Welcome! Most colleges and universities have computers available to students
in labs or in the library. These are often hooked up to the Internet,
and there is probably a knowledgeable person nearby to help you log on
and answer any questions. If you want to set up your own personal computer
system with Internet access, you'll need the following equipment: - a computer
- a modem
- a telephone line
- an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Computers More and more students these days are choosing to purchase their own
personal computer. There are many considerations to keep in mind when
buying a computer; cost is certainly a big one for most students. You'll
need to decide how important different features, several of which are
explained below, are for you and your needs. CPU The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer and its speed
determines how fast the computer can process information. The two most
important features to notice about the CPU are the type of processor and its
clock speed. The clock speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz.
The Pentium II computer processor ran at 300MHz. Two new models of the
Pentium 4 run at 2.4 gigahertz and 2.8 GHz. The CPU and the clock speed
influence both the speed and the cost of a computer.
RAM Random access memory (RAM) functions as a computer's short-term memory, or
working storage space. RAM is measured in megabytes (MB, millions of bytes)
and is usually expandable. Modern software requires quite a bit of RAM to
operate, especially if you want to use more than one software application at
a time. An "insufficient memory" message probably means your computer is
running out of RAM and you'll need to close some applications to continue.
The amount of RAM on new computers is rapidly expanding. For example, an
Apple IBook has 128MB; the Power Mac has 512MB. If you are thinking of
buying an older computer, be sure that its RAM can be expanded to what you
need. Hard Disk Drive The permanent long-term storage area on a computer is the hard disk drive.
This is where most of your software applications and documents live. The
capacity of modern hard drives is measured in gigabytes (GB, billions of
bytes). Software these days takes up enormous space on hard drives, and if
you plan to work with video clips or sound files, you will need an
especially large hard disk. You can conserve hard disk space by storing some
applications or files on floppy diskettes or tapes, or by compressing files,
but many people find this inconvenient. If buying a computer, you probably
need at least 10 GB of hard disk storage. Some IMac's have 40GB and 60GB.
Floppy Drive and CD-ROM Drive Not all computers have a floppy drive for 3 1/2 inch diskettes. The CD-ROM
drive allows you to access data stored on CD-ROMs, which can store the data
equivalent of 450 3 1/2 inch diskettes. Since most CD-ROMs are read-only,
you can't store your own data on them unless you have a CD burner. Usually,
you need a computer with both floppy and CD-ROM drives. Modems A modem is a piece of equipment that changes the information that a
computer works with into the kind of information that can be passed over
the telephone lines. It is what allows your computer to "talk"
to other computers around the world. It can be an external box or an internal
card that is placed in the hard drive. Most new computers now come with
built-in modems. To use your modem, you will need a telephone line. You can use your
regular telephone line which will cause a busy signal when you are online,
or you can get a "dedicated line,"a separate phone line just
for Internet access. Universities often have banks of modems accessible
through the same number so when you call the university your call will
be directed to the next available modem. Modems come in different speeds. The speed of a modem determines how
quickly you can download or access information from the Internet. As of
this writing, the most widely used speed is 56K; however, modems are continually
getting faster, and there is now the option for high speed connections
such as cable modems. If you are on campus, check to see if your dorm
room is outfitted with Ethernet port so you can plug directly into the
university's network without having to use a dial-up connection. Hooking Up to the Internet Most colleges and universities provide Internet access to their students
and faculty at an attractive cost, and if you have access to this you
should probably use it. If you need to hook up a computer to the Internet
on your own, you must go through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISPs
are companies that run the computers that enable you to get onto the Net;
these computers are called servers. It works like this: when you log on
to the Net your modem dials your ISP. When the modem is connected to the
ISP, it actually connects to their modem on their computer (the computer
at the ISP is called the server). The best- known ISPs are national ones
like America Online and Compuserve. But there are many smaller ISPs out
there as well. There are a few considerations to keep in mind in choosing among the
many ISPs: - Cost--Do they have a flat fee for unlimited Internet time
each month, or will they charge you for each minute you are online?
Some services have several different plans you can choose from; the
best one for you depends on how much time you spend online each month.
