Miscellaneous Web Surfing Tips & Techniques
http://www.minich.com/interneteducation/websurfingtips
instructor: Mr. Curt Minich
1. Increasing your Web surfing speed & surf more
comfortably
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- you can make many changes to your browser's environment by following these menu
commands:
- in Netscape version 4, choose the menu command Edit/Preferences...
- in Internet Explorer version 4, choose the menu command View/Internet Options...
- turn off images so that you do not have to wait for images to load on a
Web page - see your browser's preferences/options
- use bookmarks (Netscape) or favorites (Internet
Explorer) wisely - manage and edit them with your browser's preferences/options,
you can also create folders for your bookmarks
- use the "Go" or "History" menu option to quickly
return to a previously viewed Web page without using the Back button
- right-click your PC mouse to use "Back" or
"Forward" on the shortcut menu that will appear instead of using the Back button
at the top of your screen
- use two or more browser windows at the same time by opening a new one
under the File menu option
- increase your memory and/or disk cache size - see your browser's
preferences/options and increase the kilobyte size for quicker Web page downloads, the
cache is like the amount of room in a squirrel's mouth to store nuts on each trip down out
of the tree
- put Web page shortcuts or aliases on your computer's desktop to launch
your browser directly to a certain Web page with a double-click
- set your browser's home page to "My Yahoo" or another
practical Web page by setting your preferences/options
- save a Web page on your hard drive so that you do not even have to go
online to visit it in the future but rather view it in an offline mode, choose the
File/Save As... menu option
- save any image on almost any Web page by right-clicking over it with a
PC mouse (or holding down the mouse button on a Macintosh)
- Increase the size of your browser's font by choosing View/Increase Font
(Netscape) or View/Fonts (Internet Explorer) from the menu bar, this is great for people
who have trouble reading small text on some Web pages
- it is not necessary to type the "http://" part of a URL Web
address and often it is unnecessary to type the "www"
- you can copy your bookmarks or favorites file for safekeeping or to
take it to another computer (this is done differently in most browsers)
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2. Security issues
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- using secure servers when supplying your credit card number; look for
the broken or intact key symbol in a corner of the browser window to ensure that
precautions are being taken to keep your credit card number from being swiped
- accepting cookies or not accepting them - look in your browser's
preferences/options to turn them off, I recommend accepting them since they are generally
harmless but could allow another person to "see" what sites you have been
visiting or to even access a site if your password is saved on your hard drive as a cookie
- using Java or disabling it - look in your browser's preferences/options
to turn off Java which is generally harmless but could crash older computers a lot
- double-clicking email attachments that are executables (.exe files) in
order to see it (this is an advanced email topic,
though)
- credit card purchases - I simply set up a credit card account with a
maximum limit of $350 and use that card exclusively for online purchases reducing my
liability
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3. Downloading & installing
plug-ins
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- what are plug-ins - look in your browser's preferences/options to set
and enable plug-ins & helper applications
- when should I bother to use plug-ins? - some fancy, interactive Web
sites require plug-ins to be installed "into" your browser
- finding plug-ins - search Yahoo,
Netscape,
or Internet Explorer's Web sites if you know the name of the plug-in (popular ones include
RealPlayer, Shockwave,
& Adobe Acrobat Reader)
- downloading and installing plug-ins - follow the prompts at the plug-in
providers Web site; this is usually free but you may have to restart your computer or your
browser
- downloading full-fledged shareware and freeware programs - find free
programs and games by visiting www.shareware.com or
www.download.com
- downloading new versions of Netscape
Communicator or Internet Explorer - go to the companys'
Web sites to download a new browser; you can use Netscape to download Internet Explorer
and vice versa
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4. Advanced Internet
communications
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- Using AOL
Instant Messenger - available and widely used by many
people; download from
the AOL Web site; allows you to instantly communicate with another
user simply by typing a message; this is a separate program from your
browser but Netscape version 4.5 incorporates it as a menu option
- Free email at Yahoo
and other services - follow the prompts for Yahoo!
Mail to obtain a free address like johndoe@yahoo.com; visit http://www.emailaddresses.com/guide_types.htm
to learn more about free email
- Net2Phone - make phone calls
through your Internet connection to anywhere in the U.S. (& much
of Europe) for 10 cents/minute (prepaid)
- Microsoft
NetMeeting & Internet
Phone - "free" audio, video, text, and whiteboard communication
with another Internet user; this is a separate program from your browser
(no Macintosh version of NetMeeting)
- Chat programs -
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) among others or using your browser;
separate programs from your browser although Yahoo
and other Web sites have crude, slow chat rooms
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5. Miscellaneous Internet utilities &
technologies
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- Newsgroups - Netscape
gives away Collabra but there are other custom-made programs that
can be used to make your newsgroup reading experience more efficient
- Web-based newsgroups - easier to navigate than real newsgroups;
see Mr. Minich's discussion
group as an example of such a community; find interesting
ones at http://www.dejanews.com
- Mailing lists
- you send email to one address & all fellow subscribers receive
it instantly; search for interesting ones at www.liszt.com
; join the WAEF List here
- Personal Assistants - Use My
Yahoo to create your own customized Web page courtesy
of Yahoo that gives you access to your own calendar,
address book, stock portfolio report, & more. You can download
a free version of TrueSync Plus which synchronizes your Yahoo' address
book and calendar entries with a PalmPilot, Outlook, etc
- File Transfer - Sites such as http://www.freedrive.com
and http://www.visto.com allow you to store
and retrieve files to and from any computer with a Web browser!
- Greeting cards - create a free account at www.hallmarkconnections.com
or www.bluemountain.com to create & send free greeting cards
- FastView Plus - if you have trouble opening email
attachments or graphics that you receive download FastView
Plus from www.download.com .
There are many other viewer programs that work similarly and some
can be purchased at local stores (e.g. Staples, Best Buy)
- Common Error Messages
- "404 Not Found: The requested URL ???? was not
found on this server" means that the actual Web
server at the address is functioning but that the particular page
is not there. The site's owner may have removed the page, the
page may be down for maintenance, or the page no longer exists.
To solve the problem "work back through" the URL to
each forward slash.
- "DNS Lookup Failure" or "Unable
to locate the server. The server does not have a DNS entry"
means that the first part of your URL address cannot be found
by your ISP's DNS server. You may have mistyped the first part
of the address (e.g. 'microsooft' instead of 'microsoft' in http://www.microsooft.com')
. The domain (company's Web server) may no longer exist. Your
ISP's domain name server may temporarily be down or, in rare cases,
your computer's DNS settings may have been accidentally corrupted.
Sometimes, this error comes when there is heavy Internet traffic
in which case you should try accessing the site later.
- "No Response from Server" means that
there is really heavy traffic on the Internet either at your ISP
or on the end of the site you are trying to access. Try to visit
the site late
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To continue learning about the Internet (using Internet communication tools), all
workshop participants are invited to:
Mr. Minich's Internet Education | Minich.com Web Design | Mr. Minich Education
http://www.minich.com