|
S i d e b a r
GETTING YOUR TOES WET
By Terrye Newkirk
|
|
|
|
The technical how-to of getting online is far simpler than it used to be, but that too can be a hurdle for newcomers. To access the Web, you need a modem, an Internet service provider or online service, plus a browser and some search engines.
Modem. The piece of hardware that allows your computer to communicate with other computers over a telephone line. Your computer probably came with one. If not, you can buy a decent external modem for $100 or less (buy the fastest one you can; anything less than a 28,800 bps, and you’ll spend half your online time waiting for graphics to load).
Browser. Software that enables you to "surf" the Web. The most popular is Netscape Navigator (the newest version is called Netscape Communicator), but Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is also widely used. If you’re using an online service such as America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy, you can begin exploring the Web right away without worrying about a separate browser. These services offer their own interface for the Web. If you’re using an Internet service provider (such as Netcom or Juno), you can download versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer—or you can buy them from a computer store. Sometimes you can get by with the browser provided by your provider, but you’ll get many more features with a full-scale browser.
Search engine. A program that sifts through the millions of bits of information on the Web to find the topic you’re after. Popular are WebCrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com), Alta Vista (http://www.altavista.com), and Excite (http://www.excite.com). Novice surfers will appreciate Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com), which categorizes Web sites by subject matter. (You’ll find "religion" under "Society and Culture.") Once you locate these, be sure to "bookmark" them (add them to a menu list for later ease of access). Your search engine will become your most useful ally as you document your arguments or brush up on Church history.
Now, how do you find the documents of Trent, or the paintings of Caravaggio, or a tract on purgatory? That’s where your search engines come in handy. Click on the "search" button of your browser or go directly to one of the search engine home pages. Type the URL (the Web address) into the "go to" space on your browser, and hit .
Once you access a search page, type in the keyword of the topic you’re looking for, and click on "submit" or "search." After a few moments, you’ll see a list of sites that contain that keyword—the closest matches at the top, supposedly, although you may find what you were looking for several pages down.
You should formulate your keywords carefully to get the best results. If you type "Catholic," for example, you’ll see that there are tens of thousands of references. Narrow your search by adding other keywords, or follow the search engine’s directions for effective searching. To view a site listed by the search engine, click on either its title or URL.
When you find a site you think you will visit frequently, bookmark it (you’ll see a "bookmark" command in most software). Next time you want to go there, just call up your bookmark list and click on that site. You’ll reach a point when you have too many bookmarks to access handily. That’s when a full-scale browser is useful: It allows you to sort and order them by categories, just like file directories.
You can set a particular site as your "home." It will load automatically when you start up your browser.
|
C A T H O L I C A N S W E R S :
[TOP]
