Introduction to the World Wide Web

In the last decade, the World Wide Web has become a major resource for free information. But much of it is junky. Searching the Web is like shopping in a second-hand store.

What we will cover

• The history of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
• Evaluating the quality of what you find on the Web.
• Deciding if the Web is the best place to find what you are looking for.

History

• The Internet was invented in 1969 at UCLA and Stanford. It was funded by the U.S. military.
• The graphical World Wide Web was born in 1993.
• Since then, the Web has grown explosively. Now it is a good information tool.

Vocabulary

URL : Web address

Stands for "Universal Resource Locator".

Web page

A file written in HTML.

.html or .htm

Means the page is written in "Hypertext Markup Language" (HTML) and is clickable.

Hypertext

"Jumping text": These pages have clickable words linked to other pages. Clicking on the links cause the connected pages to "jump" down onto your hard drive.

http://

Stands for "Hypertext Transfer Protocol" This means that the page is clickable.

Web site

A collection of Web "pages" that an individual or organization paid to put up on the Web.

Home page

The main, or index page for a Web site.

Server

A big computer connected to the Internet that has storage space for Web pages.

Search engine

A Web site, e.g. Yahoo!or Google, that will search the Web for words that you type in.

Browser

A program on your computer, like Netscape or Internet Explorer, that lets you see Web pages.

ISP

An Internet Service Provider is a company that sells access to the Internet, usually for about $20 per month. Sometimes this includes space on their server for you to publish your own Web page. America OnLine and Earthlink are ISPs.

Filter

A computer program that supposedly blocks a user's access to obscene material on the Web.

Three ways of getting a page

• Type in URL. Remember: the Web is case sensitive!
• Use a directory: http://www.yahoo.com (A directory is like a telephone book. It is arranged by subject.)
• Use a search engine: http://www.google.com

How good is the information?

• Authority: What are the author's credentials?
• Currency: Is it up-to-date?
• Accuracy/Bias: Is there a hidden agenda?
• Commercialism: Are they trying to sell you something?
• Scope/Coverage: Does the information answer your question--and in enough depth?

What is the Web good for?

No free scholarly journal articles, no books, few book reviews.

Web is new--nothing before 1994.

last updated Friday, January 25, 2002 / IMcD