Dot-ComTom's Internet Basics LESSON ONE Dot Com Tom Greeting AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET In the 1990s, time is more critical than ever. There just never seems to be enough time to do all we need or want to accomplish. When it comes to information, the Internet (frequently referred to as the Information Superhighway, The 'Net, or The World Wide Web) can provide a partial solution to this time problem. Whether you need a last-minute recipe or the latest software driver, the information you want is probably sitting there just waiting for you on the Internet. Who hasnt seen the TV commercial by now, that beckons, "Where in the world do you want to go today?" Keeping in touch with friends, relatives and colleagues has never been easier --or more economical. Imagine talking (literally) with a friend 5,000 miles away on a LOCAL call! We know someone who routinely communicates from California to Saudi Arabia with NO toll charges. Truly, the world IS a smaller place, thanks in great part, to the Internet. So there you are in Podunk, staring at your computer screen, knowing you have the ability to communicate with 50 MILLION other computers all over the world. You pause, cross your arms, look reflectively into the air and notice... TONS of spider webs on the ceiling (if you have been "surfing" instead of house cleaning maybe you now know why they call it the "web"). As this brief diversion passes, your mind goes back to the Internet and you begin wondering how it all got started? ____________________________________________________ A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTERNET OOPS! I MEAN A SHORT HISTORY OF THE INTERNET The Internet started in the late 1960s as a project of the Department of Defense (DOD). It was an experiment to link together the DOD and military contractors. The basic idea was that if several computers (very large computers, of course) had the ability to pass the same information back and forth, the system would be more secure should it ever come under attack. That is, even if one computer was disabled, the others would still have ALL of the information. Soon researchers and others saw the value of such a "network." Particularly interested were researchers at colleges and universities who saw the value of being able to share research data among colleagues. Soon this network was broken into two parts; one for military sites and one for non-military sites. These two networks remained connected, however, by a method referred to as IP (Internet Protocol). One could say that this was the actual beginning of what is now known as the Internet. I In the 1980s, with the advent of the desktop computer, smaller networks (groups of desktop computers) were added to the Internet. The common language of these computers was, and remains, UNIX. Think of UNIX as a text program which runs easily on simple computers, like the ones you used to see in the company secretarial pool with the "burned-in" green screens! OOP's, I'm sorry if I just described your CURRENT workstation With so many computers now linked together and traffic moving slower and slower, the government intervened and decided to add several "supercomputers." An example of the futility of this bigger-faster approach, is recalling a time when I lived in Southern California. I remember the never-ending widening of the freeways. I used to believe that if a freeway was widened from four lanes to six lanes that the traffic would surely move much faster. Boy, was I mistaken. The simple formula was: more lanes (no pun intended), more cars, same speed! The growth of the Internet has been similar. Unfortunately, the "supercomputers" were not that effective, and some didnt even work. More networks were added to the Internet as more and more people saw the value of "interconnectivity" that the Internet provided. The Internet had now grown, fueled more and more by commercial and private companies. Between 1990 and 1993 the Internet reached critical mass and exponential growth occurred. You network marketers will be familiar with these terms, for the rest of you, it went from not very many to a whole bunch! Simply stated, the Internet went from approximately 50,000 users to over 2,000,000! Today, just four years later the best guess places the number at 50 MILLION! A very important fact: In 1995, all government ownership of the Internet was sold. The Internet today is a "commercial" network consisting of literally thousands upon thousands of smaller networks based all over the world. Now, anyone with a computer, a phone line, and a modem can be connected to this incredible network of millions of computers (and people), known simply as the Internet. You uncross your arms, pull your chair a little closer to the desk, gaze wonderingly at the computer screen, and contemplate Finally, you ask the obvious ____________________________________________________ WHAT IS THE INTERNET? One definition is that "the Internet is simply a network of networks, linked by phone lines, speaking a common language," thats right, you remember... UNIX. (Actually, its a little more complicated than that, and there are more computer languages than UNIX alone, but this understanding will serve for our basics class). Now, if I were to tell you the one thing that I believe gave the Internet the meteoric growth we learned about earlier, it was the advent of graphics. It could be argued that Microsoft Windows (tm) revolutionized the home computer, and made Bill Gates a gazzillionare. Graphics transformed computers from screens full of text, (do you believe that you could actually get sick if you stared at green or orange letters long enough?) to a screen full of little pictures (icons). WOW!! The Internet was similarly transformed when UNIX was made graphical. Do not ask me how this was/is accomplished (turning text into pictures). I only know that it works. In fact, if you e-mail with that specific question, "how does UNIX convert text into graphics?" you will get my autoresponse... "Incredibly!!" Before the Internet, one of my passions was ham radio. (Good grief, how many passions does this guy have)? I learned just enough electronics to pass the test for each new grade of license. My goal was to talk to people. I didnt care how the radio did it, I just knew how cool it was talking to someone 8,000 miles away from my den. Ive taken pretty much the same approach to the Internet. And now, unlike ham radio, instead of taking tests, Im giving them! Is this a great Internet or what? Again, defining the Internet in simple terms, especially with the commercial changes in recent years, is difficult. But, probably the reason you and I are here today (and not 20 years ago) is summed up in one word - graphics. The simple truth is that text is boring and graphics are fun. Doubt this? Tell me the first thing that comes into your mind when you think of "text book," (hint: a book full of text). Graphics make it possible for us to use the Internet without having to learn useless terms that mean nothing to anyone but computer "nerds." Boy, that sure got the attention of those loyal DOS users (nerds) in the back of the class! Remember our earlier look at the history of the Internet and how it suddenly went from thousands of users to millions? It was the advent of computer graphics that greatly influenced this tremendous growth, along with the commercial changes previously discussed. I have a hundred or more computer books here in my library, less than 10% have no graphics (pictures). Graphics make learning easier. You've all heard that one picture "is worth a thousand words." No where is this more obvious than the World Wide Web. Hey, speaking of graphics... Time for Recess California Beef Jerky Ad ____________________________________________________ WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE WORLD WIDE WEB? The World Wide Web was developed in 1991 by CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. (For those who are using the Study Guide, I promise that will NOT be one of the final test questions). Originally the Web was a simple way for people to exchange information. In 1993 students and faculty at the University of Illinois developed the first "graphical" browser, Mosaic. Now the Internet was ready for the world. People,even the common garden variety like the instructor and students in the Dot Com Tom Internet Basics class, can now log onto the Internet, "point and click," and decide where in the world they want to go! OK, let's put this knowledge to practical use. Whenever you see underlined blue text (even in e-mail) it means you can just "point and click" and be mysteriously transported a new place. Tell me Captain Kirk wouldn't have killed for this! The underlined text is called a "hyperlink." You must all have a basic understanding of this concept as you were able to find our site and register for the class using hyperlinks. Nevertheless, let's try this experiment together (yes, I have an ulterior motive. I'm just dying to show off one of the pictures from my wallet). We try to avoid the term "click here" on our web site, The LION, but will everyone please click here to see my pride and joy. Welcome back. I'm going to check our "hit log" in the next few days to see how many of you were able to successfully "snarf" that picture for yourself. We will be discussing the whole concept of snarfing in a future lesson. In this example you hyperlinked to a Web address which was a separate Web page on the same same computer, at the same Web site. A Web site is simply two or more Web pages linked together on the same computer. The Web address you went to was http://www.tomark-et.com/pride.htm . We could just have easily hyperlinked to an address in Australia or Zambia, or anywhere in between. The trip would have probably taken a few seconds longer as we were passed from computer to computer, like a baton in a relay race, until we arrived at our ultimate destination. Some of you would have gotten impatient and left. Remember our earlier discussion about the value of time --even nano seconds are important to some of us!! Interestingly, I am in Northern California linked to the Internet by an Internet access provider about two miles away. The LION, our Web site where these lessons are stored is in New Jersey with a back up in Florida, and you are in ... Again, all of this was made possible by students in a University in Illinois, just four short years ago. With the Web now created within the Internet it was only a matter of time until some idiot (probably from here in California) yelled, "Surf's Up!" The researchers, by this time, knew their "baby" had now grown into a full-fledged teenager! Now, it turns out that even some of the researchers regularly "surf the Web." They are easy to pick out. They are the ones surfing in the white smocks with real live mice sticking out of their pockets. When we get to the lesson on e-mail I will show you how to read a "heading" to give you some idea of the number of computers a simple e-mail goes through to get from one destination to another. So one could argue that the Internet had its real beginning (for the masses) in 1993 with the advent of Mosaic, the first graphical browser. By the middle of 1994 there were more than 3 million computers linked together forming the Internet. And while Mosaic has, for the most part, given way to faster and slicker Netscape Navigator(tm) and Microsoft Explorer(tm), it will forever be remembered as the original electronic surf board. The Web browser allows all of us see things in the same color and style (well, kind of). It actually does much more than this (I wonder how many people just tried hyperlinking on that underlined black lettering)? This is why I use almost no underlining in the lessons, except when I actually want you to hyperlink to another location (like our 8,000 CD-ROMS & Videos). Still don't understand all these Web terms? That's OK, we will look at the Web in greater detail in lesson two, with an emphasis on Web Browsers. At this point in the class you should have a simple but clear understanding of how the Internet came to be and how it has changed dramatically in just the past 3-4 years. You should understand that the World Wide Web is a part of the Internet, and that a Web browser makes it possible for computers speaking many different languages to communicate in a common format so that we all see and hear basically the same thing when we go from site to site via hyperlinks. I'm glad you've come this far, albeit that we have only just left the starting line. You've gotten to know a little about me through this lesson, and I would love to hear from you. Any comments you want to make about lesson one are welcomed. I have provided an e-mail hyperlink at the bottom of the page just for that purpose. I REALLY want you to learn! I will do anything within reason to help YOU get the most you can out of the Internet, my new pride and joy! 'Til next time, Dot Com Tom ---------- LESSON TWO Dot Com Tom Greeting GREETINGS Welcome to Lesson Two. OK, sit up straight. Pull up your chair. Tilt the monitor a little to get rid of the glare. Perfect! Let's get connected... INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs) In lesson two we will be spending most of our time discussing Web Browsers, which we touched on briefly in lesson one. Before we do that however, I would first like to discuss the subject of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These are also referred to as Internet Access Providers. An ISP is the company you pay each month to connect you to the Internet. Most (possibly all) of you use a paid ISP; the exception being those who may have Internet access through a school or library. The reason I want to discuss the subject, at least briefly, is that I know some of you may not have found the best ISP available in your area. Maybe you didn't know you had a choice. Faster, easier, and more reliable Internet connection WILL increase your enjoyment (and your productivity - saving those precious nano seconds), every time you log onto the Net! I have personally changed ISPs five times over the past three years, trying to find the best one for me. I found such a company about 12 months ago. With this company, I have direct Internet access. That is, I do not go through an online service provider such as America Online, Prodigy, or Microsoft Network. My connection is now WAY faster than when I was using an online service, which for me makes my whole Internet experience way cool! (That lingo was for the benefit of my children who are enrolled in the class - don't want them to think me too much an old stuffed shirt). I was reminded of this generational difference (baby boomer vs. generation x'ers) the other day at the music shop. While they were all checking out the latest "Cranberries" CD, I was frantically looking under the letter "P" for something new by the "Prunes." I thought I was bound to find something, but to no avail... (The humor will be wasted if I have to explain that to any of you!!) Seriously, for the benefit of those who are new to the Internet, it is important to point out the differences between the "online services" (such as America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe) and direct access providers, both of which are considered ISPs. Not long ago, it could be argued that the online services were much more expensive. However, in recent months the largest of the online service providers, America Online, has gone from hourly billing (pay by the minute whenever you are online) to unlimited monthly billing (pay a flat monthly rate, no matter how many hours you are online). Simply put, If you are presently paying over $19.95/month for unlimited Internet access, or if you are paying by the hour, you should investigate other local ISPs in your area. Feel free to e-mail me if you are looking for an ISP. I now have an extensive list of ISPs for about 80% of the U.S., most of which are participating in a program in which local education receives a portion of your monthly access charge. The primary considerations in choosing (or changing from) an ISP are: 1. Service - It doesn't really matter what the price is if your provider is not reliable. How often do you get a busy signal? How responsive are they when you have a problem? How often do they go off the air? What kind of connection do they have? Do they care about each individual subscriber? 2. Cost- Certainly one consideration is whether or not the access provider is a local phone call. Even if the access provider has a flat monthly fee with unlimited usage, toll charges (at up to .25/minute) can add up to a pretty large bill by the end of the month. Another consideration is speed. As we start 1997, the modem standard is 28.8K for Internet connection. If you have to connect at a slower speed it will take you more time to accomplish the same things. As well, more and more Web sites (like The LION) are set up for 28.8K viewing. We have many graphics and sounds on our site to increase the enjoyment for our visitors. However, if you are sitting there twiddling your thumbs while the flag flutters or the globe revolves (but the screen remains blank) your enjoyment of the Internet will be severely limited. I can imagine a computer or two fluttering... across the room! This the result of having to wait those precious nano minutes! 