internet basics outline xp 1 - milwaukee public library

Internet Basics Class Outline

Funded by grants from the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation 1 © MPL Spring 2008

Class Description: Feeling left behind on the Information Superhighway? Come learn about the Internet and the World Wide Web. Class

will also provide instruction on navigating a web browser, exploring the Milwaukee Public Library web site, finding

information and printing web pages.

Class Length: 2 hours

Introduction: The Internet has forever changed the way we communicate, work, and access information. New words and phrases have

entered the language such as the Information Superhighway and Cyber Space, and old words have taken on new

meanings such as the Net and the Web. Class is targeted at beginning computer users and will provide an introduction to

the Internet and all of its parts. Topics covered include using a web browser, navigating a web site, and finding

information online.

Objectives: Learn about the Internet and the World Wide Web and become familiar with terminology.

Master basic skills to effectively access and navigate web sites.

Explore the Milwaukee Public Library web site and access information.

Preview and Print web pages.

Exercises: 1) Understanding the Internet

What is the Internet?

Wonders of the World Wide Web

Parts of a Web Address

2) Navigating the Web Opening a Web Browser

Working with Hyperlinks

Using Toolbars and Scroll Bars

3) Browsing the Web and Finding Info Exploring the MPL Web Site

Accessing Online News

Locating a Map

4) Printing and Practice Exercises Preview and Printing a Web page

Researching Internet Service Providers

Browsing the Web Practice Exercises

Internet Timeline


1957 USSR launches Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. In response, the U.S. forms ARPA (Advanced Research

Projects Agency) within the DOD (Department of Defense). The main goal of the project was to establish a

military research network that would be resistant to enemy attack.

1960s The Proposal of the Packet Switching Network emerges. Packet switching is the concept of breaking down data

into packets, which are transmitted across the network. If one of the packets gets lost along the way, another

packet can be sent.

1969 ARPANET commissioned by the DOD.

1971 Ray Tomlinson invents email program that allows users to send messages across a network.

1976 The Queen of England sends her first email.

1982 First definition of “Internet” as a connected set of networks is used when TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol

and Internet Protocol) is established.

1984 Domain Name System (DNS) is introduced allowing users to type host names (e.g. www.mpl.org) rather than

memorizing numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (e.g. 204.62.131.129).

1988 Internet Relay Chat is developed allowing users to chat in real time.

1992 Veronica, a gopher-space search tool, is released by University of Nevada; World Bank goes online; and the

expression “Surfing the Internet” is coined.

1993 MOSAIC, the first WWW browser is released (Marc Andressen and NCSA), the White House goes online

(http://www.whitehouse.gov), and an email account is created for the President of the United States

([email protected]).

1994 Yahoo, an Internet Search Tool, is developed by two Ph.D. candidates from Stanford University and Pizza Hut

customers can place an order online.

1995 RealAudio technology is released, dial-up systems begin to provide Internet access for home use (e.g. America

Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy), and Netscape goes Public.

1998 The US Postal Service begins to offer users the ability to purchase, download, and print stamps from the Web.

2005 YouTube.com is launched.

2006 There are an estimated 92 million Web sites online, with well over 7 billion indexable pages.

2007 Search engine giant Google surpasses Microsoft as "the most valuable global brand," and also is the most visited

Web site.

As of September, 69% of the U.S. population (234 million) use the Internet. Worldwide, there are 1,244,449,601

users.

*For more information on the History of the Internet, visit the Hobbes’ Internet Timeline [http://www.zakon.org/robert/internet/timeline].

What is the Internet?


Internet Defined

The Internet has been described as a huge "network of networks." A network is a number of

computers that are connected so that they may communicate with one another and share

data. The Internet is made up of millions of local, regional, national and international

computer networks, including home computers.

Parts of the Internet

The Internet is made up of different types of resources. You can think of the Internet the way you might imagine a

library. A library is filled with books, records, CDs, tapes, magazines, newspapers, and so forth. Some resources are old

and some are new. The same is true of the Internet. The most popular space within the Internet is the World Wide Web

(WWW) and it is expanding at an astronomical rate. Because of its popularity and tremendous growth, the terms

Internet and World Wide Web are sometimes used synonymously.

