WORLD WIDE WEB:

How Does It Concern You?

A Paper Presented to Awkunanaw Enlightenment
Foundation at the 85
th
Session of the Central Working
Committee (CWC)

At

Amechi Awkunanaw on Sunday, 5
th
August 2012


By

Mr. Ndubuisi Ngene
CONTENTS:

Definition of Internet and the WWW
Origin of the Internet and the Web
Uses of the Internet and the Web
Getting an Internet Access
Electronic Mail
Beyond Email Social Networking
Browsing the Web
Searching, Search engines and Search strategies
World Wide Web: How Does It Concern You?

Internet is the physical network of
computers across the globe. The Internet
is what the Web is laid upon.
Internet, also referred to as the Net is
short for International Network. A
computer network is a system in which
two or more computers are connected
together for the purposes of
communication and sharing information.

The Web is a virtual network of websites
connected by hyperlinks ("links").
It is a set of documents (files), logically interrelated
by hyperlinks and referenced with Uniform
Resource Locators.


The web consists of websites. Websites consists
of web pages. Individuals and organizations
advertise on the web by publishing ideas and
information on websites or blogs.
The Web is like a huge library of information
where you can get information on anything of
interest, read newspapers, transact businesses,
pay bills, send emails, watch videos, chat with
friends on real time, watch television programs,
and lots more.


The Internet began as a military research project.
When the Russians tested their atomic and
hydrogen bomb in 1949 and 1953 respectively
and also beat the U.S. into the space by launching
Sputnik into orbit in 1957, it meant serious
security concern to the United States.
In response to this and to continue maintaining
world leadership in science and technology,
including military applications, the United States
commissioned the "Advanced Research Projects
Agency" ARPA to research into a decentralized
system that would continue to function even if
most of the networks were destroyed.

As the network was deployed, it eventually
expanded with more than half of the connected
sites being Universities, government and research
institutions, the U.S. Defense Department took
over the project and changed the name to
DARPAnet (Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency Network).
It was the "High Performance Computing Act of
1991 (Public Law 102-194)" that opened the
Internet for commercial use. Today, the Internet is
made up of several commercial and government-
run telecommunications carriers whose networks
span the globe. According to Internet World
Statistics (March 2012), 32% of the world
population are connected to the Net.
Was developed in the late 1989 by Tim
Berners-Lee to enable high energy physicists
to share data, news, and documentation.
Before the Web the Internet only provided
visually boring screens full of text. Not only
did the Web change its appearance, it made it
possible for pictures and sound to be
displayed and exchanged and also to easily
connect files to one another using hyperlinks.
Today, we take it for granted that everything on
the Web is connected, ultimately, with everything
else. Then, almost nothing was connected to
anything else. Each file, each document was an
island onto itself. Before the web, only scientists
and engineers that knew their way on the net
made use of it.

USES OF THE INTERNET

Sourcing of Information The Internet is a constantly
evolving tool that contains an amazing variety of
information, and also provides ways of accessing this
information.

Any information you want is out there on the web;
whether it is about cultivating tomatoes, lettuce,
polishing shoes or finding a friend you lost contact with.
Communication Internet has made real what in the
1970's that visionary of the communications Marshall
McLuhan (1911-1980) called the "Global Village".
Communication is major service provided by the Net. It
allows one to stay in touch inexpensively with family,
friends and acquaintances next door, in the next town, in
the next state, in the next country and so on. With a very
low investment, almost anybody that can read and write
can have access and a presence in the Web. Blogging
has consolidated the social media and the people
everywhere are expressing and publishing their ideas
and opinions like never before.

Education The Internet in general and the World
Wide Web in particular are important enablers of
both formal and informal education. Educational
materials at all levels are available from websites.
There is information on every possible subject on
the web. You no longer have to spend hours in the
library to make that project. In High Schools there
are several options for online courses for the
students. Students who travel a lot, such as
performers, or students of parents that travel
most of the time are able to receive a good
education online. Online courses are also
beneficial to students with disabilities or health
issues that prevent them from attending a school.