3. Extras - What does your ISP provide? Do you get software that will enable you to browse the Web (the primary topic of this lesson)? Do they help you get hooked up? What if you have a problem, do they provide FREE service? If you have a particular browser that you like (i.e. Netscape Navigator) will it work with their system? My point is simply that your first ISP, whether it is an online provider or a direct access provider, does not have to be your only choice. Even with my direct connection, I now pay half of what I did just six months ago ($12.00/month vs. $24.95/month for unlimited use). My advice - shop around. You may find that there is a much better Internet service provider right there in your backyard. Want to see what is available in your area? E-mail me. Just put "Need ISP" in the subject line. I will provide you a list of ISP's in your local area. I know this one tip alone is going to save many of you the entire cost of this FREE class! mailto:dot-com-tom@tomark-et.com Now that we are all connected, lets browse some new material. ____________________________________________________ WEB BROWSERS The Internet, or Information Superhighway, is FILLED with information. With hundreds of thousands of computer networks connected, consider the TONS (well, e-tons) of information available!! It really is mind boggling if you think about it. Here is a little exercise I did in preparation for this lesson, just to demonstrate how much information is available via the Internet. I went to a search engine (program that searches the Internet for the information you request), and did a search on, of all things, the word hot dog. I tried this little experiment using WebCrawler as my search engine. (By the way, we will spend an entire lesson on search engines in a few weeks). I was informed that there were 73,915 documents with the words hot and/or dog! Man, I just wanted a hot dog! To refine my search, (we'll get into these techniques in detail in our lesson on search engines), I put the two words in quotes; "hot dog." Now I only received the hyperlinks of documents that had the word hot dog (eliminated all the "hots" and all the "dogs"). Great, that's more like it. Now we are down to just 515! Folks, if there are 515 documents that deal with hot dogs, it has to make you wonder just how much information there is on the Internet!! Oh, by the way, in my search I found Free Hot Dogs, I couldn't resist. I went for it. I will share my good fortune. Go ahead, get a free hot dog for yourself! $49 Web Page _________________________________ Do we agree, there is a LOT of information on the Internet? I honestly did not know there was such a thing as a fat free hot dog. I mean, this is information I can use! I'm inspired. Let's do a class sing! Come on don't be shy... All together now, "My balogna has a first name, ....it's O - S - C..." Being able to find HUGE amounts of information (even about hot dogs) is part of the interest in the Internet, but perhaps only a small part. More significant is being able to find, view, and make use of this information. The World Wide Web makes this possible. It bears repeating that the Web is a part of the Internet. Everyone in this class is utilizing the Web because that is where you found our site. There are, however, a number of Internet activities that you could do outside of the Web. You could e-mail a friend (covered in lesson 3), participate in a newsgroup or subscribe to a mailing list (lesson 4), or you could do something really constructive; download the latest shareware version of DOOM! (lesson 5). You could do all of these activities WITHOUT the Web. But why would you, since ALL of these features are now included in most browsers? As we have already learned, all of you have a Web browser as part of your Internet software. Your Web browser is the Internet software that makes it possible for you to view and use the World Wide Web portion of the Internet. You either have a browser of someone else's choosing (for example, an online service), or the browser your local ISP included within their software. Maybe you have purchased a Web browser from the local computer store, or just maybe you have a browser, like Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.01, that you downloaded for free off the Internet itself! A good Web browser makes it possible to search (surf, navigate) the Internet without having to memorize lengthy and meaningless addresses and filenames that UNIX and TCP/IP (see lesson one) need to operate. ____________________________________________________ WE ALL GET HYPER I don't know about all of you, but I cannot start the day with a cup of coffee (or ten). Just mentioning this has probably caused some of you to immediately lose your train of thought. Instead of browse, you're thinking brew(s). So, why don't we take a quick break, grab a fresh cup of coffee, and then we'll all get a little hyper. My kids are rolling their eyes. This is the first time in twenty-five years that I've actually encouraged them to be hyper. Gosh, think of the money I wasted on the Ritalin!! Take a Coffee Break All of this hyper talk is to make the point that the World Wide Web is based on a technology known as hypermedia. You already know the term hyperlink, and you've probably heard the term hypertext. Hypermedia simply means it is a technology that can handle sounds, graphics, moving graphics, and video, as well as plain ol' text. Moving graphics are a more recent addition to the Web. Currently, the most common moving graphics are java. Isn't that appropriate??? Here for your viewing pleasure is a java applet (think of an applet as sort of an animated icon): running rabbit java applet (please note: not all browsers can read java. If you do not have a moving graphic here, chances are your current browser cannot read java.) _________________________________ Maybe not for hours and hours, but I think you will agree that the running bunny that keeps going and going... (obviously FILLED with java) is a lot more exciting than this boring stationary icon. icon(s) ____________________________________________________ HTTP EXPLAINED . . . (OH, THAT'S WHAT http:www.dot.com/tom MEANS)!! When all is said and done, one of the remarkable aspects of the Web is how simple it is. Think back to other things you have learned in your life. With the Web, a four year-old (assuming he had taken this class, of course) could sit down in front of a computer and "point and click" his way around. I've actually watched little ones do this. Very humbling! As complicated as the Web is (behind the scenes) it is unbelievably simple to operate. Some of you have only been on the Internet for a few weeks, some less!! Yet you were able to find our free class, fill out a form, e-mail the form, and be here for our first class. This is simplicity at its best!! Mark, stand up. Mark, with a few instructions by phone, signed up for our class online within four hours of logging on to the Internet for the first time. Congratulations on being our newest "newbie." About the only way I will ever get anyone to join faster than Mark did, is if I start selling this class in computer stores! ... Uh, hang on, I'll be right back. I need to run to the store... Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), those four letters you see at the beginning of EVERY Web address, is what enables the Web to function so simply, so incredibly! I'm going to give you a very simple explanation of http, just so you have a general knowledge of what your browser is doing when you click your mouse on a hyperlink that in moments is going to give you the complete history of meatless wieners! The hypertext transfer protocol performs four primary steps. It: 1. Makes a connection with the computer that has the information you want. Most browsers show you a report of the progress on the bottom of the screen. Something like, Connecting to HTTP server.. 2. After a connection is established, it makes a request. Something like, get the critical information I need on hot dogs! 3. If the hot dog vendor (or server, in computer terms) has the information you are requesting, it executes the response. Now you see a message at the bottom of your screen that says something like, Reading Response... and if successful, something like Transferring... (You then shout, "Yes, I got the picture of the pride and joy!!!") 4. The connection is closed. So long, farewell, good bye. Unless its The LION, in which case you might see something like, Please don't go, there's a bunch of stuff I want to show you. Did you see our cd-roms? Our videos? Our other classes? Ah, but eventually even the connection with The LION is closed. Dang!!! Well, I don't know about you, but I am excited. If you understand what http (hypertext transfer protocol) means: simply the method whereby your Web browser makes a connection with another computer, requests some information, gets the information, and leaves, you know more than most CEOs (Big Wigs) at the Fortune 500 companies who are spending MILLIONS to have you come to their http://www.whatever Web sites!! Desk Top Money Machine Pat yourselves on the back, good job. Today, you need to commit the word hypertext transfer protocol to memory. Pick up a recent magazine or newspaper, find one of these million dollar companies that are advertising their Web site, (they're on TV every five minutes as well), and say to some of your friends and associates, "Wow, I see General Motors has a new web site, http://www.carz.com. Isn't this hypertext transfer protocol something?" Be prepared, some will probably look at you strange, while others will peer over the top of their glasses and simply raise their eye browse!! So now we know why every Web address starts with http. But, what about the rest of the address? Let's use the Web address for lesson two as our example. To get this lesson you either typed, or simply clicked (hyperlinked) on what we had already typed for you: http://www.tomark-et.com/lessntwo.htm .(1)......(2)...... (3)..........(4)........(5) See that there are five basic components to this address. 1. http:// - OK, everyone together now; hypertext transfer protocol. 2. www. - the World Wide Web 3. tomark-et - the name of the Web site where the information you want is located. 4. .com - The type of Web site being contacted. There are only a few types you are likely to encounter in your normal Web travels: + .com ...A (com)mercial site. All businesses would be in this category along with most personal home pages, etc. Just remember, commercial. + .net ... A (net)work. Many of you are connected to an ISP that you are sharing with many others (competing for those too few modems at times!). This is a network (group of computers if you will). + .edu....An (edu)cational site. Most colleges, universities, and other schools would be in this category. Some of you use this type of site for your FREE Internet access - lucky dogs! + .org ....An (org)inazation. Usually this would be a non-profit organization. 5. /lessntwo.htm - the specific document (graphic, page, sound, etc.) that we want. The .htm at the end signifies that what we want, in this case, is hypertext. ALL Web addresses will have at least three of these components (#1, #3, and #4). The vast majority will also include #2 (.www), but there are some exceptions, (i.e. http://reagan.com). If you are visiting a site (like The LION, Microsoft, or Netscape), you will probably not initially use #5. However, as you begin navigating to different areas within the site, you will notice the extensive use of .htm or .html. Html, by the way, stands for hypertext markup language. It is the language of the Web. This is covered extensively in our Web design class. However, it is NOT necessary to understand or speak the language yourself in order to use it. Now, perhaps, you appreciate your Web browser which does ALL of the translation for you. I know I just threw a lot at you (especially if you are really new to the Internet and are just seeing these terms for the first time). As we discussed earlier, while the Web is very complex behind the scenes, it is remarkably simple on the surface, where you and I are. Re-read this this section a few times, I think you will agree that the Web is actually very, very well organized. ____________________________________________________ California Beef Jerky SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? You now know that a connection with the Internet (from your home or office) is made possible through an ISP, or Internet Service Provider, or Internet Access Provider. You know that there are many choices of ISPs today, and that 28.8k modems are the standard. You know that "slug" (slower) modems will work, but you are sacrificing productivity and enjoyment. You have learned that the Web is only a part of the Internet, it is not THE Internet. However, the Web is where its at!! You could do some other things on the Internet, like send messages and retrieve files without using the Web, but why would you? You know that with the Web, you can just "point and click" and let "browser" do all the work. Good boy, Browser!! (I had to put that line into this lesson). You know that World Wide Web is held together with electronic "hyper" glue. You understand that there are hyperlinks which can deliver hypertext, and today, as never before, there is hypermedia which allows you to find, view, use, (and inevitably "snarf"), sounds, moving graphics, and even video. While others can only look at a browser and see it going from hyperlink to hyperlink, you know that hypertext transfer protocol is connecting, then requesting, then responding, and then leaving --whenever you move from one hyperlink to another. You also understand how a Web address is constructed using five elements (or less) which identify that the language is (http), the method is (www), the site is (name), the type of site is (.com), and the document requested is (.html). Because you know this, you feel smug, knowing you are now smarter than most CEOs of major companies, but wondering why they make the big bucks! We have far from finished our discussion on browsers, for you see, every time you use the Web, you are involved with your Web browser. As we go through the rest of the lessons, we will build on the knowledge you have gained in this lesson. In future lessons, you will learn how to make your browser: find what you want more quickly, communicate more efficiently, keep you better organized, and bring your slippers in the morning when you're having that first cup of java. Thanks browser! If you are confused about a particular aspect of lesson one or two, don't hesitate to e-mail me. I will do my best to answer all e-mail I receive. Your comments about the class are always welcome. ---------- LESSON THREE GREETINGS! Welcome to Lesson Three. In this lesson you will learn how to get the most out of your Web browser. In lesson two you were encouraged to check out your ISP (you remember, Internet Service Provider). From the e-mail I have received, it appears that approximately 25-30% of the class is using online service for their Internet connection. While there are certain drawbacks to this type of connection (discussed in detail in lesson two), one of the advantages is ease of use. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend, for most users, a direct Internet connection. Some also wrote to say that they like using an online service because they can connect when they travel. This is an excellent point, but you should also be aware that many direct Internet Access Providers (such as Brigadoon) offer coverage on a national basis as well. Again, this is my strong, personal suggestion. With these clarifications, let's go out to the links (little golf pun). It's OK if you want to stop and get some delicious (98 % fat free) California Beef Jerky to snack on during class... California Beef Jerky ____________________________________________________ LINKS TO THE WORLD (WIDE WEB) When discussing the Internet, it is important to remember that many (or most) tasks can be performed in more than one way. However, the simplest way to accomplish Internet tasks will almost always be through the World Wide Web; more specifically, through your Web browser. When you first connect to the World Wide Web you are taken to your Web browser's home page. Many people are not aware that this page can be changed, and you can select another web page to come up, every time you log on. The home page is considered the default page; in other words it comes up every time unless you specifically request another Web page (usually by typing a specific Web address). If you have not made any changes in the original setting of your Web browser, then more than likely your home page is either the home page of the browser (i.e. Netscape.com or Microsoft.com) or the home page of your ISP, or Internet Service Provider. You remember that the ISP is the local company that provides you with your access to the Internet if you connect directly. Usually these are good home pages because they provide you with information that is current and relevant to your particular system, but there may be a better choice. What should you look for when selecting a default home page (if you decide to change)? The simple answer to this question is that the best page for you will be determined by what you want to do in a typical Internet session. Each time you log on to the Internet you probably have something in mind that you would like to do, somewhere that you want to go. Even if your primary purpose is just to "surf" and see what's new, you still have a purpose. Knowing what your typical purpose(s) is/are will help you determine what home page you should use. Many ISPs will allow you to make your own home page. A common use of a personal home page is to make a scrapbook of oneself. Something like (if you are old enough to remember), "Bill Jones, This is Your Life." Andy Warhol notwithstanding, most of our lives are just not that interesting to most other people. While I have no objection whatsoever to people setting up personal Web pages to satisfy their own desire to tell the world who they are, there may be a different use for the personal home page that may have been overlooked -- a personal search engine/favorites page, or default home page. Another way to look at this potential use is that you can create a map that starts with your home address. Directions to everywhere start from where you are. Wouldn't this be a great idea for printed maps? You buy a map, and in the center of the map, in large bold letters, it says, "Here is where Mary Jones (substitute your name) is right now." I don't know about you, but one of the biggest problems I have when I do ask for directions, (about one out of a thousand times I'm lost, my wife would quickly add), it seems like I spend half the time just figuring out where I already am! Speaking of which, how would you like to find out where you are? You can. After you see where you are, be sure to find your way back to lesson three (hint: save this page in your "favorites" before leaving). Go here if you need to find where you are! Is that cool or what? In lesson four I will be telling you about a new search engine, Info Space. This search engine includes the above link to Mapquest as well as the ability to find any business on the Internet and even includes the ability to dial their phone automatically! As I said when we began the class, EVERY DAY on the Internet brings incredible new and exciting innovations. And Folks, the Internet technology is in its infancy! Now let's get back to the lesson at hand... If you have the freedom to make your own home page (ask your ISP if a home page is included in your Internet access package), consider making it into a tool to make each Internet journey faster and easier. If you use Microsoft Explorer 3.0, you probably know that you can make your own Microsoft home page. This is not exactly the same as your own page made from scratch, but does offer some flexibility. I love it when my wife, Francis (Dot-Com-Fran) makes a special dish from scratch, which she does often. To me, when she cooks without using pre-packaged foods, the meal is soooooo much better. Its her. Its a reflection of her skills and her personality. She has a reputation among friends and family for making the BEST potato salad! I personally agree. How does this tie into our lesson? I really don't know, but my wife looked over my shoulder, saw her name in print, and promised to make me a fresh batch of potato salad. It should be ready before the end of the lesson, yum... (Now maybe you see why I offer to teach this class for free). You'll probably be seeing the name Dot-Com-Fran a LOT from here on out. Nah, my real point is that if you make your home page your very own (from scratch if possible) it will be exactly what you want. Just like my wife's potato salad, you home page will reflect your personality and your particular interests (without the onions, vinegar, and potatoes, of course). You won't have to wait an inordinate amount of time while the home page loads graphics and sounds that you don't really care about, or links to pages you will never visit. If you can make your own home page, I would suggest that you include: * Links to YOUR favorite pages -- those you visit often * A search engine that best accomplishes your typical searches (we will be discussing this at length in our next lesson. We will discuss the differences between the many search engines). * Links to news/sports pages that are updated daily .......