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Lessons and Articles to Make the Internet Easier to Use
Those of us that create web sites or other forms of online marketing sometimes wrongly assume that internet terminology is just common knowledge. Hopefully, this section can help help alleviate some of the mystique around using the internet. Included here are a variety of basic lessons on common web site and internet usage, as well as links to articles on other web sites that you may find useful. |
A browser is what you are using right now to view this web site. This is a software program on your computer that interprets web site code and displays it on your computer screen. You are very likely using a browser called Internet Explorer, a Microsoft product. There are many others browsers available and each has its own bells and whistles. But when it really comes down to it, the basic use of any browser is the same - to view web sites on a computer.
Every year or two there are new and improved versions of the browsers. Newer versions have more bells and whistles, as well as the capabilities of displaying new-fangled web site code. If you want to be able to view web sites properly, you should make sure your computer has the newest browser available, since older versions may not understand the new code. To update your Internet Explorer, click here. It's free! (note that this will open a second browser window and take you to the Microsoft web site).
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- Why are there times I can't use the "back" button when I'm looking at a web site?
Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong. The most common reason for the "back" button on your browser not working is that you clicked on a link that opened a second browser window. This new window opens up right over the previous one, sometimes completely covering the original window . And because the new browser window hasn't already been to the previously visited pages, you don't have the option to go backwards. When this occurs, simply close the new window or minimize it on your screen. The previous web page will then be displayed.
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- Why do some web sites use these "pop-up" windows?
This technique is often used to link to additional information without sending the user away from the original web site. For instance, if I included a link to an article on a web site other than my own, I wouldn't want you to loose track of where you are on my own site. So I add code that opens up a second window to display the new information. My web site remains in the original window. Another example is in the paragraph above, where the small window opened up to display additional information.
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- What's that little "Refresh" button for on my browser?
The "refresh" button is used to reload the current page of a web site in order to make sure it is displaying the most current information.
When you "go to" a web site, what you are actually doing is telling your browser to retrieve those web site files (text, graphics, photos) and download them to your computer. So when you're sitting and looking at a web site page, what you're actually looking at are static files that reside on your computer.
Generally speaking , when you visit the same web site at a later time, it automatically retrieves the newest information. Occasionally, the new information is not updated correctly. If you click the "refresh" button it will tell the browser to retrieve the most current version of the page.
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- Why can't I find a particular web site on the search engines?
Search engines are very complex. There are hundreds of search engines and each has their own way of categorizing information. Currently, Google is the most popular.
While there can be many reasons a particular web site doesn't appear when you search for it, one of the most common is that the search words you used are simply too broad. For instance, if you are looking for red high-heeled shoes from Mary's Shoe Company in Seattle it usually won't do any good to use only the word "shoes" for your search. That would be much too broad and you would end up with hundreds (probably thousands) of web sites that perhaps had something to do with shoes in some way, but not what you are specifically looking for.
So what you need to do is be more specific. In this case, you might want to try searching for "Mary's Red Shoes Seattle", which would theoretically find a reference to the red high heels at Mary's Shoe Store in Seattle.
Other reasons you can't find web sites on the search engines
Another reason that a certain web site may not appear is that the web site itself is not "optimized" to be found by the search engines. To be categorized properly be the search engines, web sites need to have words included in their text and hidden HTML code that clearly describe the product or service they offer. For instance, if Bruce's Boa Company has text on its web site that mentions only their location two blocks from the railroad tracks, instead of the wide selection of boas they offer, the search engine may think the web site is about railroads.
Another reason you may not find a particular web site is that, contrary to popular belief, just because a web site is on the internet, does not mean that it will be listed by the search engines. Or it could be listed, but might be ranked far down the list of search results. Generally, people are going to click on the search results that appear on the first couple screens, which lists only the first 25 or so results. You may want to try refining your search even more by choosing more specific search words.
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- How to find a web site when you know the web site address
There is still a lot of confusion over this issue and people often waste their time using a search engine when they already have the information they need to go directly to that specific web site.
Search engines are very useful when you don't have the specific address. As an example, if you knew you wanted to find Aris Media in MA , but didn't know the address of the web site, you might do a search using the words "web design Aris Media ", which would ideally list our web site near the top of the search results.
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- How to send someone a web site link through e-mail
While there are a number of different ways to send someone the link to a web site through e-mail, the easiest is to simply copy and paste from the address bar.
To do this, go to the web page you want to send someone a link to and highlight the address in your browser's address bar (in many cases, if you click once on the address it will highlight the full address with one step). When the address is highlighted, go to the Edit menu at the top of your browser and choose Copy. Switch back to your e-mail program and then paste the link into the e-mail (choose Edit menu, then choose Paste). The address is formatted properly and, in most cases, will show up as a "clickable" link in the recipient's e-mail.
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