Web browsing and email

URL: Uniform Resource Locator - website address

Examples of web portals is Yahoo, MSN, AOL

The role of the Internet service provider (ISP):

• ISP: a company that provides a connection to the Internet
• Connecting directly to the Internet's very expensive and only suitable for large companies and organisations
• Internet provides services such as email facilities, instant messages, online shopping, news etc.
• Examples of ISPs is AOL, BT Broadband, Virgin Media, Tiscali

KEYWORD SEARCHES: type keywords into search box on web browser or search engine

LINKS: hyperlinks and by clicking on them the user moves to another place on the same webpage, different webpage or completely different site

MENUS: offer the user a series of selections

USING SEARCH ENGINES: programs that use for searching for info using the Internet. Google.

Other features of web browser and search engine software:

HOME PAGE: webpage that shows when the web browser software has loaded

ROLLOVER BUTTONS/IMAGES: image that changes appearance when a cursor is moved over it

POLYGON LINKS: links that are formed using various shapes

OVERVIEWS AND SITEMAPS: forms of navigation. They allow a user to see exactly what is included on the site and to move around the site without having to use the normal navigation on the webpages. Sitemaps can be a graphical map or text-based. A text-based sitemap is sometimes called a table of contents

BOOKMARKS/FAVOURITES: keep record of a webpage, bookmark records web address with a title in a list that you can display at any time

ANCHOR LINKS: allows a user to jump to the section of content they are interested in if it is a long document. Saves a user having to read all the content they are not interested in to get to the part they want

NAVIGATION BARS: bar containing buttons and a search box that appears when a webpage is accessed. Purpose is to allow the user to move around the site, update the content and find things. Main components are:

• Key word search - site is searched for one or two key words
• Forward - move forward to the next web page
• Back - go back to previous page
• Home - return to page you use as your home page
• Refresh - reloads the webpage being viewed to show any changes since it was last loaded into the computer. Important for constantly varying information
• Stop - stops loading the current page

REFRESH: loads the page again and this new page will contain any changes that have occurred

STOP: stop a webpage from laoding if it is taking too long

BLOCK: parental controls can be used to block certain things such as:

• access to certain websites, certain email addresses - can decided who can send you an email
• instant messaging and chat

POP-UPS: windows that pop-up in front of the window you are looking at to conceal its contents

PHISHING: where fraudsters send random emails asking people who are using the online banking system to update their account details. Phishing filters can be used to filter out these emails so that they end up in your spam folder ready to be deleted

COMMONLY USED INTERNET PROTOCALS: Methods by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet

• POP (Post Office Protocal) - used when you retrieve your email from a mail server
• SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocal) - used when email is transmitted across the Internet

Email features:

CREATING A SIGNATURE: allow you to add a personal touch to your email. Can be added after you have composed your email by clicking on the signature button. Main time saving email facilties:

• Search - allows you to find an email using keywords in the title or who has sent it
• Reply - allows you to read an email and then write the reply without having to enter the recipient's email address
• Forward - if you are sent an email that you want others to see, can forward it to them
• Adress book - names and email addresses of all the people to whom you are likely to send email, instead of having to type in the address when writing an email, you can just click on the email address or addresses in the address book

USING APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE TO SUIT AUDIENCE:

• No need for the formality of a letter
• Email meant to be quick and to the point
• Do not need to worry about the odd typing or spelling mistake
• Emails containing swearing may be intercepted by the network manager and read

GROUPS: lists of people and their email addresses, used when an email needs to be distributed to people in a particular group

USING CC(CARBON COPY) AND BCC (BLIND CARBON COPY):

• cc used when want to send an email to one person but you also want others to see the email you are sending
• bcc used when want to send an email to one person and others but you do not want others to see each others' email addresses

FILE ATTACHMENTS: attach files to emails.

CREATE AND MANAGE AN ADDRESS BOOK: address book is part of an email package

ORGANISE AND NAME EMAIL GROUPS AND FOLDERS

SPAM AND SPAM FILTERS: spam often called junk mail

EMAIL: electronic message sent from one communication device to another