EOC Summary

1. How can I communicate through the Internet with IM, Weblogs, podcasts, e-mail, chat, newsgroups, and listservs? Communication was one of the reasons the Internet was developed and is one of the primary uses of the Internet today. E-mail allows users to communicate electronically without the parties involved being available at the same time, while chat rooms are public areas on the Web where different people communicate. Weblogs are journal entries posted to the Web that are generally organized by a topic or area of interest and that are publicly available. Instant messaging enables you to communicate in real time with friends who are also online. Listservs are electronic mailings to groups of people, and newsgroups are online discussion forums in which people post messages and read and reply to messages from other newsgroup members. Both listservs and newsgroups are organized by topic or areas of interest. Listservs are private, whereas newsgroups are public.

2. What are the various kinds of multimedia files found on the Web, and what software do I need to use them? The Web is appealing because of its enriched multimedia content. Multimedia is anything that involves one or more forms of media in addition to text, including graphics, audio, and video clips. Sometimes you need a special software program called a plug-in (or player) to view and hear multimedia files. Plug-ins are often installed in new computers or are offered free of charge at manufacturers’ Web sites.

3. What is e-commerce, and what e-commerce safeguards protect me when I’m online? E-commerce is the business of conducting business online. E-commerce includes transactions between businesses (B2B), between consumers (C2C), and between businesses and consumers (B2C). Because more business than ever before is conducted online, numerous safeguards have been put in place to ensure transactions are protected.

4. How do I manage online annoyances like spam, cookies, adware, spyware, malware, phishing, and Internet hoaxes? The Web is filled with annoyances such as spam, pop-ups, cookies, spyware, and scams such as phishing that make surfing the Web frustrating and sometimes dangerous. Software tools help to prevent or reduce spam, adware, and spyware, while exercising caution can prevent serious harm being done due to phishing and other Internet scams and hoaxes.

5. What is a Web browser? Once you’re connected to the Internet, in order to locate, navigate to, and view Web pages, you need special software called a Web browser installed on your system. The most common Web browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

6. What is a URL, and what are its parts? You gain access to a Web site by typing in its address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is composed of several parts, including the protocol, the host, the toplevel domain, and, occasionally, paths (or subdirectories).

7. How can I use hyperlinks and other tools to get around the Web? One unique aspect of the Web is that you can jump from place to place by clicking on specially formatted pieces of text called hyperlinks. You can also use tools such as Back and Forward buttons, History lists, breadcrumb lists, and Favorites or Bookmarks to navigate the Web.

8. How do I search the Internet using search engines and subject directories? A search engine is a set of programs that searches the Web for specific keywords you wish to query and then returns a list of the Web sites on which those keywords are found. A subject directory is a structured outline of Web sites organized by topics and subtopics.

9. What are Boolean operators, and how do they help me search the Web more effectively? Sometimes, search engines return lists with thousands or millions of hits. Boolean operators are words (AND, NOT, and OR) you can use to refine your searches, making them more effective.

10. How do I evaluate a Web site? Not all Web sites are equal, and some are better sources for research than others. To evaluate whether it is appropriate to use a Web site as a resource critique, determine whether the author of the site is reputable and whether the site is intended for your particular needs. In addition, make sure the site content is not biased, the information in the site is current, and that all the links on the site are available and appropriate.

11. How does data travel on the Internet? A computer connected to the Internet acts as either a client, a computer that asks for information, or a server, a computer that receives the request and returns the information to the client. Data travels between clients and servers along a system of communication lines, or pathways. The largest and fastest of these pathways is the Internet backbone. To ensure that data is sent to the correct computer along the pathways, IP addresses (unique ID numbers) are assigned to all computers connected to the Internet.

12. What are my options for connecting to the Internet? Home users have many options for connecting to the Internet. A dial-up connection, in which you connect to the Internet using a standard phone line, was at one time the standard way to connect to the Internet. Now, other connection options, called broadband connections, are faster and will soon make dial-up a legacy connection technology. Broadband connections include cable, DSL, and satellite.

13. How do I choose an Internet service provider? Internet service providers (ISPs) are national, regional, or local companies that connect individuals, groups, and other companies to the Internet. Factors to consider in choosing an ISP include cost, quality of service, and availability.

14. What is the origin of the Internet? The Internet is the largest computer network in the world, connecting millions of computers. Government and military officials developed the Internet as a reliable means of communications in the event of war. Eventually, scientists and educators used the Internet to exchange research. Today, we use the Internet and the Web (which is a part of the Internet) to shop, research, communicate, and entertain ourselves.

15. What will the Internet of the future look like? The Internet of the future will have higher bandwidth and will be able to provide additional services as a result of projects such as the Large Scale Networking (LSN) program and Internet2. Design enhancements to the Internet will engage more of our senses, including smell and taste. The Internet will become more ingrained into our daily lives as Internet-enabled appliances and household systems will provide more remote-control features for our homes.