Basic Internet Course - Introduction

BASIC INTERNET COURSE - INTRODUCTION

What is the Internet?

The reason that this question is asked so often is because there is no one agreed upon answer. Some common definitions include:

It is a network of computers which is owned by no one and everyone. It has been called true democracy in action.
It is a network of networks based on the TCP/IP protocol.
It is a community of people who use and develop those networks.
It is a collection of resources that can be reached from those networks.

According to the Wall Street Journal Nov. 14, 1994, the Internet is

"... a chain of networks that is generally the easiest and cheapest way for businesses to communicate electronically with the outside ..."

The Internet is a culture which was founded on the concept of giving. The idea was that if one spent a few hours a week helping other computer people, it would only be reasonable to assume that one could expect others to be as helpful.

Internet Society.

"The Internet Society does not operate any of the thousands of networks that make up the Internet, but it assist service providers by providing information to prospective user and involves product develops and research in the evolution of Internet standards. Corporate, individual, and professional support for this organization is widespread and international." Vinto Cerf, former president of the Internet Society.

How did the Internet get started?

Like the Interstate highway system in this country, the U.S. military started it all. They wanted to be sure that networked computers could talk to each other even if some of them went off-line or were vaporized in a nuclear attack. This was the foundation of the network known as ARPAnet.

1970's - The Internet was born as a result of trying to interconnect ARPAnet and various other radio and satellite networks together. The result was to standardize on a protocol known as TCP/IP.

1984 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) saw that the Internet protocols were a great way to distribute expensive supercomputer power and they built the national backbone of high-speed communication lines known as the NSFNET. Universities and research companies under contract to the government found the Internet very useful.

1992 - Serious commercial traffic had crept onto the net.

1992 - In the fall of this year, Marc Andreesen at the University of Illinois conceived Mosaic. It can be argued that this was the birth of the World Wide Web.

1993 - Early in this year, Marc Andreesen developed Mosaic with a team from the University's National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Champaign, Illinois.

1995 - Electronic Data Interchange made it easier and less expensive to use the Internet to sell to businesses.

How to read Internet addresses (URL - Uniform Resource Locator).

http://www.domain name.com
periods are called dots

Read as follows: http colon slash slash www dot domain name dot com

How to read E-mail addresses.

citymanager@domain name.com

Read as follows: city manager at domain name dot com

What are the different parts of the Internet?

E-mail
Newsgroups
Information vending machines
Gopher
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
IRC, MUDDs, MOO
Mailing lists - Allows one message to be sent to numerous customers or employees.
Create discussion lists.
Send out files and messages in response to inquiries from people.
Newsgroups.
Looks like a string of messages covering a specific topic.
World Wide Web
Software needed
- Web browser - reads information on the World Wide Web.
  - Netscape.
  - Mosaic
- Web server - provides information.

Why are companies using the Internet?

E-mail - Electronic mail
Electronic newsletters and magazines.
Customer Relations.
- Customer support.
- Technical support.
- Customer service.
- Customer retention program.
Research.
It is a great time-saver even with it's learning curve. The benefits outweigh the costs.

Getting connected.

Internet Access Provider - offers PPP/Slip accounts.
On-line services.
- They are becoming Internet Access Providers.
- Take various free services, bundle them, offer them to people and quietly collect $10.00 per month.
- They are in competition with regional and national Internet Access Providers for straight dial-up Internet access.

Introduction to the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web - multimedia: hypertext, graphics, video, sound, and so on.

Using the World Wide Web for marketing - Various documents are produced for various prospects. The Web allows you to offer all of these documents to all of your prospects and allow them to choice which one or ones they want.
Customer Service - May be the best use for the World Wide Web.
Interactivity - A web site isn't something that people read, it's something they do. Visiting a site should be an activity. The tools for building a Web site allow it to interact with the viewer. A good web site will make use of these tools.
Feedback - The Internet is not a broadcast medium. Instead it is an ideal multidirectional communication medium.
Value Added Marketing - The net was born and grew up nurtured by a gift culture. People were happy to give away information and knowledge. Value Added Marketing is giving something of value for free. It is delivering exceptional service and valuable products before making the sale.

Why is the Internet growing so fast?

Being connected is better than not being connected.
Status symbol.
Competitive edge.
It is changing the way we do business the same as the phone and fax did.
Businesses depend on communications and the Internet is very good at it.