Internet Basics
A Session in the University of Central Florida Library
Internet Workshop
Series
Scope:
- This session is targeted at people unfamiliar with the Internet. The
classroom presentation provides an overview and brief history of the Internet
and the World-Wide Web, defines some of the
major terms and tools, discusses self-paced tutorials,
and points users to some basic Internet subject
searching sites and search engines where
they can begin to find information for themselves. This accompanying page
intended for hands-on use is a highly selective look at sites that accomplish
the stated purpose while still appealing to and accessible by young people.
For much more detailed information on most of these topics, click on the
titles of the following UCF Library training sites:
- Internet
101: A UCF Library Session
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~s-holler/inet101.html
Designed to help the user learn about the Internet on the Internet,
this lists sources of information, definitions, and statistics on the Internet;
tutorial courses and lessons; hints and troubleshooting; and sites for
continuing learning.
- Research
via the Internet
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~holcomba/rvi.htm
Pulls together background information about Internet research; studies
comparing search engines; documents on evaluating Internet sites and sources;
links to search sites; and an excellent list on citing Internet information.
- Internet
Subject Searching: A UCF Library Session
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~s-holler/subjects.html
A Web page dealing with subject searching (or directory) sites, i.e.,
where human beings have indexed and often rated and summarized Internet
sites.
- World
Wide Web Search Engines: A UCF Library Session
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~s-holler/engines.html
A Web page dealing with search engines, i.e., sites that use software
to automatically create searchable databases attempting to "index"
the Internet.
- Evaluating
Internet Resources
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~chinshaw/think.htm
Provides exercises designed to show obvious comparison/contrast between
pages.
Defining Terms
- YIL:
Surf Lingo -- A
- http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/surfschool/lingo/lingotoc.html
An authoritative Internet glossary from Yahoo.
- EFF's
(Extended) Guide to the Internet - Smiley Dictionary
- http://www.cosy.sbg.ac.at/doc/eegtti/eeg_286.html#SEC287
Just for fun, this is a lexicon of "smileys," the punctuation
marks used in e-mail that when viewed sideways simulate faces indicative
of a writer's emotional intent.
Selected Tutorials for Beginners
Course-Length
- The
Roadmap96 Workshop Homepage (http://ua1vm.ua.edu/~crispen/roadmap.html)
- http://ua1vm.ua.edu/~crispen/roadmap.html
A 27-lesson self-paced tutorial on various aspects of the Internet.
Originally written in 1994, this was updated in 1996 and is still one of
the most useful tutorials around.
Mini-Lessons
- YIL:
Surf School
- http://www.zdnet.com/yil/filters/surfjump.html
This "Yahoo Internet Life" page is casual in approach, but
the content is authoritative. Most is either aimed at new users or focusing
on new technology.
- The
Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
- http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/netiquette.html
A "Netiquette" guide written by a librarian at Florida Atlantic
University, this gives new users a feel for some of the conventions users
abide by on the Internet. Covers e-mail, Web usage, and more.
- Using
the internet, for teachers, schools, students; an introduction
- http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4610/index.htm
While not a tutorial per se, this site, written by a college senior
education major, provides a good, basic, narrative overview of the history
of the Internet and some of the frequently encountered terms, with a bias
toward using it in a classroom setting.
Subject Searching Sites
Subject searching sites are those where human beings have indexed and
often rated and summarized Internet sites. For purposes of this page, "subject
searching" includes both subject guides (often called "Webliographies"),
i.e., documents that list many types of Internet sources but about a single
topic, and subject directories, i.e., sites that list one type of Internet
source but about multiple, categorized topics. For broad subject seaching,
either of these classified sites usually provides fewer but more relevant
results than those provided by search engines,
which rely on computer-generated algorithms searching on keyword hit numbers.
Subject Searching Sites: Good Starting Points
- The
Argus Clearinghouse
- http://www.clearinghouse.net/
Many "netizens" will know this source by its former name:
University of Michigan Clearinghouse for Subject Oriented Resources. Provides
a tremendous collection of topical guides compiled by librarians and subject
experts. Guides identify, describe, and rank sites and are also searchable
by keyword.
- Yahoo!
- http://www.yahoo.com/
"Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle," YAHOO is one
of the older and better searching sites around. With broad categories determined
by human beings, keyword searching can be done across all categories or
limited to a specific category. Search results show site title, brief summary,
and Yahoo category. An excellent place to start if searching for what sort
of information can by found on the Web by discipline.
