Seniors Guide to the Internet – Part 1

What is the Internet?

The Internet, also known as “the net,” is a worldwide system of computer networks wherein customers at someone computer can get facts from another laptop. The authentic aim turned into to create a community that might permit customers of a laptop at one college in an effort to talk with computers at different universities. A aspect gain of this design become that, due to the fact information is sent alongside specific routes that continually exchange, the Internet ought to continue to characteristic even if components of it were destroyed within the occasion of a military assault or different catastrophe. Luckily, we’ve got by no means had to check if it works.

Today, the Internet is self-maintaining and is utilized by loads of millions of human beings international. The most extensively used a part of the Internet is called the World Wide Web (“the Web”). On the internet, you have got get admission to to billions of pages of records. Web browsing is carried out with a software program program known as an internet browser (catchy name!). Currently, the maximum popular web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. By the way, all of those browsers are surely free. Depending in your connection speed, browsers can assist such superior capabilities as animation, video, sound, and music.

How Do I Connect to the Internet?

The satisfactory sort of connection to the Internet is a broadband connection. It offers the best transmission speed that’s vital if you need the best Internet enjoy. Cable and DSL carrier each offer broadband speeds. Cable affords pace two times that of DSL but DSL is more comfortable.

Broadband carrier affords high velocity facts transmission. It additionally permits greater content to be carried via the transmission pathway. Broadband offers access to the very best pleasant Internet services: streaming media, Internet smartphone, gaming, and interactive services. Many of these services require the switch of large quantities of records that may not be technically viable with smartphone dial-up provider. Today, broadband provider is essential to get admission to the overall variety of offerings and possibilities that the Internet can offer. Broadband service is constantly on. It does no longer block telephone traces and there may be no need to disconnect from the Internet network while now not in use.

Wireless broadband, additionally called “Wi-Fi”, is the capacity to connect with the Internet without the usage of wires or cables. The most not unusual way of getting access to wi-fi broadband is through a wireless router connected to an ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) modem.

1. Using a cable modem

A cable modem is a device that connects your computer to the Internet through a local cable TV line so you can ship and acquire facts at high speeds also called broadband speeds. Cable modems are typically blanketed as a part of the cable access carrier.

A. Sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), generally your neighborhood cable TV corporation. The cable agency will dispatch a subject technician to come back to your own home to install a cable modem.

B. The technician will join a cable from a cable TV jack to the cable modem.

C. Then the technician will connect an “Ethernet” cable from the cable modem to the “Ethernet” port for your pc. “Ethernet” is the most popular type of neighborhood place community (LAN) technology.

D. Power on the cable modem and pc.

E. A cable connection is less relaxed than other broadband connections, which includes DSL, because you are sharing your cable connection with others to your community. In addition, the cable connection is always on. The Windows Firewall will help prevent intruders from getting access to your computer.

F. Open your Internet browser to start surfing the Internet.

2. Using a DSL modem

A Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) makes use of technology that gives digital records transmission over the wires of a neighborhood smartphone network. DSL does now not intrude with the usage of your general telephone provider. Once you go browsing on your DSL carrier, it will stay on till you close down or restart your pc.

A. Subscribe to a excessive-speed, or broadband, DSL provider. A technician will join a modem to your telephone line. This connection is what lets in the DSL signal to be acquired by the modem, and transmitted in your laptop.

B. The different end of the cable might be related to your laptop.

C. Power on the DSL modem and laptop.

D. Open your Internet browser to start surfing the Internet.

3. Using a Router (hardware firewall)

A hardware firewall is a tool this is linked between the Internet and your cable or DSL modem, protecting your computer from dangerous intruders. In different phrases, your computer is hooked up to the router (hardware firewall) in preference to your cable or DSL modem.

The great safety available from Internet assaults is a hardware firewall. They are less expensive so I strongly propose installing one. Broadband routers serve as powerful hardware firewalls. They must be considered an important part of your gadget and network set-up, specially for anybody on a broadband connection.