Enhanced Professionalism Collaborative work and
instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills has
become much easier. Through news groups, Telnet
professional colleagues are able to meet and discuss on
trends in the profession.
Data transfer File sharing is made possible by the Internet.
A file can be emailed to customers, colleagues and friends
as an attachment or can be uploaded to a website for
download by others.
E-Commerce Electronic commerce is an aspect of e-
business and refers to the buying and selling of products or
services over electronic systems such as the Internet. With
a very low investment, anyone can have a web page in
Internet. This way, almost any business can reach a very
large market, directly, fast and economically, no matter the
size or location of the business.

Social networking and entertainment Social Networking
is the use of a dedicated Web site to communicate with
other members of the site, by posting messages,
photographs, sharing ideas, activities, events, and
interests, etc. It is an online service that facilitates the
building of social networks or social relations among
people through Chatting, Instant messaging, Video chat,
VoIP, news group etc.
Politics The Internet has achieved new relevance as a
political tool. Steven Davvy in How Technology Changed
American Politics In the Internet Age noted thatThe
dawn of the Internet era have had a remarkable impact on
American politics. The Obama campaign's use of
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were widely credited with
helping secure the his historic victory .

According to New York Times, one of the many ways that
the election of Barack Obama as president has echoed that
of John F. Kennedy is his use of a new medium that will
forever change politics. For Mr. Kennedy, it was television.
For Mr. Obama, it is the Internet.
Government Government has changed with the World
Wide Web because now we can check up on what the
government is doing for us without waiting for a paper to
come out. Canadian government websites are updated
frequently, so its easy to know what is going on. It has
information about the Governor General, Prime Minister,
Parliament, Supreme Court, Government News, and all
about Government.
Job Search If you need any help finding jobs in your town
you are now able to make your own websites online, sign
up for job seekers such as and much more. All you have to
do is get online and you don't even have to leave home,
sign up and put details about the job you looking for.

GETTING AN INTERNET ACCESS
You connect to the Internet through an Internet
Service Provider. Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
are companies that give access to the Internet for
a fee. ISPs offer different levels of speed or data
plans from which you can subscribe. Here in
Nigeria, the known ISPs include MTN, GLO,
Etisalat, etc.

When you pay for an internet access and
subscribe for a data plan, the customer-care
unit will configure your PC so that you can
now connect to the Net. We will use the Glo
3G Plus broadband device to demonstrate
how to connect to the Internet.
Follow these steps to connect to the Net

1. Plug the broadband hardware device onto any of
your PCs USB ports.
2. Double-click its icon to display the screen shown

3. Click the button Connect to connect to the
Internet. Notice that the button Connect
changes to Disconnect. You should click this
button when you are done and want to
disconnect.
4. Open your Browser (by clicking its icon on the
task bar or double-clicking the icon on the
desktop) to start browsing, emailing, chatting,
down loading, etc.


Now that you are connected, then you can
avail yourself of the uses of the web:

ELECTRONIC MAIL
Electronic mail is a mail that is sent through electronic means on the internet. It is
a quick way of sending messages to people and is practically replacing the Postal
Service.
Email Account and Email Address To send and receive emails, you will need to
have an email account and an email address. Email addresses are always written in
a standard format that includes
Username
@ (at) symbol
email provider's domain

The username is the name you choose to identify yourself and the email providers
domain is the organization (website) that hosts your email account. The following
is an example of email address:

ngeneson2012@yahoo.com
The username is ngeneson2012 while the domain name is yahoo.com.

EMAIL PROVIDERS

You set up and access email account with
Email providers through the user-friendly
email apps on your mobile devices. The top
three Email providers are Yahoo, Microsoft's
Hotmail, and Google's Gmail.