-or- * Your own newspaper! (You'll learn how later in this lesson) We will discuss home pages in more detail shortly, but first lets take a close look at the typical Web browser and see how it can be changed and modified to better accomplish YOUR tasks. ____________________________________________________ WEB BROWSERS IN MORE DETAIL Let's look at a Web browser in more detail. The following features are available in most Web browsers. Terms may be slightly different, (for example, one browser may use the word refresh while another uses reload), but the concepts are the same. Typical Web browser features include: * Reload/Refresh * Back/Forward (Fwd) * Ability to type in a hyperlink * Favorites/Bookmarks * Ability to change home page Let's look at these one at a time: Reload/Refresh To start this discussion we need to explain a term that may be new to many of you; cache. I will over simplify in order to help explain why you need a reload/refresh button, and what exactly takes place when you press this button. Most of you will agree that while the Web is fun because it is colorful and pleasing to the eye. You will remember our earlier discussion about "text books" (boring)... But a problem also develops when we have lots of graphics; it may take a long time in order for the Web page to load. By load, I simply mean, that the hourglass stops spinning and we can see everything that is available. If the page you are trying to see has lots of graphics or even just one large graphic, it may take a looooooooong time to load! I'm sure you've gone to sites like this, and left long before the information was ever fully loaded. Here's a little trick. When you are trying to view a new Web page, and you are sitting there waiting and waiting for everything to load, simply press the stop button (may be a red "x" or a stop sign). What will happen is that the page will stop loading. While you will not be able to see all of the graphics, you will probably be able to read everything (text usually loads first) and use all of the hyperlinks. This is a great way to move quickly from one hyperlink to another. Just remember that the entire page has not loaded when you press the stop button. Now let's assume you want it all; text, pictures, sounds -- the WHOLE enchilada! You understand that you may have to wait a while for everything to load, but you are willing to be patient. After the page is completely loaded (all of the information is now available on your computer screen) you can look at the graphics, read the text, copy a graphic on to your hard drive, and maybe print some or all of the page. At some point in time you are ready to move on from this page. More than likely it will be a hyperlink to something else that has caught your interest. And so you click and go, and then wait while the new page goes through the same loading process, etc., etc.. After you have traveled to a number of sites (actually just two or more) you can use your Web browser to easily go back and forth among the sites you have visited during this session. Once you disconnect from the Internet, your session is over. The next time you log on to the Internet you will start the process all over again. So there you are in Podunk. You have visited three or four different Web sites, or maybe just three or four different pages from within the same Web site. You can now use your forward and back buttons on your browser. These may be shown simply as an arrow pointing left and one pointing right. Left=back and right=forward. I suspect every student has already used these features, but do you know why the pages load so much quicker (maybe instantaneously) the second time around? No, its not love... which we're told is "sweeter" the second time around. No, it's not my wife's potato salad either. Give up? Its cash! Cold hard cash! Only thing is, this cash is actually spelled cache, but it is pronounced just like the green stuff in your wallet (next to the picture of your "pride and joy.") This cache is not money, its memory. In order for your pages to load faster (something EVERYBODY wants) the Web browser assigns a certain amount of computer memory to hold recently visited pages and sites. This means that when you go back to the same page it loads very quickly. Can you figure out why this would happen? That's right, because you are not relying on the modem and phone line to transmit everything. Its already there on your computer, so now you are simply moving between files, much as you would in any normal computer software program. Your Web browser will automatically assign cache (memory) to save pages. This setting can be altered; increased or decreased, but I recommend that you keep the default settings until you understand completely how the cache program works. Its not exactly an ATM machine, but there is only so much memory in your computer, just like there are only so many $20 bills in the ATM. You understand the principal of limited resources if you ever tried to get cash from the local ATM the last night of a long week-end... In the same way, the default cache settings are low enough that you should never run out of the resources you need to run your Internet software. OK, so you now know why things go so much faster during a session. But your Web browser is doing some other things while you are hyperlinking from page to page; site to site. Your browser is creating a history. Someone just yelled, "ohmygawd!!" That is right, your browser is just like one of those 7-11 video cameras, taking pictures of everywhere you stop, recording everything you look at. But this can be a valuable tool. It would also be well to know how to erase it in some cases, eh? Joe, with any luck at all you are going to figure out how to erase this history before your wife. Good luck, we're with you buddy! The F1 Key is like having your own personal aide, always there to help. Your browser probably has an "options" setting. In the options settings, you should find history listed separately or under the "navigation" sub menu. Try the trusty old Help menu (or the F1 key) and look up the word history to find out how yours is set up. When you have located the history settings you will see that you probably have an option to determine how long you want the computer to save your Internet travel history. It is probably set to 30 days, but you can change this any number between 1 and 999; each number representing one day. I normally have mine set at ten days. Once you have the setting you like, you have the option of clearing the history from your browser --kind of like wiping off the chalkboard and starting over. Once you start over with the new settings, the browser will automatically eliminate all files that have expired. If today were January 11, and I had set my history default to ten days on January 1, I would lose all of the places that I had visited on January 1, but I would still have a record of all the sites visited between January 2 and January 10. Its like a revolving account. Each time you visit different sites, they are added to the history. When the time you have specified passes, sites are eliminated. Remember, that this history is a tool. I have used mine MANY times when I have visited a site and then could not remember what the address was. Its very convenient because it appears as a hyperlink so that all I have to do is click and I am back at the site that only minutes before I could not remember. When you first log on to the Internet you may have a specific destination in mind, but all of you have probably found yourself going in directions you never intended. That's one of the beauties of the Internet; how easy it is to go from one thing to the next, even when they are not remotely connected to one another. Because of the limits of your cache memory, you will find that you can only go so many pages forward or backward before you get the light gray arrow or button. When the button or arrow turns light gray it means you have either come to the end of the line, or the page you want is no longer in the cache. I know this is probably more than a little confusing if you have never been exposed to cache, but this is where the history button (or sub-directory) can be invaluable. The history record is not limited by cache settings because it is not saving the Web page or picture, it is saving the Web address only, which can be an entire page or simply a graphic file. When you exit your connection with the Internet this time, your history record will still be there. On the other hand, you understand that the cache has been cleared as soon as you closed the program. It will start off with a clean slate the next time you log on to the "Net." I encourage you to experiment by linking to a number of sites and using your forward/back buttons and then finding pages you have visited in previous sessions and hyperlinking to them. We have yet another way to easily go back to sites we want to visit again and again, like The LION for example. This is a button or sub-menu item called bookmark or favorites (or something similar). These are your all-time favorites. Those sites you will want to go back to again, and again, and again. When you save a Web address using this method, it does not go away until you remove it or replace it with another Web address. Depending on your particular Web browser, you will be able to save many Web addresses using this method. You will probably be able to create folders or sub-directories to hold Web addresses of related sites. Here is my current listing of categories (each category has 2-15 Web addresses): * Advertising Specialties * Animation - Java - 3D * Business Resources * Contests * Doing Business on the Internet * Electronic Commerce * Free Classifieds * Free Stuff * Front Page 97 (program we use to create Web pages) * Good Web Pages - for layout ideas * Microsoft Explorer (Web browser we use) * Multi-Level-Marketing * Politics * and quite a few more... I have learned, as have most of you I'm sure, that each time I log on to the Internet my needs or wants have changed. Sometimes I want to get information, other times I am looking for a particular graphic, while at other times I want to see what is going on in the world of politics. The favorites, or bookmark, makes this incredibly easy. Also, when I read or hear about a new site, it is easy to save the Web address using this method. Again, one of the key features of this feature is that it is permanent, unlike cache (just for this session), or history (for a certain number of days). I feel that there is one other important point that I need to make about the reload/refresh button as it relates to the history and favorites Web addresses. When you load a page and it is saved, the next time you go to that page it will load the saved copy. This will speed things up, but you may not be loading the most current page. Our Web site (http://www.tomark-et.com) is updated almost daily, which can be seen by the "date last updated" in the middle of our home page. If we updated the page yesterday, and you are loading a copy from a week ago, you will not have the most current information. If you are ever in doubt about whether or not you have the most current page, just hit the refresh/reload button. Your Web browser will locate the Web address and start from scratch. Yes, you will have to wait while everything loads again, but you will have an up to the minute page. Can you see how this could be critical on a page that listed stock prices for example? Also, newspapers would be another example of Web pages that you would want to be sure were recently reloaded. ____________________________________________________ THE MARY SMITH (substitute your name) MONITOR OK, lets put a lot of this together and have a little fun at the same time. How would you like to have your very own newspaper? Think about the possibilities... You could get just the news that interests you (lots of sports, no fashion ... now that would be a newspaper)!!! I'm a chauvinist what??? No, actually I am going to show you my newspaper, and then show you how you can make your own. It you have figured out how to change your home page, you could make your own newspaper your default home page. Dot-com-tom, that sounds great, but can I really do that? I don't own a Web site like you do... Yes, you can, thanks to the good folks at CRAYON. 90,000 people have already created their own newspaper, and CRAYON offers this service for free, but you will have to register, so that they can keep a record of your particular newspaper --unique to you alone. First, lets look at my newspaper, The TOMARK-ET TIMES & JOURNAL (The news you need when you need the news), published right here in Galt, California (For those who may never have heard of Gal, it is about 7 miles from Thornton and 10 miles from Herald). I can just hear some of you saying, "Oh, that Galt! Get the Paper . That's right its a hyperlink, so click on it now to get it. Be sure to come back here after you have read the parts of the paper that interest you. I'm going to show you how to make your own newspaper. _____________________ Can you see the obvious advantages of having your own paper? One that has not only the news you are interested in, but is tailored to your local area. Well, then let me show you all that you need to do to become the next William Randolph Hearst (think Peppermint Patty)... All you need to do to create your own exciting Internet newspaper is to hyperlink to http://crayon.net You will be asked to register (FREE), and select a password. You will be instructed how to use CRAYON and how to create your own FREE newspaper. One that you can read every day or have others link to. Even if you do not have the ability to create your own Web page, you can use CRAYON as your home page. CRAYON uses your zip code to determine local newspapers in your area, so be sure to fill out the registration completely. Once you have registered, you will be free to create your own newspaper. You can fill it with national news, weather, world news, the latest from the world of computers and high tech (great way to stay on top of the latest trends and happenings on the Internet), politics, cartoons, financial news, and much much more. Lets see how creative you are. In most of the categories you can even add your own link, which could be just about anything. Go ahead, I'll wait here 'til you get back. OK, in this lesson we have learned the basics of moving around using your Web browser. Once you have mastered these skills you are ready to go to lesson four where, as promised, you will learn how to search the Internet. 