This site has intentionally been streamlined to load fast and be as simple and direct as possible. It is intended to help you get easily on the Internet and learn your way around.  Here are a few helpful hints and tips about browsing the Web, search engines, e-mail, chat, and even making your own web page, and more.

The Internet is actually just another appliance, and a very useful one!  It is the worlds largest encyclopedia, a place to find people and ideas and connect with the whole world in many interesting ways. To get on the net it, all you really need is a computer and web browser software--a text editor or word processor, and an e-mail program.
 

WHAT IS A URL?
URL stands for Universal Resource Locator or Uniform Resource Locator. Most URL's are simply pointers that aim the program at other locations. All those things starting with http:// are "Universal Resource Locators," to your web browser. For a glossary of other computer/internet terminology see The Word Page.

LINKS:
Link is short for Hyperlink and a hyper link is generally a line of text in the body of a web page that when clicked with the mouse, will connect you to another site. The most common identifier of a link is that the text appears in color and is underlined. This does not mean that all underlined blue text is a link.....nor that all links are blue and underlined.

BOOKMARKS:
You can bookmark this page so it is easy to find again (do it now). Windows users can do this by hitting Ctrl D.  If you are using Netscape and want to make this page come up each time you get on the net, just do the following: 1) Click edit;  2) Click preferences; 3) Click "Use current page."

BOOKMARK MENU FOLDER:
In Netscape Navigator, the bookmark menu folder is the container for the saved hyperlinks displayed by the Bookmark menu. The bookmark menu folder is set in the Bookmarks window. bookmarks folder In Netscape Navigator, the bookmarks folder is a container for a collection of saved hyperlinks. Typically, the folder has a subject name and it contains hyperlinks to related Web pages. Learn to cut and paste your bookmarks to keep them organized.

FILES AND FILENAMES:

 Just about anything you do with a computer involved doing something with a file. So you just can't escape knowing something about file names. The first part of a filename is seperated from the last part by a period. The second part is called the extension. MYFILE.TXT implies a textfile that you created.

MAKING A FOLDER TO STORE YOUR FILES:
You can make a folder (directory) on your hard drive called JOE or RUTH,  or MYSTUFF or whatever.  Practice with a few files before you get on-line. Arrange this folder icon so it is, peeking at you from the edge or top of the screen and always available. Find your e-mail inbox file, your address book file right now and make copies before a disaster destroys them. Make a folder called BACKUP or DATA for them. The most organized hard drive I have seen had ALL personal files in subdirectories under DATA. Only that folder needed to be copied when the hard drive needed replacing.

CUT AND PASTE:
You can cut and paste in the address window (at the top of the page). This is especially handy for long Internet addresses because they are awkward to type. Use the left mouse button to select text or address, then RIGHT click to cut and paste. On a page, or a chat text, you can SELECT ALL by clicking the word EDIT at the top of the window. Hold down Ctrl and press C to cut and Ctrl and V to paste.

TEXT EDITORS:
Anytime you see text on your screen that you want to use, you can highlight, cut and paste it to a plain text file. Then you can save the text as a file for later reference or paste it into an e-mail message or open it into your word processor.

The difference between a text editor and a word processor is complexity. Word processors will usually open text files and save as plain text (if you know how). But often they are so feature rich that they are not easy to learn or use, and are too slow to load. Windows comes with NOTEPAD.EXE. It is a plain text editor and is useful to have handy anytime you use the Internet. And it is easy to use.

Go to the Windows directory where you can see all the Windows files. NOTEPAD.EXE has an icon that looks like a spiral notebook. Click and drag it to your desktop using the right mouse button. Put it right at the top of the page so it is handy. You can size the browser page so your notepad is peeking over the top. Then you can click on it to call it anytime. Or, better yet, start notepad before you get online. Minimize it so it is running on the bottom bar. If you use an Office Suite with a button bar that stays on top, then try dragging the editor icon to the button bar. A much improved Notepad type program called Metapad has a lot of interesting features including "find and replace." Metapad and other FREE software can be downloaded from shareware sites.