Be sure to shop around and find an ISP that offers the best rate plan
for you.
- Traffic--Some ISPs get a lot of traffic and it can be
difficult to get online (particularly the larger, national companies).
Find out the "dial up" number (the number your modem calls
to link up) of an ISP and call it at different times during the day
to see if it's busy.
- Service--Some ISPs are courteous and prompt in answering
customer questions and complaints; others have trouble in this area.
Ask your friends and acquaintances for recommendations of ISPs that
have good service.
Electronic Mail (E-mail) E-mail is a way of transmitting messages across a phone line to a specified
other person's computer. To send or receive e-mail you must have a program
called a mail browser (some common ones are Eudora and Microsoft Mail)
and an e-mail account. When you send an e-mail to someone, you type in
their e-mail address in the space provided. E-mail addresses consist of
the individual user's name or identification, the @ symbol, and the name
of their server and domain: username@servername.domainname. After writing your message in the "body" of the e-mail, you
can send it. The message is transmitted across phone lines to the recipient
server which "sorts" the mail and sends it to the individual's
e-mail address. E-mail is generally somewhat informal and not very lengthy. E-mail can
be used for everything from sending out memos, keeping up with friends
and relatives, telecommuting, and exchanging documents and files. Here are a few things to keep in mind about using e-mail: - Try to check your mail every day, especially if you belong to a mailing
list. It's amazing how quickly your "mailbox" can fill up
with messages.
- Know your netiquette.
- Don't send anything too confidential or sensitive over e-mail; e-mail
is easily accessed by others.
- Proofread your e-mail before you send it.
World Wide Web (WWW) Since 1992, when the World Wide Web was first launched, it has exploded
into mainstream culture. For many people, the Internet has become synonymous
with the Web. The Web is a gold mine of information for psychology students
and faculty, and more is being added every day. As technology becomes
more sophisticated, Web sites are starting to feature animation, video,
and sound. Browsers To get to the World Wide Web you have to have a computer program called
a Web browser. Some of the more well-known and popular Web browsers are
Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can purchase a browser from
a computer store, get one from your ISP, or download one from the Web
itself. To download the latest version of Netscape for academic use, go
to Netscape's Home Page (http://www.netscape.com/).
Once you are logged on to the Internet, you simply click to open the browser
and you are ready to surf the Net. Web Addresses The Web is made up of millions of Web sites (or Web pages). Each Web
site has an address, known as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A typical
URL looks like this: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
This is the address for the McGraw-Hill Web site. To get to any Web site,
all you have to do is type in the URL in your Web browser. You can analyze a Web site address to figure out who it belongs to and
what they do. - "http" stands for HyperText Transport Protocol; it is the
language of the Web.
- generally you will see "www" which tells the server that
we want to get our information from the World Wide Web.
- the last two parts of the address are called the domain name. The
"domain" indicates what kind of site it is. In McGraw-Hill's
case, it is ".com" (pronounced "dot-com"), which
stands for "commercial." Other domains you will probably come
across include: ".edu" = education, ".org" = organization,
and ".gov" = government. When you read the address for a Web
site out loud, remember that every "." is pronounced "dot."
Surfing the Web A key concept to understand in surfing the Web is "links."
Links are highlighted words or images on a Web page that you can click
on to go to other pages. Once you find a topic that interests you, it
is easy to explore just by clicking on links. Keep in mind that some links
will connect you to another page by the same organization; others will
take you to another site completely. A person or organization's Web site usually consists of many pages.
The first page you come to when you type in a URL is called the home page.
This page usually contains a menu for the entire site and lets you know
something about the site's creators and purpose. The home page contains
links to other pages within that site, and often to other sites of interest.
With most browsers you can go back to a previous link by clicking a button
that says "Go Back." You will not get "stuck" someplace
you don't want to be, so don't be shy about exploring links. Web sites can be developed by any person or organization on any topic.
The amount of information available on the Web today is staggering and
continues to grow. You can utilize the Web for general research, as an
educational tool, as a shopping mall, to find a long lost friend, get
a new job, or answer most any question you might have; you are limited
only by your imagination. Search Engines Now that you have a basic idea of the workings of the WWW, how do you
go about finding Web sites that may interest you? A good starting point
is to use one of the popular directories on the Web called search engines.
