WEBSITE
This is a place on the world wide web which contains information - it could be anything from the complete works of Shakespeare to a list of UK Universities offering nursing courses to information about the Spice Girls (minus 1)
INTERNET
The electronic structure or framework that links all websites together - accessible by all makes of computer, and impossible to police (though authorities can monitor who uses certain websites !)
SEARCH ENGINE
This is a commercially run list of website addresses - you put in a key word, and it looks to see if it has any sites relating to the word. If it has, it goes to the site for you.
People who create a site submit it for consideration to the company managing the search engine, and if they like it, they add it to their list.
There are 5 commonly used search engines, all of which work slightly differently:
Yahoo ! is probably the best place to start - sites are categorised according to subject, so it is more like looking in a 'real' (book-based) index
UKplus is (obviously) UK based
Alta Vista has huge resources, and is really one huge list. It will return 1,000s of results for even the most obscure subjects
Hotbot according to many sources, is the most comprehensive search engine - appropriate search words are extremely important as a result
Lycos has an impressive layout, and helps you refine your search
ADDRESS
This is the name of the place where the website is - addresses always start 'http://www……..' - also called URL (uniform resource location).
RELOAD
One of the buttons at the top of the page - click on this if you are revisiting a page you often use, and you will guarantee the latest edition of the page (your computer automatically saves pages you view to save loading time when you return to it - therefore if the page has been changed, you will not always see the new version without reloading).
Warning: the world wide web has a distinct commercial (lots of adverts) emphasis at the 'top layers', but once you get to the real information, there is less pazazz, and more useful material.
So, to search for information:
1. Load up the browser (Netscape or Microsoft Explorer)
2. Click on 'Net Search' - after a moment, the search engine will load up, and present you with a screen full of:
3. Ignore all these, and just look for the white bar (as on CD-rom searches) where you can enter the phrase or word(s) you would like to find websites about. Some pages offer you the option of selecting particular search engines - use the comments above to decide which suites you best.
4. Put in the word or words. This bit is probably the most important - the Alta Vista search engine likes an 'AND' between words you would like to search for (eg. nursing AND care) - but this will still produce 1,000s of finds. Use more words in the search to refine your results (eg. nursing AND care AND UK AND elderly).
After whirring and clicking, the screen will present you with all the references that particular search engine has on the subject.
6. Click on those that look interesting, and you're in.
7. All pages contain links to other sites - these are highlighted in blue and underlined. Click on these to go to the sites.
If you get lost ! - panic not - you can click on the 'back' arrow at the top of the screen to return to previous pages; or you can click on the 'home' to get back to the, well, home page.
Entering an address - often, you see website addresses in magazines and in email messages. To enter these, go to the top of the screen and highlight the current address, delete it, then type in the new address (making sure all the // and : are in the right place. You can 'copy and paste' from other documents and messages as well. Then, click on the icon at the top right of the page (or press 'enter').
Bookmarks - ultra valuable - once you've found a spot you like. Using Netscape, click on 'Bookmark' at the top of the screen, then click on 'Add Bookmark', and the location address is saved. Using Microsoft Exporer, click in 'Favourites' at the top of the screen, the 'Add to favourites'.
In future, to return to your favourite sites (Andy Pandy Homepage, for example), click on 'Bookmarks' (Netscape) or 'Favourites' (Explorer) then on the appropriate bookmark.
Refining your search - get used to the correct syntax. Standard conventions include:
Here are some addresses to get you going. Type them into the white bar at the top of the screen. If you're reading this on screen already, copy and past; or if you are reading this using the world wide web, simply click on the locations.
Health Sites
Library Sites
General Interest
Building a website ? - go here for some insights