Internet Basics: The Essentials of Being Online
By Paul Gil, About.com Guide
- Internet 101: What it Takes to Get Started Right
- Internet Terminology and Acronyms
- Do You Know How to Use Your Browser?
- How to Search the Internet (And Not Get Frustrated)
- Mobile Internet: Get Online Without a Network Cable
- Email Basics
- IM and Instant Messenger Basics
- Downloading: P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Movies, Music, and Legalities
- What is 'RSS'? How Do RSS Feeds Work?
- Online Shopping and eBay
Internet 101: What it Takes to Get Started Right
Are you brand new to the internet? Then you'll want to read this. Here we will explain the important software tools you need to start your net browsing experience with confidence.
- How the Web and the Internet Are Different
- Getting the Right Internet Software
- What Is a 'URL'?
- How to Control Favorites and Bookmarks
- Using Internet Explorer Browser
- Using Firefox Browser
- What Are Cookies? Are They Dangerous?
- What Is Spyware? What Is Malware?
- What Is a Virus? How Do I Defend Against Viruses?
Internet Terminology and Acronyms
You see strange expressions like "SSH" and "TCP/IP" in your new web travels. People talk about "AFK" and "TTYL", but they don't explain themselves. Well, friends, About.com can help. Here is a resource of acronyms and terminology for you. Even better: this stuff is actually interesting to just read about on its own.
- The Top 30 Internet Terms for Beginners
- Texting Abbreviations
- A Beginners Glossary of Internet Terms
- What is a 'URL'?
Do You Know How to Use Your Browser?
When it comes to their Internet Explorer or Firefox, most people just know click, type, enter, refresh, and back. But there is so much more that you can do with your browser. About.com explains...
- How Do I Clear My Internet Cache?
- How Does RSS Work? What Can I Do With RSS?
- Why You May Need an Internet Filter
- My Download Movie Has No Picture! Help!
How to Search the Internet (And Not Get Frustrated)
With thousands of web pages and files added everyday, the internet and the web are daunting to search. While catalogs like Google and Yahoo! help, what's even more important is the user mindset... how to approach sifting through billions of possible choices to find what you need. About.com has some great suggestions below...
- How Do I Find a Website?
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective Web Searchers
- What Are The Good Search Engines?
- The Student's Quick Reference Guide to Internet Research
- StumbleUpon.com: a Smart Alternative to Googling!
- The Top 10 Web Search Engines & Directories
- Is 'Digging' Really a Good Way to Get News?
Mobile Internet: Get Online Without a Network Cable
Some people use laptops. Some people use mini-laptops. And more and more people are using web-enabled smartphones. How do these mobile Internet computers work? How exactly does someone check email and do Google searching while riding a bus or sitting at the mall? About.com explains here...
- What is a "Smartphone"?
- How to Use "Skweezer" to View Web Pages on Smartphones
- What is "3G" Wireless Service?
- Using Your Cell Network for Wireless Internet Access
- How to Find a Wireless Hotspot
- How Do I Use Wireless in a Hotel?
- How Do I Connect to a WiFi Network?
- What is "WEP"?
- How to Smartphone Surf at 3G Speeds
- What Wireless Internet Service Choices Do I Have?
- The "Mobile Web" vs. the Full Internet - Not Exactly the Same
- The Top Mobile Websites
- A List of Mobile Web Browsers
- How to Play YouTube on Your Mobile Phone
- List of Several US Airports with Wireless Internet
- Selecting a Wireless Network (and Disabling Ad Hoc Settings)
- How NOT To Lose Your Data When Traveling
- The Best Mobile Shopping Sites
- Micro-Blogging with Twitter: a New Smartphone Hobby!
Email Basics
The world of electronic mail is daunting for someone new, but it is very learnable, and you don't even have to be a master typist to be a good emailer. About.com explains below...
- Email 101: The Basics
- What Are Zip Files? How Do I Unzip Them and Make Them Work?
- Look Before You Send That Email!
IM and Instant Messenger Basics
Instant messaging, or "IM", is the combination of chat and email. Although often considered a distraction at corporate offices, IM can be a very useful communication tool for both business and social purposes. About.com explains more below...
Downloading: P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Movies, Music, and Legalities
It is the most participated activity on the Internet today: uploading and downloading media. Songs, movies, tv shows, software... all of these items are available on the web. Yes, much of it is copyrighted, and yes, many people abuse peer-to-peer file sharing. But it has legitimate uses, too. About.com explains...
- Bit Torrents 101: How Bit Torrents Work
- What Are The Good Bit Torrent Software Packages?
- How do I play .bin, .cue, .dat and .rar movie files?
- Visual Walkthrough: How to Play Bin Files
- What is 'MUTE' File Sharing?
- So, How Does MUTE Protect My Online Identity?
- How Do I Configure my Router to Use MUTE?
- How Do I Speed Up My Torrent Downloads?
- What Is a 'Codec'? Why Do I Need Codecs?
- What Are 'Zip' Files? How Do I Use Them?
- What Is 'Port Forwarding'? How Do I Set My Own Port Forwards?
What is 'RSS'? How Do RSS Feeds Work?
Also known as "Really Simple Syndication", RSS is the best way to satisfy your info-junkie cravings. Read how it works here...
Online Shopping and eBay
The world of online shopping has become very sophisticated, and quite safe. While the possibilities of getting scammed online still do exist, the risk is no greater than going to the local store and getting your credit card number stolen there. Here is an introduction to the vast world of online shopping.