Unit 2:

Introduction to The Internet &

Email

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this unit you will be able to:

use the internet to search for information

define internet terminology and concepts

compare different web browsers

differentiate among internet search tools

identify internet search tools

Identify hardware and software requirements for setting up an internet connection.

use email as a communication tool

setup a newsgroup

The Internet
The internet is a global network of
computers ,these computers are
connected to one another via a
system of intricate connections. Any
one computer can be connected to
another computer via any number
of possible network paths, these
ensures that a computer does not
rely on only one or two connections
to connect to others but a vast
number of connections.
The internet was initially designed
for the US department of Defense
by a host of university acade3mics
and researchers, today it has
become a popular mode of
communication for many people
around the world.
The internet has a host of services
that make it popular, one of these
services that we shall discuss in the
next slide is the world wide web or
simply just the THE WEB

A simplified model of a computer network such as the

internet.
Source:

http://robert.accettura.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/03/20090301_history_of_the_internet.gif

The World Wide Web

The world wide web is a collection of linked pages, these pages are
contained on networked computers known as webservers, the pages can
contain information on a variety of topics, from cooking to painting, from
relationship advice to tips on how to land that perfect job.
These pages are viewed or accessed with a piece of software known as a
browser.
The world wide web was initially invented by Sir Tim Berners Lee with
Robert Calliau

For more information on the world

wide web click here

Web Browsers
Web browsers (Mozilla, Internet Explorer,Chrome,Opera)
Web browser enable you to view pages on the world wide web, there are
several browser on the
market however the most popular by far is Internet Explorer, other
popular browsers (in no
particular order) are Mozilla Firefox, Google
Chrome/Chromium and Opera. Below are the
icons for this different
browsers.

Internet Explorer

Mozilla Firefox

Opera

Google Chrome

For a review of the most popular browsers click here

The Home Page

The home page refers to the first page that you arrive at when you visit a certain site if
you visit the web address www.google.com the url will be the page that you see below,
please note that some websites do not have static pages, these means that the home
pages change constantly from day to day, week to week and month to month.

The Google home page

Home Pages
If you visit the web address www.polytechnic.edu.na today and
again a month from now you will notice that the content has
changed.

The Polytechnic of Namibia website home page

URLs
URLs or uniforms resource locator's are basically web addresses
that guide us to access resources that we want to access on the
world wide web.
Each URL has the following main parts, let us look at the
Polytechnic of Namibia url and identify the different parts:

http://www.polytechnic.edu.na
http -protocol used
www.polytechnic.edu.na -name of the webserver containing
the website

For more information on urls click here

ISPs
To connect to the internet and subsequently the world wide web you need a service
provider or
most specifically an internet service provider. Internet service providers
connect you to the internet by giving you access to the internet connection through which
you connect to the internet, theoretically the rent a part of their internet connection to
you at a set and agreed upon fee.

Below are some internet providers in no particular order:

MTC

Telecom Namibia

Internet
Technologies
Namibia

Africa Online

ISP
Each service provider has different service offerings for each one of
their clients that enables
each client to connect to the world wide
web. Costs are determined according to the service and
the speed
of that particular offering. To view the options available and the
different cost structures please visit the individual website for each
service provider.
To find out more about the different service offering for internet, visit
the websites of the providers shown below:
www.africaonline.com.na/
www.telecom.na/
www.mtc.com.na/

Discussion 1
Some governments believe that a government can be a very effective
service provider of internet services, in some cases there is a push to
make governments the sole internet services provider, what are your
views on this.
Click on the image to go online on the LMS to provide your
opinion on the discussion forum

Book Marks
Bookmarks are a handy way of storing website information for a
particular website for future
retrieval. To create a bookmark follow the following easy steps.
NOTE that we will be using
Mozilla Firefox for this.

1) Open the page that you want to bookmark

2) Hit the following keys CTRL+D
3) A dialogue box will appear
4) Enter a name for the bookmark
5) Save the bookmark
Alternatively click on Bookmarks on the
Menu and click on Bookmark this page

Book Marks Discussion

Bookmarks cont

Top open a created bookmark click on bookmarks on the menu a list will
display showing all the created bookmarks, you will be able to see the
bookmark that you created.
Why are browser bookmarks similar to real life bookmarks, the ones used to
mark a page in a book?

Click on the image to go onto the LMS

and discuss this question with your
peers

Search Engines
Search engines enable you to search for information on the world wide web, much of the
information on the world wide web is not organised in a central place, as such you have to
search for it. The easiest way to search for information is to use search engines such as
Google, Bing or Yahoo. There are many other search engines but we shall not look at all of
them here.

Bing Search

Google Search

Yahoo search

Searching for information

To search for information navigate to the appropriate search engine:

either...

www.google.com
www.yahoo.com

or

www.bing.com

each site has a search window into which search terms can be
entered, for this demonstration we shall use the Google search service.