'Til Next Time, California Jerky Co. Have you visited our Sponsor? ---------- LESSON FOUR . During the past week I have had the opportunity to read a number of your computer generated newspapers. It speaks well for CRAYON (tm) that most of you easily grasped the idea. You would probably be amazed at the diversity of the newspapers that were submitted for my evaluation. I have also confirmed that there are a LOT of different computer systems being used by our thousands of students from all over the world. The main reason that I introduced the idea of your own newspaper was to show you the ability to change your home page in your browser and tailor your Web browser to your personal tastes. I hope that all of you have had a chance to go through your Web browser optional settings and "tweak" it to meet your particular needs. Comments in the past week to ten days have been especially encouraging. MANY of you are sharing how much more confident you are with the Internet since you enrolled in this class; trying new things; doing things faster; and having more fun! That was, and remains, the goal of the class. Have you sent in your comments or suggestions? (See the moving pencil at the bottom of any lesson to send me e-mail). Before we start the lesson I want to bring one other thing to your attention. Many of you found out about this class because you originally entered one of our contests. We have awarded the Mini-Vacation prize. We have several new contests: The monthly "Beef Jerky Give Away" where you can win a CASE of California Beef Jerky ($150.00 value), and "The Xonex Big Screen Sweepstakes" where one lucky winner will win their choice of a Big Screen TV or a Pentium Computer." We have just added a new contest where you could win an autographed book and video written by a Major League baseball pitcher. You are invited to enter all of these contests. To enter, go to: http://www.tomark-et.com/currcont.htm. OK, on with lesson four. ____________________________________________________ SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWERS TO LIFE Far and away the most popular feature of the Web browser is the ability to "search" the Internet for information. As I just noted, many of you found this class as a result of entering a contest. For most of you, this began by your entering the word contest or sweepstakes into a "search engine" and finding MANY contests to enter. As you entered our contest you were presented with the opportunity to take this class. Others have enrolled in the class as a result of searching for instruction or Internet training. The point is that there are millions upon millions of pages of information on the Internet. You will remember lesson two when we searched and found FREE hot dogs. How exactly do we find the information that we are looking for? First, lets compare another source of information; the local library. Fortunately, at a very early age you were probably introduced to the "Dewey Decimal System." This system of book classification was originated by George Dewey who devised a system to catalog all books into a three digit classification with decimal points and subclassifications. When I go to the library I know that I need to go to the card catalog and look up either the subject, author, or key word to find information. Once I know the Dewey decimal number for a particular category, I can go to any library and immediately find the information because all libraries use the same system. Also, every library I have ever visited used a layout that made it easy to find the section. Usually, this is no more complicated than the lowest number is at the front of the library, and then you just walk down each isle as the numbers get higher. Too easy! Well, forget all that when it comes to the Internet. You see, at your local library there is probably this head librarian. This person is easily identified by the referee's whistle hung loosely around her neck. Reading glasses are perched on the end of her nose and she constantly peers over the top looking for anyone speaking louder than a whisper. She carefully and thoroughly checks each book as it is returned, and smiles only when she discovers that the book is twenty minutes overdue and she can collect a 10 cent fine! When someone asks for help in finding information on a particular subject, she gleefully asks, "Did you check the Dewey Decimal Catalog?" Seeing the puzzled look on the face of a four-year-old, (who just wanted to know where the books about Big Bird were), she marches the little one to the card catalog and flips quickly (with a look of disgust aimed at the unknowing one) to the bird category. Her index finger thrusts to the word "bird" as she looks coldly at the tot and then points in the direction of the miniature chairs and tables. Slowly, with head hung low, the little one walks in the direction of the tiny furniture... Fortunately, the Internet has no head librarian. YEA!!! However, without a Dewey Decimal System, or something like it, there is also no simple way to find all of the information that is available on the Internet. There is no card catalog where we can find all of the information neatly cataloged by number. However, there certainly are ways to find the information that we want or need. While there are a number of search methods on the Internet, I feel that the best and easiest are those found on the World Wide Web. In this lesson we will focus entirely on searches performed using the Web. By now, I am sure that all of you have searched for something on the Internet. But you may not be aware of the many search engine choices you have or the ways in which you can "refine" your search so that you get the specific information you want. Our Web site is currently listed on over 230 search engines, directories, and linked pages! By the way, if you have a Web page and want to learn how we can list your Web page with the same 200+ search engines, drop me an e-mail message and I will show you how your site can dramatically improve its traffic. ____________________________________________________ SEARCHING MADE EASY (IS THAT YOU WATSON?) The easiest searches are the ones where you just fill in the blanks. These are known as forms-based search tools. A forms-based search tool asks you what you want to find, and you respond by entering a single word or several words. You press then enter key (or search button) and quickly a list of links appears. Depending on the word(s) you typed the response may be a few links or hundreds of thousands! Hope you have some spare time if you want to see all of the Web pages that have the word "dog" in them... Only about 300,000! When you enter a specific term, the search engine scans the index, or data base, and finds all the terms that match your search term, and then it displays the results in the form of links (you remember this term from lesson two). Each link will include either a brief overview of the link or the first few lines from the linked page. You know that when you do a search this way, (fill-in-the-blanks), you get the results in a matter of seconds. But FAR MORE IMPORTANTLY, you need never go to the head librarian for help; you can keep the information as long as you want without any fines; and you can talk as loud as you want!! Go ahead, try it. Say whatever you want, don't be shy, speak good and loud. Did anyone tell you that you had to lower your voice? Now aren't you glad that you came to the Internet? (Excuse me, is that a baby I hear crying in the background)?? What happened when you entered the word(s) into the search engine form? You might think that the search engine went through the entire Internet to find the information you asked for. Actually, the search was within a data base that the search tool maintains. You are probably all familiar with Yahoo!, possibly the best known search engine on the Internet. Yahoo! routinely classifies all the Web pages that it has chosen to add to its database. The search for your word(s), if you were using Yahoo!, will be performed only on the Yahoo! database; not the entire Internet. There are many search engines as I noted earlier. This explains why each search engine returns different results when you do a search. Every search engine has its own data base that it maintains, so no two searches are ever the same, well almost never. By the way, in this time of merger-mania, I read somewhere that Yahoo! is now merging with Netscape. The new company will be based in Israel and called "Net 'n Yahoo." One term that is important is relevance. In this regard, I am talking about is the number of times that a word appears in the Web page. If you are searching for information on Chows (my favorite dog), you will get the sites with the most repetitive use of the word "Chow" at or near the top of your list. That means that an article that is a very general about dogs will appear lower in the list than an article that specifically about Chows. Why? Because the word "Chow" is likely to appear many times in a specific article (or Web page) about Chows, while a more general Web page about dogs might only mention the word Chow once. This gives you a basic understanding of the percentage figure that often appears after the links that come up after you search. This is a method for measuring the relevance to the word(s) you searched. Search engines will return the highest relevance (100%) first, followed by other pages in descending order of relevance. This is a very, very important part of searches. You may want to re-read this paragraph before proceeding. As you know by now, I am a real advocate of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, having previously used Netscape, Mosaic, and Online browsers. One of the features that I really like in this particular browser is the simple search feature that allows me to type in the address box at the top, "go (chosen word)." The default search engine quickly returns links to that word. Very slick - very easy. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only Web browser that currently offers this feature. Just for the record, the reasons that I prefer Microsoft Internet Explorer are: cost (absolutely FREE); all of the plug-ins (additional programs that enable the browser to do more than just read text and graphics) like java, active-X and shockwave are automatically included; and the layout of the browser (including the built in e-mail program) is excellent. I realize that many of you may prefer other browsers. That's OK (you will probably get a C- in the class, but...) if anyone were to ask me my current preference, it would have to be Internet Explorer 3.0. I read within the past few weeks that Microsoft has grown from a 10 per cent to a 28 per cent market share in the past three months. Guess I'm not the only one that prefers this browser. If you were wondering, Bill Gates sends me $50.00 a month for these endorsements. NOT! (Frankly, I'd settle for $5.00 a month). Heck, how about five shares of Microsoft a month? "Yo, Dot Com Tom, come back to reality." OOPS, sorry. Where were we? Oh, yes. Search engines are competing (usually for profits that come through advertising), and users are the winners because the competition results in more and more features being added to the search engines; each company hoping you will use theirs. Each search engine is different, and you will probably find the one(s) you like after a few searches. I do encourage you to try different search engines so that you can see the strengths and weaknesses of each for yourself. This will help you to even determine if you may want to use different search engines for different tasks. I do this all the time. Let's look at a few of the largest and most popular of the search engines to see how they differ: * Alta Vista - http://www.altavista.digital.com Searches both the Web and Newsgroups. It is acknowledged as being both fast and very complete with millions of pages in the database. Allows the use of quotes (i.e. "Personal Home Computers") to return only those links that have the exact phrase. Without the quotes, Alta Vista will return links for personal, home, and computers. * Excite - http://excite.com Searches the Web, Newsgroups, and other sources. In addition to searching on words, it searches for conceptual ideas that are related to your original search. Allows you to substitute the character "+" for AND and "-" for NOT in Boolean searches. For example, Lodi+California-Ohio will return sites with Lodi, California but not Lodi, Ohio. Excite also allows you to click on "similar" sites to the those that came up as a result of your search. One other cool feature, you can type in questions in Excite * Infoseek - http://www.infoseek.com As with Excite, searches the Web, Newsgroups, e-mail addresses and more. Good search engine if you are looking for information both on and off the Web. Be sure to capitalize all proper names such as Sacramento and San Francisco. Pairs of capitalized words are treated as one which makes it easy to search for names like Michael Jordan. * Lycos - http://www.lycos.com Searches the Web and other sources, but not Newsgroups. Best suited to simple searches on common topics. You can change the number of links that will be displayed when you do a search. This feature is found in other search engines as well. * HotBot - http://www.hotbot.com Searches only the Web. HotBot is very fast and extremely flexible. Too bad your computer is made out of hard plastic. Limited Boolean features. * WebCrawler - http://www.webcrawler.com Searches only the Web. One of the unique features of WebCrawler it its ability to do a link-back search that lets you see who's linking to your page (assuming you have a page). This is very important to businesses like ours that want as many others as possible providing links to our page(s). You will also notice that we have a number of links to other people's pages. Also allows the Boolean command NEAR which will find words within a certain distance of one another. For example, Bob Dole NEAR/15 Bill Clinton will return all the sites that have the words Bob Dole within 15 words of Bill Clinton. You must type in the number. * Yahoo! - http://www.yahoo.com Personal choice of dot-com-tom. This search engine uses categories to keep information organized. With this feature you are less likely to get shaggy dogs when you were looking for hot dogs. Yahoo! is designed much like the file tree on your computer. Yahoo! allows bookmarking which enables you to come back to the results without having to do the search all over again. Yahoo has many options that will even link to other search engines or search for specific things like graphics. This is a feature I use often. * InfoSpace - http://www.infospace.com This could become my favorite very easily. If you are in business, this is the search engine for you. Look up any business. Automatically dial the business you looked up. Create a map before you take your next business trip. My suggestion here, just visit the site. The layout is excellent and you should have no problem finding the physical address, e-mail address, phone number or Web site address of any business on the Internet, local or international. ____________________________________________________ I WANT YOU TO DO THIS AND THAT, OR THIS BUT NOT THAT. WHAT??? So far I have discussed searches where you simply put in a word or a few words and see what comes up, but you have other significant (not to be confused with significant others) choices with most search engines. We can thank a system that was developed about a hundred years ago; the Boolean system. It is a logical system whereby a list of items (names, words, etc.) can be searched and identified by relating to one another. This relation is identified by the use of AND, NOT, and OR (and some others we will not cover in this lesson like NEAR). With this method, you can specify that you want information that has this AND that; this OR that; or this but NOT that. Seem confusing? What would you expect from a guy named Boolean? Let me give you an example. I have the local phone book here in my hand. Not the great big one that has only white pages OR yellow pages, but one of those phone books that has blue pages (government agencies), AND white pages (residential), AND green pages (business directory), AND yellow pages(business listings and ads). Now, I want to find some information. If I had this phone book digitized (computer ready) and I had a database with all of the information, and it could perform Boolean searches, I could "refine" my searches in a number of ways. Let's say I was looking for someone I met whose first name I remember (John), but I just can't remember his last name. I know it is not John Juan, because that is my next door neighbor. I could search for the word "John" NOT "Juan." I would then get every listing for anyone named John, but not our next door neighbor because he had the last name "Juan" which we excluded. Now suppose that I knew John's first name AND his middle name (Kenneth) , but still could not recall his last name. I could use the Boolean command AND to search for John AND Kenneth. I would only get those names that contained both John AND Kenneth. There it is, that's it; John Kenneth Schwardingoven! Gosh, you'd think I'd remember a simple name like that, wouldn't you? Another possible search would involve the word NOT. In this case, I could find a business, for example, that groomed dogs but excluded those that were located on a certain street. (Man, I'm telling you that street is in a bad neighborhood)! I could search Dog Grooming NOT Main Street. I would get a listing of all the dog groomers in the book, except those that were on Main Street. I could use old Boolean for yet another search. I've gotten hungry from all of this searching. Pizza sounds good and I know that there is this little Italian restaurant but I'm not sure if they advertise pizza. I do a search of pizza OR Italian. All of the pizza parlors come up (I expected that) but I also got Momma's (featuring fine Italian food). Whew, it's good that we searched this way because they don't show pizza in their ad. I'm glad I have a good memory. You cannot believe the taste of Momma's deep-dish pepperoni! Too bad my memory wasn't so good when I was trying to remember John's last name... You will need to check the help section of each search engine to see if it allows Boolean searches, and which commands you can use. I can guarantee you this, when you master the Boolean search techniques you will get the information you really want a lot faster. You won't be going through a thousand pages to find the information you need. If you master all of the Boolean features, and use search engines that allow all of the terms, you will find that you can refine a search quickly, getting rid of the slag (useless information) and get to the gold (that which you are actually looking for). In addition to Boolean search terms, most of the search engines have their own unique features. Again, this is an argument for using many search engines until you find the one(s) that suits your needs best. Win a Big Screen TV ____________________________________________________ A FEW MORE SEARCH TIPS I am going to wrap up this lesson with some general tips that will work with some search engines, but not others. Try these techniques with various search engines and you will quickly learn which is the best search engine for you. * The fewer words you enter the more responses you will get. For example, if you enter the word book you will probably get hundreds of thousands of responses. A more refined search would be books about computers. If you find that this search gives you more responses (now it gives you all the Web pages with the word book AND the word computer, try