A router is a tool that gives access to the Internet for a couple of computer systems, printers, and other devices. It typically includes 4 or greater Ethernet ports for stressed out connections to desktop and laptop computers. They also can be configured to transmit alerts for wireless (“Wi-Fi”) devices.

A router acts as a firewall through overlaying the authentic net cope with of your pc from the outside world. Only the ones internet pages that you specially request are allowed to skip through the router for your computer. Data that you did now not request is blocked which helps to maintain your system secure from intruders. Think of it as your front door with that little peephole. Somebody knocks and also you look through the peephole to peer who it’s far. If it’s your buddy who you invited over, you open the door and allow him in (“wassup dude!”). If it is someone who’s arriving uninvited, they may be became away. (I marvel if a router might block my mom-in-law).

4. Standard smartphone line modem

Not encouraged at all. The slowest of all Internet connections. It will not deliver the total capability of what the Internet has to provide.

What’s a Link?

On all websites, positive words or phrases appear in text of a special coloration than the relaxation and once in a while also underlined. When you point to this sort of words or terms with the aid of clicking the left button of your mouse, you may be transferred to the web page this is related to this phrase or phrase. These are called links or hyperlinks. Sometimes there are buttons, images, or portions of pix that may be “clicked”. If you circulate the pointer over a niche on an internet web page and the pointer modifications into a hand, this suggests that you can click on it and be transferred to some other website.

What’s a Web Browser?

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is the maximum broadly used internet browser. That is not because it’s the exceptional (which it isn’t). It’s because it comes already installed with every model of Windows and the general public don’t bother to exchange it. Internet Explorer model 7.0 suffered greater malware assaults than another browser. Internet Explorer uses technology known as ActiveX Controls which keeps to make it extremely at risk of assaults.

An ActiveX manage is a web-based application using positive Microsoft technology. They are debatable due to the fact they’re downloaded robotically and carried out by means of the net browser.

This is the essential reason that Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, which do no longer aid ActiveX controls, are more relaxed browsers. In addition, Internet Explorer has web page rendering issues that causes a few web pages to show incorrectly. Performance is faster inside the maximum recent model (9.0) than beyond variations however continues to be slower than the other browsers.

Keep Internet Explorer set up on your computer (sure Microsoft offerings, like Windows Update, require Internet Explorer to function effectively) but use Firefox or Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox continues you greater comfy while you’re surfing the web, defensive in opposition to adware, worms, and viruses. As referred to earlier, it does not support ActiveX controls because ActiveX controls are liable to viruses and spyware. Firefox can provide less complicated navigation, along with those who are visually or motor-impaired. Firefox is the primary browser to meet U.S. Federal authorities necessities that software be without difficulty accessible to customers with bodily impairments.

You can select new controls for your toolbars and trade the appearance of your browser with issues. There also are masses of unfastened extensions you can set up to feature capabilities which includes ad blocking, extended tab controls, pop-up blockers, text resizers, and password managers. Firefox is my favored internet browser.

Google Chrome

The Google Chrome internet browser is the third maximum popular browser used today right at the back of Internet Explorer (#1) and Firefox (#2).

A. Chrome is designed to be speedy. It’s quick to start up, loads web pages fast, and runs internet applications speedy.

B. Chrome’s browser window is streamlined, smooth, and simple.

C. Chrome additionally consists of functions which are designed for ease of use. For example, you can search and navigate from the equal box, and arrange tabs however you desire.

D. Chrome is designed to preserve you comfy on the internet with built-in malware protection, and automated updates to make sure the browser is current with the modern-day protection updates, and greater.

E. Chrome has many beneficial functions built in, consisting of translation inside the browser, extensions, topics, and greater.

Chrome is an notable net browser. I distinctly recommend it.

Bookmarks and Favorites

Internet Explorer calls them “favorites” (simply to be specific from absolutely everyone else). Favorites are links to your favourite web sites which you wish to save for future use. Creating a favorite in Internet Explorer can be finished numerous in one-of-a-kind ways.

