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Though using the Internet is actually pretty simple, getting started can be intimidating! Most Internet skills are simply a matter of practice. Some of the most common Internet tasks and questions are covered in this section. If the answer to your question is not here, check the Help function of your Internet browser. You can also contact Pacific WebWorks Live Chat or call us at 1-801-578-9020.
Note: The following instructions deal with use of Microsoft Internet Explorer. For instructions on using Netscape Navigator, select the Help function from the Netscape browser.
The Internet Explorer toolbar
The URL, or Web site address, goes in the Address text box. When searching for terms in search engines, you do not have to enter the entire Web site address; the company name or part of the company name is sufficient.
You can add and/or remove standard buttons from the toolbar and change their display order. Right-click on the toolbar and select Customize.
You can hide the Address bar and Links bar by right-clicking the toolbar and then clicking to clear the check mark from each item you wish to hide.
When Web designers create Web sites, they determine specific colors and font faces each page. However, you can override the default colors and fonts by manipulating your Internet Options.
To change how page colors are displayed:
From the Tools menu in the Internet Explorer toolbar, select Internet Options.
From the General tab, click Colors. Change your settings as desired.
To change the font of displayed text:
From the Tools menu in the Internet Explorer toolbar, select Internet Options.
From the General tab, click Fonts.
From the Web page font and Plain text font lists, select your desired fonts.
To change the size of displayed text:
From the View menu, select Text Size.
Select the size you want your text to appear.
You can also determine which fonts and colors to use on all your displayed Web pages.
From the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
From the General tab, click Accessibility. Change the settings as you desire.
A bookmark, or "favorite" is a Web page cataloged for easy access. Having a catalogued list of your favorite Web pages makes reaching those pages a single click away.
To add a page to your list of favorite pages:
Go to the Web page that you wish to add to your Favorites list.
From the Favorites menu in the toolbar, select Add to Favorites. You can enter a new name for the page if you wish.
It is easy to find recently visited Web pages even if you haven't bookmarked them. You can use the History menu in the Internet Explorer toolbar.
To find pages you've recently visited:
Select the History button from the toolbar. The History bar will appear. This contains links for Web sites and pages visited in previous days and weeks.
Select a day or week to display its contents. From here you can select the Web page that you wish to visit.
You can return to the page viewed just previously by clicking the Back button on the toolbar.
You can print any Web page by selecting Print from the File menu in the toolbar.
To print a frame or individual item on a page, right-click the item or frame, then click Print or Print Frame.
There are many keyboard shortcuts that make working on the Internet much quicker and easier.
Viewing and exploring Web pages
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Click this: |
To do this: |
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F1 |
Display the Internet Explorer help |
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TAB |
Move forward through the items on a Web page, the address bar, and the links bar |
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SHIFT + TAB |
Move back through the items on a Web page, the Address bar and the Links bar |
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Up arrow; Page Up |
Scroll toward the beginning of a document. |
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Down arrow; Page Down |
Scroll toward the end of a document |
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HOME |
Move to the beginning of a document |
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END |
Move to the end of a document |
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ESC |
Stop downloading a page |
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CTRL + N |
Open a new window |
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CTRL + W |
Close the current window |
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CTRL + S |
Save the current page |
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CTRL + ENTER |
Add "www." to the beginning and ".com" to the end of text typed in the Address bar |
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CTRL + D |
Add the current page to your Favorites listing |
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CTRL + P |
Print the current page or active frame |
Designing and Editing Web pages
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Click this: |
To do this: |
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CTRL + X |
Cut the selected item(s) |
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CTRL + C |
Copy the selected item(s) |
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CTRL + V |
Paste the selected items(s) |
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CTRL + A |
Select all items on the current Web page |
The following terms are some of the most commonly used when dealing with the Internet.
Active link - A link that is in the process of being clicked.
Alignment - Refers to where on a page an element is placed. An element's alignment can be left, right, or centered, or top, bottom, or middle, depending on the element.
Anchor - A bookmarked place within a Web page that takes viewers to a defined destination in a page, rather than simply the beginning of the page.
Attribute - The color, font, size, etc. of a certain item. The color of a Web page is one of its attributes.