A search engine allows you to type in keywords on the topic that you are
interested in. It then retrieves any sites that contain that word. Some of the larger and more popular search engines are: To use a search engine, type in one of the addresses listed above. When
the home page for that site comes up you will notice a "search"
box in which you can type a key word or phrase. The search engine will
then bring up as a list of sites all the information that it has available
on that topic. Sometimes you will need to narrow your search; for example,
if you type "psychology," you may have hundreds or thousands
of site listings returned. On the other hand, if you are too specific,
you may not have any sites returned as a result of your inquiry. This
does not necessarily mean that no sites exist. Bookmarks Once you find a Web site you will want to return to in the future, you
can "bookmark" it. To bookmark a site, go to that site. After
it has finished loading, choose "bookmark" from your menu bar
and your browser will instantly record the address to that site in your
bookmark folder. Anytime you want to return to that site, you simply open
the bookmark folder and click on the title of that Web site. Different
ISPs offer different methods for bookmarking sites. America Online, for
example, uses a system called "favorite places" that works similarly.
Tips for Using the World Wide Web - Be patient. Accessing Web sites can take time, depending on how elaborate
the site is, how fast your modem can download the information, and what
time of day you might be surfing. You can speed things up a bit by turning
off the "auto load image" option in your browser.
- Keep in mind that "hiccups" can occur in the transfer process.
Sometimes the server of the Web site you are trying to reach may be
down, there may be a lot of activity on that site, or there may be line
noise. Just try again to load the Web site, or try again later. Because
the Web is so dynamic, sites and links change every day. You might find
some links on Web pages that go nowhere because the link has moved their
pages to a new server or address.
- Remember that while the Web is a great source of information, not
everything on it is true. It is up to you to evaluate the information
you get from the Web: see the section on Thinking Critically about Psychology
Information on the Internet.
FTP, Gopher, and Telnet FTP stands for file transfer protocol. FTP sites are software repositories
from which you can download shareware software, demos, images, text, sound,
and anything else that can be transmitted via the Internet. You can access
FTP sites from the Web the same way you would enter any URL (FTP addresses
begin with ftp://). Most FTP sites support anonymous FTP, which means
that anyone can log on to the site with the user name "anonymous,"
enter their own e-mail address as the password, then download whatever
files interest them. If you download materials from FTP be sure to scan
them with antiviral software to be sure they are clean, or you could end
up infecting your hard drive with a nasty computer virus. Before the World Wide Web, gopher was a popular way of storing information
on the Internet. Gopher was developed at the University of Minnesota and
is named for their mascot. Gopher sites are being retired as their contents
are moved onto the Web, but many valuable ones still exist containing
psychology-related information. Again, you can enter the URL for a gopher
site (usually beginning gopher://) the same way you would for a Web site.
You'll see a text-only menu that you can navigate just like a Web site.
Telnet enables you to log on to another host computer to run one of
its computers or to access information from it. You can telnet to other
hosts from most Web browsers if you have telnet software configured to
work with your browser. Mailing Lists Mailing lists (or listservs) are electronic mailing discussion groups
that take place through e-mail. They are groups of people who "get
together" online to discuss a specific topic. For psychology students,
mailing lists offer a way to participate in lively discussions, stay up
on current research, or find out answers to burning questions. There are
mailing lists on nearly every topic imaginable. Here's how it works: - You find out about a mailing list dealing with a subject you are
interested in discussing with others (e.g., choosing your major).
- In order to get involved in a discussion group, you have to subscribe
to it. To subscribe, you send an e-mail to that mailing list's listserv
with the word "subscribe" in the subject line and in the main
body of the text. Also include your e-mail address.
- Usually, the listserv will then subscribe you to the list and send
you instructions on how to post to the group. Posting means that you
send out a comment to the entire mailing list that you have subscribed
to.
- Every time any member posts to the listserv, all the subscribers
get that posting as an e-mail message in their mailbox.
