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’s computer can get facts from another laptop. The authentic aim turned into creating a community that might permit customers of a laptop at one college to talk with computers at different universities.

An aspect gain of this design is that, because the information is sent alongside specific routes that continually exchange, the Internet ought to continue to be characteristic even if components of it were destroyed within the occasion of a military assault or different catastrophe. Luckily, we’ve never had to check if it works.

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

How Do I Connect to the Internet?

A 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 enjoyment. Cable and DSL carriers each offer broadband speeds. Line affords a 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 best pleasant Internet services: streaming media, Internet smartphone, gaming, and interactive services. Many of these services require switching large quantities of records that may not be technically viable with smartphone dial-up providers. Today, a broadband provider is essential to get admission to the variety of offerings and possibilities the Internet can offer. Broadband service is constantly on. It no longer blocks telephone traces, and there may be no need to disconnect from the Internet network while not in use.

Wireless broadband, additionally called “Wi-Fi”, is the capacity to connect to the Internet without using 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 return to your home to install a cable modem.

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

C. The technician will connect an “Ethernet” cable from the cable modem to your PC’s “Ethernet” port. “Ethernet” is the most popular neighborhood place community (LAN) technology type.

D. Power on the cable modem and PC.

E. A cable connection is less relaxed than other broadband connections, including DSL, because you share your cable connection with others in 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 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 an excessive-speed, or broadband, DSL provider. A technician will join a modem to your telephone line. This connection allows the DSL signal to be acquired by the modem and transmitted to 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 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, especially 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 four or greater Ethernet ports for stressed-out connections to desktop and laptop computers. They can also be configured to transmit alerts for wireless (“Wi-Fi”) devices. A router acts as a firewall by overlaying the authentic net to cope with your PCPC from the outside world. Only the internet pages you specially request can skip through the router for your computer.

Data you did not request is blocked, which helps keep your system secure from intruders. Think of it as your front door with that little peephole. Somebody knocks, and you also look through the peephole to see who it’s far. If you invite your buddy over, you open the door and allow him in (“Wassup dude!”). If it is someone who’s arriving uninvited, they may become 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 the text of a special coloration rather than the relaxation and, once in a while, underlined. When you point to these sorts of words or tebyd of clicking the left button of your mouse, you may be transferred to the web p 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 most broadly used IInternet browser. That is not because it’s exceptional (which it isn’t). It’s because it comes already installed with every model of Windows, and the general public doesn’t bother to exchange it. Internet Explorer model 7.0 suffered greater malware assaults than other browsers. Internet Explorer uses a technology known as ActiveX Controls, making it extremely at risk of assaults. An ActiveX manage is a web-based application using positive Microsoft technology. They are debatable because they’re downloaded robotically and carried out using the net browser.

This is why Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, which no longer aid ActiveX controls, are more relaxed browsers. In addition, Internet Explorer has web page rendering issues that cause a few web pages to show incorrectly. Performance is faster inside the most recent model (9.0) than beyond variations; however, it 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 makes you more comfy while surfing the web and is 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 for visually or motor-impaired users. Firefox is the primary browser to meet the U.S. Federal authority’s necessity that software be easily accessible to customers with bodily impairments. You can select new controls for your toolbars and trade the appearance of your browser with issues. There are also masses of unfastened extensions you can set up to feature capabilities, including blocking, extended tab controls, pop-up blockers, text resizers, and password managers. Firefox is my favorite internet browser.

Google Chrome

The Google Chrome internet browser is the third most 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 quickly, and runs Internet applications rapidly.

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

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

D. Chrome is designed to keep you comfy on the Internet with built-in malware protection and automated updates to ensure the browser is current with modern-day protection updates. E. Chrome has many beneficial functions built in, including translation inside the browser, extensions, topics, and more.

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

Bookmarks and Favorites

Internet Explorer calls them “favorites” (to be specific from absolutely everyone else). Favorites are links to your favorite websites that 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 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 step has been completed, an “Add Favorite” window will appear, after which you may upload your favorite to your favorites list. You may even create different folders (exceedingly endorsed) in your Favorites.