Resource Description Example

Web sites

A Web site is a group of Web pages. They can provide information

or access to other resources, such as search engines and e-mail. Web

sites are maintained by companies, organizations or individuals.

www.mpl.org

The Milwaukee Public Library Web site

search engines

A search engine is web-based program that allows users to search and

retrieve specific information online using keywords, phrases and

Boolean logic.

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

e-mail

E-mail (Electronic Mail) provides a way to communicate with other

individuals online. You can send, receive, reply, and forward

messages to other email users.

[email protected]

(Email address for the MPL

webmaster)

telnet

Telnet allows you to access a site remotely. For example, you can

telnet into the MPL online catalog, CountyCat, to search for materials

and place holds on items. There is also a web version of CountyCat.

telnet://countycat.mcfls.org

(Telnet version of the MPL

online catalog, CountyCat)

news

Newsgroups are subject-specific global bulletin boards. You can read

posted messages, reply to messages, or post new messages of your

own.

http://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/

http://groups.google.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/

blogs Blogs (short for Web log) are frequently updated web-based journals.

http://wisblawg.blogspot.com/

(UW-Madison Law Library’s

blog)

The term “cyberspace” was first coined by William Gibson in his 1984 science fiction novel Neuromancer.

What is a Web Browser?


A Web Browser is a software application that allows users to access Internet resources and browse web sites displaying

both text and graphics. Most web browsers also give users the ability to view video files and listen to audio files. Some

web browsers also come with other software for sending email, accessing newsgroups, and composing web pages.

Popular web browsers include Netscape, Microsoft Internet Explorer (I.E.), and America Online (AOL).

Accessing Internet Explorer from MPL Computers

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

The Start menu opens.

2. Click on Programs.

3. Click on Internet Explorer.

The Internet Explorer program launches.

The Milwaukee Public Library web site displays.

Taskbar

Start Menu

Web Browser Window


Minimize

Restore/ Maximize

Close/Exit

Title Bar

Scroll Bar

Menu Bar

Toolbar: Standard Buttons

Hyperlinks

Toolbar: Standard Buttons


Back: Loads Previous Page

Forward: Loads Next Page

Refresh: Loads the page again (use if the page is missing pictures/text or to access updated information)

Search: Loads MPL Search the Internet page

Print: Prints current web page (sends directly to printer), however, on MPL computers, this button will launch Print Preview.

Size: Adjusts the size of text on a web page. There are five settings: Largest, Large, Medium, Smaller, Small.

Stop: Stops a page from loading (used when a page is slow to load)

Print Preview: Provides view of how web page will print; it is recommended to always preview before printing a web page

Home: Loads the home page (on MPL computers the home page is the MPL web site)

The Web Address


If you want to go to a particular web site, you need to know the exact web address just as you would need to know

the street address to get to a specific destination (e.g. business or residency). Each web site has a unique address

referred to as a URL. URL stands for "Uniform Resource Locator.” Understanding the parts of a URL can help you

detect what type of web site it is. A web address has two main components: the protocol and the domain. The

protocol is the agreed upon standards between servers for transmitting data. The domain indicates where the web

site is located.

http://www.mpl.org

Types of Sites

.com Commercial/Business

.edu Educational institution

.org Non-profit organization

.net Internet resource or network

.mil Military

.gov Government agency

HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol

MPL: The name of the server where the web site is located (e.g. Milwaukee Public Library)

ORG: Type of web site (e.g. Organization)

DOMAIN: Location of web site

WWW: World Wide Web

PROTOCOL: Agreed upon set of rules by which computers can share and exchange information

Remember: There are no spaces in a web address

Be careful of misspellings

You do not need to type the “http://” portion of the web address in most

web browsers

There is no dot (.) at the end of a web address

Web addresses from other countries may end with country-specific codes

(e.g. web sites that end .ca are from Canada, .uk are from the United

Kingdom, or .pl are from Poland)

Web addresses are most often typed in lowercase.

