Flint Memorial Library (North Reading)

The Internet for dummies, by John R. Levine, Margaret Levine Young, Carol Baroudi

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The Internet for dummies

751736668

by John R. Levine, Margaret Levine Young, Carol Baroudi

For dummies

Covers hardware, software, servers, e-mail, search engines, online shopping and auctions, resources for children, parental guidance, and privacy

Introduction -- About this book -- How to use this book -- Who are you? -- How this book is organized -- Icons used in this book -- What now? -- Feedback, please -- pt. I. Welcome to the Internet -- 1. What's so great about the Internet? -- So what is the Internet? -- What's all the hoopla? -- Anybody can access it -- It's politically, socially, and religiously correct -- The Net advantage -- Okay, what next? -- 2. Is the Internet safe? : viruses, spyware, spam, and other yucky stuff -- Privacy: who's who and what they can tell about you -- Who is the party to whom I am speaking -- Safety first -- Phishing for inphormation -- Don't take the bait -- Web bugs track the ad you read -- Cookies can be good -- We know who you are -- Security: how people can take over your PC -- Viruses arrive by email -- Worms come right over the Net -- Spyware arrives via websites -- Pop-up browser windows pop up all over the place -- What's the secret, M. Potter? -- Spam, bacon, spam, eggs, and spam -- Why it's called spam -- Why it's so bad -- What you can do about it -- Safety: how to keep yourself and your family safe -- 3. Kids and the Net -- Really cool ways kids use the Net -- So-so ways kids use the Net -- Not-so-good ways kids use the Net -- Truly brain-dead things kids should never do -- The Internet and little kids -- Surf safe -- Sell, sell, sell! -- Who's online? -- The Internet in schools -- A few useful websites--pt. II. Internet, here I come! -- 4. Assembling your gear and climbing on the net -- what kind of computer do you need? -- Types of Internet connections -- What's in an account? -- Speedy connections: DSL and cable internet -- What is broadband, anyway? -- Cable and DSL modems -- Dialing: the old-fashioned way -- I'm in! -- Essential software to keep your system safe -- Our favorite Internet setup -- You're connected: now what? -- 5. Connecting with Wi-Fi, laptops, and smartphones -- Just one computer for Internet access? -- First, make a LAN -- Forget the wires: go Wi-FI -- Using your laptop or netbook at home and away -- Using your smartphone on the Net -- 6. Welcome to the wild, wonderful, wacky Web -- What is the World Wide Web? -- Linking web pages -- Finding the page you want -- Browsing to points unknown -- Web surfing with your browser -- Viewing lots of web pages at the same time -- Browsing from your smartphone or tablet -- Getting and installing a browser -- 7. Taking your browser for a spin -- Saving stuff from the Web -- Saving an image -- Printing pages -- Bookmarking with Firefox -- Creating one-click bookmarks in Firefox -- Storing favorites in Internet Explorer -- Creating one-click bookmarks in Internet Explorer -- Adding web pages to your Windows taskbar -- Bookmarking with Chrome -- Bookmarking with Safari -- Filling in forms -- Knowing where to start -- Specifying where Firefox starts -- Configuring Internet Explorer start and home pages -- Telling Chrome what to display at start-up -- Setting Safari's home page -- Storing passwords -- Cookies are (usually) your friends -- Your browsing history -- Blocking pop-up windows -- When browsers go bad -- Getting plugged in with plug-ins --pt. III. Hanging out with friends on line -- 8. It's in the mail: sending and receiving e-mail -- What's my address? -- The domain part -- The username part -- And I would read my mail how? -- The Web is a fine place to read your e-mail -- Webmail -- Reading your e-mail on your smartphone -- Reading your e-mail on a mail program -- Mail servers -- Outlook -- Thunderbird -- Windows Live Mail -- Apple Mail -- Sending mail is easy -- Mail coming your way -- Reading your messages -- Deleting messages -- To whom do I write? -- Avoiding viruses, malware, and other mailborne annoyances -- 9. Putting your mail in its place -- Few words from the etiquette ladies -- Flame off! -- Smile! -- Spam: kill, kill, kill! -- Filtering spam -- Back to you, Sam: replying to mail -- Keeping track of your friends -- Hot potatoes: forwarding mail -- Cold potatoes: saving mail -- Filing messages -- Handling exotic mail and mail attachments -- 10. Getting social with Facebook and Google+ -- Facebook isn't the only social network -- Expanding your profile -- Connecting with your friends -- Do you want the whole world to see this? -- An ounce of prevention -- Sharing your news -- Updating your status -- Pointing out an online news article -- Posting photographs -- Making them live! -- Responding to or arguing with your friends -- Keeping an eye on the news feed -- Sending messages -- Hiding and unfriending -- Google goes social with Google+ -- 11. Tweeting about your life -- Reading tweets and following twitterers -- Weird punctuation -- How to not become overwhelmed by all those tweets -- Lists -- Saved searches -- Preparing to tweet -- Your Twitter profile -- Private tweeting -- How to tweet -- Hashtags identify keywords -- Including a web address in your tweet -- Using @replies and direct messages -- Retweeting -- Marking your favorite tweets -- Even more ways to tweet -- Desktop programs -- Mobile applications -- Tweeting via text message -- Reading tweets by text message -- 12. Typing and talking on the Net -- AIMing to chat via text -- Abbreviations and smileys for chat -- Adding voices and faces -- Internet phones and voice chat -- Easy VoIP with Skype -- Around the virtual town pump -- Mailing lists -- Posting to message boards -- Chatting -- Chat culture --pt. IV. The Web is full of cool stuff -- 13. Needles and haystacks: finding almost anything on the Net -- Your basic search strategy -- Google -- Searching from your cellphone -- Bing! -- Browsing with directories -- Yahoo! for directories -- For facts: Wikipedia first -- Useful search sites -- Finding people -- Looking for e-mail addresses -- Googling for people -- Other people-search sites -- Help -- Too many toolbars -- Making a custom start page -- 14. Music and video on the Web -- Ways to get media -- Steal it: no -- iTunes -- Windows media player -- Copying music from your own CDs -- Organizing your music with iTunes -- Making playlists -- Subscribing to podcasts -- Playing music and podcasts -- Internet radio -- Watching movies on the Web -- YouTube -- Watching TV -- 15. More shopping, less dropping -- Shipping online: pros and cons -- Credit card question -- Paying at the store -- Theory of airline tickets -- Auctions and used stuff -- Cragslist -- Books, music and more -- Clothes -- Computers -- Food -- Travel and food -- Vroom, vroom -- 16. Banking, bill paying, and investing online -- Transferring money between bank accounts -- Paying bills online -- Other online bank services -- Checking out a few recommended banks -- Combo banking -- Dealing with credit cards -- PayPal -- Investing your money online -- Mutual funds -- Stockbrokers -- Portfolio tracking -- Budgeting tools --pt. V. 17. Making a splash online -- Ways to go public on the Web -- Say "cheese!" -- Organizing your photos -- Sharing documents and calendars -- Creating a Google Docs document -- Sharing the wealth -- Making and sharing an online calendar -- Looking beyond Google Docs -- Making your own website -- Page creators abound -- Setting up an online shop -- 18. Blogging: the world reads your diary -- What's in a blog? -- How t o read a blog -- Subscribing to blogs -- Writing your own blog -- Finding a place for your blog -- Going postal -- Illustrating your blog -- Blogging in song --pt. VI. The part of tens -- 19. Ten problems and ten solutions -- My computer takes forever to boot up, and pop-up ads took over the screen -- I can't send large e-mail attachments -- I'm worried about ID theft -- I can't remember all my website passwords -- I'm worried that Facebook, Google Docs, and Google calendar will lose my date -- I get messages telling me e-mail that I never sent is undeliverable -- People seem to know a lot about me -- Spyware -- I can't get my kids, spouse, or significant other off the computer -- When I click a link, my browser says "404 page not found" -- I want to include my e-mail address on my Web page -- 20. Ten fun things to do online -- Share pictures and videos -- Watch movies, TV and ads -- Listen to current and classic radio programs -- Play Checkers or Bridge -- Play more online games -- Find out what your stuff is worth -- Build your own jumbo jet -- Visit art museums around the world -- Tour the earth -- Tour the solar system -- Build your own world -- Read the comics -- Share your screen with a friend -- 21. Ten worthwhile things to do online -- Feed the hungry -- Support a charity while you shop -- Find charities that don't waste money -- Become a microfinancier or a philanthropist -- Educate yourself -- Edit an encyclopedia -- Digitize old books -- Search for extraterrestrial life or cure cancer -- Mentor a teenager or young adult online -- Adopt a kid