Searching for information

Type your search term in the search window

Searching for information

Choose the item that you want to search for by clicking on the options,
you can search for images by clicking on images, news by clicking on
news or the default search which will search for the term that you
have entered across the Internet.

Searching for information

Enter
what
you
want to
search
for here

Once you are done, click on search (the blue button with the icon of a
microscope at the top of the page) to commence the search or
alternatively hit to the enter key to start the search.

Searching for information

The window above will be displayed, this particular window is showing images only
because we selected images at the top of the page.

Remember that you can change the results that are displayed by selecting whatever you
want to search for at the top of the search window.

We can also refine our search by using operators, to find out more about this consult the
e-book, page 71

Downloading
Sometimes we might want to save images that are found in a web search
or on a website, follow the following easy steps to save an image.

1) Right click on the image

2) Select save as
3) Choose a name for the image
4) Choose a location for the image
5) Select save to save the image

Downloading
To print a saved image follow the following steps:

1) Open the image

2) Image should open in Photo viewer
3) Click on print on the menu
4) Select print
5) Click on print at the bottom of the window

Downloading
To retrieving downloaded images and files
1.

2.

Click on the arrow on the far right top corner of your

browser and a list of the downloaded files will
Show/display.
Click on the file you want and select open containing
folder.

Electronic Mail
Another useful service available on the worldwide web is e-mail or
electronic mail. Electronic mail allows you to send electronic messages
quickly to people all over the world.

E-mail makes communication easier and convenient, it also makes it

possible for us to keep track of important messages that we might want
to record as evidence in the future

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For more information on e-mail click here jump to
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Email Etiquette
Before we start talking about e-mail there are a few key points that we
have to note, these are basic rules or points to remember. Remember
when you were learning to write letters in school,

your teacher told

you to write neatly and clearly, to construct your sentences properly

and so forth. Well before we can start using e-mail we need to note
that there are certain rules on how to use e-mail effectively. Take note
of the following basic rules.

Email Etiquette
1. Take Another Look Before You Send a Message - Email Etiquette Rule
Don't send anything you don't want to send.

2. Do Not Default to "Reply All" - Email Etiquette Rule

"Reply" is good. "Reply to All" is better. Right?

3. Keep Emails Short - Email Etiquette Rule

Do not intimidate recipients with too much text

Email Etiquette
7. When in Doubt, Send Plain Text Email, Not Rich HTML - Email Etiquette
Rule
Not everybody can receive your fancily formatted emails. Some may even
react furious. To be safe rather than sorry, send plain text emails only
when in doubt.

8. Don't Forward Hoaxes - Email Etiquette Rule

Email hoaxes often contain stories that are intriguing, and sure to irritate.
Here's how to spot and stop urban legends.

9. Use Antivirus Software, Keep Up to Date, Scan for Free - Email Etiquette
Rule
Make sure you're not spreading worms and viruses via email or act as a
vehicle for spreading spam. All this can be caused by malicious emails.
Fortunately, there's protection.

Email Etiquette
10. Explain Why You Think What You Forward Will Interest the Recipient Etiquette
More and better communication makes better relationships. Here's a
way to spot and share relevant information and foster ties by forwarding
emails and links.

11. Do Let People Know Their Mail Has Been Received - Email Etiquette
Rule
Did the spam filter eat my message? Spare others this nagging question
and let them know you got their email.

12. Ask Before You Send Huge Attachments - Email Etiquette Rule
Don't clog email systems without permission.

Email Etiquette
13. Talk About One Subject per Email Message Only - Email Etiquette Rule
Help make the world less confusing. Try to talk about one subject per
message only. For another subject, start a new email.

14. Punctuation Matters; in Emails Too - Email Etiquette Rule

Comma, colon, hyphen and semicolon all exist for a reason: they make
it easier to understand the intended meaning of a sentence. Don't make
life more difficult and possibly less interesting for the recipients of your
emails. Pay some though not too pedantically much attention to
punctuation.

15. Use Acronyms Sparingly - Email Etiquette Rule

DYK? Not everybody knows every acronym, and they don't save that
much time anyway.

Email Etiquette
16. Resize Pictures to Handy Proportions for Emails - Email Etiquette Rule
When your photos look good in your email, you look good, too! Here's how to make
sure your images are not larger than screens and mailboxes by resizing them in
style online and for free.

17. Writing in All Caps is Like Shouting - Email Etiquette Rule

Don't shout in your emails (and all caps is so difficult to read).

18. Be Careful with Irony in Emails - Email Etiquette Rule

No, really! I mean it. Honestly!

E-mail Etiquette
19. Catch Typos by Printing Your Emails - Email Etiquette Rule
You can often find typos or misplaced commas neither your spelling checker nor
you yourself catch when proofreading on the screen.

20. Avoid Embarrassing Emails - Email Etiquette Rule

Avoid embarrassing emails by sending them to yourself only (by default).

21. Set Your System Clock Right - Email Etiquette Rule

Make sure you don't send messages from 1981.