Firefox and Chrome

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

1. a star may be on the right side in the cope with bar. 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 effectively applies to Firefox.

An “Add Bookmark” window will appear when those steps are completed. Specify the region wherein you need to keep the bookmark. Click the “New Folder” button to create a new folder. I use many folders on my browser for Shopping, Music, Movies, Computers, Finance, Health, Food, Travel, and many others. I have over 3,000 bookmarks and can find any of them quickly and effortlessly (I recognize – I ought to get an existence!).

What’s a Search Engine?

A search engine is a laptop program that searches documents, mainly on 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 loads of search engines on the Internet. However, there may be the handiest one I use, and you’ll ever want…Google. Most different engines like Google operate comparable buted or green as Google. Google is a crawler-based search engine, meaning tt has software designed to “crawl” the information on the Internet and upload it to its database. Google has a high-quality reputation for relevant and thorough seeking of consequences. Google’s domestic web page is smooth and simple. There is multiple ooptionson 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 on the Internet.
• News – Searches for information accumulated from hundreds of international news resources
• 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 the text from a selected ebook, kind inside the call of the online book (in quotes), or if you’re seeking books with approximately a specific challenge, type in “books approximately xxx”. Google will go back to consequences, which could comprise content material in the book itself or 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 immediately takes you to the primary seek result for any question. For instance, if I look at peanut butter, I go directly to Wikipedia to access peanut butter. It’s a shortcut to 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 attempt to find the exact phrase, you will input “milk and cookies” with quotation marks. Try to be as specific as possible – in preference to “vehicles”, strive for “Chevrolet Impala”. If you are attempting to find a particular phrase, type in “provide me liberty or supply me death” with quotation marks as an example. Google will search for the complete phrase as it appears among the fees.

You can also exclude undesirable results if you need to narrow down your searches, region “NOT” in front of words you must 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 something calculation you want inside the seek bar. For example, a “gallon in pints” or 112.Three + 55.6. Google Definitions – There are approaches to getting definitions from Google. If you kind of “outline:  asteroid” (with the colon), you’ll get a web page full of illustrations. If you type “outline asteroid” (without the colon), you will get a list of websites incorporating images of the phrase.

Google Catalogs – Search online catalogs.

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

Other seek shortcuts:

• Phone wide variety:(enter online 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 electronic mail accounts. These are typically free email bills that are operated from a website. Examples include Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Windows Live Mail, and AOL Mail. Webmail permits users to get admission to their emails as long as they have Internet access and a browser. By way of Google, Gmail has many superior features; however, most webmail companies have similar characteristics.

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

Rather than organizing messages by date obtained, Gmail groups messages through difficult names and organizations them as Conversations. Also, you could assign labels to any statement, creating pass-linked groupsnews.

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

Shopping on the Internet has never been less difficult or safer if you 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, take your enterprise elsewhere online and keep it whenever you like. Can’t sleep? Where else should you have tea and save for your pajamas?

Here are some suggestions to assist in making your online purchasing experience free of headaches:

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

Shop from respectable businesses that are 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 an image of a lock in the lower left or right corner of your Brookline. This approach ensures that the transaction is relaxed. If you don’t see this lock — DO NOT CONTINUE WITH THE PURCHASE! Safety isn’t always only an image. Click on it to look for details of the website’s protection. This is important because a few fraudulent websites will imitate the lock icon of your browser.

Applying the same credit scorecard for anline shopping is also a terrific idea. If there may be ever a hassle, all you need to do is cancel that one card. It is, undoubtedly, safer to save online with a credit score card than at a real save. Here’s why: while you operate your credit card at an eeasyweb page and Yoon in the little lock in the decrease corner, your credit score card data is scrambled and despatched to the store using 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 with t or enter the variety into a laptop, which 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 laugh!

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

Always constantly use a credit score card to pay for 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 not to apply that precise card for anything else. That way, you will constantly recognize which to look at. It’s a hassle. Never allow direct funds transfers from your checking or savings accounts, except if 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 online market where anyone can buy and sell items and offerings. Sellers pay a small fee plus a percentage to eBay. Buyers use online for 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 are 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 without bidding if marked “Buy It Now”. The sellers decide how they need to promote a thing.

