Hotkey North Shore
Internet
Hi there, new user!
Confused? Bedazzled, befuddled and bemused? Don't worry - everybody
has gone through the same experiences when they were new to the 'Net.
This page is designed to explain
some of the basic mysteries of the 'Net and the World Wide Web to newcomers
so that you can more quickly, comfortably and confidently set about exploring
and enjoying that which the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) have
to offer.
Absolute Basics
The Internet is a network of computers spread throughout the world. They
are connected by various means - modems and phone lines, microwave links,
satellites - using certain Internationally agreed standards called protocols.
Your computer is linked to the Internet right now via a modem, which quite
simply converts your computer's digital electronic signals into sound so
they can be carried away on your phone line, and it converts incoming sound
back into electronic digital signals that your computer can understand
and show on your monitor screen. Simple! Your modem's capacity to send
and receive is measured in baud rate - bytes
audible - of which the current standard in Australia is 33.6K meaning
33,600 bytes per second. Telstra only warrants their lines for 28k baud,
the extra speed is made up by your modem's ability to compress its signals.
Bauds & Protocols
When you get your computer to dial up Hotkey North Shore ISP's server,
you can hear the audible signals being exchanged; it's a kind of introduction,
`Hi, server, I'm Mary Smith, user name marys,
password ********. Let me in!' Certain other information is also exchanged
- the protocols - which are set up in your computer when the software in
installed. The server thinks about it - it checks its membership books
- and replies `OK, marys, you check out, come in - but tell me first what
annex you want to use. The annex you
will use is ppp, which you enter. The server takes a second or so to set
all of this up, and you are into the Internet!
Websites, Webpages & Hyperlinks
The World Wide Web comprises literally millions of websites
which are housed on computer disc storage
throughout the world. Each website belongs to an individual or organization
and may comprise one or more web pages.
Usually the first page of many is called the home
page and contains an index or table of contents. These contents
are usually written in hypertext which is
the cutest little idea - the actual text you see contains a hidden hyperlink
(or hotlink, same thing) to another webpage address which, when you place
your mouse cursor on it, the cursor (usually) changes shape, and when you
click your left mouse button on it, you are transported to the webpage
referred to. Magic! Let's try it -
Hotkey North Shore
Hotkey North Shore
Please notice that they are both a different colour to the other text,
and underlined, so that they stand out from the rest of the text. Place
your cursor on one and note the change in its shape. Note also that the
actual address of the hyperlink is displayed, usually at the bottom of
the screen. Now you are ready to make your first hyperleap, but first -
whenever you do hyperleap, there are two ways to get back to where you
started: it's easiest is to use the `Back" button (top left of your screen
on Netscape); or you can simply return by activating the hyperlink that
got you to the address you started at; or you can find your way back to
an address by keying the address in to the Location box near the top right
of your screen. When you get back, note that the colour of the hypertext
has changed - this indicates that you have activated this hyperlink.
Your First Hyperleap
OK, now go for it!
* * * *
Your Graduation Certificate
Back already? So now you know! Congratulations, you are now a Web surfer!
Advanced Surfing
The best way to learn the 'Net is exactly the same as the best way to learn
anything on a computer - just play with it! Use your Back button or the
hyperlink at the bottom of this webpage to return to the Hotkey North Shore
homepage where clicking on the links Sites To Visit, Software To Go! or
Client Pages will take you to enough sites to keep you busy for hours!
It's just as well you purchased Unlimited Time Access to the 'Net from
Hotkey North Shore ... some ISPs charge up to $7.00 per hour!!!!
Bookmarking
If you come across a webpage or website that you particularly like, or
find useful, you can store its address as a Bookmark
by clicking on Bookmark near the top left of your screen, then on Add Bookmark
- it will store the address for you. (OR click on Communicator on the Toolbar,
and then clicking on Bookmark on the drop-down menu, then click Add Bookmark;
OR Ctrl + d on PC).