Email Etiquette
22. In Doubt, End Emails with "Thanks" - Email Etiquette Rule
If you don't know how to say good-bye at the end of an email, there's one thing that
will almost always be appropriate. Thanks.

23. Where to Put Your Signature - Email Etiquette Rule

Without a line sub-scripted "sign here", how do you decide where to place your
email signature? Look here.

24. Wondering "How to Put That in Writing", Write "That" - Email Etiquette Rule
Tell it like it is. Have you notices how people who you understand perfectly well
when you listen to them become cryptic when they start writing?

25. Compress Files Before Sending Them via Email - Email Etiquette Rule
Smaller is more beautiful, at least when it comes to email attachments. So make
files smaller before your send them via email.

26. Avoid "Me Too" Messages - Email Etiquette Rule

"Me too" is not enough content, but too much annoyance.

Discussion 2

SMS is similar to e-mail in many ways, do you

think there should there be official rules for
SMS?

Sending Messages
Okay now that we have covered the rules its time to start e-mailing. Note
that you will have to
set up an e-mail account before we can proceed
with this section. If you do not have a e-mail
account please visit the
following URL to set up one.

mail.google.com

Click on create an account at the top of the page to set up a new

account

1. Type the url

stated

2. Click on
proceed

Sending Messages

The google mail signup window

Proceed to enter your information, please read the detailed

instructions, if you are struggling to set up the account please get
in touch with your tutor.

Sending Messages
When you have completed the process you will be directed to the
window below, now our work can begin.

Messages
are
displayed
here

Sending Messages
Note that you might have received a message welcoming you to the service, to read these
messages click on a message subject to read it

To send a new message click on compose in the top right hand corner of the message
window, the window below will be displayed.

Sending Messages
As you can see in the compose window there are several fields, let us
look at each one quickly:

The first one is the to: field enter the address of the person to
whom you are sending the message.
The second field is the cc: field enter a secondary e-mail in this
field if you want to copy another recipient in the message.
The third field is the bcc: field enter e-mail addresses that you do
not want to be seen by other recipients in this field.
The fourth field is the subject: field enter the subject of the
message in this field.

Once you have entered your email addresses and the subject of the
message, enter the actual message in the white area below the subject
field.

Sending Messages
Now we need to refer to our rules discussed earlier in this unit, the message
window is shown below

Sending Messages
Once you are done with the message you can click on send in the
bottom left hand corner, your message will be send.

Click on sent mail on the left top corner to view the send message again.
Remember that copies of sent messages are kept in this folder and can
be viewed later.

Click on Inbox to return to the Inbox

Attachments
Sometimes you might want to append or attach a document to the
message that you are sending, to do this you can click on compose to
start a new message

Attachments cont
Click on the paper clip icon/image at the bottom of the window ( bottom
left hand corner) the
window shown below will appear, please note
that the window might not be exactly the same on your computer but
the keywords will be the same.

Attachments cont
Select the location of the document that you want to attach/append
on the left, once you have selected the location the files available or
saved in that location will be shown in the file

window in the middle

of the window.
Once you find the file click on it and click open, gmail will attach the
document, proceed to send your message. If you are having
problems attaching files or mastering e-mail please get in touch
with your tutor.

Outlook, creating and tweaking appointments

We trust that you enjoyed the section on e-mail, remember to get in
touch with you tutor if there

are any sections that are not clear to you.

In the next section we will look at another application that can also be
used to send and receive

e-mails if you are working in a big corporation

you might be using it to send e-mails. We will

not be using it to send e-

mails however, we will be using it to create appointment by using the

calendar feature. This program is known as outlook. Outlook can be used
as an electronic diary to record our appointments and remind us of the
important ones, its a very handy program to install.

Outlook cont
To open outlook follow the following steps:

start-all programs-microsoft office-microsoft outlook 2007

The window below will be shown, click next...

Outlook cont
...the window below will be shown click No and click on next

Outlook cont
The following window will be displayed

Click on Continue with no e-mail support and

click finish

Outlook cont
The window below will be shown

Outlook cont
Click on Calender on the left hand side, the window below will be
shown

Outlook cont
Lets jump to work right away by creating an appointment. To create an
appointment, first we need to select the date for our appointment on
the calender shown on the left, next we click on the time on the middle
of the window, we can then start typing the appointment.

Outlook cont
To extend the time for a specific appointment we can move our cursor to
the 09h30 mark, hold in the mouse button and pull it to the 10h00
line/mark

Outlook cont
We can also set alarms and reminders for our appointment by double
clicking on the appointment/text. We can also change the duration of
the appointment and the urgency of this particular appointment.

Outlook cont

We can also configure our appointments to

reoccur by clicking on recurrence and selecting
the correct settings

Click on
Recurrence

Select
settings

Outlook cont
You need to save and close your
appointment after editing it.

Outlook Cont
Finally we can delete the appointment if we see no need for it anymore,
to delete the appointment right click on the appointment and select
delete