This section is all about the incredible World Wide Web, or the Internet as it is also called. Here you’ll find a brief history of the Internet along with information on how the Web operates and how it can make life more convenient, interesting and entertaining. We’ve also included some safe surfing tips along with important information for parents who need to be vigilant about controlling the information their children can access online. The way we see it, the better you understand the Internet, the more you and your family will get out of it.

INTERNET: WHAT IS IT?
The Internet is a worldwide network of computer networks – an interconnection of large and small networks around the globe. The Internet began in 1962 as a computer network for the U.S. military and over time has grown into a global communication tool of many thousands of computer networks that share a common addressing scheme. Unlike online services which are centrally controlled, the Internet is decentralized by design. Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which Internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global Internet community. Remarkably, this anarchy by design works exceedingly well. There are a variety of ways to access the Internet. In Bermuda, access is available through a number of commercial Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). Source: Webopedia

To get a bit more technical...
The Internet is the vast collection of interconnected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60’s and early 70’s. ARPANET is the precursor to the Internet that was developed in the late 60’s and early 70’s by the U.S. Department of Defense as an experiment in wide-area-networking that would survive a nuclear war. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol.

Internet vs internet vs intranet
An internet (lower case “i”) refers to computers which are connected to each other (a network), and are not part of the Internet unless they use TCP/IP protocols. An intranet is a private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. An intranet may be on the Internet or may simply be a network.

How big is it?
Though there are a lot of companies attempting to measure Internet usage, to date it is impossible to measure exactly how many people are using the World Wide Web. But to give you a feel for its size, the website www.netforbeginners.about.com states that worldwide Internet usage for 2005 is estimated to include between 709 million and 945 million unique individuals. Of these, 500 million unique individuals will use the web every week.

WHAT’S ON THE INTERNET?
COMMUNICATIONS: Send messages to anyone anywhere with Email; chat with people across the globe in real time in live chat rooms on sites like www.yahoo.com and www.msn.com.

INFORMATION: Using search engines, online directories and portals you can find everything including the latest news, entertainment listings, financial advice, weather forecasts, travel tips, discounts and advisories, government information and much, much more.

EDUCATION: Interested in a college or university overseas? Most schools today have a website that provides details on their academic philosophy and offerings, extracurricular activities, campus, and admissions policies. It’s a great way to get a first look at prospective institutions. Many colleges offer online courses for distance learning.

SHOPPING: There is very little you can’t buy online which is very handy for Bermuda residents when you can’t find an item locally or if you want to send flowers or other gifts to a friend or relative in another country.

TRAVEL: Using the Internet you can quickly and easily map out all of the details of your next holiday from the comfort of your own home. Book your flights and hotels, tours, meals, entertainment and sporting events, shopping excursions; research all available discounts for Seniors; download a map of area(s) you’ll be traveling to; keep up to date on world travel advisories. The Internet is an inexhaustible resource when planning a trip–it’s no wonder that Travel is one of the largest and fastest growing business segments on the web.

BANKING: Why wait in line when you can handle most of your banking needs online? Transfer funds, pay bills and credit cards, check your balance...Life is so much easier online (see “Phishing” on this page).

TERMINOLOGY
To get the most out of the Internet you need to come to grips with its terminology. All definitions were provided by www.webopedia.com.

BROWSER: Short for Web browser, a software application used to locate and display Web pages. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both of these are graphical browsers, which means that they can display graphics as well as text. In addition, most modern browsers can present multimedia information, including sound and video, though they require plug-ins for some formats.

DOWNLOAD: To copy data from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service or bulletin board service (BBS) to one’s own computer. Download-ing can also refer to copying a file from a network file server to a computer on the network.

HOMEPAGE: The main page of a website. Typically, the home page serves as an index or table of contents to other documents stored at the site.

HTML: Short for HyperText Mark-up Language, it is the authoring language used to create documents on the World Wide Web. Don’t worry, you don’t have to know anything about it to use the Web.

HYPERLINK: An element in an electronic document that links to another place in the same document or to an entirely different document. Typically, you click on the hyperlink to follow the link. Hyperlinks are the most essential ingredient of all hypertext systems, including the World Wide Web.

MODEM: A modem is a device or programme that enables a computer to transmit data over, for example, telephone or cable lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog waves. A modem converts between these two forms.

SEARCH ENGINE: A programme that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found. Although search engine is really a general class of programmes, the term is often used to specifically describe
systems like Google and AltaVista that enable users to search for documents on the World Wide Web and USENET newsgroups.

URL: Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web. The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located. For example, the two fictitious URLs below point to two different files at the domain pcwebopedia.com.

http://www.pcwebopedia.com/stuff.exe
http://www.pcwebopedia.com/index.html

The first specifies an executable file that should be fetched using FTP (file transfer protocol); the second specifies a Web page that should be fetched using HTTP (HyperText transfer protocol).

