For Seniors: Understand Internet Basics

By Nancy C. Muir from Laptops and Tablets For Seniors For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Accessing the Internet brings the ability to check stock quotes, play interactive games, file taxes, and keep in touch with family. Using the Internet, you can communicate via e-mail, video phone calls, or instant messaging. You can share photos of your grandchildren or connect with others who share your hobbies or interests.

But before you begin all those wonderful activities, it helps to understand some basics about the Internet and how it works.

The Internet is a large network of computers that contain information and technology tools that can be accessed by anybody with an Internet connection.
Residing on that network of computers is a huge set of documents which form the World Wide Web, usually referred to as just the web.
The web includes websites, which are made up of collections of web pages just as a book is made up of chapters that contain individual pages.

Websites can be informational and/or host communication tools such as chats or discussion boards that allow people to “talk” via text messages. They may also allow you to share files with others or use software applications without having to install them on your computer.
You can buy, bid for, or sell a wide variety of items in an entire online marketplace referred to as the world of e-commerce.
To get around online, you use a software program called a web browser. There are many browsers available, and they’re free. Internet Explorer is Microsoft’s browser; others include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera. Browsers offer tools to help you navigate from website to website and from one web page to another.
When you visit a website, you might see colored text or graphics that represent hyperlinks, also referred to as links. You can click links to move from place to place within a web page, within a website, or between websites.

A link can be a graphic (such as a company logo) or text. A text link is identifiable by colored text, and it’s usually underlined. After you click a link, it usually changes color to show that you’ve followed the link.