Internet

Surfing the net /Surfing the web

Unless someone has printed this out for you, you are, at this very moment, looking at a "page" on the World Wide Web, or a web page. A page may actually be more than what you can see on your screen. There is no standard length. Some pages will fit easily on your computer screen and others would take a full ream of paper to print out, if you had a mind to do so. It just depends on how the page was designed. A page can include text, pictures, sound, animation, and video. In fact, there seems to be no end of the creative things that people can put on a web page. It changes all the time.

Before You Surf

If you are brand-new to the web, there are a few things that you need to know. Sometimes you will see text that is underlined in a different color (It s usually blue or purple, but not always). It's called a link. When you point at this kind of text (use your mouse to move the pointer around on the screen), and then click on it, things will change. You will either jump to a new page, or you may jump to another location on the same page. Using these links, you can go almost anywhere on the web.

Just for a quick test, let's do it now. When you click on the link, you will be taken to another page. Don't worry; you'll be given instructions on how to get back. Now, when you re ready, CLICK ME!

Great job! There are just a couple of things to point out. When you moved the pointer over the link, it changed shape from an arrow to a finger.

This is the standard pointer

This indicates that you are pointing to a link.

You may have also noticed that the blue text turned purple. The purple tells you that you ve already visited that site. The link will work again and again, but it s nice to have a little reminder of where you've been before. Almost all sites use this blue and purple color scheme, but not always.

In addition to text, you can also go places by clicking on some pictures. You'll know if you've moved your pointer over a link anytime that finger appears. Let's try that now. Just position you re the pointer over the picture below. When it changes to a finger, click it.

Click this picture.

Remember, if your pointer changes to a finger, then you are pointing to a link. To find out where it leads, click it. You'll always be able to get back.

The link is an important part of getting around the web. Links are formally known as hyperlinks, but everyone calls them links. As you saw above, a link is a way to go from one page to another page. Usually there is some meaningful connection between the original page and the linked page, but not always.

Web Pages versus Web Sites

A web site is a collection of web pages. Although a web site can be a collection of just one page. Usually it consists of more than one related pages. A well-designed site will provide you with links that will help you get to the other pages. Also, there are frequently links that will take you to different web sites.

There are web sites for almost every single topic you can think of. It seems like every company has its own web site. More and more individuals have personal web sites. Even the politicians have gotten in on it. There are so many sites out there, in fact, that it can be difficult to sift through them all and find the sites that really interest you. Later on, I'll give you some advice on how to get at the information that you want quickly and easily.

Here’s just a brief sample of some of the web’s most visited sites. If you want to go take a peek, just click on one of the links. Remember, if you want to get back, keep hitting the back button on your browser until you get back here.

While the chart above lists some of the largest and most visited sites, many of the most interesting sites aren’t listed here. If you have the time to surf aimlessly, you may stumble onto:

1. One of the 195,000 sites that deals with insects.

2. One of the 268,000 sites that deal with shoes.

3. Or one of the 4,300 sites that deal with stepping on insects (including sites on how
to avoid stepping on insects).