I recently took a workshop on how to use the Internet. I thought that writing an essay on “how to use the Internet” would help me to remember what I learned and already knew previous to the workshop. When you go on the Internet, you may have a specific destination in mind or you may wish to browse through the Web, the way you would browse through a library or a book, looking for topics or things that interest you. This browsing is often called “Surfing the Net”. There are several ways to get around on the Web.

(1) Using Web addresses; To get to a special destination, such as the search engine “Yahoo” you'll type in its Internet address (e.g.. www.yahoo.com) in the space provided on the Web browser.

This space looks like a long narrow box at the top of your computer screen. Web addresses, sometimes referred to as uniform resource locators (URL), begin with http://, which stands for hypertext transfer protocol. After you type in the Web address, it may take awhile for the site's home page to appear on the screen, especially if it includes numerous pictures. Once it does, you'll probably see several choices you can click your mouse on to take you further into the site.

If you type in an address incorrectly, or too many people are trying to use a site at once, you'll get an error message on your computer screen (e.g. just try again). (2) How to follow links you may find on various web pages; Many sites include hypertext links to other sites with related content.

When you click on one of these highlighted areas, your computer will connect to another Web site without your having to know or type its address. (3) How to use different types of search engines; Search engines are programs that you can select from your Web browser to let you to search the Internet by keywords or topics. Lets say you want to know more about Vice President Al Gore, for example, you can click on a search engine, enter his name, then pull up several Web sites for further research. (4) How to use the Internet to do a Research Paper; The assignment is to write a two to three page essay on the life of Vice President Al Gore. You should include facts about his life, his greatest accomplishments, and why you believe he may deserve to be the next President of the United States. (5) To find this information you sign onto the Internet; Once connected, click the mouse on the search key.

From the menu, select a search engine based on your topic. I suggest using Yahoo. At the subject box, type in Vice President Al Gore and click on the search key. Now review the search results: "Found 1 category and 19 site matches for Vice President Al Gore”. Select one or all site matches with the click of your mouse (all sites are underlined). Each site has additional sites for more information.

Just like you would do research from a book, take the appropriate information you want and write your essay from it. After practicing for a while, I have found the Internet to be easy to use. It can provide helpful and interesting information for just about anything you could imagine it to. word count: 557 Word Count: 560