The Internet is an evolving, ever-changing entity that has become much more than just an avenue for research. The scope of this page is to show you where you can get more information on the subject. The very first thing you must understand is that it is composed of links. A link connects you to another page. Most links are underlined. So if it's underlined, go ahead and click on it. Keep in mind that some web designers choose to disable the underline feature in their code.
There are many resources available on the Internet about how to use it and what it's all about. There is a web site devoted specifically to the subject. Its called Internet 101.org and is a good starting point which provides information on using the Internet.
Another good source of information is Microsoft's Librarians' Index to the Internet. If you're trying to translate computer jargon into English, check out whatis.com. Don't miss the Beginner's Guide To Effective E-mail -- a good resource for e-mail information. Now here's some general information about the Internet.
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What is the Internet?
The Internet is the worlds largest and most widely used
network. It is a collection of thousands and thousands of
private and public networks connected to each other. Infrastructure
allowed the Internet to become so large. Most communication
lines were already in place. So people started to connect
their own network to other networks. Now almost every corner of the world
is connected to the Internet.
When you "surf the web" you are accessing web
sites on someone else's server(computer) within their own
network. Its like calling your friend on the phone in California,
but instead, you are calling his/her web site and viewing
it.
When you call someone, you need to use the telephone. When
you surf the web, you need to use a computer with a modem
and software to view web sites. Known as a browser. The
two giants are Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer.
You will also need a tool to read your e-mail, known as
an e-mail client. There are many of these. Some of the more
popular are Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora Light, and Netscape mail.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Communicator come with built-in mail client.
Go to our software library
to get these.
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E-mail? Newsgroups?
What is e-mail? E-mail is the computer to computer exchange
of messages. Electronic mail (e-mail) gives you a fast,
inexpensive and efficient way to send information all over the world and to
receive information through your very own e-mail mailbox,
or "inbox". It can take the place of telephone calls, faxes,
courier shipments, and traditional letter mail(snail mail). Use it to
keep in touch with friends, family, and business contacts.
More than 100 million people worldwide already do.
What are newsgroups? If your e-mail client is also a newsreader,
you can use it to subscribe to, read messages from, and
post messages to newsgroups. These are online discussions on practically
any topic. Netscape and Internet Explorer both come with a built-in news reader.
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What to do!
Communicate and collaborate: Keep in touch with
all your friends and business associates, send e-mail's
to people all over the world. Attach documents to your e-mails
or FTP (file transfer protocol) them to associates.
Access information: The Internet is bigger and better
than ever before and there is much information out there
on all subjects. Search documents, databases manuals, books
and advertisements!
Participate in Discussions: More and more people
get on the Internet every day so there are more and more
people to talk to. Search the web for sites to participate
in chat discussions on all sorts of subjects.
Obtain information: Transfer computer programs,
cool graphics, animation's, or even videos! Do research
for that school or work project. There is virtually endless
amount of data out there and it's constantly changing.
Find Entertainment: Play interactive games with
real people on the other side of the world with out even
leaving your home. Find cool places to go in your city.
Check movie times at the local theater or buy flowers for
your sweetheart!
Business Transactions: Using the Internet for business
purposes is safer than ever before! Bank online, advertise,
sell and purchase goods(e-commerce).
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What NOT to do!
Viruses are a serious threat. Make sure that if you plan
to surf the web, that you have an anti-virus program. DO
NOT open any e-mails from people that you do not know. They
may contain a virus. Also if an e-mail tells you to e-mail
"this message" to a large number of people for
whatever reason... most likely it is a hoaks or a virus.
Also try to avoid downloading software from vendors that
you are not familiar with. Do research on them and find
out their reputation BEFORE you download anything from them.
Do not shut off the PC while in the middle of a program
or while on your desktop. When done working on your computer
make sure that you close all programs and use the shut down
feature - START | SHUTDOWN. This will give your computer a fresh start and
not build up unwanted temp files.
SPAM!
Do not send unsolicited or unwanted e-mail. This is known as spam. Quite simply, any unwanted email is considered spam.
Internet Junction has a strict SPAM policy and will not tolerate this behavior.
Please review our Terms and Conditions if you have any questions.
Spammers (those who send spam) know that people don't want to hear from them, and generally put fake return addresses on their messages so that they don't have to bear the cost
of receiving responses from people to whom they've sent messages. They sometimes have a "remove" line in their e-mail stating that if you just reply back with "Remove" in the subject line, they'll stop sending you e-mail. DON'T DO IT! What you're doing is acknowledging that you in fact have a valid e-mail address. Then they'll sell your valid e-mail address to other lists and you'll be inundated with spam. Yes, it's confusing and frustrating but just part of the freedom of the Internet.
There are some things you can do to fight spam, however. Visit this site to find out more. Another good SPAM resource is SpamHelp.org. SpamHelp.org is a diverse anti-spam resource. Internet Junction has a team dedicated to fighting spam. We ask that you send all of your spam e-mails - as attachments - to ABUSE@ij.net. They will review each one and take the appropriate action.
Also, sending large amounts of e-mail at one time is something you want to stay away from.
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Internet Benefits to Organizations
Reduces Communication Costs:
Companies are finding that by using the Net to fulfill
a range of their communication needs including lowering
network management expenses, fax and telephone costs.
Enhances Communication and Coordination:
The Internet has made it easier and less expensive for companies to coordinate
small staffs when opening new markets.
Accelerating the Distribution of Knowledge:
Organizations that are using the Internet have access to databases in
key areas such as business, science, law and government.
One lone researcher has access to endless amounts of data
from all areas of the world.... otherwise too expensive
and difficult to tap.
Electronic Commerce:
With new security technologies
it is able to allow business transactions to occur. Therefore
allowing organizations to sell and promote their product
on the Internet with extremely low overhead. Many companies only exist on the Internet
such as eBay and Amazon.com.
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