putting the words in quotes, "books on computers." Most search engines will look for only those pages that have exactly the words books on computers, and will skip books or computers by themselves. I use this technique constantly. * Some search engines (like Yahoo!) use directories. In this way, you can do a search and get results only from the category you pre-selected. For business sites this is an invaluable tool. * Remember to use synonyms, words that mean approximately the same thing. For example United States, America, and USA might give additional sites that provide the information you are looking for. * Netscape has a feature that, as far as I know, no other browser has. You can skip the http://www.companyname.com and just type companyname. Netscape assumes the http://www part and the .com. Keep in mind that if the company or entity you are looking for is .net or .org for example they will not appear. Therefore, this tip is best used for businesses as they are more likely to end in .com (commercial), which you remember from lesson two. * Again, each search engine has special features that distinguish it from the others. After you have mastered the basics (outlined above), you should find the options area and try changing some of the default settings. You should be able to make your searches very specific by changing the optional settings. * Don't know what to look for? Most search engines have a "cool sites" or "new sites." Click on one of these categories and see the latest and greatest sites on the Net. Be aware that these selections are subjective and as the adage goes, "one man's meat may be another man's poison." * Be specific rather than general. A specific book title will give much better results than just searching on the word "books." OK, you have lots to do now. Between now and the next lesson, I want you to search for things that interest you (you have probably been doing this anyway), but I want you to search the exact same things on several search engines. You will be surprised at the different results that you get. Observe what comes to the top of the list. Try and figure out why that particular Web page made it to the top. This will not always be obvious, but by being observant you will learn how to consistently do Web searches that produce YOUR desired results. I think you will agree that this topic is one of the most interesting and often used features of the Internet. Please don't be satisfied with what you have been doing prior to this lesson. There is incredible information available on the Internet: information that can improve your life; provide better health; increase your wealth (not only measured in dollars and cents); and simply provide endless hours of entertainment which sure beats watching re-runs of I Love Lucy. (Except, of course, the episode where Lucy was working at the candy factory trying to put the cherries on top of the chocolate candies. And then there was the episode where she was bare footed and pressing the wine. Then there was the episode where Little Rickey...). Folks, I'm sorry but its 4:25 here and I Love Lucy starts in about five minutes. I'll catch you later. I Love Lucy Web Page ---------- LESSON FIVE Dot Com Tom Greetings GREETINGS Welcome back. This lesson deals entirely with the subject of e-mail. I learned long ago that, "You gotta send mail to get mail." By the end of this lesson you should be sending e-mail all over the world! When you start getting responses, you will be able to reply, forward, and save each e-mail. OK, let's get right into lesson five, devoted entirely to the subject of e-mail. ____________________________________________________ EMU I KNOW, BUT WHAT IS E-MAIL? I don't care if you are a grandmother who wants to stay in touch with a grand child in another state, someone who has friends or relatives in another country, a parent who wants to stay in touch with a son or daughter away at college, a businessman who realizes that staying in touch not only makes good business sense but is a necessity, or any of a hundred other reasons I could name, e-mail is the MOST ECONOMICAL and EASIEST method of communicating ever! When someone asks me how e-mail works, I usually give my previously discussed autoresponse, "Incredibly!!" In this lesson I will give a little more detailed answer. In lesson one we learned that transferring information from one computer to another was there at the very beginning of the Internet in the late 1960's. I doubt, however, that anyone could then have predicted that moving information electronically from one computer to another, (simple definition of e-mail), would, in less than 30 years, allow 50 MILLION people to stay in touch! Originally this was going to be lesson nine. However, there are some of you who have still not written me about the class, so I started pondering, "is it me?" -- "is it the class?" -- "is it the air conditioning?" And then it hit me like a lightning bolt!! They were going to write, they really were. They were going to tell me how much they are getting out of the class, how much they enjoyed learning from the comfort of their home, how easy it was to take the test online, and how they have already mentioned the class to five of their friends. But they didn't know how! Quickly I move the stack of notes, cartoons, corny jokes, and other miscellaneous papers in the pile close to my desk down to the other end of my office (still stacked on the floor of course). Now we are ready to delve into e-mail (well, as soon as I remember which stack here on the floor has the e-mail stuff). Give me just a second... OK, here it is. Let's get started. Dinosaurs first roamed the earth... OOPS, wrong stack. I smile as my mind drifts back to a simpler time, and I remember those immortal words from Bullwinkle to Rocky, "OOPS, wrong hat!" Until recently e-mail was thought to be the most widely-used service on the Internet. Recent Internet marketing information that I have indicates that the World Wide Web, in 1996, overtook e-mail as the number one service. Whether this is accurate or not (remember, no one owns the Internet and therefore exact statistical information is not available), there is a lot of e-mail exchanged every day, every hour, every minute, and every second! Other areas of the Internet that we will be discussing in future lessons, such as newsgroups and mailing lists, are really just extensions of e-mail. EVERY ONE of you has the capability to send and receive e-mail. All of you have used e-mail. When you took test one, it arrived in my office as an e-mail message. I saw your name, your address, and your answers to the test. It was easy for you to send me the e-mail (test) because I have automated the process. All you had to do was insert a few words into some boxes, click on the correct answer to each test question, and click on the "submit test" button. How powerful is e-mail? Again, let's use this class as an example of the incredible power, and unbelievable economy of communicating by e-mail. I was able to inform 213 students in five countries, and 8-10 different time zones, where lesson one would be found on the Internet (no one knew where the lesson was posted until I sent the e-mail). I was able to notify all 213 students in less than 20 minutes, at a cost of $00.00! (notwithstanding the cost of my monthly Internet connection - which would have been the same whether I sent 213 e-mails or not). Let's see what I saved: 213 envelopes ...... ...= $ .3.95 213 sheets of paper...= $ .3.00 213 stamps............... = $68.16 ..(actually more, as some would have been overseas) ..............Total........... $75.11 I would say that is pretty significant! Especially, since it's my budget we're talking about. In addition to the cost savings, consider the time savings: folding, stuffing , and stamping 213 envelopes. I don't think many people could do that in twenty minutes! In lesson two we learned about Web addresses (you remember http://www.whatever.xxx). Now let's look at e-mail addresses. They are much simpler, but have some of the very same elements. I will use one of my e-mail addresses. As a businessman, I have MANY e-mail addresses. This helps me to quickly identify and segregate each incoming e-mail message (a tip I always suggest to my business customers). My primary e-mail address (default address if you will) is ...tlane@softcom.net E-mail addresses have three basic components. Some would argue that there are just two, and would not distinguish number three below (type of domain), but I want to make sure that you completely understand Internet addresses, so we will include that as a basic component: 1. username. This is everything that precedes the "@" (at) sign. It is your unique Internet (user) name. Some of you use clever nicknames, while the majority of you, like me, use your first or last name, or some variation of the two. In my e-mail address the username is "tlane" 2. domain name. This is usually your ISP or Internet Service Provider, but not always. There is only one person that can have each unique user name per domain site. It should be obvious that if there was someone else using Softcom (my ISP) who also had the same username (tlane), how would the computer know which mail was to go where? Hey, too bad the phone company didn't think of this (no duplication of names) - we would never pick up the phone and hear, "sorry, wrong number." 3. type of domain. Just as we learned in lesson two (in the section on Web addresses), this is the three letters (usually) that follow the "." (i.e." .net" in my e-mail address). You remember that net= network. Before moving on, let me make one additional comment about the "." (period) in Web and e-mail addresses. In computer jargon this character is referred to as a "dot". If you were telling someone over the phone (who had not dialed the wrong number!!) your new e-mail address, you would probably say, "my address is Johnny at Juno dot net." Obviously, you would substitute your username and your domain name. For anyone who had not already figured it out, you now know the origins of "dot-com-tom." There is a certain confusion in e-mail addresses that is not as prevalent in Web addresses. There is not much control on what you can use for a username. Accordingly, there are very short and very long names, but no distinct pattern. My suggestion: keep your e-mail username as short as possible. It is easier for people to enter and there is FAR LESS chance of "typo" errors resulting in undeliverable mail. I want to digress for a moment. It will illustrate the point I just made. We have a visiting foreign student staying with us this semester, she is a delight (and more than a little shy). Also, she is brand new to the Internet. This actually is providing a great opportunity for me to test my teaching technique to someone I know has almost no Internet background. Her name is Annerz Jorgan, (pronounced An-Ners Yor-Gan), but most of her friends simply call her Anna. When she arrived at our home, Annerz had no e-mail address. As I said earlier, our business allows us to have many e-mail addresses so I gave one to Annerz (more like loaning, because she will have to get a different e-mail address when she returns to her home). I "loaned" her: "annerz@tomark-et.com." . I see MANY e-mail names, that while clever (?), are difficult to type. I appreciate clever writing, but everything has its place. Can you see how easy it is for Annerz' friends and family to remember her e-mail address? You might consider the same when choosing a new e-mail address. I know I will have embarrassed her when she reads this, and I also know of at least one other foreign exchange student in our current class (Xu, visiting from China), but if you ever just want to send some e-mail to someone, I would guess that Annerz would love to hear from you. I'll ask Xu the same thing the next time I talk to her by e-mail. Both are doing well in the class thus far. The last thing that I want to say about e-mail addresses is that with so many people now on the Internet, it is not uncommon to find that the "simple" name you wanted has already been taken (especially at an online service like America Online which has millions of subscribers). If the tip above makes sense, and you presently have a long or difficult e-mail username, don't wait too long to change --it may be gone sooner than you think. ____________________________________________________ SO NOW I KNOW WHERE I LIVE, WHEN CAN I WRITE SOMEONE? Now that you know your address by heart you are ready to start "pen-palling" as never before. Because there are many different e-mail programs out there, (i.e Microsoft Exchange, Eudora, and all of the ones included within Web browsers), I am going to confine our lesson to basic elements of all e-mail, rather than any specific e-mail software. In some cases you will need to experiment with your particular e-mail program. Don't forget the trusty "help" button at the top right hand corner of most programs. The F1 key will also bring up the help screen in almost all Windows or Windows 95 programs. Lets start by sending a new message. After you start your email program, you are ready to choose the lucky recipient(s) who are about to receive mail from you. I assume that most of your personal e-mail will go to just one person. However, if you want to send it to more than one person, just insert a ";" (semi-colon) between each e-mail address. You can include as many recipients as you want. Are you beginning to see the INCREDIBLE power of e-mail? Imagine trying to explain to the local post office that you have this envelope and inside are three copies of the same letter, and you want the post office to deliver this one envelope to all three different addresses (explaining that the cost of stamps is seriously affecting your personal budget)?? But we're not done. You can add MORE people to your list of lucky recipients by adding them to the second line of your e-mail form, the "cc" (courtesy copy) line. How do you distinguish who should be a "direct" recipient as opposed to a "courtesy copy." I would suggest that you think of the "cc" line as simply a person I would like to have read this e-mail, but not necessarily respond. The same rules apply as before. You can put as many people on the cc line as you want, just make sure that you separate each one with a semi-colon. Imagine, now you go back to the post office and explain that you want to include two more letters in that same envelope but that you need the letter carrier delivering the mail to tell these two people that they do not need to respond. Pretty powerful stuff, this e-mail! Next comes the subject line. For personal e-mail there are certainly no hard and fast rules for what should be on a subject line. A suggestion might be to use the this line to highlight one key point, "i.e. Uncle Charlie Feeling Great." Now, I don't know about you, but if I saw that subject (and I knew uncle Charlie had been in the hospital for a while), that's an e-mail I would want to read right away! Again, with personal e-mail the subject line is not critical, but it is an opportunity to tell briefly what your e-mail is about. When it comes to business e-mail (either sending or receiving) the subject line is everything! I have a simple rule. If I receive e-mail with no subject, I delete it --unread. It would be like trying to read a newspaper with no headlines. Secondly, I delete quickly (partially read) deceiving e-mail that is not what the subject said it was. Let me repeat, I appreciate clever writing, but in business I would strongly argue against anything that is not brief, clear and to the point. I have the same standard for writing e-mail as I have for reading it. Every e-mail that you have received from me, as a student of this class, has had a subject that clearly identified the e-mail enclosed. The last one most of you received said "On to Lesson Three." It was a quick way of letting you know that you had passed the test and that the instructions on how to proceed were enclosed. I would suggest a similar technique when choosing a subject for your e-mail. ____________________________________________________ WELL THANKS, BUT SHUCKS... I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY Now we come to the message itself, or the body of the e-mail. I probably have no more right here to tell you what you should write or how you should write it, than to tell you how to dress. However, there are a few things I might suggest. If a young aspiring businessman were to ask me how he should dress, I would probably answer his question, "that's a matter of personal taste but I would suggest that you dress one level higher than the current position you hold. Let others see how easily you could make the transition to the next level up in your company." He might or might not take this advice, but I know it is sound. Similarly, I have my own writing style, and each of you will develop your own; dictated by your personality, education, familiarity with the person you're writing to, etc.. This will be our first mention of the Internet word, "netiquette." As no one owns the Internet, you could say that it is a kind of controlled anarchy. Controlled, in that the software and hardware require absolute rules be followed (covered extensively in lessons one and two), while the content is not controlled in any way. Writing effective e-mail could be an entire course in itself! (Cara, get my publisher on the line). Here are a few dot-com-tom rules. These rules and fifty cents, will get you a half dollar: 1. DON'T SHOUT. I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE. Yes, that's better. Write like you speak. In these lessons you will notice that I use ALL CAPITALS sparingly, usually when I want to make an important point. similarly, don't forget that you have a shift key. when i get e-mail that uses no capital letters i think, "boy, i wonder how long this person has been on the internet, i'll bet not very long." 2. Smileys, or emoticons (i.e. :-)) are cute, but a few go a long way. Personally, I almost never use them, anymore than I would draw a little smiley face on a business letter. Again, this is my style. Some of you may use them a lot. At the very least, I will grant that some of them are very clever. The one time that I do use them is when I write something that I feel may be misunderstood (for example, I don't want to be taken seriously when I was trying to be lighthearted). In those cases I might use something like , just to let the person know it was not a serious comment. For those who like the idea of tilting your head sideways until your neck is stiff, here are lots of smileys (emoticons). That's right it's underlined in blue, so its a hyperlink. Go ahead, take a look. We'll wait for you !!! 