Creating a Yahoo E-mail Account

You can create an email account with any of the
email providers. Here we will demonstrate creating
an email account with Yahoo.
Launch your Web browser






In the Browsers address bar type the URL for Yahoo,
http://mail.yahoo.com or just yahoo.com and press
Enter key to display the email login and signup Web
page

BEYOND E-MAIL Social Networking

Facebook is a social networking site that lets you to
connect with friends, join groups and share
interests.

SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT AND CREATING A PROFILE

Before you can use Facebook, you must create an
account. Creating a Facebook account is much
the same way as creating Email account. All you
need is an email address.
While you might use a screen name or nickname
in your email address, you should sign up on
Facebook with your real name. Since Facebook is
for connecting with people you already know,
using your real name will make it easier for them
to find and trust you.

FACEBOOK CHAT AND INSTANT MESSAGING

Both chat and instant messaging are ways to
communicate instantly on the net. Online chat is
when you communicate with someone (that you
may not have seen) or a community of people
with similar interests. Instant messaging is when
you communicate one-to-one, usually with
someone you know. A discussion group,
newsgroup, or a forum is where you can trade
non-instant messages with other members and
they reply at their own schedule, and do not
need to be present while you are sending.

Facebook lets you see which of your Friends are online at the same time you
are so you can have conversation with them in real time. Follow these steps
to start a chat session in Facebook:

1. Locate and click on the Chat bar at the bottom left of your
window. The Online Friends window will open and display a list
of your Friends who are currently online.
2. Check your Friend's Chat status.
A green circle indicates that a Friend is active on Facebook and
available to chat.
A gray semi-circle indicates that a Friend is idle on Facebook
and may not respond to a chat.


3. Select a Friend and a Chat window will appear.
To begin your chat, type a message in the space
at the bottom and press enter to send. Your
conversation will be recorded and displayed in
the space above.
4. When you are done, click to close.


BROWSING THE WEB
Web Browsers


Your web browser software gives you access
to web pages on the Internet. The two most
popular browsers that presently dominate the
market are Microsoft Internet Explorer and
Mozilla Firefox.

THE BROWSER INTERFACE

Launch your browser. The browser will open
with the default home page displayed in the
Content Area.


To visit a web site, you type the URL or address
of the site inside the address bar and then click
the arrow in the address bar, or you press the
Enter key.
The browser now contacts the specified site
and displays the sites Home page.

These pages of a web site are connected by
links called "hypertext". Unlike the physical
text book where one page follows the other in
sequence, web pages do not follow the other
in sequence. You get to the different pages of
the site by clicking links. Links are usually in
color and underlined. The mouse pointer
changes to the shape of a hand if it is moved
over a link. When you click a link, the browser
displays the page that corresponds to this link.
Moving from one page to another by clicking
hypertext links is what is known as "browsing
or surfing the web".

SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION ON THE NET
Search engines, and Search strategies
Search engines are programs that search the
web for specified keywords and return a list of
the documents where the keywords were
found. There are numerous search engines
available, but the most popular ones are
Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

PERFORMING A SEARCH

When you first launch your browser, it displays
the Goggle/Firefox home page.
To begin search, you type the phrase you want
to search inside the Goggle search bar or in
the Browsers search bar and click Search.
Your browser will display a web page which
now displaces the Goggle/Firefox home page.
Subsequent search will now be by typing the
phrase inside the Browsers search bar. Many
browsers have a built-in search bar, located to
the right of the address bar.

