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Technology In Action
Chapter 3
Using the Internet:
Making the Most of the Web’s Resources

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Topics
• Internet communications
• Internet multimedia
• E-Commerce
• Online annoyances
• Web browsers
• URLs
• Hyperlinks

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Internet Communications
• The Internet
– The largest computer network in the world
– A network of networks, connecting billions of computer
users
– It is thought that nearly 150 countries have some form
of connection to the Internet
– Internet Uses:
• Communication – Primary usage
• Shopping
• Searching for information
• Fun

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Internet Communications
• Instant Messaging
• Voice over Internet (VoIP)
• Weblogs
• Podcasts
• Webcasts and Wikis
• Chat Rooms
• Newsgroups
• E-mail

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Instant Messaging
• Programs that enable you to
communicate in real time with
others who are also online
• When you use IM
– You set up a list of contacts
• Buddy list
• To communicate with
someone from your buddy
list, that person must be
online at the same time

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Instant Messaging
• When someone is trying to communicate
with you when you are online
– You are notified
– You can then accept or
reject the communication
• You can also hold
simultaneous individual
conversations
• If you all want to talk
together you can create custom IM chat
rooms

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Voice over Internet Protocol
• VoIP – A form of voice-based Internet
communication that turns a standard
Internet connection into a means to place
phone calls, including long distance phone
calls
• Uses technology similar to e-mail to send
voice data digitally

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Voice over Internet Protocol
• Requires
– Speakers
– A microphone
– An Internet connection
– A VoIP provider
• www.skype.com
– Requires that both the person placing the call and the person receiving
the call have its free software installed on their computers
• www.vonage.com
– Lets you use your own telephone (instead of the speakers and
microphone system) by connecting your phone to a special adapter that
the company provides

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Voice over Internet Protocol
• Services differ
– Free services require an account on both ends
– Paid services connect phone to computer
– Cable and DSL providers offer phone through
broadband
– WiFi IP phones call through Internet hotspots and
wireless networks

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Weblogs (blogs)
• Personal logs, or
journal entries that
are posted on the
Web
• Available to the
public
• Simple to create,
read, and manage
• Entries listed on a
single page with the
most recent entry at
the top
• Searchable
• Some are personal
• Many are focused on a
topic

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Podcasts
• Video blog (vlog)
• A clip of audio or video content that is
broadcast over the Internet using
compressed audio files such as MP3s
– Radio shows
– Audio books and magazines
– Educational programs

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Podcasts
• You must subscribe to be able to access
the most current version of the online
content which is delivered to your
computer automatically so that you can
listen to the content when you want

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Podcasts
• You can listen to the content on your
computer by using a media player
– RealPlayer
– Windows Media Player
• You can transfer the content from your
computer to a portable device
– iPod

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Podcasts
• Uses RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
technology
– An XML-based format that allows frequent updates of
content on the World Wide Web
– Requires “aggregator” software to gather podcasts
• Software programs that go out and grab the latest update of
Web material according to your specifications

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Podcasts
• Can be found all over the Web
– Most newspapers, TV news, and radio sites
offer podcasts of their programming
– Some popular TV shows are available via
Podcasts
– Some web sites allow you to download entire
books so that they can be listened to
anywhere

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Podcasts
• Education
– Many schools are beginning to recognize this
format as a means to supply students with
course content updates
– Instructors are creating podcasts of their
lectures

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Webcasts
• Webcasts
– Broadcast of audio/visual content over the
Internet
– Not updated automatically
• The most current content must be located
manually by the user and then downloaded
– Use streaming media technology to facilitate
the viewing and downloading process of large
audio and video files.