3. Abbreviations can also be overused. IMHO it is easier to just say what you mean. OTOH, some may disagree. AAMOF, I know some people that use so many "shortcuts" that they lose me entirely! BTW, and CMIIW, but don't you get a little confused when the IRS says the MFO is not allowable unless you file the RLW? EOL!. Here is a small sampling of abbreviations you are likely to find in e-mail or on newsgroups (which we will cover in lesson 5). At the very least, you can use them to decipher what you just read. AAMOF - As a matter of fact BBFN - Bye bye for now BTW - By the way CMIIW - Correct me if I'm wrong CUL - See you later EOL - End of lecture IAC - In any case IMHO - In my humble opinion OIC - Oh, I see OTOH - On the other hand TIC - Tongue in cheek TTFN - Ta ta for now TYVM - Thank you very much You're inspired. You decide to send an e-mail to Aunt Matilda, telling her how much you've been learning about the Internet, and how she ought to enroll in the FREE Internet 101 class starting on February 17th, because you've heard (rightly) that it is filling up very fast! You've put a hyperlink in your message to http://www.tomark-et.com/enroll10.htm just so Matilda doesn't have to retype it (you're so thoughtful). Why you even included a hyperlink for Uncle Charlie, that old geezer that's always playing practical jokes. You tell him that he should click on: http://www.tomark-et.com/gotcha.htm. WAIT! DON'T CLICK THE SEND BUTTON YET! YOU FORGOT TO SIGN YOUR E-MAIL! (Yes, I meant to yell. I wanted to make sure I got your attention). That's right, most Internet e-mail software now includes a signature, if you configure (set up) your program to include one. A signature is 1-4 lines that you include at the bottom of all of your e-mail. It can be personal and say something about you (your favorite bible verse, or other favorite phrase; something about your alma matter; directions to your favorite newsgroup; or just about anything else) that you want everybody to know about you. Whenever I send any e-mail about this class I always include my signature: dot-com-tom Managing Partner, TOMARK-ET,LLC "Bringing Sales Expertise TO MARK-ET via the Internet" Home of The LION ('Lectronic Information & Opportunity Network) Visit Today and Enter Contest to Win a CASE of Beef Jerky! http://www.tomark-et.com e-mail: tlane@tomark-et.com Certified Internet Marketing Consultant GEN Associate CIMC #161-306 Good netiquette would dictate that were I including this signature on a message I was posting to a newsgroup, I would eliminate two of these lines (I would), so that it would not exceed four lines. My partner, Mark Behrens (who, incidentally, does all the graphics for these lessons), and I use very similar signatures on all of our e-mail. Several hundred people have entered our contests as a result of clicking on the hyperlink at the bottom of every e-mail we send. Folks, this is a VERY powerful sales tool! And as I said, a signature can also be used for a more personal message that you want to include in every e-mail you send. While e-mail software differs, the convention is pretty much the same (don't forget that help or F1 key). Most likely, you will create 1-4 lines of text in a word processing program like Windows notepad, save it as a file, tell your e-mail software where to find the file, and tell it to add this file to the bottom of every e-mail. I use the e-mail program included with my Internet Web browser (Microsoft Internet 3.01) and depending on what I am doing, I will either configure the program to insert the signature automatically on every e-mail or selectively use it on only certain e-mail I send. Your e-mail software probably allows you to add other attachments to your e-mail. These attachments could include: a file (a spreadsheet for example), or a graphic (perhaps a recent photograph that you had electronically digitized**), or a link to a favorite site. All of these are attachments that my e-mail software allows. Again, check your e-mail software for the particulars on how to include attachments to your e-mail. **One of the many services that The LION offers is color scanning. You can mail us a photograph and we will convert it into an electronic file that you can include in other programs or attach to your outgoing e-mail. Please visit this link for all the details: http://www.tomark-et.com/deskpub.htm. (Note: the information on digital scanning follows the desktop publishing information). OK, now you can click that send button. And just like that (literally, faster than a speeding bullet), your e-mail is on its way. If there is a problem with the e-mail you will probably get a message shortly (as in .3 nano seconds) informing you that you made a mistake. Wouldn't it be something if the postman rang your doorbell and said, "excuse me, but I noticed that you had the wrong street address on this letter you were mailing. We sure don't want this letter to come back, now do we?" Yet, that is the efficiency of e-mail. If you send an e-mail that cannot be delivered, the Internet e-mail gremlins will send you a message telling you that they couldn't deliver your mail. Now that's service. And the cost again was?? That's right, absolutely nothing! You have to be impressed with the power of e-mail, I KNOW I AM!!! ____________________________________________________ WOE IS ME, I HAVE NO E-MAIL (WITH AN AUTO-SOLUTION) Still don't have any incoming e-mail? Not to worry, I'm going to rectify that right now --for everyone. Let me deviate for just a moment. I am going to send each of you an automatic e-mail. Or put another way, you are all going to send yourselves some e-mail from me. Are you confused yet? Actually, each of you are going to press a button, see a blank e-mail message, and then click send. That's it. You will not have to do any typing at all. A few seconds later you will have an e-mail, from yours truly, waiting in your e-mail inbox. You will have just stepped on an electronic landmine of sorts, an autoresponder. An "autoresponder," just as the name implies, automatically responds to a request without any human intervention. The other day I wrote out a message for all the students who have made it to lesson five. In a matter of minutes (depending on when you take this lesson) I am going to know exactly who has come to this point. How? When you click on the autoresponder button below, and then click send, you are going to automatically receive a message in your e-mail box. At the same exact moment, I am going to get an e-mail informing me that you just requested the message! A warning: unfortunately, many older browsers and e-mail programs will not allow you to send e-mail without a subject line, or may simply not allow "autoresponder messages. If you experience problems simply proceed For those of you who are considering the possibilities for making money on the Internet, think of the value of such a tool. To know who visited your site, what they were interested in, when they visited, and where they live (e-mail address), so that you can follow-up. Powerful stuff. Autoresponders are covered in detail in our "Make Money on the Internet" online class. OK, back to the lesson on receiving e-mail. Let's get that e-mail message I wrote. I want you to click on the "autoresponder button" and when the e-mail message comes up for you to fill out, just click send. You do not need to type anything in the subject or body of the message. I'll know exactly what you want. In 20-30 seconds I want you to check your e-mail inbox, and you should find my e-mail just sitting there waiting for you. Lets do it! Push Autoresponder Button Now Those without graphics press here.. If you waited about 30 seconds, and then went and checked your e-mail, you should have found a message from me in your e-mail inbox. It most likely appeared in bold print, letting you know it was new mail, as yet unread by you. When you clicked on it, it changed to normal print, letting you know that this is a message I have already read. We will talk about filing and/or deleting messages later in this lesson. Having read the message, now comes the obvious question, what do I do with this ? (Lucille, that comment was really rude!!). Let me restate the question, "what can I do with e-mail that I receive?" WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH E-MAIL YOU RECEIVE When you receive e-mail you have at least four different choices. You may even do more than one of these, and often will. For example, you may reply, then file it one location (great jokes from the Internet), and copy it to another location (garbage from the Internet). The four basic things you can do with all e-mail you receive are: 1. Reply to the message. 2. Forward the message to someone else (or many people --you remember the semi-colon). 3. File it (including copying it and filing it in different locations). 4. Delete it. I have pointed out a number of times how simple it is to use e-mail, especially compared to traditional methods of sending printed words (for example, a letter or post card mailed at the local post office). Well, there's more! Suppose we just received this great joke (this really good joke... this joke... this pathetic excuse for a joke...) and we want to tell the person who sent it how: funny/hilarious/entertaining/good/bad/terrible/disgusting it was. No need to buy any stamps, envelopes, or paper. All we have to do is hit ("press" if hit seems too aggressive) the reply button, and in less time than it takes to lick a self-adhesive stamp, the person who sent you the joke learns just how wonderful/kind/thoughtful/thoughtless/rude/pathetic you think they are. Is my mailbox gonna be full this week or what?? Go ahead. If you still have the e-mail I sent, send me a reply. I will accept criticism of my joke ONLY if you reply with a joke that is better! Come on, that's fair (and think of all the material I will have for the class starting in February). Depending on your program, you will probably notice that the subject line is now filled in with the same subject as the incoming message, preceded by the "Re:" You can type in your own subject by deleting the subject that has been automatically inserted. See the discussion on subject lines in messages in lesson three. Depending on how you have configured (set up) your e-mail program, when you replied you saw my message still on your screen. Most e-mail programs place the ">" (greater than) sign in front of each line of the message received when you reply. Think of this as a way of saying, "here is what you said to me that I am replying to." I know in business writing I generally put a subject line in every letter with the reference that I am responding to (for example, Subject: Your Memo Dated 1/52/97). How much better the e-mail method does the same thing! Not only does it remind the person that they wrote to you (without you having to re-type anything), it automatically reminds the writer exactly what he wrote and when! One suggestion, however. I usually remove all of the text lines from the original message that have nothing to do with my reply. Often, a key sentence or two will remind the writer what s/he wrote and when. I also appreciate the fact that most e-mail programs now include a spell checker which will automatically scan your message for spelling and "typo" errors. This is a very important feature if you are using e-mail for any professional purposes. You should be able to configure your spell checker the way that works best for you. Usually, this will mean that it will not correct the spelling of the incoming message, only your reply. I know I keep repeating this, but in your help file (F1 key) you should be able to find very simple instructions for setting up both the reply format and the spell checker. One other suggestion. I do this a lot! Type your message/response in a word processing program and use that program's spell checker. The reason I do this, is that my word processing program also includes other features, like a built in thesaurus. When you get done with your message, and you have spell-checked it, just copy or "paint" the text you want to use in your e-mail (highlight by holding down the shift key and appropriate arrow key at the same time, and then hitting the copy button). This will save the text to your clipboard. When you re-open your e-mail program and get to the body (below the subject line), just click "paste," and like magic your previously typed, spell-checked, thesaurus-enhanced text is inserted into the message area of your e-mail. I hope this is clear. I sent messages for months (before spell checkers were a standard part of e-mail programs) with spelling errors that invariably I would catch after the e-mail had been sent (as in, when someone replied). With the method I just outlined, that is now a thing of the past, and I know that I maintain a professional image in the eyes of my customers (and students). So now you have replied to my e-mail with a joke of your own. Thank you very much. In the future we will add a page of jokes that students have submitted during the class (not unlike the "Smiley" page). Please feel free to send me a joke (must be suitable for family viewing), I will include it and give you credit. Based on the e-mail I have received from some of you, I KNOW I will have some really good jokes to include. While we are on the subject, I will also be including many of your: witty/sarcastic/biting/funny/confusing/confounding/hilarious e-mail messages in the introduction to the class that students read when they first enroll in the class. Keep 'em coming! ____________________________________________________ IN FACT, THIS MESSAGE IS SO GOOD, I'LL SHARE IT WITH OTHERS So you've replied to my e-mail now, (thank you), and you're thinking, "this joke is just too good to keep to myself. I'm going to forward this to Aunt Matilda." Were this a regular letter that we wanted to forward, we would probably run down to Mail Boxes, etc., if we didn't have our own copy machine, and pay them 11 cents for a copy, get an envelope, buy a stamp, put all of them together, drive to the post office, put the letter in the mail slot, and our friend would have this joke in the next week or so --at a cost of about 50 cents. ---- OR ----- You could simply press ("hit" if you are taking our Online Assertiveness class), the forward button on your e-mail program, and at a cost of $0,000.00 cents, you can send the same person the same joke in less time than it takes to start your car, let alone drive to the post office! And don't forget you can forward the message to more than one person, just be sure to use the ";" (semi-colon) between each e-mail address. Bring my e-mail message back up on your screen by double clicking it, press the forward button, and enter the e-mail address of the person(s) to whom you want to forward the message. On some e-mail programs, forward may appear as a command under the compose heading. Notice that the subject line is now preceded by "Fw:" and retains the subject of the incoming message. If you want to change the subject, just delete the subject line and insert your own. ____________________________________________________ BOY I SURE DON'T WANT TO LOSE THIS, I BETTER FILE IT Depending on what e-mail program you have, saving your messages is as as easy as clicking move, transfer or send. If you have a filing cabinet in your home or your office, you already know the importance of "keeping everything in its place." Just as your computer allows you to easily create new directories (Windows 3.1 and DOS) or folders (Windows 95), most e-mail programs offer the same ease and flexibility. Highlight the message you want saved. Click on move, transfer, or send, (depending on your particular e-mail program), and move it to the file/directory you have created for this type of message. Haven't created a file yet? Not a problem. When you click on one of these (move, transfer, or send), you should find an option box. Hint: menu bars at the top of all of your programs (which include File, Edit, Format, etc.), will give you a drop-down menu when you click on them. An option box is usually a word followed by ... (three dots). This will almost always indicate that the program wants some information from you. This could be the name of your printer, what name you want to use as a file name, or the name of a new folder in our example. If this is new to you, try it now. Click on a few of the menu bar choices you have in the current program you are using to read this lesson. Did you notice that everyone that has the "..." brings up another menu asking you for some information? Then try the message saving feature on your particular e-mail program. Sounding redundant, I again remind all of you that there are so many programs out there; no two being the same, that the specific steps YOU should take are easily accessed by clicking on your Help button or F1 key. ____________________________________________________ I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS JOKE,(NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY), I'M GOING TO DELETE THIS MESSAGE Deleting messages is very easy. Many (or most) of you probably have a cute little icon (you remember this term from lesson two) of a trash can. Highlight the message and drag it over to the trash can and drop it in! Electronic trash cans are cool. Think not? Try dropping your day's garbage into your outside trash can without removing the lid!! For those of you without a trash can icon, you can highlight the message and click on the File category in your menu bar. The drop down menu will include (probably) an option to delete. BE SURE TO READ WHAT YOU ARE DELETING BEFORE YOU SAY OK! When you are certain that it is correct, (i.e.you will delete just the highlighted message), go ahead and delete. Another tip. You can delete multiple messages at the same time. To selectively delete