Don’t let the Internet overwhelm you

Written by Larry Schneider
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 23:00

Dear Larry,

The Internet overwhelms me. Can you help? —R.G.

Dear R.G.,

In a recent column, I compared the Internet to television studios that produce programming delivered to you via your service provider. I went on to describe how an Internet user might select a Web page by entering an Internet address — much like tuning in a television channel. As an example, we typed abcnews.com into the Address Box of an Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), which brought up the ABC News Web site.

Now suppose you liked this Web site and wanted to save its address so you could call it up at a later date. If you’re using Internet Explorer, look for a Favorites menu or a five-pointed star. In the case of Firefox, look for a Bookmarks menu. (If you’re using America Online to browse the Internet, you would add this Web site to your list of “Favorites Places.”) Clicking on one of these options would allow you to add this site to your list of favorites/bookmarks. Once you’ve accomplished this, clicking on the same menu choice a second time reveals that ABC News has indeed been added to your list, saving you the trouble of having to remember or type in the full address.

Move your mouse around the screen containing the ABC News Web site. You’ll notice that on some parts of the screen, the mouse pointer looks like the traditional Windows arrow. When the mouse is floating over a text, it should appear as an “I-Beam” (it will look like a capital I). Most importantly, over much of the page, the mouse pointer will take on the image of a pointing hand. The hand tells you that your mouse is currently aimed at a “link,” a clickable object (often an image or piece of underlined text) that will lead you to another Web page if you click it. All of the headlines and news categories mentioned on the ABC News Web site are links that will lead you to more detailed information when clicked.

Try pointing at a news headline link (look for the hand pointer as you aim your mouse) and clicking it. Your browser will automatically open the linked Web page — a detailed account related to the headline you clicked. After you’ve had a chance to mull over this page, you’ll probably want to return to the main ABC News page. Every browser has a BACK button normally located near the top left corner of the window. Locate your browser’s BACK button, and click it — this page should look familiar. Click the BACK button again, and you’ll be on the page you were viewing just prior to ABC News. If you wish, click your browser’s FORWARD button (located just to the right of the BACK button) to reverse direction again and restore the news page.

We’ll explore other Internet concepts in the next column.

This is Larry Schneider, logging off.

Larry Schneider is the owner of Accent on Computers, a Greenwich-based consulting firm catering to individuals, businesses and professional offices. Call 203-625-7575, visit Accentoncomputers.com, or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .