Internet Basics 2 Lesson 3: Communicating on the Internet

Lesson 3: Communicating on the Internet Objectives After completing this lesson, you will be able to: oExplain how works. oWrite and send messages. oManage messages. oIdentify the features of online communities. oExplain how instant messaging works. oExplain how the Web authoring software is used to create and publish Web pages.

How works oElectronic mail ( ) is an electronic form of the traditional postal mail. oAn message can reach the recipient’s account within a few seconds. oYou can also send pictures, data files, audio, and even video clips with your messages.

How works (cont.) oTo exchange messages with other people, you need to have an address for yourself. oYou can obtain an address by opening an account with an service provider. oYou need to know the address of the person to whom you want to send the message.

InformationDescription someoneThis is the name you use to create your address. People recognize the address with the help of the user name. When you open an account with an service provider, you can specify your user name. The user name that you specify should be unique. The service provider checks if the user name you provide already exists. If it exists, you need to provide another symbol separates the user name from the remaining part of the e- mail address. example.comThis represents the domain name of the mail server, where all your messages are stored. An address has two parts separated by symbol: How works (cont.) Address

oIn addition to having an address, you need to ensure that your computer is connected to the Internet. oYou also need to have an client on your computer to send and receive the messages. How works (cont.)

There are two types of clients, local and Web-based. oLocal clients are installed on your computer, and you can use them to save messages to your hard disk. Microsoft Outlook® Express is an example of a local client. oWeb-based clients : You can send and open messages by using the Web-based client. MSN Hotmail® is an example of a Web- based client. How works (cont.)

Opening a Hotmail account 1)Click Start, and then click Internet Explorer. 2)In the Address bar, type ( and then click Go. 1)To create your Hotmail address, click Sign Up. 2)In the Country/Region box, click the list arrow, and then click your country or region in the list.

Opening a Hotmail account (cont.) 5)In the address box, type the user name that you want to appear and then click Check Availability. 6)Type your password in the Password box. 7)Retype your password in the Retype password box. *If you forget your password sometime in the future, MSN provides you an option for resetting your Hotmail password.

Opening a Hotmail account (cont.) 9)In the Secret answer box, type your secret answer. 10)If you have another address, you can type that address in the Alternate address box. 11)In the Enter your account information section, type the relevant details in the First name and Last name boxes, and then select your Gender. 12)Click the list arrows for the Month and Day, click the relevant details, and then type your birth year in the empty box.

13)Click the State list arrow, and then click the relevant item in the list. 14)Type your zip code in the Zip code box. 15)Click the Time zone list arrow, and then click your time zone in the list. 16)Click the Occupation list arrow, and then click your occupation in the list. Opening a Hotmail account (cont.)

17)Type the characters you see in the picture in the Characters box. 18)Click MSN service agreement and MSN privacy statement to read the agreements. Type your e- mail address as shown in the highlighted text box, and then click I Accept, your Hotmail account is created. Opening a Hotmail account (cont.)

Writing and Sending Messages o You can create messages and send them to multiple people in different parts of the world. o Each message is made up of two parts, the header and the body: oThe header is similar to the envelope of a postal letter. It includes information such as the address of the sender and recipient and the subject of the . oThe body is similar to the letter inside an envelope. It includes the text message and any attachments.

Writing and Sending Messages Practices We will use the account you created (Hotmail) to learn how to write and send messages.

Step 1 The program has been opened and the account has been signed into for you. To begin a new message, click New Message. Step 2 To specify the address of the recipient, click in the To box, and then type the recipient’s address. Step 3 To specify the subject of your , click in the Subject box, and then type a brief subject. Writing and Sending Messages Practices

Step 4 To type your message, click in the message box, and then type your message. Step 5 To attach files to your message, click Attach. Step 6 The list shows you the types of files you can attach: Pictures, Files, or Contact Information. To attach a file to your message, click File. Writing and Sending Messages Practices

Step 7 To select the relevant file from your computer, click Browse. For this exercise, click Web Site Insertion Order, and then click Open. Step 8 To return to your message, click OK. Step 9 Just as you end a letter by signing your name, in an e- mail message you can add personal signature information. Writing and Sending Messages Practices

Step 10 To send your message, click Send. Step 11 Your message is sent to the intended recipients. To view all the messages that you have received, click Mail. Step 12 All the unread messages are highlighted. To open one of the messages, click on it. Writing and Sending Messages Practices

About Online Communities oOnline communities are formed by groups of computer users. oSome Web sites provide tools that allow you to exchange ideas and information in an open interactive forum. oSome Web sites allow you to add your responses or views to an ongoing conversation when other users are not online. oSome online communities provide a facility for sending messages about the details of discussions.

Different types of online communities Type of online community Description NewsgroupsNewsgroups are online discussion forums dedicated to specific topics. Chat groups/roomsChat groups or rooms are Web sites that you can use to communicate instantly with other people who have logged on to the same Web site. BlogsBlogs are online diaries or journals. You can post articles, daily events, or your thoughts on any subject.

Instant Messaging oallows you to communicate with other computer users over the Internet. ois similar to a telephone conversation; the only difference is that you are typing your conversation. oworks just like a chat room, but it allows only your friends and colleagues to see if you are online and start a conversation.

Instant Messaging (cont.) oTo use instant messaging, you also need instant messaging software along with an Internet connection. oAfter you install the software, you need to create an account. You need to provide a user name and password. oAfter you have created your account, you can log on and add the user names of your friends and colleagues who use the same instant messaging application. When you log on, the people in your list will know that you are online and can send messages to you.

Instant Messaging (cont.) oTo send a message to someone who is online, you need to double-click the person’s name on the list. A window will open, and you can type your message in that window. oMost instant messaging applications allow you to change your status, such as Online, Busy, Away, or Out To Lunch. oIn case you do not want the people in your list to see that you are online, but you would like to send messages to some of them, you can set your status as Appear Offline.

Publishing on the Web oWeb pages are files saved on a network server and made available on the World Wide Web. oThe process of making Web pages available to other computer users is called publishing. oExpert users can create a Web page by using a simple text editor, such as Notepad. oAnyone can produce refined pages using specialized Web authoring software, such as Microsoft Office FrontPage® 2003, which makes it easy to publish your Web pages on the WWW.

Create and publish a Web page  You can use one of the FrontPage templates to create your Web page.  The template provides a layout with placeholders for the different types of content you want to include.

 FrontPage provides a number of templates. Depending on your purpose for designing the Web page, you can select one of the templates. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 Depending on the template you select, a number of files are generated. Index.htm is the home page of your Web site. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 The Index.htm page contains placeholders for information about you and links to your favorite Web sites.  The first line of the home page usually has a heading.  To change the style of the heading, you can click one of the styles in the Style box. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 You can include your text by selecting the relevant text to be replaced, and then typing your own text. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 You can present information in the form of a bulleted list or a numbered list to help visitors to your Web site to grasp information quickly. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 You can add hyperlinks to your Web site to provide extra information to your visitors. Select the words to be hyperlinked, and link them to the relevant files. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 You can add clip art and photographs to make your Web site more interesting. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 There are a number of clip art images available. You can search for a clip art image of your choice by typing the relevant category. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 After you have selected the image or the photograph you want to include in your Web site, click the arrow on the right side of the clip art, and then click Insert. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

 After you have included all the text, pictures, and links in your Web site, you need to save all the information.  After you add some information to your Web site, you need to preview the contents of your Web site before making more changes or finalizing it. Create and publish a Web page (cont.)

Questions