Bandwidth - A term used to describe the amount of data that can be send through a network connection. Bandwidth is measured in Bits-Per-Second, or bps.
Browser - A software program allowing users to view graphics and HTML text on Internet.
Cache - To create secondary storage for frequently accessed data.
Cell - A section of a table.
Checkbox - A form element that can be used for single or multiple answer questions.
Client Side - A Web element that can be run locally off your computer and does not require server resources.
Column - A vertical unit in a table.
Default - The standard for any setting.
Domain name - The unique name that identifies an site on the Internet.
Download - To transfer data electronically from one computer system to another.
Drop-down menu - An option in forms that allows users to pick one of several choices.
E-commerce - Electronic commerce. The marketing, buying, and selling of goods and services electronically.
E-mail - Electronic mail. Messages containing text and/or graphics sent electronically from one person to another.
Encryption - The process of electronically ciphering sensitive material, such as credit card numbers.
End user - The user of computer software.
File extension - The type of program a file is. File extensions are three to four letter acronyms and come after the name of the file and a period, such as "archive.html".
Firewall - A combination of hardware and software used on a Network for security purposes.
Font -The different lettering styles available for text.
Form - A section on a Web page that can accept and process user input.
Frames - A design format that provides the ability to divide a Web page into multiple regions, with each region containing a separate HTML file.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol. An Internet system that enables users to remotely access files on other computers.
Gateway - Hardware or software set-up to translate between two different Internet mediums. The process of transacting monetary exchanges over the Internet involves gateway processing.
GIF - Graphics Interchange Format. A type of graphic file extension. Gifs are the quickest graphic extension to load, and they are best used on graphics rather than photographs.
Hexadecimal - The base-16 number system. Hexadecimal code is required by HTML to describe color values in Web pages.
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The computer programming language used for creating Internet documents.
Hyperlink - Also called hotlink. A section of text or a graphic that electronically links to another designated Web page or section of a Web page.
Interface - The visual presentation of computer programming.
Intranet - A private internet, usually within a company or organization.
IP address - Internet Protocol address. The numeric address that is translated into a domain name.
ISP - Internet Service Provider. A company that provides Internet access accounts.
JavaScript - A computer scripting language loosely based on the Java syntax.
JPEG - A file extension for image files. Best used for high-color photographs.
Keywords - Words inserted in the Meta tags of your Web pages. Many search engines use keywords to categorize Web pages into search results.
Merchant account - An electronic account that allows merchants to accept credit card payments.
Meta tag - An HTML tag that provides information about a Web site, including keywords and page description.FN An HTML directive, enclosed in.
Modem - Hardware that allows your computer to connect to the Internet.
Navigation bar - The grouping of hyperlinks on a Web page that include links to other pages in the site and/or relevant external links.
Network - Two or more computers connected together in order to share resources.
Online - The act of being currently connected to the Internet.
Operating system - The foundation software Programs and applications to be used on a computer. of a computer that schedules tasks, allocates storage, and presents an interface The visual presentation of computer programming. to the user between applications.
Password - A code used to gain access to select parts of a network.
Plug-in - Software that extends the capabilities of standard HTML.
Screen Resolution - Refers to the number of pixels displayed on a computer monitor. The current average size of computer monitors is 800 x 600. Therefore, you should design your Web pages with this resolution in mind.
Search Engine - An Internet program that searches the Web for content, categorizes and ranks found content, and then delivers search results to end users.
Server - A computer that stores and processes information for other computers.
Server side - Any type of Web page element that depends on being loaded to a server.
Software - Programs and applications to be used on a computer.
Spam - Bulk mailing of unsolicited e-mail.
Splash screen - An opening page to a Web site, generally containing graphics and minimal text, that links to another page after an allotted time period.
Tables - A format for creating modules of horizontal rows and vertical columns holding text and images.
Upload - Electronically transferring data from your computer to another computer.
URL - Universal Resource Locator. The address of a Web site.
Visited link - A hyperlink whose destination has already been clicked on, or visited.
World Wide Web - WWW. The most active and commercially used part of the Internet.
WYSIWYG - Acronym for What You See Is What You Get. Pronounced wizzy-wig. A type of Web design software program that allows you to design Web pages without programming HTML. Visual WebTools' WebWizard is a WYSIWYG program.