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SURFING THE INTERNET TIPS- PROVIDED BY MARDI/CANADA
Introduction to Web Surfing
The World Wide Web (www) is that part of the Internet that houses a vast collection of documents which are stored in computers all over the world.
A Web Server is a computer where the Web Pages are stored.
A Web Browser is a program which allows you to explore the information stored on the web. The 2 most common web browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape.
A Web Page is a document which may include text, graphics, pictures and sounds.
A Web Site is a collection of Web pages. Karen P. moderates or looks after this web site.
URL : Each web page has a unique address called a Universal Resource Locator. By entering this address in the address bar of your web browser you can display that web page.
The address bar is located just below the menu bar on your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) web page. You get to that page by double clicking on the appropriate icon on your desktop.
Sometimes you do not know where the information you want is located. To find it you use a Search Engine. On the Web there are quite a few Search Engines, probably the best known is Google. Its URL ishttp://www.google.com
An example
The following is a summary of the process I would use if Karen P asks me to do research on a specific topic for the Library.
Let’s say she wants me to find out about the stroma layer of the cornea.
First I would open my Web Browser, Internet Explorer or Netscape (I use both) from my desktop.
Next I would click on the "File" button on the menu bar and choose "Open".
In the box I would type www.google.com.
This would bring me to the Google home page where I would type in the word "stroma" and click "Search".
I am then taken to a selection of articles that have this word somewhere in it. The number of articles is massive so I tend to concentrate on the 10 most recent. Most search engines arrange the results from "Most likely" to "Less likely"
Now you can just click on any one of these articles and the search engine will find it for you on whatever computer in whatever location it is stored.
If the article is not what you are looking for then click on the "Back" button and you are taken back to the list of articles and you continue your search.
The web is a wonderful resource but remember that not everything you read on it has been verified. Use your judgment and access sources whom you feel you can trust. Universities, Government agencies and professional organizations are three sources I feel pretty comfortable with but each person must make that judgment on his/her own.
Hope this helps some people who are not familiar with the web and its potential. It is like having a library card to the world’s largest library!
Have Fun and Get Surfing!!!
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