If you’ve grown up with the Internet or been working online for years you probably have a decent handle on Internet terminology. But if you’ve never had the opportunity to learn or still unsure about certain aspects of the online world, this lesson will teach you the basics.

So first of all what is the Internet?

Essentially the Internet is a global network of networks, consisting of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks connected together. “Network” in a computer sense is two or more computers connected together which share data and/or resources.

What is the Internet Used For?

The number one purpose of the Internet is to share information.  Originally the Internet was only capable of sharing text, but as technology has advanced, the Internet can also share various form of media including pictures, audio, video and animation.

How is Information Shared Over the Internet?

There are many methods of sharing information over the Inter, the most common being a website.  Email, Instant Messaging and File Transfer are other popular methods of sharing information.

What is a Website?

A website is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital media which are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

A URL is basically another name for a webpage address.  For example the URL of the webpage you are reading now is:

• The webdesignx.com.au part of the URL is known as a Domain Name, which is a unique identification label for your website. 

• The www part of the URL stands for World Wide Web which is a branch of the Internet containing most of the websites or interlinked hypertext documents.

• Hypertext is text which contains a hyperlink.  Like this text for example.  
  A hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document (like another webpage or image) which the user can click upon to be taken to that document.

Webpages are accessed using a program called a Web Browser, the most common of these browsers is FireFox and Internet Explorer.

The big question for some people is “How do I get a website on the Internet?”  Well never fear because I’ll be explaining that in my next lesson.

What Is Email?

Email is an abbreviation for Electronic Mail which is a method for exchanging information over the Internet.

An example of an Email is: info@webdesignx.com.au  

• The “info” part is the user who owns the Email address.
• The @webdesignx.com.au is the domain to which the Email address belongs.

Email can be sent and received in Email clients (programs) like Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Mail, Thunderbird, Pegasus Mail, Eudora, etc.

Or there are Web Based Email clients like Windows Live Mail, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Mail.com and so forth.

If you ever need help setting up an Email account just send me an Email!

What Is Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct communication between two or more people using personal computers or other devices (like a mobile phone) via an Instant Messaging program.

The user’s text is transmitted over a network, like the Internet. More advanced Instant Messaging programs allow communication modes like voice or video calling.

Popular Instant Messengers include Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ.

What is File Transfer

Direct File Transfer is transferring a file from one computer to another.  There are many ways this can be achieved but the two most common methods are attaching the file to an Email or sharing it via an Instant Messenger. 

Wrapping it Up

By now you should have a basic understanding of Internet terminology.   In my next lesson “How do I get a website on the Internet?” I’ll expand on this terminology further and explain how you go about setting up a website.

If you need more information about anything covered in this lesson just contact us via the Contact Form below and we’ll be happy to educate you further!

Remember, VIPs are eligible for a FREE Website Improvement Report. We will personally analyze your website and generate a report to explain how its appearance, usability, content and Search Engine performance can be improved to succeed well into the future. 

For non-subscribers Website Improvement Reports cost $195 each, so become a FREE VIP today and save!