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What is the Internet?
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The internet is a network of computers around the world, connected electronically by telephone lines, fiber-optic cables, and other links. The World Wide Web is the portion of the internet that contains texts, graphics sounds and video and uses point-and-click links to make navigation easier. The world wide web is huge, and growing larger each day, comprised of millions of web pages and websites.
A web page is one individual section of information on the internet. When you follow a link you're connecting to one page within a website. A website is the total collection of pages of information stored on a particular computer.
You can find information on a countless variety of subjects and topics on the world wide web. Much of this information is highly accurate and comes from known, quality sources. Unfortunately, some "facts" are better described as opinion, and some sites are not accurate, authoritative, unbiased or current. It's also possible to search for innocuous information and stumble upon sites that are offensive, although this isn't likely to happen within the library, thanks to filters that block out adult-oriented sites.
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Evaluating a Web Site
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How can you tell the good sites from the bad ones and ensure you're getting the information you need? There are a number of questions to consider and warning signs to look for when evaluating a website:
-What is the site's domain? For example, a site that ends in ".com" is a commercial website, and my be biased in an attempt to sell you a product, while a site ending in ".gov" is a government sponsored page, and is likely to contain information from that government agency.
-Who is the author or publisher of the site? Are the author's credentials listed? CNN's website is more likely to have unbiased information on the President than an individual with a personal site.
-Is the information current? Many sites display the date of their last update or revision. Depending on the topic, information may not change for years, while in some cases information only a few hours old is already out of date.
-How is the overall presentation of the site? Looks do matter. Does the site have broken links or missing images? Errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling? These may be signs that the site is not professional, or the creator doesn't care enough to invest the necessary time in their work. |
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What is a Browser?
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Browsers are the software programs that allow you to see and read information and images on the web. These programs display text and graphics and translate incoming data into pictures, text, sounds and videos. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, but almost all browsers are very similar and provide the buttons and commands that allow you to navigate the internet. It's important to note that browsers are different from internet service providers, more commonly known as ISPs. Some popular ISPs are AOL, Compuserve and Prodigy. These are the services that allow you to connect to the internet using a computer and a modem, and often they will provide a browser for you to use when you sign up for their services. |
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