BACK TO BASICS:

Tips & Terms for
New Internet Users

It’s easy to use a Web browser–the software needed to navigate sites on the World Wide Web. But for someone who is new to computer technology, those unfamiliar buttons and menus can be intimidating. Here’s a primer that can help technology newcomers get started.

WEB ADDRESSES
Each page on the Web is assigned an address—just like a postal address for buildings. These addresses are typed in the Address bar (the white bar with “Address” before it).
 

Most often, you will use the Address bar to reach the home page of a website. To reach the MapQuest site, for example, type “http://www.mapquest.com”. This will take you directly to the site, but here’s a shortcut to reduce your keystrokes. Because nearly all web pages begin with “http://” followed by “www.”, just type “mapquest.com” in the Address bar, and the browser adds the “http://www.” for you.

LINKS
When words on a web page are underlined and/or are a different color than the rest of the text, this usually indicates these words are links, also called hyperlinks or text links. Mouse-clicking on these words can trigger a variety of things. It can take you to another page within a website or to another website; it can link to a file such as a Word document or photo; it can launch a helper application that will open the clicked on file; or it can even launch an e-mail program so you can send a message—all with no Address bar typing required.

Buttons and images can be links, too. To know for sure whether a graphic or image is a link, place your mouse cursor over the item. If the arrow icon turns into a pointing-finger icon, it’s most likely a link.

BUTTONS
Your browser’s buttons are your steering wheel and brakes when surfing the Web—it’s how you navigate the Internet road. Here are what the main buttons do.

Back and Forward. The Back button takes you to the previous web page you visited. Click this button more than once to go back the corresponding number of pages. If you’ve clicked the Back button, the Forward button will be active. Click it to go forward through the pages the Back button has already taken you through.
Stop. The Stop button stops a web page from being displayed in your browser.
Refresh. The Refresh button reloads the page you are currently visiting.
Home. The Home button takes you to the web page that appears when you first open your browser.
Favorites. The Favorites button opens a pane from which you can click links you have bookmarked for return visits.
History. The History button shows the web pages you have recently visited.

MENUS
The words at the top of the browser are called menus, and some of their functions are similar to the buttons. To learn these features, experiment by selecting a menu item (such as File, Edit, or View) to see what it does.

SEARCH ENGINES
Search engines are like a library’s card catalog; they help you find the information you need. There are dozens of search engines on the Web that will help you find what you are looking for. The most popular include Google (google.com), Yahoo! (yahoo.com), Lycos (lycos.com), AltaVista (altavista.com), and Excite (excite.com). Experiment to find those that best meet your needs.

Tutorial: Anatomy of a Web Browser
Tutorial: Performing a Simple Web Search

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