Basic Understanding of the Internet

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The Internet is basically comprised of three elements:

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The User
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Internet Browser
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Web Site

The User:
Simply put, the Internet is nothing more than a world-wide network of computers. At the user level, you are connected to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as; AOL, SBC Global, NetZero...etc. Once you pay your monthly fee to your ISP of choice, you are now authorized to go have a look around. You'll need an Internet Browser to do this.

Internet Browser:
Internet Browsers are simply translators. They translate the web site that you would like to view in to the language of your choice. Also called web browsers, there are many to choose from. It really is personal preference that dictates which one you will use. Many people use the default browser that came bundled with their computers operating system. This is fine, but you certainly are not restricted to using only that one. You can download a number of web browsers over the Internet and many are free. See our tips section for links to a few popular choices.

Web Site:
Web Sites are built by individuals known as "Web Masters". Much like the "User", the web sites must be connected to the Internet in some way. The companies that connect these web sites are known as a Host or a Server. They "serve" or "Host" the information on the Internet.

A web site is built using a special code that is understood by the web browser. If you would like to see what this code looks like, right click this web page and select "View Source".

All web sites have the same basic architecture, they have a Home page and then many (depending on the size of the web site) sub pages that are all inter-connected. Each of the pages have their own web address known as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The web masters use a method known as Hyperlinks to aide you in obtaining these different pages.

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Good illustration.