You may begin to see new endings for web addresses such as .biz,

.museum, .tv, .pro, .info

Exploring the MPL Web Site


A web site is a collection of web pages very similar to pages in a book. The first page of a web site is sometimes

referred to as the homepage. Just as a table of contents in a book refers to different topics with page references, the

homepage contains hyperlinks, or links, to a number of web pages on different topics. Some links refer to web pages

within the web site others refer to other web sites altogether. Although the terms web site, web page, and homepage

have slightly different meanings, many people use these terms synonymously. The following exercise will give you

practice in navigating the Milwaukee Public Library web site.

1. From a MPL computer, click Programs from the Start menu.

A submenu opens.

2. Click Internet Explorer.

The MPL web site home page [http://www.mpl.org] loads in the Internet Explorer

browser.

3. Click on the link Library Hours on the right side of the screen.

A page loads with the addresses; phone numbers, hours of operation, and maps to all

of MPL’s branches.

4. Click on the link for your neighborhood library.

A page loads with detailed information about that branch, and a special quote from

the Branch Manager.

The scroll bar is located on the right-hand side of the screen.

5. Click and hold the down arrow on the scroll bar to view the entire page.

6. Click and hold the up arrow on the scroll bar to move back up to the top of the page.

The scroll box on the scroll bar provides a visual cue as to your current position on the page (e.g. when

the scroll box is at the top of the scroll bar, you are at the top of the page). The scroll box also allows you

to control the speed at which you scroll as well as the direction, either up or down.

7. Click, hold, and drag the scroll box up and then down to move up and down the page.

8. Click the BACK button once to return to the LOCATIONS AND HOURS page.

9. Click the BACK button again to return to the MPL homepage.

10. Click the FORWARD button once to return to the LOCATIONS AND HOURS page.

11. Click the FORWARD button again to return to the neighborhood library page.

12. Now try clicking and holding down on the BACK button to view a list of the previous visited pages and

select "Milwaukee Public Library Webpage" to return to the MPL homepage.

Scroll box

Accessing an Online Newspaper


Many newspapers from around the world now offer users access to news online. The following exercise provides

instruction on accessing the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s web site.


A submenu will appear.


The MPL web site home page [http://www.mpl.org] loads in the Internet Explorer browser

3. On the address toolbar, click in the box that displays the current web address (it will turn a blue-purplish color).

4. Type www.jsonline.com (the address for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel web site).

5. Press the Enter key (located on your keyboard).

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel web site loads.

A list of links appears on the left-hand side of the page with the various sections of the newspaper.

6. Click on links that interest you (Note: Click the BACK button to return to previous pages).

Web Address

Locating a Map


There are a number of web sites available that allow users to access maps, driving directions, and travel guides. The

following exercise will walk you through how to use the MapQuest web site.


A submenu will appear.


The MPL web site home page [http://www.mpl.org] loads in

the Internet Explorer browser

3. On the address toolbar, click in white the box, which displays the

current web address (it will turn a blue-purplish color).

4. Type www.mapquest.com and press the Enter key.

The MapQuest web site loads.

5. Click in the Address or Intersection box (notice a flashing cursor

displays in the box).

6. Type your home address or address of your neighborhood library (note:

include spaces just as though you were typing the address on an

envelope).

7. Click in the remaining boxes and fill in the information specified (note:

you can also press the tab key to go from one box to the next).

8. Once you have completed the form, click on the Search button.

A page loads with the map of the specified address.

(Note: This exercise continues on the next page)

Click on various zooming options to pan in

and out.

You may also click on a specific portion of

the map to zoom in, re-center, or move the

location.

To pan in a different direction, click on either

North, East, South, or West.

Fill in the blanks under Get Directions To

Above Location link to access driving

directions.

Previewing and Printing from MPL Computers


Before printing a document, it is important that you the preview the page or pages. The Print Preview window allows

you to see a bird’s eye view of the document, however, you can zoom in on portions of the page for closer inspection.