messages, go through all of your incoming messages (in whatever file you have moved them to, or still sitting there in your e-mail inbox), and highlight the ones you want deleted while holding down the control key at the same time. Then hit the delete key. All of the selected messages are immediately deleted. Cool! If you want to delete a group of messages that are all in a row, you can highlight the top message, and while holding down the shift key, click on the last message you want deleted. Everything (think about that - EVERYTHING) in between will also be deleted. You may have used this technique to delete other files from your computer. It works just as well in your e-mail program. Just be careful when you first use either of these multiple delete techniques, as it would be easy to delete messages you actually wanted to save. Even then, you are OK if deleted messages are automatically saved to a delete file, as most do (discussed earlier). Being from the old school (raised in DOS, graduated in Windows), I use the keyboard. I highlight the message(s) and press the delete key. Wssssshhhhh... gone! But is it really? Most of the good e-mail programs actually have a file for deleted messages. You cannot imagine how many times I have gone to this file to retrieve something I thought I would never want again. If you really do want to remove the message from your computer entirely, go to the delete file (assuming your program has one) and delete the message again. Now its gone for good! Those CIA and FBI students taking the class will want to remember this. As well, any of you worried about security need to know how to remove e-mail messages entirely from your computer. There are additional steps you can take that will obliterate old files and make sure no one reads something you meant to destroy. But that is a whole 'nuther topic. When I want to get rid of a file, an e-mail message, or an entire software program that I no longer use, "I, (imagine a very stuffy English accent here), do it the old fashioned way. I burn it." OOPS, I just remembered that when I burn a file, that file is connected to my computer... I smell smoke, my office is starting to smell like burnt plastic, I type faster and faster! If I get the fire extinguisher in here in time, I will see you next time. Our next lesson will build on the information you have learned in this lesson, as we focus on newsgroups and mailing lists. In many ways, these can be viewed as a kind of "mass" e-mail. Instructor begins coughing as smoke now fills the room... ---------- LESSON SIX GREETINGS Welcome back. I trust that by now you have all become proficient in the use of e-mail. As promised, this lesson takes much of what you learned in lessons three and four and applies it to yet another aspect (area) of the Internet; newsgroups and mailing lists. While I am not certain that ALL of you have become proficient, many of you have. This assessment is based on my e-mailbox. Thank you for for writing. At the beginning of the class, uncertain about the number of students that would be enrolled, I voiced a concern about not being able to answer every e-mail message I received. Some may feel that I do not want to receive e-mail from you. Nothing could be further from the truth. I recently heard that Rush Limbaugh receives over 2,000 e-mails a day. He reads every single one. I make the same promise. Time constraints will not allow me to answer every e-mail, but I will read every message. Your comments and suggestions will help me immensely in presenting this class in the future. In fact, I know that MANY of those that will be taking this course in the future will have enrolled as a direct result of your personal recommendations. Thank you. And now, on with the show... ---------- LESSON SEVEN GREETINGS! In this lesson we are going to focus on saving. Now don't run off. You did not stumble into Economics 101. We are not going to discuss saving dollars (anyone who has owned a computer as long as I have knows its impossible to save anyway). We are going to discuss saving (or downloading) files and graphics from the Internet. Before we start, I want to thank the many students who have written with questions and comments about e-mail and newsgroups. The class has obviously generated a fair amount of interest in these subjects, and I am especially pleased with the students who have been willing to try these (newsgroups and mailing lists) for the first time. That is, of course, one of the primary objectives of this class. Good job. "Let us now move from e-mail to files", he said rasply... ____________________________________________________ DOWNLOADING FILES File Cabinet Everyone who has been on the Internet for more than an hour knows that the Internet is a veritable gold mine of information. We have looked at this informational gold mine in virtually every lesson thus far. But, in this lesson we will go further by looking at saving files and graphics. There are a number of different types of computer files readily available on the Internet: commercial software, demo software, freeware, clip-art files, sound, video, and animation. There are also text or information files that may include such things as technical bulletins, newsletters, and even complete books. I am amazed when I look around my office and see how I used to get these files. I have a collection of approximately 500 disks. Many of these were purchased at a local computer store or the monthly computer bazaar. Many are shareware (try it now, pay for it later), but more than a few are full-priced commercial software programs. We will discuss the difference between shareware and commercial software later in this lesson. It is interesting to occasionally go through my collection of 5-1/4" disks, especially since I haven't had a 5-1/4" drive in my computer for several years. I recently reduced the collection by eliminating all the disks that were over 10 years old. Don't worry, I still have hundreds of disks that I cannot use! A few years ago I started using BBS's (Bulletin Board Services) to download shareware which simply means I copied the files from one computer (the BBS) to another (my personal computer) via a modem. The modem speed I originally used was 1200 baud, so one file could take hours to download. Today I use a 33,000 baud modem so I am able to load files more than 25 times faster than just 6-7 years ago! Most of you are probably connected at 14,400 or 28,800 baud. I recently downloaded the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer which is a file that is over 10 megabytes in size. It took about an hour and a half to completely download. Seven years ago, that same file would have taken an entire day to download!!! So you see, via the Internet, you have at least two distinct advantages over previous methods of obtaining software: cost and speed. In addition, with the search capabilities of the Internet you can find just about anything you are looking for. Below, you will find the Web addresses of several VERY LARGE shareware collections on the Internet. Lucky you, no need to wait for the next Computer Bazaar (three weeks from now) or tie up the phone line for the next day and a half to get the latest version of DOOM! ____________________________________________________ FTP BRIEFLY EXPLAINED I was originally going to spend some deal of time discussing ftp (file transfer protocol). The ftp protocol is similar to http (hypertext transfer protocol), which you learned about in lesson two. However, with the continual improvement in Web browsers there is less need to get into such detail. Most Web browsers now act as "front ends" for other activities such as file transfers. One way to look at this is comparing it to traveling to a foreign country where people speak a different language. Before traveling, you could buy tapes or books to learn some basic terms and phrases. This would enable you to function, albeit on a somewhat limited basis. An alternative would be to hire a courier, someone who spoke the language fluently and could easily take you anywhere you wanted to go. Now, whenever you needed something you would just tell the courier and he would do all of the translation for you. This would be much easier, and probably far more successful in the long run. Your personal escort, (we'll call him Nike), would probably not tell you how he was conjugating each verb or interpreting each idiom, he would just do it. In the final analysis, you probably wouldn't care anyway, you would simply enjoy the ease with which you could travel in this foreign setting. The Web browser, used as a front end, (or translator), accomplishes the same thing. By simply pointing and clicking on a hyperlink you can download a file. That is all you need to know. However, I know that even in the scenario outlined above, some of you would still want to learn some words and phrases on your own. With those students in mind, here is a very brief description of file transfer protocol. All file transfers on the Internet, whether accomplished through FTP software or a Web browser link, are actually accomplished using the FTP protocol. FTP servers can be compared to your personal computer. You have a hard drive with many files. You undoubtedly have these files categorized by topic or type of program (i.e. word-processing, Internet, games, business related, etc.). The FTP server will list files that can be downloaded. The files can be made available to everyone who visits or protected by password so that only certain people can access them, those who know the password. For those files that are available to everyone, the server will accept "anonymous" FTP logins so that visitors do NOT need a password to gain access. Again, If the server has files that it does not want made available to everyone, they can be protected by requiring a password. A little insight. These lessons are placed on our server (GEN - Global Entrepreneur's Network) via an FTP program. FTP can be used to upload as well as download files. Every time that I make a change or addition to the lessons, I upload the file to our server. Because I do not want anyone to change the lessons, I protect the files (lessons) with a password that only I and the server know. We have another location where we store files that are available to the general public that is not password protected. Someone linking there would simply find the file and download it, having logged in as "anonymous." There are two steps required if you use FTP software to download files. First, you must log into the FTP server. This simply involves getting the correct FTP server address. If this is not an "anonymous" FTP server you will also need to know the password to gain access to the files you want. Similar to logging on to the Internet through your Web browser (using http), you will need to successfully log on. Once that is accomplished you will be presented with a list or menu of files or directories that are available for download. Generally you will be at the "root" directory or the top level of a hierarchical directory structure. Again, this will look very similar to viewing files on your personal computer. There will probably be directories, subdirectories, and files. Secondly, you will need to navigate the files until you find the file(s) you want. Depending on the FTP program that you are using, it will probably be a simple matter of point and click once you find the desired file(s). If you are set on using independent FTP program you will need to obtain the software and learn how that particular software. OK, lets try it. Click here to go to an FTP site with TONS of files you can download. If you want to type it yourself, the address is: ....ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu You should have seen something like this: FTP root at ftp.cica.indiana.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- ** ** You have reached ftp.cica.indiana.edu at ** the Center for Innovative Computer Applications (CICA) at ** Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana USA. ** ** To contact us via e-mail: ftp-admin@cica.indiana.edu ** **NOTE** this is for the research archive ONLY!!! ** ** PC/Windows files have been moved to ftp.winsite.com. ** If you have questions regarding these ** files mail winsite@winsite.com. Any mail that comes ** our way regarding that server will not be answered. ** ** The extreme computing archive (Sage/pC++) has been moved ** to ftp.extreme.indiana.edu. ** ** You are user 19 (of a maximum of 50 connections) in ** your user classification. ** ** Our time is: Thu Mar 20 19:02:59 1997 (GMT) [EST=Greenwich MT minus ** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- 12/29/95 12:00AM Directory . 12/29/95 12:00AM Directory .. 12/29/95 12:00AM Directory bin 08/17/93 12:00AM Directory etc 12/29/95 12:00AM Directory ftp-exec 01/18/96 12:00AM Directory msg 01/06/97 09:30PM Directory pub Notice the files at the bottom. This format should be familiar to most of you, especially those who have worked with DOS. There are five directories that you can go to from here ( bin, etc, ftp-exec, msg, and pub). Lets click on the pub directory to see what comes up. Up to higher level directory 01/06/97 09:30PM Directory . 12/29/95 12:00AM Directory .. 05/07/96 12:00AM Directory archaeology 01/05/95 12:00AM Directory audio 01/25/94 12:00AM Directory author 08/17/93 12:00AM Directory avs 01/29/96 12:00AM Directory chem 04/03/95 12:00AM Directory cscl95 02/16/95 12:00AM Directory extreme 05/19/94 12:00AM Directory gov 02/17/94 12:00AM Directory laser 01/19/97 04:26PM Directory lchampel 12/15/95 12:00AM Directory mac 08/22/94 12:00AM Directory news 12/15/95 12:00AM Directory next 01/24/96 12:00AM Directory pc 02/16/95 12:00AM Directory pcrc 11/21/94 12:00AM Directory pcrc-old 02/16/95 12:00AM Directory sage 01/24/97 09:56PM Directory scaamp 12/19/95 12:00AM Directory sgi 04/26/94 12:00AM Directory tcvc 01/10/96 12:00AM Directory unix 09/14/95 12:00AM Directory users 07/27/95 12:00AM Directory video Notice the many subdirectories that are now available. We can find files on video, government, mac, and much more. I encourage you to experiment on your own and see where it takes you. Just don't forget to come back to class when you're done. When you start to find files that look interesting, you will need to know what type of files they are. This will be important so that you know what is necessary in order for you to use the file. ____________________________________________________ TYPES OF FILES This is a list of common files you will find. There are actually thousands of different types of files (most are associated with other software programs). Here are a few file types that are probably familiar to many of you. AVI Windows Video Clip BMP, PCX Windows Graphic Image File DOC Word For Windows Document EXE Windows or DOS Application File ICO Icon File MMM Animation File SCR Windows Screen Saver TTF True Type Font TXT Text File WAV Windows Sound Clip WRI Windows Write File This class is focused on Internet training, so I will not get into the details of each of these file types or how to use them. However, I would like to determine if there is interest in such a class (Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 Basics). By now you know my teaching style. If you would be interested in such a class please click here. In the body of the e-mail just tell me that you would be interested in a Dot Com Tom Basic Computer class. I will let you know by return e-mail if there is sufficient interest. Summarizing, there are literally millions of computer files available via the Internet. Many of these files are available to anyone who visits the appropriate FTP server. Every thing from recipes to software drivers, video clips to sound effects. Whether you use a third party FTP program or a Web browser, you owe it to yourself to investigate the FREE files available. ____________________________________________________ ARE ALL FILES ON THE INTERNET FREE? While obtaining (downloading) the files from an "anonymous" FTP server will usually be free (there are some entities that charge for access to their files), the files or software programs that you can download generally fit into three categories: freeware, shareware, and commercial software. * Freeware As the name implies this is FREE. There is no charge and you can use the software as long as you like. The downside to this type of software is that there is usually no documentation and what you see is what you get. If you have problems, you will often have no recourse. I recommend that you use freeware cautiously. While not exactly fitting into this category would be free files that can be used with other software (including commercial software). These files could include templates, drivers, text files, libraries, etc. This is an excellent resource. If you are using a spreadsheet program for example, there may be someone who has already made a template for a job you are trying to accomplish. This could save you hours. * Shareware Try it now, pay for it later. This is a unique marketing technique that has been used in the computer industry for many years. Programs like DOOM, QUAKE, and PROCOMM are but a few examples of software that was introduced as shareware. Occasionally, a really good shareware program will evolve into commercial software. A further explanation of this concept appears later in this lesson. * Commercial Software This is software that must be purchased before it can be used. You will be seeing more and more of this type of software being dispensed (downloaded) directly via the Internet. This offers a savings to the software manufacturer and insures that the user (YOU) have the most current version of the software. Commercial software may not be freely distributed without written permission from the manufacturer (good luck). I caution you against downloading commercial software from anyone other than the manufacturer. Some manufacturers will make "demo" copies of their commercial software which may be freely downloaded. Sometimes this will be a limited version (does not include all the bells and whistles), or a date-sensitive version which will expire and become non-functional after a period of 30-90 days. I believe there is merit in looking further at the concept of shareware. For those who are new to the