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

A gadget rcalled”feedback” is used to defend shoppers and dealers. Usually, more reliable customers and dealers can have more high-quality remarks than bad ones. Also, the more successful transactions a dealer has, the more likely that supplier is to be reputable. EBay offers an expert escrow fee provider known as PayPal to ensure secure charges 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 of:
• Payment approach

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

• When item will be shipped
• Other costs or situations

Notice the dimensions, shade, cloth, or harm for garb, particularly if the item is marked “used” or “vintage”. If there’s anything you aren’t quite positive about, get more records from the eBay vendor before you bid. You can try this by 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 customs confiscate the item, 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 the most effective and precise for the vendor. New eBay users frequently get stuck in bidding wars because they haven’t begun to study to preserve bidding and forestall it. A skilled user frequently outbid the novices with mere pennies a few seconds before it closes. You must show restraint and patience and bid close to giving up on the auction. There is a legitimate trick called “sniping”. Sniping is the practice of bidding within the previous couple of seconds of an auction to prevent different bidders from outbidding you.

Without a doubt, many clever bidders bid the most quantity they’re inclined to spend on an item and don’t fear 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 much money you can come up with to spend.

PayPal

PayPal is a popular free service owned by eBay and used for online purchasing. 95% of eBay purchases are paid via PayPal. PayPal allows shoppers to ship money to sellers by using their emonlineresses. The events inside the transaction NEVER see every other’s credit card or bank data. PayPal acts as the intermediary to preserve the cash. Some safeguards and processes 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 sets up a PayPal account, it charges nothing to send money to other 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 stay on eBay, you must have a PayPtont because most eBay dealers pick it as their preferred way of wanting to own PayPal. EBay has a stake in maintaining PayPal’s stability and dependability.

• A Safety Guide to PayPal
• PayPal has designed its system to save mistakes and fraud to a bare minimum.
• PayPal ensures one hundred protection against unauthorized bills out of your account.
• Every transaction is shown 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. Although the transaction is secure, getting your financial institution to void the transaction will be very hard if you have trouble with the purchased object.

ALWAYS have PayPal use the credit score card you signed up with as the fee method. 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 more popular than ever. It’s to be had from any Internet connection, 24 hours an afternoon, and seven days online. Online even pays your payments, which is more 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, the most effective someone to enter your online financial institution account can gain admission to that personal records. Most shopping and banking websites use a transmisonlinethod called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS. The ordinary HTTP approach is typically used for everyday net surfing. Just like online purchasing, HTTPS provides facts encryption.

You can tell if HTTPS is active in two methods:

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

Stealing statistics encrypted at the level currently utilized by maximum banks and stores is impossible. Those geeks you notice within the films hacking into the Pentagon while sipping Red Bull and ingesting Hot Pockets do not exist in the real world. In addition, online banking uses passwords and private identity numbers (PINs) that 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 you might adopt in character at your bank, you can whole online with at least an equal level of security, maybe extra. Any transaction besides the withdrawal of cash. But who knows if online 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 websites without spending a dime. Posting pictures to the net is an Online answer when you have many photos or want to share your views with many people. Flickr is the most popular photo-sharing site. Yahoo owns Flickr and gives a restricted loose account and a Pro account. When you have an unfastened Flickr account, you can upload two films and 300MB of pix every calendar month.

• The Pro account expenses are $24.Ninety-five 12 months and functions:
• Unlimited picture uploads (20MB in keeping with the 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 online. You can shop limitless snapshots and as many as 500 motion pictures for your account. Share your pix and videos with the online 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 called Picasa, unfastened from Google and known as a Web Album.

Picasa Online is a superior program for organizing all of your photos. Picasa is unfastened to download, and Picasa Web Albums offers one gigabyte of unfastened storage, equivalent to 4,000 large pictures.

With Picasa, you could, without problems, submit your pics online. You can create private online photograph albums to proportion with friends and circle of relatives or public albums for online viewing.

Additional net online can also be purchased.