(Note: this exercise is continued from the previous page)

1. Select a view of the map you would like to print.

2. Click the Printer-Friendly link that appears directly above the map.

A page loads with an enlarged view of the map.

Before you print the map, it is best to preview it first.

3. Click the File menu and select Print Preview (or click the Print Preview button).

The Print Preview window opens.

4. Click the down arrow next to the zoom box and

select the Whole Page option.

The preview changes.

Try other zooming options.

5. When you have finished previewing the map and

are ready to print, click the Print button on the

Print Preview toolbar.

The Print dialog box opens.

6. You can specify which pages and how many

copies you would like to print.

7. Once you have selected your printing

specifications, click the OK button located in the

bottom right-hand corner of the dialog box to

print the map.

8. Enter a username (e.g. your first name, initials,

etc.) and press the Enter key.

9. Type in a password and press the Enter key

(note: use a password that is easy to remember

and in lowercase).

(Note: this exercise is continues on the next page)

PHAROS Print Stations


In order to print a document from a Milwaukee Public Library networked computer, you will need a new Milwaukee

Public Library card (see picture below). You will also need to add money to your library card. The following exercises

provide instruction on adding value to your new library card and printing from a PHAROS Print Station.

(Note: this exercise is continued from the previous page)

Adding Value to your Milwaukee Public Library Card

1. Locate the copier/printer in the facility.

2. Insert the Milwaukee Public Library card into the copier/printer’s

reader (note: magnetic strip down).

3. The reader will display how much money is currently on your

library card.

4. Add money using either coins or cash, however, you will not

receive change (note: make sure to add enough money so that you

will be able to print all pages, e.g. 15¢ for one page, 30¢ for two

pages, etc.).

5. Push the red button to eject your card.

Printing from a PHAROS Print Station

1. Locate the PHAROS Print Station (it is located next to the copier/printer).

2. Insert your Milwaukee Public Library card into the reader (note: magnetic strip down).

A current list of print jobs will display.

3. Click on the username you used for the print job.

4. Click the PRINT button located in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

5. Enter the password you assigned to your print job.

6. Click the OK button.

7. Click the Log Off button to eject your Milwaukee Public Library card.

8. Take your card from the reader and pick up your documents from the copier/printer.

New Library Card

Printing costs 15¢ per page at Milwaukee Public Libraries.

Your print job remains in the system for two hours; if you do not print within that time, your print job will be deleted.

You can print your job from any Print Station in the building.

REMEMBER: You must have enough money on your Milwaukee Public Library card to print all pages of your print job!

Researching Internet Service Providers


Q: What do I need to establish an Internet

connection at home?

A: You will need a computer with a modem, a

working telephone line, and an Internet Service

Provider. There are other ways to connect such as

Webtv or cable connections.

Q: What is an Internet Service Provider?

A: An Internet Service Provider, or ISP, allows your computer to dial your local ISP number. That is why ISPs are

sometimes referred to as dial-up services. You can think of an ISP the way you would think of a phone company. The

Phone Company allows you to connect with friends, family members, and business contacts from all over the world and

you are charged a monthly fee for your service. An ISP is similar; you pay a monthly fee, sometimes for a set number of

hours (e.g. 15 hours per week) or unlimited access. The cost of signing up with an ISP varies on the plan you chose.

This service usually includes an email account and sometimes free web page hosting.

Q: How do I decide which ISP to go with?

A: There are hundreds of ISPs in the Milwaukee area alone. First, ask friends, family members, or coworkers about

which ISP they use and specifically info on pricing, access, technical support, and other special features. Second, you

can check the Yellow Pages for a listing of ISPs. Lastly, you can research ISPs online.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOP TEN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS BY SUBSCRIBER*

Rank ISP Subscribers (millions)

1 SBC (AT&T) (business and consumer DSL, ISDN, U-Verse, and satellite) 17.9

2 Comcast (cable broadband) 12.9

3 America Online (all U.S. AOL brand accounts) 10.1

4 Verizon (FiOS and DSL) 8.0 5 Road Runner (cable broadband, both business and

residential) 7.7

6 EarthLink (DSL, dialup, cable, satellite, PLC, and webhosting—SK EarthLink and some other business lines not included)

4.2

7 Cox (cable broadband) 3.6

8 Charter (cable broadband) 2.6

9 Qwest (DSL only) 2.5

10 Cablevision (cable broadband) 2.2

* As of December 13, 2007.

