email basics
Electronic mail or ’email’ is a quick way to send messages to people anywhere in the world using their devices. you send an email to someone else’s email address. You can also send an attachment, for example a file or photos with your message.
email address
An email address like james@email.co.uk is made up of the following parts:
- username – james is the person’s name or username
- the ‘@’ represents the word ‘at’ and means they are connected to the email.co part. uk of the address
- after ‘@’ is the name of the place where the person works or the provider of the person’s email address
- ‘host name’ comes after of the @ sign, similar to a postal address
- ‘.uk’ shows that the email address is for someone in the UK
send and receive email
an email has the following characteristics:
- ‘to’ – an ‘address bar’ where you put the email address
- ‘cc’ – if you want to copy other people in the message
- ‘subject’ – a ‘subject bar’ is the title of your message, where you write what your email is about
- the ‘main body’ of your email where you write your message
You can tell if an email is new or unopened as it will appear in bold. you can see who the email is from and the email subject. Open an email by double-clicking on it, for example in the subject line. once an email is opened, you can reply to it by clicking the ‘reply’ button.
- this will open a new email
- the address will already be filled in as you reply to the email
- the subject line will be filled in and start with ‘ re’:
- write your message in the main body of the page
- send by clicking the ‘send’ button
- to create a new email click the button ‘new’
- type the email address in the address bar and a subject in the subject bar
- type your message and then press ‘send’
set up an email account
there are several free email providers such as ‘google’, ‘hotmail’ and ‘yahoo!’ mail’. setting up an internet email account means you can use it anywhere in the world.
create a yahoo email account
step 1
- login to the internet (‘start’ – ‘all programs’ – internet explorer’)
- enter www.yahoo.co.uk in the address bar
step 2
- yahoo page should be open
- click ‘mail’ and ‘create new account’
step 3
- follow the on-screen instructions to create an account
- you will need to enter some information about yourself
step 4
- create a password between eight and 32 characters; passwords must contain uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers; this is known as a strong password that is harder for someone else to guess
- if you forget your password, the account provider can send information to a mobile phone to help you
- click ‘create account’
internet basics
The internet is a giant library where you can find information, keep in touch with people, read the news, pursue your hobbies, watch TV shows, shop, compare prices, pay bills, and contact customer service offices with queries or complaints. information on the internet is contained in websites and web pages.
connect to the internet
The Internet is a worldwide network of computers connected to each other by telephone lines, cables, and satellites. you can access the web from many mobile devices.
To connect, you need an ‘internet service provider’ or ‘isp’. Your cell phone company, home phone, cable TV provider, or a supermarket chain may be able to provide you with an Internet connection. a broadband internet connection also allows you to access the internet.
- Internet access and broadband
using a web browser
A web browser is simply a way of viewing web pages. you can usually open your web browser from a shortcut on your desktop or home screen. two of the most popular browsers are internet explorer and mozilla firefox.
information search: the address bar
at the top of the web browser you will find the address bar. to go to a website, type its name. if there is already an address in the address bar, click to highlight it and start typing. the new address will start to appear.
Each website has its own unique address that does not contain any spaces. most website addresses have ‘www’ at the beginning. this means world wide web. different parts of addresses are usually separated by periods (dots) and forward slashes (/).
for example, the nidirect website address is www.nidirect.gov.uk
searching the internet
To search the internet effectively, you need a search engine. a search engine scans thousands of websites and web pages on the internet and collects and organizes the information it thinks is most relevant to you.
some popular search engines are:
- yahoo
- bing
- ask jeeves
- search aol
open a search engine
To use a search engine like google or bing, you need to open your web browser. type the address of the search engine in the address bar. click the arrow key in the address bar or press the enter key on the keyboard. this will take you to the search engine. the search engine has a search box, usually in the middle of the screen.
using a search engine
type keywords in the search box and hit the search button. keywords are the words that best describe what you are looking for in the simplest and most direct way, for example, “grow tomatoes”.
