Using the World Wide Web

1. Using the World Wide Web Access to “Everything”

2. What is the Web? • The World Wide Web is a collection of millions of computers around the world • These computers make information of all kinds available to anyone that wants it

3. What is the Web? • Most of the information is free, though there are some websites that you must pay to use • Other websites offer goods and services for sale • The free information is growing explosively

4. What kinds of things can I find on the Web? • General Information • Hobby Information • Travel Information • Services • Bad Guys!!!

5. General Information • Encyclopedias • Newspapers and Magazines • Maps

6. Encyclopedias • Some encyclopedias are the same as their print versions (except a lot lighter!) • Others provide only overview articles

7. Encyclopedias • “Wikipedias” allow general public to contribute to the content, so should be taken as the “conventional wisdom” rather than final authority. • Because they are electronic, you can use software to make them easier to read

8. Newspapers and Magazines • Many newspapers and magazines provide their content on-line. • This makes it possible to keep up with local news in your home town, even when you now live across the country.

9. Newspapers and Magazines • Some magazines offer “enhanced” articles (more content) on-line than in print • Sometimes, the information is available only to subscribers, but in most cases, the content is free

10. Maps • MSN Maps allows you to see maps of the entire country in high detail • MSN Maps provides driving instructions from one place to another (similar to AAA)

11. Maps • When traveling, MSN Maps can also show nearby points of interest

12. Weather • Local • Weather service add-ins can show you current weather conditions, and storm warnings • You can get forecasts for the day (hourly) or the week

13. Weather • Anyplace Else • You can ask for the current weather from any location that the service is available for, delivered to your computer

14. Hobby Information • Unless you are the only person in the world who pursues a particular hobby, it’s likely that information about it is available on the web • Some of this information is provided by businesses selling supplies for your hobby

15. Hobby Information • Other sites are created by enthusiasts who share your interests • Discussion groups allow you to share stories or ask for help from others with similar interests

16. Salt and Pepper Shaker Collecting

17. Salt and Pepper Shaker Collecting

18. Salt and Pepper Shaker Collecting

19. Travel Information • When traveling, you can plan your trip, make reservations, and even buy your tickets on-line • You can use the on-line maps to locate hotels near your destination

20. Travel Information • You can often see a typical room, and learn what facilities are available at the hotel • For major hotel chains, you can make reservations, including for specific room features, for the dates of your planned stay • Compare flight schedules and costs, including discount services

21. Travel Information • Purchase tickets for your desired flight, and select preferred seating • Rent a car at the destination, to be picked up on arrival

22. Services • Government services • Social Security • Taxes • Medicare

23. Services • On-line government services include • Providing information about services and responsibilities • Obtaining forms and assistance • Making appointments for individual meetings

24. Services • Private services • Medical information – Make appointments, get reports, etc. • Pharmacy – Order refills, check information about prescriptions

25. Services • Home – Locate local contractors, check contractors • Music and/or movie purchase and rentals

26. Bad Guys! • Not all information on the web is trustworthy, and not all websites are safe

27. Bad Guys! • Some sites will try to get you to provide personal information that can be used for identity theft • As a rule, unless you know who you are communicating with, you should only confirm, never supply personal information on-line

28. Bad Guys! • Some websites will attempt to place programs on your computer that will use it for criminal activities • You should have, and maintain, antivirus and anti-spyware software on your computer

29. Bad Guys! • In general, the web is neither more nor less dangerous than telephone or mail business • Be similarly cautious, and you’ll be fine • Remember, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!

30. Let’s Get Online!

31. What Do I Need? • A Computer • A connection to the internet • This will be provided by a local “Internet Service Provider” • Your ISP will probably work either through your telephone service or your cable television provider

32. Types of Internet Connection • Dial-Up • Your computer uses your telephone line to connect to the internet • When on-line, you cannot make or receive telephone calls • Available anywhere there is a telephone (but may be long-distance in some cases) • Relatively slow (fast enough for email, not fast enough for watching on-line video)

33. Types of Internet Connection • “Broadband” • Can be many times faster than dial-up connections • Can be either through your telephone or cable television provider • Does not interfere with your telephone • Always connected

34. What else do I need? • A “web browser” • A web browser is the program that converts the computer language messages received from the internet into text, pictures, and sounds that you can interpret

35. What else do I need? • Internet Explorer comes with Windows Vista, and will be used for this training

36. Start Your Browser! • Open the Start Menu

37. Start Your Browser! • At the top of the left side, locate “Internet” • Below this, it says “Internet Explorer” unless you have selected an alternate browser

38. Start Your Browser! • Move the mouse cursor over the “Internet Explorer” icon

39. Start Your Browser! • Click the left mouse button once • The browser will start

40. What am I looking at?

41. Your Browser’s Home Page • When you first connect to the web, there must be somewhere that you connect to • This is called the “home page”

42. Your Browser’s Home Page • The home page is one that your browser shows unless you tell it to show you something else • In addition, your browser shows some controls and information

43. The Browser Controls • In the upper left of the browser window you will see two circles with arrows • These are the “Back” and “Next” buttons

44. The Browser Controls • Clicking the “Back” button will return you to the page you came from • If you have just pressed the back button, the “Next” button will take you forward to the place you started

45. The Browser Controls • Just to the right of the “Next” button you’ll see a long “box” with an odd string of letters • This is the Address Box • We’ll talk about this more later

46. The Browser Controls • Just below “Back” and “Next” buttons are a small “star” and a second star with a “+” covering part of it • The star shows a list of “favorites”

47. The Browser Controls • In the beginning, it shows a list of sites that Microsoft’s developers hope will be favorites • The “Plus Star” lets you add new locations to your favorites • We’ll also discuss this in more detail

48. Browser Controls • Just to the right of the “Address Bar” you will see a pair of arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down • This is the “reload” button

49. Browser Controls • Next to the “reload” button is a red “X” in a box, called the Stop button • This forces to browser to stop trying to get a page that is taking a long time to arrive

50. Browser Controls • To the right of the Stop Button is a box with a gray label reading “Live Search” on the left, and with a magnifying glass symbol on the right