** For more information on ISP, visit http://www.isp-planet.com/research/rankings/usa.html.



Now that you have worked with Internet Explorer and explored a number of web sites, you may wish to practice by

visiting some interesting places on the web. The Get Reference Help page contains categories that may interest

you. Check out some of the web sites below or check out specific categories on the Get Reference Help page for

more librarian recommended sites.

Practice Web Skills:

Typing a web address in the location box on the

address toolbar

Exploring web sites by clicking on hyperlinks

Using the Back and Forward buttons to

navigate between pages

Using the scroll bar to view all web content on a

specific page

Becoming familiar with web site structure and

differentiating web content and advertising

Using the down arrow on the address toolbar to

access web sites you have visited

Art & Architecture

Milwaukee Art Museum [http://www.mam.org] Information on the Calatrava building, various museum collections,

events, parking, admission prices and more.

Cars & Trucks

Kelley Blue Book [http://www.kbb.com] Since 1918, the Kelley Blue Book has been the authoritative source for

used vehicle values. This consumer web site features 21 years of pricing for USED cars, trucks and vans, as well as

NEW vehicle prices as soon as the pricing is released by the manufacturers.

Computer & Internet

PC World [http://www.pcworld.com] Keep on top of tech news with this informative site from the publishers of PC

World magazine. Included is a Daily News Digest and news archive, information on new products, software,

hardware, buying guides, and features such as Top Ten Downloads, Top 400 Products, Here's How, Bugs and Fixes,

and an ISP Finder.

Genealogy

Ellis Island Immigration Records [http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/] Containing arrival records for 22 million

immigrants who entered through the port of New York from 1892 to 1924 (70 percent of all arrivals), this searchable

database includes immigrants' names, port of origin, age, nationality, hometown, and marital status. Caution: online

access to the American Family Immigration History Center is limited, so you may have to try multiple times before

connecting to the site.



Government-Federal

White House [http://www.whitehouse.gov] Sponsored by the Office of the President, this informative site includes

links to policy papers, the citizens' handbook, federal agencies, White House e-mail, tour information (on-line or in-

person), photos, press releases, special activities for kids, etc.

Government- State & Local

City of Milwaukee [http://www.city.milwaukee.gov] This is the City of Milwaukee's official Web site. Clicking on

Request Services brings up a page with the City Services Phone Directory. The City Government page will allow

you to access to city jobs information as well the E-Notify service. Other highlights of the site include press releases

for elected officials and various city departments, as well as information about Milwaukee's wireless Network.

Health & Medicine

Web MD [http://www.webmd.com] Helpful site featuring current news on health topics as well as: Sports & Fitness,

Member to Member, Health-E-Meters, Medical Library (look up procedures), Condition Center (symptoms,

treatments, etc.)

History

History Channel [http://www.historychannel.com] Where the past comes alive...online. House & Garden

Allrecipes [http:// allrecipes.com] This online network of category specific recipe sites features thousands of user-

submitted recipes for: chicken, pork, seafood, beef, barbecue, pastas, soups, vegetarians, appetizers, salads, pies,

breads, cakes, cookies, Christmas, Holidays, and Thanksgiving.

Job Listing Sites

MilwaukeeJobs [http://www.milwaukeejobs.com/] The premier online network for Milwaukee jobs and careers -

part of the Wisconsin Job Network. You can browse for local jobs by category, by Companies, or use the Advanced

Search Form to find a list of jobs. With MilwaukeeJobs services you can search for jobs and apply online without

registering.