1. Right-click on on a clean part of the page and click “Add to Favorites”.

2. Browse to the website you desire to feature in your Favorites. At the pinnacle of the browser window click “Favorites”. Click “Add to Favorites”.

When this sort of steps has been completed an “Add Favorite” window will appear after which you may upload your favourite on your favorites listing. You may even create different folders (exceedingly endorsed) in your Favorites.

Firefox and Chrome

Creating bookmarks in Firefox and Chrome are similar and also can be accomplished in several unique methods.

1. In the cope with bar, there may be a star at the right side. If you click on it, you can bookmark the page.

2. Right-click on a blank portion of the page you want to bookmark and click “Bookmark This Page” or press Ctrl + D. This handiest applies to Firefox.

3. Browse to the website you want to bookmark. At the pinnacle of the browser window click on “Bookmarks”. Click “Bookmark This Page”. This most effective applies to Firefox.

When those steps were completed an “Add Bookmark” window will appear. Specify the region wherein you need to keep the bookmark. To create a brand new folder, click the “New Folder” button. I use plenty of folders together with Shopping, Music, Movies, Computers, Finance, Health, Food, Travel, and many others. On my browser. I have over 3,000 bookmarks and I can find anyone of them speedy and effortlessly (I recognize – I ought to get a existence!).

What’s a Search Engine?

A seek engine is a laptop program that searches documents, mainly at the World Wide Web, for a specific phrase or words and presents hyperlinks to these documents to where they may be located.

Google

There are literally loads of search engines at the internet. However, there may be handiest one which I use and that you’ll ever want….Google. Most different engines like google operate in a comparable way however aren’t as sophisticated or green as Google. Google is a crawler-based seek engine, meaning that it has software designed to “crawl” the information on the Internet and upload it to its database. Google has the high-quality reputation for relevant and thorough seek consequences. Google’s domestic web page is smooth and simple. There is multiple option on Google’s home web page.

Search subjects encompass:

Web – The default search engine.

• Images – Searches for pictures, pix, photos, or drawings.
• Video – Searches for video files at the Internet.
• News – Searches for information accumulated from hundreds of news resources international.
• Maps – An interactive map device presenting riding directions.
• Shopping – Searches for merchandise on the market online.
• More – Additional seek gear including:

Books – If you are looking for text from a selected ebook, kind inside the call of the ebook (in quotes), or if you’re seeking out books approximately a specific challenge, kind in “books approximately xxx”. Google will go back consequences which could comprise content material in the book itself, or will provide hyperlinks to Book Results on the pinnacle of the hunt page.

Discussions – Searches for statistics, evaluations, and hints from user organizations.

Blogs, Recipes, Patents, Flights and greater.

“I’m Feeling Lucky” – This button takes you right away to the primary seek end result again for any question. For instance, if I kind in peanut butter I go directly to the Wikipedia access for peanut butter. It’s basically a shortcut so that you can bypass the hunt engine outcomes web page.

There’s even a Google Accessible Web Search for the Visually Impaired.

How to Google Search

If you want to look for internet websites that contain “milk” or “cookies” you may use “OR” as in “milk or cookies”. If you are attempting to find the exact phrase you would input “milk and cookies” consisting of the quotation marks.

Try to be as specific as possible – in preference to “vehicles”, strive “Chevrolet Impala”. If you are attempting to find an specific phrase, type in “provide me liberty or supply me death” with the quotation marks as an example. Google will search for the complete phrase just how it appears in among the fees.

You can also exclude undesirable results. If you need to slender down your searches, region “NOT” in front of words you need to avoid. For instance, if you’re looking for facts about The Three Stooges but do not want any articles about Shemp, you would search for “three stooges NOT shemp” (nyuck-nyuck!).

Other Google Tools

Google Calculator – Use Google’s calculator by just typing in some thing calculation you want inside the seek bar. For example: a “gallon in pints” or 112.Three + 55.6.

