Internet 101: Beginner's Handbook

Table of Contents

October, 2009

Welcome to the vast and exciting world of the Internet and the World Wide Web! To a beginner, the Net and the Web are overwhelming: billions of pages and images, in a seemingly-chaotic and mishmashed format. To make things even more stressful: there is no actual Internet "Owner's Manual". But as you wrestle with the confusion of being a new Internet user, there is good news: About.com is in the business of helping people understand and navigate the world. In this case: we are here to help you understand and navigate the online universe of the 21st Century.

What follows is a collection of Internet explanations and tutorials designed for both the Internet beginner and the self-taught intermediate. Although best read from front to back, our articles lend themselves to being browsed by specific topics below.

All content at About.com is sponsored by advertising, so there is no cost for you to access or read anything. You will see large and small advertisements around our pages, which are distracting at times, but are the financial fuel for us to provide you with this free content. If you decide you want to print any of our pages, just look for the "print" links at upper right that remove ads for your printing. We also have "email" links, that let you forward the information to a friend or colleague.

If you are interested in using any of this content for giving your own training, please email the author (Guide) at the top of the page to request permission. About.com writers are quite happy to share their content for non-profit purposes, and we appreciate it when you link to our content when you quote any of our information.

Remember to check back often for updates! This page changes regularly to reflect the dynamic internet and world wide web.

Again, welcome to the Internet, and we hope you enjoy the free tutorials that follow!

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• Techno Glossary of Internet Terms
  
  
• Equipment Checklist: What You Need to "Surf" the Net!
  
  
• "What are Plug-ins, and Where Do I Get Them?"
  
  
• Using Internet Explorer ("IE")
  
  
• Using Mozilla Firefox Browser, Instead of IE
  
  
• IE Browser: Running Multiple Windows at Once
  
  
• "How Do I Control My Favorites and Bookmarks?"
  
  
• "What Are The Good Search Engines"?
  
  
• "How do I Create a Good Password?"
  
  
• Searching 101
  
  
• "What is a URL"?
  
  
• "Family Internet: Where Can I Go For Safe Family Content?"
  
  
• "How do I Lock my Computer and Stop Hackers?"
  
  
• Email 101
  
  
• Viruses 101: Basic Defense Against Nasty Programs
  
  
• Understanding Spyware Basics
  
  
• Understanding Multimedia Basics
  
  
• "What is 'IM'? What are Good Instant Messenger Software Choices?"
  
  
• Internet Frequently Asked Questions ("FAQs")
  
  
• The Four Layers of the World Wide Web
  
  
• "How Do I Download Music? Is It Even Legal?"
  
  
• Converse With Other Internet Beginners Online
  
  
• "What is 'Netiquette' How do I Use Those Abbreviations in Email and Chat?"
  
  
• "Where Can I Learn All Those Internet Emoticons and Smileys?"
  
  
• Meeting People on the Internet
  
  
• "What is eBay? Is It Safe To Buy There?"
  
  
• "What Are the Best Free Downloads?"
  
  
• "How Do I Start Learning eBay?"
  
  
• "What is PayPal? How Do I Use it?"
  
  
• What do Internet Scams and Cons Look Like?
  
  
• "How Do I Speed Up My Torrent Downloads??"
  
  
• "How do Hackers Break Into Computers?"
  
  
• "What Are 'Cookies'? Are They Dangerous?"
  
  
• "What Are Zip Files? How Do I Unzip Them and Make Them Work?"
  
  
• "What is a 'Virus'? What is 'Spyware' and 'Malware'?"
  
  
• "What Are Some of the About Editor's Favorite Web Sites?"
  
  
• "What is 'RSS' Isn't that for News Junkies?"
  
  
• "What is 'FTW'? What is 'WIBAMU'? What is 'AFAIK'? What Do All These Strange Internet Expressions Stand For?"