Libraries & Librarianship

Library of Congress [http://www.loc.gov] "LC" is recognized as the national library of the United States. It is the

world's largest library.

Milwaukee Area Sites

Big Screen Cinema Guide [http://www.bigscreen.com] This site lists Milwaukee area movie theaters' schedules

with links to reviews of the movies.



Movies Radio & TV

Internet Movie Database [http://us.imdb.com] This site is promoted as the most comprehensive free source of

movie information on the Internet.

Oprah! [http://oprah.com] This is Oprah Winfrey's site. It includes information about her television show and the

Oprah's Book Club.

Multicultural African American

Milwaukee Black Online [http://www.thembo.com] Milwaukee's African American web site featuring an event

calendar, entertainment and business resources, church listings, a chat room, and more.

Science

NASA [http://www.nasa.gov/] National Aeronautics and Space Administration Home Page. All about space travel,

rockets, etc.

Seniors

AARP Webplace [http://www.aarp.org] AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with membership open to

anyone age 50 or older, working or retired.

Sports

ESPNET SportsZone [http://espn.go.com/] Detailed info from the cable sports channel: ESPN.

Statistics

U.S. Census Bureau [http://www.census.gov/] Here is the site for data about people, business, news, geography,

and "special topics." Immediate access to a subject index aids in navigating through the Census Bureau's collection

of 65,000 online statistical documents.

Travel & Maps

Fodor’s Travel Online [http://www.fodors.com] From a leading travel book publisher comes this site providing

travelers with reliable, up-to-date travel information about any of 99 destinations worldwide in an easy-to-navigate

format.

Weather

National Weather Service – WISC [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/] This official NOAA site contains some

climatological data, road reports, forecasts, a wind chill table, etc.

Wisconsin Sites

Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) [http://www.wpr.org/] View the program index or a list of radio stations and

schedules for the public radio network which features programs such as: Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know, Zorba

Paster On Your Health, To The Best Of Our Knowledge, and Calling All Pets using this site.

Glossary of Internet Terms


Perhaps the biggest difficulty for those who are new to computers and specifically the Internet is the terminology

and jargon which comes with it. It’s almost like learning a new language. Just remember that you do not have to

remember every single term. Simply use this glossary when you forget what something means or to review the terms

covered in class. (Note: Acronyms are displayed in uppercase)

Address: Each site on the Internet has a unique address. The address for the Milwaukee Public Library is

http://www.mpl.org and [email protected] is an example of an email address. Addresses have no spaces and are

usually typed in lowercase.

ARPA: This acronym stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency. ARPA was created within the Department of

Defense as a response to Sputnik being launched by the USSR. By the late 1960s ARPANET was created, a

precursor to the Internet. The main goal of this project was to create a network that would be resistant to enemy

attack.

BPS: This acronym stands for bits per second. BPS is the measurement of the speed at which data can be

transmitted.

Browser: (See Web Browser)

Chat Rooms: Places on the web that allow users to communicate in “real time.” Chat rooms are usually topic

specific with many different conversations taking place simultaneously. Some chat rooms are monitored to make

sure the conversation stays on topic or to prohibit offensive language.

Cookie: A cookie is a small file that is created when you visit particular web sites. The cookie is stored on your hard

drive and can be used to collect information about your online user behavior. When you access the web site again

the cookie “remembers” information about your visit. For instance many web sites use cookies to remember user

preferences or make recommendations based on prior purchases.

Download: Downloading is simply the act of saving a file onto your computer. For instance, you may wish to

download a picture you like or an article you have read. Downloading is simply transferring files from one computer

to another.

Email: Email stands for Electronic mail and has become the most common form of online communication. You can

compose a message and send it to one person or a group of people. You may reply or forward messages to other

people.



FAQ: This acronym stands for Frequently Asked Questions. Usually Internet sites will have a FAQ section provides

answers to commonly asked questions. It is always best to consult the FAQ section of a site before posting or

sending a question.