Google Definitions – There are approaches to get definitions from Google. If you kind “outline:asteroid” (with the colon), you’ll get a web page full of definitions. If you type “outline asteroid” (with out the colon), you will get a list of web sites that incorporate definitions of the phrase.

Google Catalogs – Search online catalogs.

Google Finance – Business info, news, and interactive charts.

Other seek shortcuts:

• Phone wide variety:(enter name and location) – “phonebook: John Smith NJ”
• Movie:(search for showtimes – input identify and zip code) – “movie:matrix 08902”
• Stocks:(get a inventory quote) – “stocks:ibm”
• Weather:(get nearby climate – input zip code) – “weather:08902”
• What is Webmail?

Webmail is a term for internet-based totally electronic mail accounts. These are typically free email bills that are operated from a website. Examples consist of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Windows Live Mail, and AOL Mail. Webmail permits users to get admission to their emails so long as they have access to an Internet connection and an internet browser. Gmail, by way of Google, has many superior features however maximum webmail companies have similar features.

• With that during mind, the subsequent webmail functions are constrained to Gmail:
• Registration for Gmail is free to every person who signs up on the Google website.
• Approximately gigabytes of e mail storage is to be had to all customers and the amount of storage increases through the years.

Rather than organizing messages simplest by date obtained, Gmail groups messages through difficulty name and organizations them as Conversations. Also, you could assign labels to any message, creating pass-linked groups of message

• Gmail always uses an HTTPS connection.
• The widespread way to get entry to your Gmail account is with your internet browser. However, you can view your Gmail messages on your computer’s regular electronic mail program.
• Gmail has a very aggressive spam blocking off device.
• Gmail gives you get right of entry to to Google’s chat community which lets you ship and get hold of immediately messages with pals and family.
• Is it Safe to Shop Online?

Shopping at the Internet has in no way been less difficult or safer in case you simply observe a few simple safety regulations. The large majority of online carriers are reliable and comfy. If you do not feel relaxed with a dealer, simply take your enterprise some place else. Also, you can keep whenever you sense like. Can’t sleep? Where else should you have a cup of tea and save for your pajamas?

Here are some suggestions to assist make your on-line purchasing experience free of headaches:

Do now not go to shady searching internet web sites. You’ll know them when you see them. For instance, might you save at “Uncle Bruno’s Fell Off the Truck Discount House of Electronics”?

Shop from respectable businesses most effective.

It’s safe to use your credit score card to pay for purchases online at any store as long as while you check out, you notice a image of a lock in the decrease left or right corner of your browser. This approach that the transaction is relaxed. If you don’t see this lock — DO NOT CONTINUE WITH THE PURCHASE! The lock isn’t always only a image. Click on it to look details of the web site’s protection. This is important due to the fact a few fraudulent web sites will imitate the lock icon of your browser.

It’s also a terrific idea to apply the same credit score card for all of your on line shopping. If there may be ever a hassle, all you need to do is cancel that one card. It is without a doubt safer to save online with a credit score card than at a real save. Here’s why: whilst you operate your credit card at a at ease web page and you see the little lock in the decrease corner, it method that your credit score card data is scrambled and despatched to the store the usage of virtually effective encryption.

• Encryption is the procedure of scrambling information to make it unreadable.
• Think approximately what happens when you use your credit card at an actual keep:
• You deliver your credit card to a whole stranger.
• They experiment it or enter the variety into a laptop and it can be displayed on a display for all to peer.

You sign the receipt along with your credit card wide variety on it after which there’s a paper reproduction lying around.

Pretty frightening, huh?

Web browsers make assessment buying simple. Use a unique tab for your browser for each shop. Then you could without problems switch back and forth to compare comparable objects.

Be privy to delivery charges. They may be exceptional for every supplier. Very regularly, you may even discover unfastened delivery. The search for bargains is part of the a laugh!

DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS OR CREDIT CARD NUMBERS (unless you are making a at ease buy) ON THE INTERNET!

