Student Questions and Answers from Past Beginner Workshops

How do you find phone numbers?
        We will do this during the second evening's workshop. Look for the link "People Search" at the top of the Yahoo home page (http://www.yahoo.com) or go straight to http://people.yahoo.com .

How do you send attachments with email?
  
     Look for an option or button in your email program that has the picture of a paperclip. Chances are that clicking the paperclip will prompt you to select a file which you would like to attach to the email document that you already have opened.

How do you compress pictures?
  
     You can use a standalone program such as WinZip (available for download at http://www.download.com) to compress files in the Zip format which is a common one for PC users. Usually your email program will allow you to set its options/preferences to automatically compress attachments such as pictures before you send them. You must be sure though that the person to whom you are sending the picture has WinZip or an email program that can uncompress the picture.

How do you use MS NetMeeting, the free audio/videoconferencing software.
  
     This is something I hope to demonstrate more thoroughly to students in the upcoming WAEF Advanced Internet: Miscellaneous Web Surfing Tips & Techniques workshops. Unfortunately, I am only able to introduce it in the Internet for Beginners workshop.

How do you chat with someone on a different continent?
  
     You can each use fancy chat programs like ICQ or IRC which are beyond the scope of this Internet for Beginners workshop. Or, you can both use the program AOL Instant Messenger which is built in to recent versions of Netscape. AOL Instant Messenger can be downloaded though from http://www.aol.com (you do not have to be an AOL user to use this application). Both participants must obtain a free subscription to the AOL Instant Messenger service before chatting though.

How do you download and print pictures from email?
  
     Some email programs present pictures right in the window which contains the original pictures. You could try a different email program if yours doesn't do this. Otherwise you must find where on your computer's hard drive the pictures which are being received as email "attachments" are being stored. Then use a program like "Paint" (found in the Accessories folder) to open and print them. If Paint doesn't work you can download a copy of LView Pro from http://www.download.com to view & print virtually any kind of file under the sun.

How do you inventory a business?
  
     One would probably by a good database program (Microsoft Access, Filemaker Pro, MS FoxPro) and use a template that comes with the software in order to keep track of a small business inventory. This has nothing to do specifically with the Internet though.

How do you create a split screen?
  
     I am not sure what you mean but you can choose the menu command File/New/Navigator Window to create a second Web browser window. Then you can drag the corners of the two windows to resize them and view two Web pages at once.

How do you enlarge the print?
        You can choose the menu command View/Increase Font and all of the print on the screen will increase in size. This works in Netscape and may not work in other applications and browsers.

How do you clear up wavy or blurred screen?
        You probably need to buy a new monitor or adjust your monitor settings. Look at the buttons on your monitor and carefully adjust them.

How do you send email?
        This will be demonstrated in the second evening's class but you will have to take the Advanced Email workshop to learn the "ins and outs" of sending email.

How do you download?
        Technically you are downloading a Web page every time that you surf to a new Web page. But you probably mean that you wish to download a full-fledged computer program and to run that program on your computer in the future. Once you download a freeware or shareware program, you do not need to be connected to the Internet to run that program. This is a topic that will be covered in the WAEF Advanced Internet: Miscellaneous Web Surfing Tips & Techniques workshop. A good Web site though to find inexpensive or free programs is http://www.download.com . Follow the instructions provided at that Web site to download the programs. To install them you may need to read the "Read Me" file that came with the program.

How to find a long lost friend?

How to turn the computer on and off?
        This is difficult to teach efficiently in workshops since many home computers work differently. However, this is a topic that is better addressed in a general workshop on using the computer. You may want to recommend such courses be offered in the future on your workshop evaluation form.

How do you forward email to selected people in an address book?
        This topic is too advanced for our workshop but is a primary topic in the
WAEF Advanced Internet: Mastering Your Email Account workshop.

How do you carry on two conversions on Instant Messenger?
        I will try to demonstrate this in the WAEF Advanced Internet: Miscellaneous Web Surfing Tips & Techniques workshop. I do not do this often. You may also submit the question to the WAEF Mailing List and perhaps someone who does this regularly will respond.

How do you do "in depth" searching on the World Wide Web?
        Advanced methods are taught in the WAEF Advanced Internet: Using WWW Search Engines Efficiently workshop. You may also want to visit my advanced searching tutorial Web page.

How do you check airlines for good airfare prices?
        Check out my "Practical Reasons to Use the Internet" page. I have many links to such Web sites.

What are some quick ways to surf?
        I will try to demonstrate as many of these as I can in the Beginner workshop however I stress these tips in the WAEF Advanced Internet: Miscellaneous Web Surfing Tips & Techniques workshop. I worry that beginners will become too confused when taught such tips.

How do you put something into your email from another program?
       
Use the standard, universal technique of "Copy and Paste" to place text into your email from practically any other program. Usually under the Edit menu command you will find the Copy command. First highlight the text that you want to copy and then choose the Copy command. Next, go into your email program, create a new message, click in the body of the message, and then choose the Paste command which is also found under the Edit menu. This process will not harm the original text that you are copying.

Bookmarks/Saving favorite places
       
This will definitely be demonstrated during our second class.

Downloading daily crossword puzzles
       
I am not sure what you mean by downloading but if you simply want to play a daily crossword puzzle on the Web you can visit a number of popular Web sites. We will look for some of these as an exercise in the second evening's class. I would look for "Crossword puzzles" at Yahoo, myself.

Finding maps, airline tickets, & chat rooms

How to email multiple friends at one shot.
        Please visit the home page for the Advanced Email Internet workshop offered next month.

Video & voice email
        Please visit the home page for the Advanced Email Internet workshop offered next month.

Writing, keeping, filing, & saving letters or information.
       
These questions are more suited to a general class on using a computer. I will try to demonstrate this though in class if we have time.

Finding someone's email address.


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