will take you to the specific page you have set as your
Don't be afraid of getting lost or overwhelmed on the mammoth Information Highway.
There is an easy way to know where you are at all times. One way to keep track of where you are on the Web, especially if you have been moving around by links, is to check out the Address Box. This box gives you the location or address of the current page you are viewing.