Search with specific key or phrase Depending on the
search phrase that you type your search result may or may
not produce good result. Remember, the search engine
can't read your mind; it just looks for words that match
your search phrase. For example, if you search for the word
polish, the search engine doesn't know whether you're
looking for shoe polish, people that speak Polish, or a
history of the Polish language! Your search result will
include pages that contain information on all of these.
You can improve your search results by searching for shoe
polish. However, that still may return a wide variety of web
sites, such as:
- Stores that sell shoe polish
- Guides on how to polish shoes
- The history of shoe polish
- and probably much more

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WEB

The Internet is indeed spectacular, but as the saying
goes, "Behind every silver lining, there is cloud"
There are several problems associated with the
Internet.
Invasion of Privacy/Theft of Personal Information
The web opens the world to everyone. If you use
the Internet for online banking, social networking
or other services, you may risk a theft to your
personal information etc. Unscrupulous people can
access this information through unsecured
connections or by planting software and then use
your personal details for their benefit.

Internet Addiction Addiction is "an out-of-control
behavior that threatens to overwhelm the addict's
normal life." Some people are getting addicted to
the internet and this is causing problems in their
interactions with friends and loved ones.
You can start surfing, and then realize youve taken
far more time than you had wished.

Internet Activism Internet activism is the use of
electronic communication technologies such as
Email, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for various
forms of activism. These sites were used by certain
classes of protesters to organize the political
revolutions in Egypt. Internet activism is most
notably practiced by rebels in the Arab Spring.

Pornography Pornography is perhaps the biggest
disadvantage of the Internet. Internet allows you
to access and download millions of pornographic
photos, videos. Such unrestricted access to porn
can be detrimental for children and teenagers. It
can even cause havoc in marital and social lives of
adults.
Social Disconnect People now only meet on social
networks. More and more people are getting
engulfed in virtual world. Even children prefer to
play online games rather than going out and
mingling with other kids. This may hamper a
healthy social development in children.

Communication with unsavory individuals.
Children and youths can easily engage in
communication with unsavory individuals and
put themselves in peril. They can be lured to join
clandestine groups
Virus Threat and Spam Internet users are often
plagued by virus attacks on their systems.
Computers connected to the Internet are very
prone to virus attacks and may end up crashing.
Spam is an unsolicited e-mail, which provide no
purpose and obstructs the entire system.

Such can be very frustrating for you as it makes
your Internet slower and less reliable.

There is a lot of wrong information on the
internet. Anyone can post anything, and much of
it is garbage. Verify information got from the Net
There are predators that hang out on the
internet with a lot of "cheater" sites carrying out
a lot of unscrupulous businesses.


THE BIG QUESTION : HOW DOES IT
CONCERN YOU

The Web is rapidly becoming a part of our daily
lives. There is no doubt the Internet is a
wondrous creation. The entire society is rapidly
becoming obsessed with it. Almost everything we
do these days has a link with the Net; from
payment of school fees, registration of courses,
checking of results, payment of bills, applying for
jobs, hotel reservations, banking transactions to
applying for Visas etc. Many examinations these
days are conducted online. Schoolchildren can
receive help with homework, investors can keep
track of stocks, sports scores and statistics are
just a click away for fans.


Certainly, a time will be when you cant imagine
living without the Web - no email, no access to
breaking news, no up to the minute weather
reports, no way to shop online, meet new people
from different towns, cities or countries, no way
of instant messaging, etc.? Definitely you can't.
The question therefore is what should one do in
the face of Web revolution
Your answer is good as mine.

Become ICT compliant Become part of the change.
Join the train or you become part of the rail track.
When you become ICT compliant and begin to avail
yourself of the benefits of the Web you will wonder
how you had lived your life without the Web.

Grow with Your kids Parents should at all times try
to know what their kids are doing. They can only
know this by being their friends. But is it easy to
catch up with their pace?

In conclusion, the Internet has the potential to make
your life better and convenient, as well as wreak
havoc in your life.
Its influence is dictated by you. Truly, new
technologies seem to wage war against the
culture they meet with, but technology
shouldnt bear the blame for our naivety.
The blame for misusing it should go to the
people. It must be recognized that ICT is not
changing what we do. Rather, they are changing
the way we do it!" So, Internet is a boon and
not detrimental? The society should embrace
the pluses and search for ways to alleviate or
possibly eliminate the minuses.