Internet (or computers in general), this can be a major source of savings. If you ever paid hard earned dollars for software at the local computer store, then got it home and found it would not accomplish what you wanted, you know what I am talking about. With shareware, this need never happen, as you will not pay for the software until you are SURE that it does do what you need or want. ____________________________________________________ DOOM SO, WHAT IS SHAREWARE? (YOU'RE DOOMED IF YOU DON'T KNOW) Shareware is simply computer software that is distributed on a trial basis via the Internet, online services, mail-order vendors, computer user groups, or through retail computer stores. It could be argued that shareware is software marketed on the honor system. If you try it for the "grace period" (usually 30-90 days), and then decide to keep it and use it regularly, you're required to register and pay for it. Registration not only consummates the sale, it often brings with it formal printed documentation and technical support. If no one pays for shareware the programs cannot be improved (well, not realistically anyway). Many shareware programs have schemes which render them unusable after a certain period of time. So, if you fail to register (and pay) for the program it becomes useless. There are tens of thousands of shareware programs, some fantastic, some awful. Shareware vendors compile catalogs with hundreds and thousands of products and sell them by mail or at shows for a small fee. That fee is not the registration fee, but the fee for distributing the shareware to you. I have personally used shareware for 10 years or more. I have encountered many programs that were outstanding, and more than a few that were terrible or useless. The vast majority were somewhere in between. Many shareware companies have emerged filling niche oversights in commercial software. I think this has been one of the very best examples of how shareware fits the market very nicely. With that, here are a few locations where you can get all the shareware (and some freeware) you could EVER want or use. Spend some time at one of these sites going through the files just to get an idea of the vastness of software available. Let me know if you find anything that is particularly helpful or interesting, and don't overlook the games areas. There are some incredible games now available as shareware that could save you hundreds of dollars if you have kids (or you are one yourself -- even if just at heart)!! * http://www.shareware.com Here are a few examples of programs (shareware) currently being offered at this site. Death-defying desktop Enjoy the thrill of extreme sports with Webshots' stunning screensaver collection for Windows. Address issues wisely Keep tabs on all your contacts, appointments, and notes with Smart Address for Windows 95. To be or not to be Kaleidoscope 1.5 for the Mac brings a new set of color schemes to your desktop, including the Be OS look and feel. Download an investment advisor BB Stock Tool for Windows 95 puts professional financial analysis tools at your fingertips. * http://www.hotfiles.com Here are a few examples of programs (shareware) currently being offered at this site. Heads up! Hale-Bopp comet images make great wallpaper. Spring Cleaning Toolkit Dust, clutter, carpets, car repair. . . Whatever home or PC chore you're facing, our has shareware that can help. Why, it'll even do Windows. Top 10 ways to save a screen If variety is the spice of life, screen savers add spice to a PC's desktop. We suggest these popular Windows screen savers. Happy birthday to us ZDNet's Software Library celebrates its first anniversary and millions of downloads on the Web with 365 of the year's most popular files. Well, I have to go now. My son just stopped by and challenged me to a game of DOOM. Yea, he's at level 48 or something and I'm still at level one, but I think today is the day that I will survive beyond the first 30 seconds. I just have this feeling... ---------- LESSON EIGHT GREETINGS! (AND FAREWELL) Well, we've come to the final lesson. My, that was fast, but we still have a few fun things do to. I also want to briefly discuss Web Design. So, without any further delay let's finish the class. I'll start by showing you how to get help when no one else is around. I NEED HELP! In a class this size you can be sure there are many different Web browsers, different e-mail programs, and more than a few different computers. Accordingly, starting with lesson 3, I have to keep the instruction simple and broad enough to get you pointed in the right direction, allowing for differences in terms within all of these different programs. In lesson three I reminded you that you have a "help" file in all of your programs (well, you should). Have a program without a help menu? Get a new program! Even after using a particular program for years I sometimes have questions. Usually I just press the old trusty F1 key and get my answer, without ever leaving my desk, or that program. Some of you may not be familiar with the Help menu. While this is not really a subject of our studies, it is critical that you be able to take the broad information that I am presenting and tailor it to your particular program. The Help menu will be the key to making this easy (?). Try pressing YOUR F1 key right now. Most of you will immediately (well, within a few seconds), be presented with a file that has lots of subjects for additional information. If, for some reason, your help menu did not come up, try clicking on the Help area in your menu bar at the top of the screen, and then opening the help file on the program in which you are viewing this lesson (probably your Internet browser). At the top of the help file you probably have three choices: Contents, Index, and Find. Contents can simply be compared to a table of contents. The Index lists all of the subjects, by keywords or brief sentences, in which the help file contains additional information. Find, if you have that option, will allow you to type in a word and the help file will search its entire data base (ALL of the words in the help file) for the word you have typed. If you regularly use the Help button in your programs, you are most likely a proficient computer user. I get computer questions every day from business colleagues. In 80% or more of the cases, they could have gotten the answer themselves, EASILY, by just looking in the help file right there in the program in which they were working. In some ways, this may be the most important tip I will give you in this class. But, as the old adage goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Even though I remind my business buddies repeatedly about the help they have right there on their computer, old habits die hard. And at the end of each month, AT&T thanks them personally (in the form of a monthly bill) for their continued excessive long distance phone charges. I need to restate comments made in earlier lessons. There are so many Internet software programs that it is utterly impossible to tell each of you exactly how to access and use each area area of the Internet. In order to fully understand and enjoy the Internet you have to read the help file or manual that came with your Internet software in order to learn, specifically, how to perform each particular task. There is simply no way around this. I wish that all Internet software programs used the same terms and performed tasks in the same way, but they don't. One other recommendation; Update your software to the most recent version! In many cases, this will not cost you a thing, other than the time it takes to download a file. I have fielded many questions in the past few weeks that would have been resolved by using the current version of software. Upgrades are often available at no charge. Please check the version number of the Internet program(s) you are using. Do it today. Go to each vendor's Web site (for example, http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.netscape.com) and look for their free download area and download the most current version. Like that old oil filter commercial says, "you can pay me now or pay me later." A few minutes (or even an hour or more) invested today, may save you multiplied hours in the future. EOL! (You remember, end of lecture) As Mikey once said, "try it, you'll like it!" ___________________________________________________________ OK, we have now come to the point where we need to have a little fun with all that we have learned. We recently did a seminar where we told people why they should be on the Internet. Would you believe that there are still people who are not hooked up to the Internet? Well, here are a few of the things we told them they could regularly find and use. By now you should have your own newspaper (Crayon), and I hope that most of you have made that your home page. But if you did not, here are some alternatives. I have also included some other links just for fun. If you try them, be sure to come back to the lesson (use your back button until you arrive back here), so that you can finish the class. Let's look at some links together First, we better check the weather. WeatherNethttp://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/ Welcome to WeatherNet, the Internet's premier source of weather information. Providing access to thousands of forecasts, images, and the Net's largest collection of weather links, WeatherNet is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of weather data on the Web. Thanks for stopping by! WeatherNet is sponsored by The Weather Underground at the University of Michigan. ___________________________________________________________ Maui Weather http://satftp.soest.hawaii.edu/weather/ What's the weather like where you are? It's another beautiful day in paradise!! ___________________________________________________________ And just in case you can't get to a TV, we'll bring the Weather Channel to you. The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com ___________________________________________________________ Well, now that we know what the weather is like (we could have just stuck our head out the window, but what fun would that be), let's check the latest news. CNN http://www.cnn.com USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com US NEWS http://www.usnews.com FOX NEWS http://www.foxnews.com Washingtion Times http://www.washtimes.com/ ___________________________________________________________ OK, we know what the weather is like and we know what is going on in the world. Now, let's do some fun things on the 'Net. We can... Find a Friend or a Long Lost Relative http://www.mapquest.com/ http://iamwww.unibe.ch/~oscar/WWW/index.html#PEOPLE http://www.four11.com/ The most comprehensive and impressive people finder on the Net" http://www.ancestry.com/ Click here to get a free CD full of genealogy data. Welcome to Ancestry Search! Find Anything From This Site http://www.switchboard.com/ Switchboard now has Mapping for businesses, thanks to MapQuest! http://www.lookupusa.com/ Welcome to Lookup USA... the FREE service from American Business Information, Inc.! Enter a Contest http://www.ft-wayne.com/freestuff.html http://www.aracnet.com/~crow/sq/ Go Shopping http://www.cybertown.com/shopping.html http://www.netmarket.com/sa/pages/home/ref=cucaltavista01 http://www.vxr.com/mall.html The Virtuosity Shopping Mall http://www.imall.com iMALL, Inc. - The Largest Retail Web Site With Over 1000 Merchants! Play Some Games http://titan.ecs.fullerton.edu/~xjkorpa/Hyper_links/Entertainment/onli ne_games.html play hangman online http://www.riddler.com/home.html Great games, great prizes and it's all FREE Chat With Someone Else Who Has Nothing To Do http://www.tribal.com ___________________________________________________________ For those of you who may want to do some things a little more serious with the Internet, I want to look briefly at Web design. This is certainly a class unto itself, and there are many possible uses for a Web site. My purpose here is to use our Web site (http://www.tomark-et.com) as as example of how I feel a good Web site should be constructed (Well, what would you expect me to say)? The LION A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR WEB SITE Again, for the purposes of this lesson, and so that we are all on the same page (pun intended), I am requesting that you use our home page (http://www.tomark-et.com), as noted above. Using some of what we have learned in lesson seven, I thought this would be a good place to give a quick sketch of what is involved in designing a Web page or Web site. This discussion will be brief, and just give a quick overview, but it should give you an idea of the thought and planning that goes into a designing a Web page/site. First, a few statistics. We put up our web site on November 21, 1996 (a total of 74 days as of February 3, 1997). In that time we have had 70,000 "hits" and over 5,000 different visitors. Most visitors have provided their names and addresses. Close to 1,000 people have now enrolled in the Internet 101 Class. We have sold a number of Web sites to others, and helped many more to make money with their site. But in addition to the statistics, we have received countless comments about our Web site. We consider ourselves to be "visionaries" in that we see an unlimited number of ways that an Internet Web site can be used. Our visitors have come from many countries, and literally around the clock; seven days a week. Because of the high traffic (we actually expect to increase these numbers dramatically in the next 90 days with new things we are adding), it is important that our site be easy to navigate and quick to load. Because many of the things we do are geared to new Internet users, ease of use is a high priority. We want the site to be enjoyable, so we use graphics liberally. We want the site to load fast (so that people don't lose interest while sitting there watching the hour-glass, or the waving flag, or the revolving globe), so we make the graphics as small as possible while retaining clarity. We have purposely included many of the same features that you would find on a typical Web browser or ISP home page in the hopes that some people, especially entrepreneurs and small businesses, will use our site as their default home page. We will be adding two search engines to our home page in the next few weeks. One of the search engines will search the entire LION Web site, while the other will search the entire Internet. These additions will make our home page a more valuable tool. This, in part, explains some of the difficulty in reaching our site in recent days, as we add these, and other features. A well-constructed Web page/site will make it very easy for the typical Internet user (and especially the beginner) to easily navigate throughout the site, and beyond. Again. at The LION we use lots of icons which make it simple to "click and go." Last Chance!!! As we designed the site, which, by the way, is constantly evolving, to function much like our brains. That is, we try to make it very easy to jump from one thing to the next. Think of this like reading the daily newspaper. If you are like me, you scan the headlines until you find something interesting, begin reading, and depending on the level of interest, you read some or all of the article. If the article does not keep your undivided attention (most articles don't), you probably find yourself scanning the page for another headline (or advertisement) that grabs your attention. The Web accomplishes this (when a page is constructed well) by providing icons and other simple and straight-forward links. Good commercial Web sites/pages will offer most or all of the following: * Clear and concise statement as to the purpose of the Web site * Diverse areas that offer different things for different visitors. * A "What's New" area that quickly identifies what has changed since the last visit * An easy way to search the site and/or the Internet * Clear and quick-loading graphics * Valuable content Can you see how the components of the Web browser (the topic of this lesson) help to dictate how we have constructed our Web site. I indicated at the beginning of this course that people in the nineties value their time, and nano seconds matter. I hope you have a better insight into how this can be accommodated. This is but a scratching of the surface on Web design, but I at least wanted to whet some appetites amongst some of our students who have expressed an interest in Web design. Go back now and look at The LION. Look at other good sites you enjoy visiting. Do they fit the criteria noted above? That is: do you understand what the site is trying to accomplish; are there different things to see and do; is it easy to identify what has been changed or added since your last visit; can you quickly search the site to find what you are looking for; do the graphics load quickly and are they clear; and is there anything of value at the site? I would appreciate hearing from you about our site. Because we have a wider variety of systems being used to view our site, it doesn't appear the same from one system to the next. Our site has been purposely developed for 28.8 K modems. How long do the pages take to load on your system? Do you lose interest before a page completely loads (remember the stop button)? Is there information of value on our site? Is it easy to find? Your comments will be used to help us make The LION the preeminent site for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and those who are new to the Internet. This is a lofty goal, we know, but we are also very confident we can achieve it. Your comments will help us to that end. Please be sure to give a brief overview of your system (type of computer, type of modem, speed of modem, size of computer monitor, type of Web browser, type of connection). You can send your comments to my e-mail address: tlane@softcom.net Thanks for participating. We will select one response at random to receive a free California Beef Jerky, (the Cowboy Candy) Sampler, a $22.90 value. Copyright TOMARK-ET, LLC 1996-1997. All rights reserved. No duplication of Dot-Com-Tom Online Classes is allowed, in part or in whole, without written permission from the author. E-Mail: Dot-Com-Tom Enterprises ---------- End of Document