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Webcasts
• Webcasts
– Can include noninteractive content
• A simulcast of a radio or TV broadcast
– Recently webcasts have initiated
interactive responses from the viewing or
listening audience
– Also used in the corporate world to
broadcast annual meetings and in the
educational arena to transmit seminars

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Wikis
• Wikis
– A Web site that allows anyone to change its
content by adding, removing, or editing the
content
• www.wikipedia.org
– The content is updated continuously and kept
accurate by the many expert eyes that view
the content
• In late 2005, Wikipedia content was measured for
accuracy in its scientific content and was found to
be as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica

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Wikis
• Wikis
– Provide an excellent source for collaborative
writing both in and out of the classroom
– Like blogs, wikis can be used to express
thoughts and opinions about certain topics
– Unlike blogs, wikis can be edited and
therefore maintain a more “common” opinion,
rather than the direct expressed opinion of the
initial individual writer

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E-mail
• Electronic mail
• A written message
that is sent and
received over
electronic
communication
systems
• The message can be
formatted and
enhanced with
graphics as well as include other files as attachments
• The primary method of electronic communication because
its fast and convenient and reduces the cost of postage
and long-distance phone calls

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E-mail
• What is needed
– A computer
– An Internet
connection
– An e-mail account

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E-mail
• E-mail software
– Client-based
• Accessible only
from the
computer on
which it is
installed
– Web-based
• Accessible
from any
computer with
Internet access
• Spam
– Prevention

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Chat Rooms
• An area on the Web where many people come
together to communicate online
• The conversations occur in real time and are
visible to everyone in the chat room

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Chat Rooms
• Focus on specific topics or interests
• Identity protection
– Username
– Password

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Chat Rooms Vs IM
• When you use IM services, you have private
conversations with people you know
• With Chat Rooms, anyone who enters the chat
room can take part in the conversation

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Chat Rooms
• General rules of etiquette (Netiquette)
– Obvious standards of behavior
• Introducing yourself when you enter a chat room
• Specifically address the person you are talking to
– Users are also expected to refrain from
• Swearing
• Name calling
• Using explicit or prejudiced language
• Harassing other participants
• Users cannot post the same text repeatedly with
the intent to disrupt the chat

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Newsgroups
• Online discussion forums in which people
create threads, or conversations
• In a thread, a
newsgroup member
will post messages
and read and reply to
messages from other
members of the
newsgroup

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Newsgroups
• Newsgroup directory
– www.tile.net/news

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LISTSERVS
• Electronic mailing lists of e-mail addresses
of people who are interested in a certain
topic or area of interest
• Listservs have been replaced to some
extent by newsgroups

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Social Networking
• Social networking sites like MySpace.com
• Members share common interests
• Members communicate by voice, chat,
instant message, video, and blogs
• Members create personalized profiles
• Growth has been explosive
• Risks must be recognized and reduced

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Web Entertainment
• Multimedia:
– Involves forms of media
and text
• Graphics
• Audio
• Video
– Streaming audio and
video
– Plug-in

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Web Entertainment
• Streaming Audio and Video
– Continuously feeds an
audio file and a video
file to your browser so
you avoid having to
wait for the entire file to
download completely before
listening to it or viewing it

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Web Entertainment
• Plug-In
– To view and hear some multimedia files on the
Web, you a need special software program
called a plug-in
• Page 104
– For plug-ins you don’t have, the Web Site
requiring the plug-in usually displays a message
on the screen that includes links to a site where
you can download the plug-in free of charge

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Web Entertainment
• Plug-In
– Most plug-ins and players will alert you to check
for and download upgrades when they are
available

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Web Entertainment
• Plug-In
– When a browser requires a plug-in to display
particular web content, it usually automatically
accesses the plug-in, generally without asking
you for consent to start the plug-in
– This automatic access can present security
risks
– To minimize such risks, update your plug-ins
and browser software frequently so that you will
have the most up-to-date remedies against
identified security flaws

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Web Entertainment
• Loading Multimedia Files Faster
– Your browser keeps track of the Web Sites
you’ve visited so that it can load them faster the
next time you visit them
– This cache can make your Internet surfing more
efficient, but it can also congest your hard drive
– To keep your system running efficiently, delete
your temporary internet cache periodically