Your search results will appear as websites and links. the most popular or relevant ones will appear at the top of the list. to visit a site, click a link.
what you can do on the internet
Things you can do online include:
- find information
- shop for groceries
- book vacations
- stay in touch
- follow your hobbies</li
- find a job
- research your family history
- save money
- find ways to get healthy
- shop and listen to music
- watch videos and news
- banking and pay bills
You can listen to the radio over the internet or watch TV on your computer. A common media player is BBC iPlayer, which allows you to watch or listen to a program after you’ve streamed it.
skype is an application that allows you to make voice calls over the internet. calls to other users within the skype service are currently free and if your computer has a webcam you will be able to see the person on the other end. more information about skype is available below.
navigate nidirect
You can browse this website to find useful information and complete some transactions. the following pages are just a few of the things you’ll find at nidirect:
- benefits advisor
- get your state pension
- apply for pension credit
- book a motor/vehicle test appointment
- renew your driver’s license
- passports
- where to find a job
- family history, heritage and museums
- pay your fees online
using online social networks
You can use online social networks to keep in touch with friends, share information, photos and videos, and keep up with your interests. facebook and twitter are two of the most popular online social networking websites.
Facebook is probably the best known social networking site, with over 800 million active users worldwide. Chances are some of your friends and family already have a Facebook profile.
Anyone over the age of 13 can join Facebook. Many parents and grandparents use Facebook to keep in touch with their grandchildren and family members around the world.
how to join facebook
To join facebook, you need to create a free account which will be your profile page. this can contain as much information as you like.
you can create your account on the facebook website.
go to the facebook website and click “sign up”. You will see several boxes that require information such as your name and email address. follow the step-by-step instructions to join.
Profiles can be created with a real name, alias, or nickname, and are often accompanied by a photograph.
Once you’ve created your profile, you can adjust your privacy settings to specify which details you want made public.
you will need:
- a device with an internet connection
- an email account
the main benefits and features of facebook are:
- it’s free
- your friends and family may have already joined; find them by searching their name or email address
- anyone can use it, anywhere, as long as there is internet access
- it’s available 24 hours a day so you can contact your relatives in australia without time zones causing a problem
- users can share messages, video links, photos and websites
- can be used to advertise, plan and manage events
- You can use various privacy settings to decide who can see your page and what they can see
blog
‘blog’ is short for ‘web log’. it is basically an online diary created by someone to write down their thoughts, feelings or points of view on a specific topic or on life in general.
a popular form of blogging is microblogging and the most used website for this is twitter.
twitter is a social networking site that allows users to comment on news, events and their daily lives. known as ‘microblogging’, these comments – ‘tweets’ – have to be very short. each entry cannot be longer than 140 characters.
A tweet can consist of almost anything: your thoughts, a link to a website, an image, a video, other people’s comments, replies to others’ comments, as long as you stay within the 140 limit. characters.
In order to tweet, you must have a user account.
you will need:
- a device connected to the internet
- an email account
go to the twitter website and you will see a sign up form on the home page
Follow the step-by-step instructions to set up a twitter account.
benefits and key features
- twitter is free to use and anyone, anywhere in the world can join
- users can choose to follow tweets shared by pundits, politicians, authors and celebrities
- Users can share other people’s comments by ‘retweeting’ them to their own followers
privacy
You can maintain your privacy on Twitter by using an alias or nickname, or by adjusting your privacy settings so that anyone who wishes to follow you must request the right to do so.
skype
skype is an application that allows you to make voice calls over the internet. is the most popular voice communication service in the world.
Calls to other users with the skype service are currently free and if your device has a built-in camera or webcam, you will be able to see the person on the other end (video call), as long as they also have a camera. or webcam.
if you use skype, you don’t pay more than the monthly internet service.
skype combines voice and instant messaging in one application: talk when you want and write when you want, and seamlessly switch between the two as you like.
presence information
skype also provides presence information in a very convenient way. presence is the availability and willingness of a person to communicate. for example, if you find someone online ready to communicate, then there is a presence. skype lets you know if a person is offline or when they are ready to communicate so you can log back in at that time.
People use skype mainly for the high voice quality it offers and because it’s free. skype is extremely useful for communicating with family, friends and loved ones around the world.
what you need to use skype
to use skype, you need:
- a device with a good internet connection, preferably broadband
- a built-in camera or webcam (although you can still make voice calls without one): this is a small camera that connects to your computer through a usb port; many computers, especially laptops, already have a built-in webcam.
- sound – make sure your sound card is working properly
- speakers and a microphone – many computers will have these built in and webcams often come equipped with microphones. – alternatively, reasonably priced headsets and headsets can be purchased
- skype software, which can be downloaded free of charge from www.skype.com
- one or more people with who to communicate with – must also be skype users if you want to use the free service
calls on skype are free only if both (or more) communicating parties use a skype compatible device and use the skype service over the internet.
more useful links
- keyboard and mouse basics
- discover the internet
- free internet access