- Once you have subscribed you will begin to receive e-mail messages
from the mailing list. Be careful though, some discussion groups have
a large following and you may find your mailbox filling up faster than
you can read the messages.
Newsgroups/Usenet Newsgroups, like mailing lists, are a way of discussing topics over
the Internet with other people who share the same interests. However,
newsgroups take place on an entirely different "network" called
Usenet. Usenet is composed of thousands of discussion areas called newsgroups.
Individual comments that people make to one another on a newsgroup are
called articles. You "post an article" when you want to make
a comment. The lines of discussion within a newsgroup are called threads.
To read the discussions on any newsgroup you must have a software program
called a newsreader. Generally, your ISP will provide you with a newsreader program as part
of the software package. When you open the newsreader it should download
any new newsgroups that have been added. You can look through the entire
list and choose which newsgroups interest you. When you find one of interest,
you just open it up and begin reading the articles. Newsgroup addresses are called hierarchies. Listed below are some of
the standard hierarchies with an example of each. There are many other
categories, some of which are from foreign countries. - alt--groups generally alternative in nature (e.g., alt.education.distance,
alt.alien.visitors) bionet - groups discussing biology and biological
sciences (e.g., bionet.general, bionet.immunology)
- comp--groups discussing computer or computer science issues
(e.g., comp.infosystems) misc - groups that don't fit into other categories
(e.g., misc.fitness, misc.jobs) news - groups about Usenet itself (e.g.,
news.groups)
- rec--groups discussing hobbies, sports, music, and art
(e.g., rec.food, rec.humor) sci - groups discussing subjects related
to science and scientific research (e.g., sci.med.nursing, sci.psychology)
- soc--groups discussing social issues including politics,
social programs, etc. (e.g., soc.culture, soc.college)
- talk--public debating forums on controversial issues (e.g.,
talk.abortion, talk.religion)
Before you make a posting to a newsgroup, you may want to lurk for awhile,
that is, read the discussion without contributing your own posting. Lurking
will give you a sense of the kinds of postings that are appropriate for
that newsgroup and what the newsgroup culture is like. Newsgroups may be frequented by people from all over the world, including
some experts in the field. They can be a great source of current information
and of community. For example, a person suffering from a relatively rare
disorder may not know anyone else with the same problems and concerns
on campus or in town, but he or she can frequent a newsgroup specifically
for people with that disorder to learn about other peoples' experiences,
the latest treatments, and just to commiserate. But, as always, be aware
that not everything posted to a newsgroup is necessarily true; you must
be a critical thinker. Netiquette Netiquette is simply the etiquette of the Internet. Because no one owns
or polices the Internet, it is especially important that all users take
responsibility for keeping communications civilized. Remember that the
written communications of the Internet cannot convey meanings by voice
inflection or body language, and it's easy to be misinterpreted. Here are some good netiquette principles to keep in mind: - Don't assume your correspondents know you are kidding, or being sarcastic,
or anything else.
- Don't be too harsh or judgmental with those you disagree with. Don't
use all capital letters; this may be interpreted as SCREAMING. Don't
gossip or spread rumors on the Internet. This is a good way to get into
trouble. Do proofread your messages before you send them.
- Do be kind and thoughtful in your correspondence.
- Do be honest; if you put misinformation onto the Net, it could go
to thousands of people.
- Do reply quickly to your correspondents.
- Do make messages and postings brief and to the point.
Flaming If you frequent the Net, and in particular newsgroups, you may get "flamed"
or see someone else get flamed. Flaming is a hostile response that generally
occurs as a result of a disagreement, and is meant to humiliate and upset
the target. Often it is a direct personal attack. Just be forewarned and
try not to stoop to that level. Emoticons Emoticons are a fun way to express your feelings in electronic communication.
They are a series of keystrokes and symbols that make a sideways picture.
Emoticons can communicate to your reader that you are joking, disgusted,
flirting, or sad--emotions that are otherwise hard to express in typewritten
communication. Here are some examples: - :-) this is the most common emoticon, known as a "smiley"
- ;-) here is the smiley, winking
- :-p here is the smiley, sticking out it's tongue
- (:^) here is a bald smiley
- :-( this is a sad smiley
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education