The suffix of the URL usually tells you what kind of site it is. Here are a few of most common.

.COM: a commercial organization
.GOV: a government body
.INFO: unrestricted use
.ORG: a non-profit organization
.EDU: an education institution
.NET: network/commercial
.CO.UK: a UK company
.BIZ: a business
.AC: an academic institution

WAP: Short for the Wireless Application Protocol, a secure specification that allows users to access information instantly via handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, smartphones and communicators.

HOW DO I GET ONLINE?
While other options for Internet access will likely come on line in Bermuda in the near future, at present access is available through computers and WAP-enabled cell phones. Cell phone access is handy when you’re on the move but if you really want to get a good look at all the Internet has to offer you’ll want to work from a computer. If you don’t have access to a computer at home or the office, there are a number of businesses in Hamilton including Logic on Burnaby and Twice Told Tales on Parliament Street where you can log on and search for a fee. Each of these companies charge $5 (at time of printing) for 30-minutes of Internet time with prices varying for shorter and longer sessions.

If you decide you want to sign up for Internet service you will need to contact an Internet Service Provider, or ISP. At present, there are six ISP’s operating in Bermuda, offering two forms of access and a range of service options for both residential and corporate customers (see chart below). The two basic types of residential access are Dial-Up and Broadband. Dial-Up access is really just like a phone connection, except that the parties at the two ends are computer devices rather than people. It is the cheaper option but has its drawbacks in terms of speed and the fact that you cannot “share the line” and must therefore choose between being on the phone or online. With Broadband you have a high-speed Internet connection that is always on so there’s no time wasted on Dial-Up. This can be achieved through a DSL connection or through wireless service. The advantages to Broadband include enhanced speed, line-sharing and options not available with Dial-Up.

DSL SERVICE
DSL refers to all types of digital subscriber lines. The type that is available in Bermuda is ADSL or asymmetric digital subscriber lines. This technology transforms ordinary phone lines into high-speed digital lines for fast Internet access–up to 25 times faster than traditional 56 Kbps modem connections.

In Bermuda, DSL service is offered by all ISP’s and available to both residential and corporate customers. However, regardless of which ISP you choose, your phone line must be made ADSL ready by BTC using their Velocity™ service. Velocity allows you to use your existing telephone line for voice and data services simultaneously. This means that you can surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time, on the same line. Visit BTC’s Velocity Website or call 811 to order.

COST
Expect to pay a connection charge and a monthly fee. Rates will vary depending on the type of access you select and the connection speed. At press time the minimum monthly charge (Dial-Up) was $19.95 however due to the fast-changing and competitive nature of this industry we would anticipate the introduction of new products and pricing structures to be continuous. Also keep in mind that many ISP’s offer bundled products with attractive pricing so be sure to ask what’s available.

FINDING WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
It is very simple, you use an online search engine or directory to help you find what you’re looking for. To access a search engine you simply open your web browser and type in a search engine web address (see below) in the search window at the top of your browser page. A search engine is a database of web pages. If you type in a keyword, phrase or the concept you’re looking for, a search engine will trawl through the database and display the best matches in a matter of seconds. Try typing “Bermuda real estate” or “restaurants in Boston” into a search engine and the search engine will display numerous results. You can refine your search from the initial results or used advanced search mechanisms that are offered on most search engines.

The easy-to-use Yellow Pages® of this Directory are an excellent source for web addresses for Bermuda-based businesses as well as overseas schools. Online directories such as BERMUDAYP.COM can also help you find information and Web pages. You can use this site exactly the same way you do the printed BYP Directory searching by either business name or category. If you’re planning a trip, the Yellow Pages directory for your destination will prove a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate information source.

TOP SEARCH ENGINES
This is not a definitive list, nor is it ranked by popularity. It is offered as a starting point for your online search experience.

www.google.com
www.alltheweb.com
www.ask.com (Ask Jeeves)
www.excite.com
www.msn.com
www.about.com
www.yahoo.com
www.aol.com
www.hotbot.com
www.altavista.com

KEEPING TRACK OF FAVOURITE SITES
You can compile a list of your favourite sites and save their addresses on the computer. This function is called Favorites in Internet Explorer and Bookmarks in Netscape Navigator. To save a web page or site to your list, click on Favorites or Bookmarks while you are in the web site or page that you want to save, then select the Add to Favourites/ Bookmarks option. To revisit the site, just click on Favorites or Bookmarks and then on the name of the site.

COMMUNICATE
Email, or electronic mail, brings people together with the click of a mouse and makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family in your community and around the world. It has also become an integral component of corporate communications. Via Email, you can send notes, letters, photographs, even video and audio messages, cheaply and easily.

SETTING UP YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
You can set up your Email address through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or by using services such as www.hotmail.com.

