The Internet, like most great inventions, had many contributors but was initially developed by American Vinton Cerf in 1973. The Internet began as a computer network linking several universities and research facilities in the U.S. The World Wide Web was later developed in 1989 by Englishman Timothy Berners-Lee. The Internet as we know it today is not owned nor governed by any one body or organization.
Since its origins, Internet technology continues to accelerate rapidly with new applications being designed continuously. There seems to be no end in sight for the possibilities for the Information Superhighway.
Types of Information on the Internet
Information abounds on the Internet and the methods by which it is delivered are almost as countless. Computer software can be moved from a site on the Internet to your computer in a flash.
Text documents are document files that are uploaded to the Internet via a computer and Internet connection. They can be accessed for individual, business or research purposes.
Electronic journals/articles provide a wealth of information to the online reader. Many electronic journals are published online by schools, colleges and universities.
Databases are frequently used by online libraries and educational institutions to share books and learning materials with online visitors. These visitors can look up a specific term or area of interest and search the database for pertinent information.
Mailing lists are designed so that Internet users can subscribe and receive emails specific to their areas of interest. Newsgroups enable discussions on specific topics by collecting messages sent by individuals to a particular site.
Discussion groups originate on a website and are available for participants to discuss a variety of topics specific to the site or on generic themes.
Using the World Wide Web
A Web browser is the program used to access the graphical portion of the World Wide Web. There are many browsers available, with the most popular being Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Firefox. To use a browser you enter in a URL, or Internet address, the browser then takes you to the address you requested.
Internet addresses end in a variety of domain abbreviations such as .com, .net., .biz and some are reserved especially for the educational sites that end in .edu, government sites that end in .gov and non-profit sites that end in .org.
HTML is used to structure text and multimedia documents and to set up hyperlinks between documents. A hyperlink allows you to assign a web address to a particular word or phrase in a document.
How to search
Knowing how to search the Web for information is one of the most important skills you can develop. Choosing the most relevant keyword then entering it into a search engine such as Google.com or Yahoo.com will bring up the most specific information you requested.
Sometimes keywords or phrases can be switched around to bring up different results, a trial and error method that can be effective.
If you are searching for a specific type of site such as .edu, .gov or .org, enter "site:.edu keyword" into the search box to bring up only that specific type of site with the information you are searching for.
Metapages
For sites you use regularly or want to remember for future reference, web browsers have a feature to keep them handy. Internet Explorer calls them Favorites and Firefox calls them Bookmarks, no matter the title they still do the same thing. Say you want to save the page you are on for easy access, just choose Bookmarks or Favorites from the browser menu. There are options when bookmarking like being able to give a site a name of your choosing or organize bookmarks according to your own method. A bookmark can also save your place in an electronic document. You can also use a Metapage to keep links handy by creating a document with a comprehensive list of the links you most visit.
Subject Directories
Subject or Web directories are organized by subject and are usually maintained by humans instead of software. The user reviews sites organized by category then types in a query, the Web directory then searches the users query for relevant data and returns the data for the user to review. Yahoo, Look Smart and The Open Directory are all examples of Subject Directories. Use these directories when you have exhausted other search engine methods.
Search Engines
A search engine is designed to search for information on the Web. The search results are usually provided in a list format. The search results can return web pages, images and other types of information and files. They operate on algorithms and send out spiders to search and index web pages throughout the World Wide Web which is how they are able provide search results.
Some of the results returned are paid for by individuals or businesses who want to get more traffic. These results are displayed differently from the organic search results so they are identifiable.
Google.com is the most popular of the search engines today, with Yahoo.com following a close second. Bing.com is a new one that is getting good reviews. And if you want to query many search engines at once Dogpile.com allows you to do this.
Evaluating Web Pages
Some web pages are more valuable than others. Value depends on many factors such as: Does the website creator have expertise in the subject matter? When was the site created, has it been around for a good period of time? What value does it offer? Is the content informative and does it make sense? Is the design easy to follow and is the information easy to find?
List of Internet Terms
Algorithm – A method or procedure for solving a problem.
Bookmark – A file within a browser which allows a user to save the addresses of frequently viewed pages.
Database – A collection of data organized for ease of use and search.
Domain abbreviations – Domain address abbreviations such as .edu, .org and .gov.
Email – An electronic method of sending messages over an ISP.
Favorites – A file within a browser that is visited frequently and is saved for easy access.
Homepage – A hypertext document which is the main navigation page of a Website.
Hyperlinks – A text or an image link to additional Internet resources.
HTML – The language used to create code documents to be accessed on the Internet.
HTTP – The method used to access information on the Web which is created in HTML.
Internet – A series of interconnected networks that use the same telecommunications protocol.
IP Address – The numeric address of a computer connected to the Internet.
ISP – An Internet service provider.
Keyword – A word chosen specifically to enter into a search engine to bring relevant results.
Metapage – A document with a comprehensive list of links.
Newsgroups – Internet discussion groups classified by subject matter.
Posting – Sending a message to a forum or discussion group.
Search Engine – An Internet tool that allows you to search for information by keyword.
Software – A computer program which provides instructions to a computer to make hardware work.
Spider – A software program developed by the search engines to scan pages, gather the information on them, then return to the search engine database.
Subject Directories – Databases of information which include a search query and are maintained by humans instead of software.
URL – The Internet address of a website.
Web Browser – A software application for retrieving and displaying information requested in a search query.
Website – A collection of pages or files linked to one another and made available on the Internet.
WWW – The World Wide Web.
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