Internet Basics
I. What is a browser?
a. A browser is a software program that allows you to view Web pages. Browsers are free. Most computers come with a browser already loaded onto the computer.
b. Popular browsers
i.
Internet Explorer from Microsoft
1. A disadvantage of Internet Explorer is that most hackers and virus writers hate Microsoft so those browsers are targeted.
2. The advantage of Internet Explorer is that it is a Microsoft product so it works with other Microsoft products. Eventually, Internet Explorer adds the features that the other browsers offer.
ii.
Firefox
1. Firefox was using “tabbed browsing” before Internet Explorer.
iii.
Opera
1. Opera uses “thumbnails” on the first page to show you the Web pages that you have selected instead of tabs for different websites.
c. For all these browsers, you can set the page(s) that you want to open when you first start the browser by going to Tools / Internet Options.
II. What is URL?
a. URL stands for uniform resource locater. The URL is another name for the Web address. There are several parts that make up the URL.
i. HTTP is called the protocol. It stands for hypertext transfer protocol. For Web addresses that start with HTTPS, the S indicates that you are linking to a secure server. Internet Explorer also displays a lock in the lower right side of the page.
ii. WWW tells the browser to look on the World Wide Web.
iii. Google.com is the domain. The domain extension lets you know what type of site it is. Common extensions are:
1. .com – commercial
2. .gov – government
3. .edu – education
4. .net – network
5. .uk – United Kingdom
6. .org – organization
III. How can I find things on the Internet?
a. Use a search engine, like Google, to find things on the internet.
b. Use the help section of a search engine to learn the rules for that search engine.
c. Use http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2156221 for a rating of the best search engines and http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2167981 to see how different search engines work.
d. Use the Advanced Search features to refine your searches.
e. Results at the top are the ones that Web sites paid to have at the top.
f. Use Boolean Searches
IV. What are Boolean operators?
What are Boolean Operators?
A search strategy is a series of steps you take to plan and prepare an efficient way to collect information on a given topic. When you are using search engines, you need to think about creating effective search strategies. Most search engines, such as Google, have very large databases in which to search for results. You want to get the results you need on the first page of the search results. Remember that the more precise your search strategy is; the more likely it is that the results you want will first in the results list.
One way to improve the effectiveness of your searches is to use Boolean operators. There are three Boolean operators:
These operators show the relationship between terms in the search strategy. When you use the Boolean AND, the search engine will return only those sites that contain both of the terms. When you use the Boolean OR, the search engine will return all sites that contain both terms and all the sites that contain either one of the terms. When you use the Boolean NOT, any sites that use the term(s) following NOT will not be returned.
Now look at some examples. Every search engine has its own rules for how you use Boolean operators. These examples use Google as the search engine. If you use a different search engine, you may need to use different search terms and your results will be different.
Example 1 uses the Boolean AND. The search terms in Google would be:
baseball soccer
By default, Google uses AND automatically. You do not need to type the Boolean operator AND in your search terms. Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms. This means that the search term above is the same as:
baseball AND soccer
When you use the Boolean AND, fewer results are returned. This is because there are a smaller number of Web sites that have the terms “baseball and soccer” than Web sites that have the term “baseball” only or the term “soccer” only.
Example 2 uses the Boolean OR. The search terms in Google would be:
baseball OR soccer
To use the Boolean OR, you type the word “or” between the terms that you want Google to look for in the search. Google will return any page that contains at least one of your search terms.
In the chart above, notice that when you use the Boolean OR, more results are returned. This is because the returned results include sites that have the term “baseball” and sites that have the term “soccer” and sites that have the terms “baseball and soccer.”
Example 3 uses the Boolean NOT. The search terms in Google would be:
baseball –soccer
soccer – baseball
Google uses the minus sign (-) to indicate the Boolean NOT. In the first example above, only Web sites that contain the term “baseball” and do not contain the term “soccer” would be listed. In the second example above, only Web sites that contain the term “soccer” and do not contain the term “baseball” would be returned.
In the chart above, notice that when you use the minus sign (-), or the Boolean NOT, fewer results are returned in these examples. This is because there are a smaller number of Web sites that have the terms “baseball” and do not have “soccer” than Web sites that have the term “baseball” only. There are a smaller number of Web sites that have the terms “soccer” and do not have “baseball” than Web sites that have the term “soccer” only.
Tips for More Effective Search Strategies
Here are some tips you can use to be more effective in your search strategies:
1. Use synonyms, alternate spellings and alternate forms (e.g. dance, dancing, dances) for your search terms.
2. Think of all the particular or unique terms which are likely to be included in the document or site you are seeking and use them in your search terms.
3. Avoid using very common terms (e.g. Internet, people) which may lead to many irrelevant search results.
4. Find out how your search engine uses capitals and plurals, and then use capitalized or plural forms of your search words if needed.
5. Use a phrase or proper name, when possible, to narrow your search and retrieve more relevant results (unless you want a large number of results)
6. Use multiple operators (e.g. AND, NOT) if a search engine allows you to do so.
7. If you receive too many results, refine and improve your search. (After looking through your results, you should see how to use NOT, for example e.g. Chicago AND baseball AND NOT Cubs)
8. Find out the proper spacing and punctuation for your search engine, for example, no space when using “+” means “+term” not “+ term”.
A Special Tip: Finding Synonyms on Google
Google has a great feature that lets you find synonyms, or words with similar meaning, in your search terms. When you use the tilde sign (~) before the term, Google will search for that term and other terms that mean the same. You can find the tilde (~) sign on the upper right corner of the keyboard, just above the Tab key. Here are some examples:
V. Favorite Web 2.0 sites
· http://del.icio.us/ - social bookmarking site
· http://www.flickr.com/ - photo sharing site