CD AND VIDEO TUTORIALS:
If none of this makes sense to you, then you need to review your operating system's file management. Ask for a video tutorial list from the Public Library. There are various good topics to check out, such as: Intro to the Computer, Windows, The Internet, your favorite word processor, etc. Some video rental stores have them also. Videos are better than books because you will be clicking on things, which may be without names, then dragging them to a place that can be hard to follow in a book. I got an EXPERT tutorial CD for about $12 and it was excellent.  Many schools offer inexpensive night classes on these topics. If you are a senior, then you might look up a local Senior Net group.

INTERNET TUTORIALS and HELP SITES:

• How do Computers Work? -  a basic introduction
• General Internet Information and links 
• If you are new to the internet (a newbie), The Newbie Zone has info and links to help.
• Pakuranga College WWW Newbie Tutorial is straightforward and accessible.
• Frank's Virtual Sites Virtual Internet Guide -One of the best found on the net!
• Primers and Tutorials from PC Week
• Learning About The Internet - from Critical Mass
• Virtual Computer Library - WWW Guides/Information
• The librarians of Skokie Public Library have gathered several helpful online resources to assist you in navigating the Web.
• Here are some Surfing tips from Infoseek.
• Fantasy Realm is a great starter page for Windows users because it explains how to use Finger Gateway, set up your Netscape mailbox, make a signature file, and much more.
• If you crave a cozy and friendly intro, try Cyber Mom's Newbie Tutorial.
• Refdesk.com - Is all about Internet help for beginners.
• Newbie Nation for Internet Beginners is a personal web site that has everything the Internet newbie will need to create their own personal website or upgrade a site they now have. Free host providers, guest books, counters, midi files, backgrounds, chat rooms, images, email, browsers, editors, etc.
• Newbie-U's virtual campus is a friendly, helpful tutorial for new users that includes:

    How Your Browser Works / Finding What You're Looking For /
    Finding E-Mail Addresses / Learn about e-mail software / Mailing Lists /
    "File Transfer Protocol" - What is FTP? / FTP Software Step-By-Step /
    "Internet Relay Chat" - Overview: How It Works / Step-By-Step Session /
    Searching for Groups of Interest / Step-By-Step News Reading Session.
• Grafton Internet Online Help - Configuration Info, Internet Guides,  Programs, PC Help, Mac Help.
• Here is a site for those who are New to the Net -Information with Links From the WebWorld
• Asia Pacific CompuNet Ltd. Beginner Guide - Introductions, Internet Basics, Netiquette, User Guidelines for responsible use of the Internet.
• Surf Guru - NET BASICS- send your questions.
• PLANET EARTH HOME PAGE - central starting point, Links, Beginner's Guides, Browsers, E-Mail, InternetCodes & Terms, Facts & Figures, Net History, Internet Societies & Organizations, ISP'S, Netiquette, Search Engines.
• Bigeye is one of the Best Reference Sites on the Web - free e-mail, free webpages, magazines, and more free stuff; including free e-mail and webpages, catalogs and magazines and more.
• On-Line Learning Index- offers a comprehenisve list ol learning sites.
•  Internet Background and Basics - collection of unusual and interesting links
• Groovy Minds - this sites primary purpose is to assist the computer illiterate, to take take the frustration out of using a computer. 
• Netscape Navigator Handbook - full of useful info about this Web Browser
• Infoseek: Learn the Web

 

