How to Search the Web
Expand All Guide SectionsThe Internet: Defined and Explained
Understanding the technological underpinnings of the Internet and the World Wide Web will enhance your online experience. If you know how the Web works, you can use it to your advantage. For example, understanding the process a search engine goes through to retrieve your results will help you search more effectively. Use the following resources to gain an understanding of the Web as you begin to delve into it for your own research.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The Internet itself is a worldwide network of interconnected computers that allows users to access and transfer information remotely. The information viewed on the Net is actually not on the Net at all, but rather on other computers, and viewed via the Net. A useful analogy would be to think of the Internet as a phone network: Just as a telephone provides people with the ability to contact distant locations and exchange information verbally, the Internet allows users to contact faraway locations and exchange information electronically.
- The physical composition of the Internet is the system of wires, fiber-optic cables, routers, and circuits that make this connection possible. Many people view the Internet as an abstract body of information floating around in “cyberspace.” This is not the case at all. The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks, and the information accessed resides on the connected computers themselves.
- The most popular service accessed through the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW). The Web and the Net are often considered to be synonymous but actually represent two different things. Whereas the Internet is the means for accessing information, the Web is composed of the visual display of the information being accessed. Web pages are collections of files and documents stored on computers around the world, formatted in a programming language called HTML (hypertext markup language). This permits users to move between them by clicking on highlighted areas, called hyperlinks, or links for short. The Web is navigated using a technology called hypertext. Hypertext is a name for documents containing embedded pathways that, when clicked, direct users to other documents. These “links” can come in the form of words, phrases, icons, or graphics, and create interconnectedness between files and documents, giving character to the image of the World Wide Web, as a “web.”
- A Web Browser is a computer program that allows users to access the Internet and view information on the Web. They accomplish this by interpreting HTML files, and displaying them as “pages” on a user’s computer. Browsers are designed to facilitate an ease of navigation through the Web’s pages, by taking advantage of its many benefits afforded by hypertext. Popular browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Netscape. Browsers with the proper “plug-ins” (software upgrades that permit users to open specific file types) allow users to: view documents, watch videos, listen to audio files, chat with other users, play games, and watch animations. Glossaries, such as Webopedia, and UC Berkeley are good reference tools when you encounter unfamiliar terms and concepts related to the Web or Internet in your research.
Dulcinea's Picks
Web Site Credibility
Finding information on the Web is like being a police detective: your information is only as good ... read more »
How Search Engines Work
Searching is the most popular way to find information on the Web, and search engines, which are ... read more »
Choosing a Search Engine
This is a question most people don't ask, because established search routines are hard to escape. ... read more »
The Invisible Web
Many of the Web’s most extensive sites work like libraries. These database sites keep all of ... read more »
Web Directories
Web directories are lists of hand-selected sites compiled by Web users and organized into ... read more »
Social Bookmarking Tools
One of the recent trends in Web research is "social bookmarking." Social bookmarking ... read more »
Scholarly Resources Online
Most standard sources of information aren't adequate for academic purposes; what you need is the ... read more »
How to Cite a Source
Almost all of the information you find on the Internet is copyrighted. All copyright and ... read more »