- Search
The Internet with The Internet Sleuth
- http://www.isleuth.com/
This site lists, describes, and provides search forms for over 2000
searchable databases. Databases may be located by subject category or their
titles and descriptions may be searched. Most subject pages start with
a "Quick Search" form which allows searching up to 10 databases
in that subject area at once.
Subject Searching Sites: Selective Additional Sites
- Researchpaper.com
- http://www.researchpaper.com/
Claiming to be "the Web's largest collection of topics, ideas,
and assistance for school related research projects," this site's
Idea Directory lists four thousand research topics in more than
one hundred categories and then allows students to link to their Electric
Library and retrieve information (ranked by reading level) on the selected
topic. While this is a subscription service, there is a thirty-day free
trial period.
- Welcome
to Magellan!
- http://www.mckinley.com/
This site has the look and feel of a typical Web search engine site,
but there is a major difference: included sites are described, rated, and
reviewed. Provides for browsing topics or keyword searching.
- The
Internet Services List
- http://www.spectracom.com/islist/
For years simply referred to as "Yanoff's List," this site
includes only free services; excluded are company sites, advertisements
or promotions, and adult-oriented sites. Including more than just Web sites,
this is well organized, but with few annotations.
Search Engines
World-Wide Web search engines are sites
that use software (often referred to as spiders, crawlers, worms, or robots)
to automatically create searchable databases attempting to "index"
the Internet. Many engines "weigh" the results for relevancy,
relying on a computer-generated algorithm to compare the numbers of times
keyword hits appear. [Warning: All search engines are not created
equal--results will
vary depending on the engine used!]
Meta-search sites provide an advantage, in that they will allow querying
several search engines from a single site (either one
at a time or several at once), but they usually
do so without taking full advantage of the features of each search engine.
For narrow searches where a specific term is required, search engines are
the most effective way of finding those sites which use the term. For broader
searches going beyond the keyword into a discipline or subject area, a
combination of search engines with subject
searching sites, or directories, is more effective.
Search Engines: Meta-Sites (more than one search engine listed and
accessible)
Meta-Sites That Search One Engine At A Time
- All-in-One
Search Page
- http://www.albany.net/allinone/
A meta-search site, this is a great place to start if you don't already
know which search engine you want to use. The search engines themselves
are classified into broad topics (general interest, publications, software,
people, etc.). Has forms that access almost all the heavily-used and popular
sites (one at a time), and includes some sites that are just for fun.
- SEARCH.COM
- http://www.search.com/
A very professional meta-index compiled by the staff of CNET: The Computer
Network (whose television show, C/NET Central, airs on USA Network and
the Sci-Fi Channel). This same staff developed DOWNLOAD.COM, SHAREWARE.COM,
GAMECENTER.COM, and several other sites pulling together some of the "best"
of each type of site. Provides subject menus as well as an A-Z listing
of some 300 seach engines; also allows for personalizing a page.
- Net
Search
- http://home.netscape.com/home/internet-search.html
One of the easiest search pages to find, as it's part of the menu bar
on Netscape. Provides links to the home pages of several major search engines,
with forms access to five "premier services."
Meta-Sites That Search More Than One Engine At
A Time
- MetaCrawler
Searching
- http://metacrawler.cs.washington.edu:8080/index.html
Sends queries to nine different search engines simultaneously, compiles
the results on one page, and provides a "relevance ranking" for
each hit.
- SavvySearch
- http://rampal.cs.colostate.edu:2000/
Accesses some 30 search engines, usually three at a time, according
to a "Search Plan" wherein the computer suggests in descending
order what it considers the most likely 19 engines to provide relevant
information.
Search Engines: Selecting Specific Search
Engines
- Choose
the Best Search Engine for Your Information Needs
- http://www.nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us/~debbie/library/research/adviceengine.html
- This well-designed page from a librarian at The Nueva School (for K-12)
in California provides a clear list of information needs (broad topic,
know the date, need advice, etc.) and the best search engine(s) to use
to meet those needs. Links to over twenty different engines, based on the
information need expressed.
- For a lengthy list of specific search engines and descriptions of what
they search and how, see:
World
Wide Web Search Engines: A UCF Library Session
- http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~s-holler/engines.html
Suzanne E. Holler, s-holler@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu,
11/12/97