174 Exploring Your Options
An overview of using the Internet
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1Connect your computer’s modem to a telephone line.
For more information on connecting a modem, see
“Connecting the modem” on page 97.
2Start your Web browser. Have your modem dial the ISP’s
telephone number, and establish a connection with the
ISP’s computer.
Surfing the Internet
Once connected to the Internet, the Web browser displays a
home page, for example, your ISP’s home page on the
Internet or your company’s Web site home page.
To visit a desired Web site, type in the Web address. The Web
address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is a unique
identifier for that computer system linked to the Internet. Web
addresses can also appear within a Web page’s text, and are
known as links. Clicking a link automatically transfers your
Web browser to that site.
You can also use a Search Engine, a Web site specifically
designed to help you look for information.
Internet features
The Internet offers many types of communication tools to
help you perform many tasks.
❖Internet email
To send and receive email of your own, you need a
mailbox on the Web, or an email address.
If you have an account with an ISP, you can probably set
up an email address at the same time as you sign up for
the service.
❖Internet chat rooms
A chat room is a Web site that offers a place where
people with similar interests and ideas can communicate
in real-time, one-on-one or in groups, by typing messages