FTP: This acronym stands for File Transfer Protocol. FTP was the standard means for transfer of files on the

Internet before the World Wide Web and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

Gopher: Gopher space was created by the University of Minnesota. Many large governments and universities

maintain gopher sites to store text files. Now many have replaced their gopher sites with web sites.

Home Page: The home page refers to the first page of a web site. However, home page has been used generically to

refer to any web site or web page. It has also been used to refer to the page that loads when the web browser is first

launched. For example, the Milwaukee Public Library web site loads when the web browser is launched.

HTML: This acronym stands for Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is a coding language for all web pages. The

code instructs the web browser on how to display the page.

HTTP: This acronym stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Most web sites that we visit abide by this Internet

Protocol.

Hyperlink: Hyperlinks can be detected in a web page when the cursor changes from an arrow to a pointing finger.

Hyperlinks may be text or graphic elements on the page, that when clicked take you to a different location. They

may take you to a different page within the web site, a spot within a long page, or a different Internet site altogether.

Internet: The Internet has been described as a huge "network of networks" hooked together worldwide.

ISP: This acronym stands for Internet Service Provider. ISPs provide a dial-up service to home users that allow for

Internet connection.

Listserv: Listservs are huge mailing lists for email users. Listservs are topic specific. There are listservs on such

subjects as books, cooking, health, parenting, sports, and politics. When you subscribe to a listserv, you will begin to

receive email messages from other subscribers regarding the discussion topic. Some estimate that there are over

100,000 different lists to which you can subscribe. Listservs are an important method of sharing information,

receiving answers to questions, and meeting others that share your interests.



Modem: This acronym stands for modulator-demodulator. The modem is device that allows computers to transmit

data over the phone lines. The modem is a converter, or translator. Computers transmit data digitally and phone lines

transmit data in the form of analog waves. The modem is continually converting data from one format to another.

Netiquette: The term Netiquette is created from the two words Internet + Etiquette. Netiquette is simply the

unwritten rules of proper online behavior. For example, one rule is to not type in all caps when composing an email

message. This is known as SHOUTING! Another rule is to read FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sections before

asking a question in a newsgroup, listserv, or chat room.

Network: A network is a number of computers that are connected so that they may communicate with one another

and share data. Local area networks found within the same building are known as LANs. WANS, or wide area

networks, are computers connected across many buildings throughout the city, the country, or the world. The

Milwaukee Public Library has a wide area network.

Newbie: Someone who is a new Internet user.

Newsgroup: Newsgroups are gigantic, subject specific, global bulletin where users can read posted messages and

post responses that everyone can read. Newsgroup subjects vary from scholarly discussions to those that are related

to hobbies or entertainment.

Packet Switching: A process by which data is transmitted over the Internet. Data is divided into packets and labeled

with the address of its destination and origin. Each packet is transmitted individually and can even follow different

routes to its destination. Once all the packets forming a message arrive at the destination, they are recompiled into

the original message.

Telnet: A program that allows remote access to another network. The Milwaukee Public Library offers access via

telnet to the CountyCat online catalog, so that you can search for materials and place holds on items from a non-

library computer.

URL: An Acronym that stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL (pronounced U-R-L or “earl”) is a web

address. Each Internet site has a unique address. The first part of the address is known as the protocol, and the

second part is generally referred to as the domain. For the Milwaukee Public Library web site the “http://” is the

protocol and the “www.mpl.org” is the domain.

Web Browser: A Web browser is software program, or application that allows you to browse the Internet. Popular

web browsers include Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), or America Online (AOL).



Web Page: A web page is simply an Internet document with a unique address. Just as a page belongs to a book, a

web page belongs to a web site.

Web Site: A web site is a collection of web pages, similar to pages in a book. Usually the first page is referred to as

the home page with a list of links to supporting pages. There also may be an area of related links to other web sites

with similar subject matter or themes.

WWW: This acronym stands for World Wide Web which is the fastest growing area of the Internet. WWW sites

may contain text, graphics, audio, video, and interactive elements.

internet basics outline xp 1 - milwaukee public library

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