Internet for Beginners

Quick Tips for Better Surfing

1. Use a faster connection
   You can install a faster modem, or use a cable or dsl connection if it's available in your area.

2. Start simply and quickly
   Your homepage is the page that first loads whenever you first open your browser. If your homepage has a lot of flashy animations and several images, it will load slowly. Consider beginning with a blank page, or a page that contains only text. Here's how to change your homepage:
   • Internet Explorer
     • Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options
     • Click on the General tab
     • In the Home page section you will see "You can change which page to use for your home page" above a field where you can enter the URL of the web page you want to be your new home page.
     • You can also use one of the three buttons immediately under this entry field:
       • Use Current
         Go to the page you want to appear when you start Internet Explorer, and then click on the Use Current button
       • Use Default
         If you don't like your choice for the new home page, you can restore your original home page by clicking on the Use Default button.
       • Use Blank
         Click on this button if you want a blank page to load when you open your browser.

   • Netscape Navigator
     • Click on the Edit menu and select Preferences
     • Click on the Navigator Category
     • To the right, under "When Navigator starts up, display" choose one of the following:
       • Blank page
         This option will load a blank page when you open your browser
       • Home page
         You will be able to enter the URL of a web page you want to load when you open your browser.
       • Last page visited
         When you open your browser, this option will display the last page you visited the last time your browser was open.

     • If you choose the Home page option, in the next section of this window will give you three options for choosing a home page. This page will also be displayed whenever you click on the Home button on Navigator's toolbar, even if your browser first opens with a blank page. Your three options for entering a homepage are:
       • In the entry field beside Location: type in the URL of your desired home page.
       • You can use the Use Current Page button. Go to the page you want as your home page, then click on the Use Current Page button.
       • You can use the Choose File button. When you click on this button, you will be given an opportunity to select a file from your computer's harddrive as your home page.

3. To load or not to load images
   If most of your main searches involve just reading information, you can turn off the browser's ability to load images. A browser automatically loads images. By turning this option off, pages often will load faster. You can turn off images by following these steps:
   • Netscape
     • Click on the Edit menu and select Preferences
     • Double click on the Privacy & Security category to expand its menu
     • Click on Images
     • Click on the radio button beside Do not load any images to select this option
     • Click on the OK button

   • Internet Explorer
     • Click on the Tools menu and select Internet Options
     • Click on the Advanced tab
     • Under Multimedia, uncheck the box next to Show pictures.
       You may also want to uncheck one or all of the following:
       • Play animations
       • Play videos
       • Play sounds

4. Using keywords
   To increase your chances of finding what you want when using a search engine, use two or more keywors instead of just one. Also, using "and" "or" "not" or the plus and minus symbols (+ -) will help narrow your search results.

5. Bookmark!
   If you find a site you think you will want to visit again, bookmark it. This way you will avoid having to search for the site again with the search engine if you don't remember the web address (URL). You will also avoid the need to type in a long URL if you do remember the web address.

6. Organize your bookmarks.
   You can create folers for each category of bookmarks you have, and then move each bookmark to the appropriate folder. This makes it easier to find the bookmark you want without having to go through one long list of bookmarks that are not in any particular order.

7. Use a personalized service.
   A service such as My Yahoo! allows you to tailor it to your needs and interests. It will also send you information on a regular basis so you don't have to search for it. You can get news, weather, sports, stock quotes, and several other features.

8. Load a new page while another one is still loading.
   Unless your Internet is very slow, you can load more than one web page at a time. Loading a web page refers to getting content from a server by means of your browser. You aren't restricted to obtaining one page at a time, and opening new pages in separate browser windows will enable you to load more pages at the same time. Instead of clicking on a link, right click on the link and select "Open in New Window" from the menu that pops up. This item may be different in the browser you are using (i.e., "Open Link in New Window"), but it will be similar enough for you to recognize. If you are using a Mac, hole the mouse button down on the link (don't click) until the popup menu appears. Once you have started the process of loading a web page in a new window, you can go back to the first browser window and continue reading. You can open more new windows, but be careful that you don't have so many windows open that you lose track of where you started, or where you are going.