What is the difference between the Internet and the Web?
The Internet is a global computer network composed of thousands of smaller, interconnected computers and networks. The World Wide Web is a collection of information made up of documents, graphics, text, sound, movies, etc. networked together via the Internet.
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How do I navigate the Web?
On the Web you can find search engines and directory sites like www.google.com and www.yahoo.com respectively, that when queried compile lists of Web pages containing information on a vast variety of topics. Type in a subject or topic to search in the search window, click the search button and a list of relevant Web sites will be returned. These will appear as hyperlinks--underlined text that links to other pages or files on the Web (graphics and buttons can also be hyperlinks). Click on a hyperlink like the Yahoo link above, to retrieve the related page.

You can also type in a Web address, or URL (Uniform Resource Locator), in the address field at the top of your Web browser and, by hitting the Enter key, be taken directly to that Web address.

There are buttons across the top of your browser window that form what is called a tool bar. These buttons provide quick access to the most frequently used Web commands, such as
back- and forward-page recall, e-mail, printers and your browser's preset home page. Place your pointer over one of the buttons for a moment and a small text box should appear that describes that button's function.
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How do Web addresses work?
Web addresses, or URLs, tell the Web server, which searches for and "serves up" the page you've requested, where to find that page. Web addresses usually, but not always, look something like this:

The first part, http:// (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), is the identifier indicating that this is a standard Web page (Identifiers may also start with ftp, mailto, news, etc.), and is followed by a colon and two forward slashes. The second part, www.uslec.net, is the domain name of the Web page or site the server will look for. Many addresses begin with www, but you may also see a other words. The third part, /FAQ, indicates what page within that site the server should retrieve. If the address ends with .htm or .html (Hypertext Markup Language), this defines the type of file being retrieved.
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What makes up a Web page?
The Web page is composed of the text and graphics you see within the Web browser, on biggest part of your screen. On this page, the grey border at the top and on the side indicate where the Web page itself starts and ends. The images you see above and below these borders are part of the Web browser, which is explained below.

Web pages typically have text and pictures, and often hyperlinks that take you to files either within that Web site or to other files and sites elsewhere on the Web. Web pages may also include forms, audio and movie clips, animations or executable files that launch applications you can download to your computer.
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What's a Web browser?
The Web browser is the program you launch from your desktop that allows you to access and view, or browse, pages on the Web. Popular Web browsers include Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

At the top of your browser you will see a tool bar with conveniently located frequently used buttons like e-mail, print, back and forward. The address field displays the Web address you are currently viewing; you can also type in an address you'd like to visit and hit the Enter key.

Along the sides of the browser, and sometimes at the bottom, are scroll bars that you can use your pointer to pull up, down or side to side to see pages that are too long or too wide to fit within the browser window.

Sometimes at the bottom of the page is a status bar that shows you the progress of a downloading page.

If you find a page you'd like to save to visit later, you can "bookmark" it by choosing the Favorites or Bookmark option from your browser's menu bar at the top of the page. When you want to visit the page again, just select it from your list of bookmarked Web sites. Most browsers let you organize these sites within folders you can name, like Shopping or Travel.
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