Always, usually, constantly use a credit score card to pay to your purchases! Never, by no means, in no way use a debit card! If there may be a hassle with a debit card purchase, you can kiss that money goodbye! It’s a terrific concept to use the same credit score card for all online purchases and now not to apply that precise card for whatever else. That way you will constantly recognize in which to look if there’s a hassle. Never allow direct transfers of funds out of your checking or savings accounts except an escrow carrier is involved.

EBay and Online Auctions

What is eBay? Simply placed, eBay is the biggest of the web auctions. EBay is a secure on-line market in which anyone should buy and sell items and offerings. Sellers pay a small fee plus a percent to eBay. Buyers use eBay free of price. There are policies and consequences in location to shield customers from everyone who abuses the machine.

• Some information about eBay:
• eBay is global.

The variety and quantity of gadgets is awesome. There are more than sixteen million objects for sale.

Items can be bought at auction (consumers bid against every different), or at a hard and fast fee. You can buy an object with out bidding if it is marked “Buy It Now”. The sellers decide how they need to promote an object.

• EBay runs diverse packages to lessen electronic dishonesty.
• There is a complete time workforce devoted to promoting equity and impartiality.

There is a gadget referred to as “feedback” used to defend both shoppers and dealers. Usually, the greater reliable customers and dealers can have more high-quality remarks than bad. Also, the more successful transactions a dealer has, the much more likely that supplier is to be reputable.

EBay offers a expert escrow fee provider known as PayPal in to ensure secure charge among events. See the section on PayPal for greater records.

A Safety Guide to eBay

Always carefully study the details of the auction before putting a bid to make certain exactly what you’re bidding on.

• Guidelines and things to be aware about:
• Payment approach

Shipping and handling expenses. Some dealers intentionally list an highly-priced item for a reasonably-priced fee to idiot the brand new purchaser. Overpriced transport and managing prices is where they make up the distinction. This trick is inside eBay policy.

• When item will be shipped
• Other costs or situations

For garb, make sure to notice the dimensions, shade, cloth, or harm particularly if the item is marked “used” or “vintage”.

If there’s anything you aren’t quite positive of, get more records from the eBay vendor before you bid. You can try this by means of clicking “Ask seller a question”.

For a comprehensive listing of what can, or cannot, be indexed on eBay go to the “prohibited gadgets” web page. Remember, if the item is confiscated by way of customs, you aren’t entitled to a reimbursement.

Leave fantastic comments every time you’re glad with the transaction. Always think hard before leaving negative remarks. Feedback is all the time!

Don’t engage in bidding wars. Bidding wars are most effective precise for the vendor. New eBay users frequently get stuck up in bidding wars because they haven’t begun to study whilst to preserve bidding, and whilst to forestall. An skilled user will frequently outbid the novices with the aid of mere pennies a seconds earlier than the auction closes. You need to show restraint and patience and bid close to the give up of the auction. There is a legitimate trick calling “sniping”. Sniping is the practice of bidding within the previous couple of seconds of an auction with the intention to prevent different bidders from outbidding you. Many clever bidders without a doubt bid the most quantity they’re inclined to spend on an item and don´t fear approximately it. You can snipe manually however experienced bidders use automated sniping software. One such loose software is Prospector Lite.

Don’t bid over your head. Bidding can end up addictive. Be privy to how a great deal money you can come up with the money for to spend.

PayPal

PayPal is a popular fee service owned by way of eBay and is used for on-line purchasing. 95% of eBay purchases are paid via PayPal.

PayPal allows shoppers to ship money to sellers the usage of their email addresses. The events concerned inside the transaction NEVER see every other’s credit card or bank data. PayPal acts as the intermediary to preserve the cash. There are many safeguards and processes that permit shoppers and sellers to believe PayPal with their credit card and bank records. PayPal keeps that data mystery.