NETIQUETTE
Here are a few things to remember when sending Email:
• Be polite
• Be truthful
• Never post angry or insulting messages – this is called flaming
• Keep messages short and to the point
• Don’t type in capital letters – the Internet equivalent of shouting

CHAT ROOMS AND NEWSGROUPS
Chat in cyber-space refers to real-time communication between two users via computer. Once a chat has been initiated, either user can enter text using the keyboard and the entered text will appear on the other user’s monitor. Most networks and online services offer a chat facility.

A chat room is a virtual room where a chat session takes place. Technically, a chat room is really a channel, but the term “room” is used to promote the chat metaphor. Chat rooms allow you to talk to as many people as are in the room in real time. You will get answers instantly and can have a two-way conversation. There are chat rooms about everything from romance to gardening and some where subject matter is not specific–you talk about any subject you like. There are even celebrity chat rooms where you can interview celebrities and experts live online.

If you’d like to join an existing chat room, check and see if any of your friends belong to one that interests you. You can also set up a chat room yourself using tools supplied on many of the large search engines. And of course you can also chat globally. To get started check out one of the biggest chat sites of all: www.talkcity.com.

VIRUSES
A virus is a programme which infects your computer. Many viruses are harmless, but some can erase your entire hard drive and, thanks to the immediate and inter-national nature of the Web and Email, can spread around the globe in a matter of hours. If you receive an Email that looks suspicious, or if you don’t recognize the sender, don’t open it. You should also check with your ISP to see what sort of virus protection services they offer subscribers. Using a reputable and up-to-date virus checking software, you can ensure that you have a high degree of protection. Once installed and downloaded, virus checkers work continuously in the background and will pop up from time to time to alert you of a suspect file.

To find out more go to: www.symantec.com.

SPAM
Spam is defined as electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings advertising for some product or service. There is some debate about the source of the term, but the generally accepted version is that it comes from the Monty Python song, “Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…” Like the song, spam is an endless repetition of worthless text.

In addition to wasting people’s time with unwanted Email, spam also eats up a lot of network bandwidth. Consequently, there are many organizations, as well as individuals, who have taken it upon themselves to fight spam with a variety of techniques. But because the Internet is public, there is little that can be done to eliminate spam. However you can substantially reduce the amount you receive and block specific senders by doing one or more of the following:

1 Do not give out your Email to unfamiliar or unknown recipients

2 Ask your friends not to give out your Email. Example: Email greeting cards. The sender has given your Email to an organization that may very well be compiling Email lists to sell to spammers

3 Ask your ISP what spam-filtering options they offer

4 Use your Email application’s filtering features

5 Report the spammer to the spammer’s ISP. Many of the bigger and more commercial ISP’s forbid spammers from using their services and, once discovered, will actively ban the offending parties from using their services

Don’t be fooled by phrases such as “to be removed from this list, click here.” Spammers use these types of catch
phrases to entice users to respond to the Emails. The spammers may or may not remove your Email from their list. Either way you have told the spammer that your Email address is valid and reaches a real person. Source: Webopedia

PHISHING
Phishing is an online form of identity theft and a growing Internet menace. In most cases, phishers send out a wave of spam Email. Each Email contains a message that appears to come from a well-known and trusted company. Usually the message includes the company’s logo and name, and it often tries to evoke an emotional response to a phony crisis. Couched in urgent, business-like language, the Email almost invariably makes a request for information, sometimes directing the recipient to a spoofed Web page. The Web page, like the Email, appears authentic, and in some instances its URL has been masked so the Web address even looks real. The page urges the visitor to submit confidential information–social security numbers, account numbers, passwords, you name it. Because the Email and the corresponding Web page seem legitimate, the phishers hope that at least a fraction of recipients are fooled into submitting their data. How do you avoid phishing scams?

1 Be extremely wary of any Email asking you to provide confidential information – especially of a financial nature. If you receive this kind of request, call to confirm the sender’s identity and the validity of their request. Do not simply provide the information.

2 Don’t get frightened or pressured into divulging information. Phishers like to use scare tactics. Don’t bite. Instead, contact the merchant who supposedly sent the Email to confirm its authenticity

3 Watch out for generic-looking requests for information. Fraudulent Emails are often not personalized. Meanwhile emails from your bank or ISP often directly address you or your account. Again, confirm authenticity of any suspicious request before responding.

4 If a suspicious Email contains a link to a Web page, don’t click on it. Instead, navigate to the Web site by typing the company’s URL into the address bar of your browser

5 Never submit confidential information via forms embedded within Email messages. Instead, communicate that information over the phone or through a secure Web site

6 Whenever you submit credit card numbers or other confidential information over the Internet, make sure the site is secure. Before submitting your information, confirm the URL’s authenticity by clicking on your browser’s “locked” icon