Sending and Receiving emails
emails are electronic mail pieces
or letters. In Netscape, open the Mailbox by one of the following -
-
click on the Mailbox icon (the little envelope) near the bottom right of
the Netscape screen; or
-
Click on Communicator on the Toolbar (top of screen) and on the drop-down
menu click on Messenger Mailbox.
Composing
To write an email - and you have to have somebody's email address to do
this, so ask a friend for theirs until you get the hang of it - click on
the New icon near the top left of the screen. This produces your email
form with the cursor blinking on the To address line at the top of the
form. Enter the To email address here - be careful, if you enter even a
single error here your email will be returned to you, so always check your
email addresses! And it is case sensitive, so enter upper and lower case
characters as appropriate, and watch out for spaces!
Having entered the address, press your Tab key - the cursor will jump
down to the Subject line, where you can enter a few words to describe the
content of the email. It's not essential, but it is courteous to the recipient,
since the Subject shows on the recipient's list of received emails and
enables him / her to more easily reference your email/s. (If you don't
enter a Subject, Netscape will prompt you on sending; if you don't want
a Subject, just click OK to send it as it is.) Pressing Tab again jumps
the cursor to the Message blank, where you type in the body of your message.
Once complete, simply click on the Send icon (top left) if you are online
to send immediately, or click on File on the toolbar and on Send Later
on the drop-down menu if you are off-line; this allows you - when you next
go online - to send all of the emails you composed since you last were
online by clicking on Send Unsent Messages under File in the Mailbox.
Signature file
It's best to generate a Signature file to
identify yourself on you emails. Using Windows Notebook or similar wordprocessor
write up to four lines of text - your name (or nickname) and any address
/ phone / fax / whatever details you want your correspondents to have about
you; perhaps a hyperlink to your website address, when you get your own
homepage. Many people like to end with a quotation - whatever turns
you on! Anyhow, save the file as signature.txt and save it in
some Folder where you will remember you have put it - Temp or Correspondence
or whatever.
Setting up your Identity
To identify your emails, you must establish an electronic profile in Netscape
Mailbox. This is simple, even if it sounds daunting to the newbie! In Mailbox,
click on Edit on the Toolbar (second from left) and on Preferences on the
drop-down menu. In the Preference dialogue box that opens, click on the
+ sign beside Mail & Groups, then on Identity; in the box that opens
enter you own name (or nickname), your email address (get it right!) and
the full address of your signature file (such as C:\Temp\signature.txt),
or you can use the Browse key to locate the file and have Netscape enter
it - less chance for error that way! Your next step is to click on Mail
Server (below Identity) where you will enter Username (that part of your
email address to the left of the @ sign), Outgoing mail server (mail.hotkey.net.au)
and Incoming mail server (mail.hotkey.net.au). When you have entered this
data, click OK and you're in business!
Of course, as a Hotkey North Shore subscriber, all of this will be done
for you - free!
Receiving
To receive emails, when you are online simply click the Get Messages icon
(top left) in Mailbox. A dialogue box will ask you for your password, which
is usually the same password as you enter to access the ISP server - or
it can be different, but you will know which one it is! Once you ID yourself
by your password, the system will download your emails - it will tell you
how many are coming down, and which is downloading at that moment - and
they will list on your Mailbox upper window, with the text of the topmost
email displayed in the lower window. Click the Next icon to move to the
next unread email. Or just click your mouse cursor on a particular email
in the list in the upper window. Easy as pie!
Filing
To file your emails, under File in Mailbox click on New - Folder
to open a new folder in which to store your emails - both received and
sent. You might like to generate folders by subject matter or - particularly
for personal correspondence - by name of each correspondent (nothing's
worse than having your more intimate emails going astray!) Once you have
generated the appropriately-named folder, highlight the file (or files,
by holding down the Ctrl key while you click on multiple emails in the
list) and click on the File icon (centre, top), select the folder address
and simply click on the folder name. Done!
* * * *
So you see, it's not as difficult or as daunting to surf on the 'Net
or to use emails as you once may have thought!
Enjoy!
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Contact me -
Vincent O'Connor
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