The best requirements for a PayPal account are a valid email address and a valid credit score card or financial institution account. PayPal is free for customers. Once a buyer units up a PayPal account it charges nothing to send money to other PayPal customers. The budget can be withdrawn from the consumer’s credit card or without delay from a bank account. Pop Quiz: Which approach could you operate? Find the answer underneath.

If you want to keep on eBay, it’s miles important which you have a PayPal account due to the fact most eBay dealers pick PayPal as their approach of desire for taking payments. Since eBay owns PayPal, eBay has a stake in maintaining PayPal stable and dependable.

• A Safety Guide to PayPal
• PayPal has designed its system so mistakes and fraud are saved to a naked minimal.
• PayPal ensures one hundred% protection against unauthorized bills out of your account.
• Every transaction is showed by using email.
• EBay purchases may be insured up to $1,000 through PayPal.

NEVER allow PayPal to transfer finances at once from your financial institution account as a way of charge. Even although the transaction itself is secure, if you have a trouble with the purchased object it will be very hard to get your financial institution to void the transaction.

ALWAYS have PayPal use the credit score card you signed up with as the method of fee. It is a whole lot less complicated to have your credit score card corporation dispute a rate.

Is it Safe to Bank Online?

Online banking is extra popular than ever. It’s to be had from any Internet connection, 24 hours an afternoon, and 7 days per week. You can even pay your payments on line that is definitely extra comfortable than paper payments. Paper payments list your account numbers and other economic facts that could be used for illegal sports. With no paper statements to be had, most effective someone with get entry to in your on-line financial institution account can get admission to that personal records.

Most shopping and banking web sites use a transmission method called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS. The ordinary HTTP approach is typically used for everyday net surfing. Just like on-line purchasing, HTTPS provides facts encryption.

You can tell if HTTPS is active in two methods:

• There could be a locked padlock at the bottom of your web browser, usually at the right facet.
• The net deal with of a relaxed internet site will start with “https://” in place of “http://”.

Stealing statistics that is encrypted at the level currently utilized by maximum banks and stores is truly impossible. Those geeks you notice within the films hacking into the Pentagon whilst sipping Red Bull and ingesting Hot Pockets do not exist within the actual world.

In addition, on line banking makes use of passwords and private identity numbers (PINs) which you create. Your PIN must be entered every time you make a transaction, and you may trade your PIN on every occasion you need. Any transaction that you might adopt in character at your bank, you can whole on-line with at the least the equal level of security, maybe extra. Any transaction besides for the withdrawal of cash. But who knows what is subsequent? Maybe engineers will one day find a manner to teleport coins for your CD (“Cash Delivery?”) power.

Can I Share My Photos Online?

You can post your photographs to numerous picture sharing web sites without spending a dime. Posting pictures to the net is a good answer when you have many photos or want to proportion your photos with many people.

Flickr is the most popular photo sharing sites. Flickr is owned by Yahoo and gives a restricted loose account and a Pro account. When you have got a unfastened Flickr account, you could upload two films and 300MB worth of pix every calendar month.

• The Pro account expenses $24.Ninety five a 12 months and functions:
• Unlimited picture uploads (20MB in keeping with photograph)
• Unlimited video uploads (500MB according to video)
• Unlimited garage
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Archiving of high-decision authentic pix

Photobucket is another unfastened carrier for image sharing on-line. You can shop limitless snap shots and as much as 500 motion pictures for your account. Share your pix and videos with the aid of e-mail with family and buddies. Follow the albums of the humans you realize, and get notified whenever they add new stuff. Create prints, mugs, and other customizable items.

Another option for sharing your pics online is constructed right into a software referred to as Picasa that’s unfastened from Google and is known as a Web Album. Picasa is also a superior program for organizing all of your photos. Picasa is unfastened to down load, and Picasa Web Albums offers one gigabyte of unfastened storage which is the equivalent of 4,000 large pictures.

With Picasa, you could without problems submit your pics on-line. You can create private on-line photograph albums to proportion with friends and circle of relatives, or public albums for the world to look.

Additional net storage can also be purchased.