Lycos Computer Basics	Lots of links here
Dogpile Category: Beginners	Guides and tools
The Online World resources Handbook	Lots of resources, links, appendices
Glossary of Internet Terms	by Matisse Enzer
Internet FAQs	FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary of  Terms & FAQ	Net terminology
Everything you Need to Surf the Net--For Free!	About Browsers and software
Zen & the Art of the Internet	A 1992 Beginner's Guide to the Internet
Internet Newbie	Netscape Search results
What is the Internet	What is IP? HTML? PPP? WWW? etc...
Internet Tutor	Iintro to the Internet & statistical information
Cyberspace Guide	You need a fast computer for this one
About the Web - links	FAQ and Guides like: What is HTML
Newbie Newz	Cyber Courses, FAQ, more...
Web Browsers FAQ	What is a browser? How does it work? etc.
Computing Dictionary	PC Webopedia
Netiquette	User Guidelines and Netiquette - Index
Inter-Links	Internet resource locator, and tutorial
FAQ's & Other Periodic Postings	Netscape Search results
EFF "Net Update" Archive	Extensive list of older info files
Northern Lights Freenet	Where to find free Internet Providers
C-Net Users Guide	Beginner Center
Domain Names	How to analyze them

For Netscape Navigator: Click the "Edit" menu at the top of the screen and select "Preferences." On the left of the screen that appears, you'll see a tree structure. Click "Navigator" so that it's highlighted. To the right, you should now see a "Home page" section with a "Location:" box in it. Type the URL of the page you want your browser to start on, including the "http://" part (e.g. "http://www.dogpile.com"). Click on "OK" and you're set. Now when you sign on, your browser will automatically start there.

For Microsoft Internet Explorer: Click the "View" menu at the top of the screen and select "Internet Options." You should see a "Home page" area with an "Address" box containing the address of the page you currently start with. All you need to do is type in the address of the page you want Explorer to start with, let's use "  https://helpfulhi.tripod.com/helpful.html" -- click OK and you're set.  Just cut-and-paste  https://helpfulhi.tripod.com/helpful.html       into your browser window to get started making the change.

SEARCH ENGINES:
 

Find People

WhoWhere	555-1212	White Pages
World Email Directory	BigFoot people search	Yahoo! People Search
Phone Directories	International Telephone Directories	US Phone Numbers
SuperPages	Internet People Finder	InfoUSA

 

All-in-one Searches

DogPile	Ask Jeeves	Northern Lights
Wcross	C4 Parallel Search	Profusion

 

Other Search Engines

ALTA VISTA	YAHOO	LYCOS
HotBot	Fast Search	Excite
WebCrawler	Mckinley	Profusion
NIKOS	Harvest	ALIWEB
Open Text	WWW Worm	EINet Galaxy
Infoseek	Alltheweb	CUI W3
Magellan	World Wide Web Worm	c|net Search
Fast Search	SearchEngines.Com	Internet Exploration

SearchEngineWatch - good on-line source for information about web search tools

Search IQ is a search engine list with strong points of each engine.

Search Zone lists various search engines and their indications for use.

Search Engine Show Down  gives tips on how to use search engines.

Searching the Web (list of search engines via Yahoo)

WWW Search Engines (master list)

NEWSGROUPS:

An introduction to mail groups This source provides general information on the various types of mail group manager programs and how they are typically used.

http://tile.net/listserv/

http://ancho.ucs.indiana.edu/mlarchive

http://scwww.ucs.indiana.edu/mlarchive/

http://web66.coled.umn.edu/Cookbook/MailingList/MailingList.html

http://www.nova.edu/Inter-Links/cgi-bin/news-lists.pl

http://edweb.cnidr.org:90/lists.html

http://www.neosoft.com/internet/paml/

http://liszt.bluemarble.net/

news.newusers.questions is devoted to helping new users. The group also has a help site on the Web. It would be a good idea to read the newsgroup, the Web site, or both for a little while before posting anything at all to netnews.

SHAREWARE and FREE SOFTWARE

Contests and free stuff -volition.com

FREECON -links

• XTREE was the best file manager ever, but unfortunately was discontinued. A similar program, ZTREE, for WIN 9x, does honor long filenames is now available to be downloaded. Norton Utilities was very popular, but starting with Windows95, just loading the software has caused big problems on some stems.
• Backup Express - a good choice to back uo you hard drive to a CDRW drive.

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