The Internet

What is the Internet?

A worldwide network of computers which are connected to each other. The Internet makes disseminating

information quick and easy.

3 Features of the Internet

The Web (WWW) Discussion Lists (also known as

discussion boards or forums) Email

Comparing Internet Features

Feature Used For

The Web Viewing Information

Discussion Lists Viewing and Sending Information

(Groups)

Email Viewing and Sending Information

(Individuals)

The Web

Also known as the World Wide Web, this is where you will

find Web sites.

Types of Web Sites

Commercial (.com sites) Educational (.edu sites) Government (.gov sites) Organizational (.org sites)

Commercial Web Sites

These are the types of Web sites designed to sell a product or service.

You will usually find advertising on this type of site. These are probably the

most common type of Web sites on the Web. For example, Amazon.com

Educational Web Sites

These are the Web sites of colleges, universities, and some K-12 schools.

Also, many Web sites created by professors tend to be .edu sites. An example of an educational Web site:

DSU’s Web site

Government Web Sites

There are both federal and state government Web sites on the Internet. Information for local governments may be found within state government Web

sites or other sites. An example of a government Web site: the United States

Dept. of Agriculture Web Site.

Organizational Web Sites

These are Web sites created by non-profit organizations, such as

the American Red Cross Web Site.

Search Tools for Finding Web Sites on the Web

Search Engines Directories

What is a Search Engine?

A computer program for retrieving information from the Web. Search

engines are used when you want to do a KEYWORD SEARCH for Web sites. Use a search engine when you want to find

Web sites containing a particular word, phrase, or quote.

2 Types of Search Engines

Individual Search Engines Meta-Search Engines

Individual and Meta-Search Engines

Individual Compile their own

lists of search results

Use spiders to search the Web

Meta-Search Group lists of

individual search engines’ results together

Use individual search engines to search the Web

Examples of Individual Search Engines

Google (www.google.com) Lycos (www.lycos.com) Alta Vista (www.altavista.com) Go.com (go.com) (No www prefix) msn (www.msn.com)

Examples of Meta-Search Engines

Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) Metacrawler

(www.metacrawler.com) Search.com (www.search.com)

What is a Directory?

A categorized listing of Web sites. In a directory, you will find broad subjects.

Under each subject, there are more specific topics. Under the topics, you’ll find Web

sites. Use a directory to BROWSE for Web sites by subject.

Examples of Directories

Dmoz Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org)

Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) Google Directory

(www.google.com/dirhp)

Main Differences Between a Search Engine and a Directory

Search engines are for keyword or phrase searching and directories are for

subject browsing. Search engines operate without human intervention, but

directories use subject categories created by human editors.

What is a Discussion List?

A discussion list, also known as a discussion forum or group, is a feature

of the Internet which allows you to communicate with others on the Web. In

a discussion list, you can send messages to others and read their

messages.

2 Types of Discussion Lists

General Subject Specific

Examples of General Discussion Lists

Google Groups (www.google.com/grphp)

Yahoo! Groups (http://groups.yahoo.com)

Examples of Subject Specific Discussion Lists

Internet.com Forums Civil War Forum

Google Discussion Groups

What is Email?

Similar to discussion lists, email is also a feature of the Internet which allows

you to communicate with others. However, there is a main difference: discussion lists are mostly for group

communication and email is mostly for communication between individuals.

2 Types of Email Accounts

Commercial Email Accounts (Freely available on the Internet and usually free of charge)

Email Accounts Associated with a School, Business, or Other Organization (only available to those associated with the organizations)

Examples of Freely Available Email Accounts on the Internet

Hotmail (www.hotmail.com) Yahoo! Mail (www.yahoo.com) Excite (www.excite.com)

An Example of an Email Account Not Available to Everyone

A Delta State University email account

(Only available to students and faculty of

DSU)

Netiquette

What is Netiquette?

Netiquette is exercising common courtesy when using the Internet. It requires using caution when posting messages in a discussion forum and when sending someone a message

through email.