“Network of networks that allow computers to connect worldwide.”
The Internet (INTERnational
NETwork) is a global network that
interconnects computers around the world. The entire network is linked together
like a spider’s web.
¨
Accessing the Internet
Other than a computer, the basic requirements to use the
internet is:
1. Modem or Broadband
Connection
2. Communication Software
(dial-up communication, browsers etc)
3. Services of an ISP
(Internet Service Provider)
Internet Service Provider give access to the internet for a monthly fee
for the connection.
Advantages of internet
1. Wide range of
information is available.
2. Information is
constantly updated.
3. Information is
available in the form of multimedia (video, animation, sound etc.).
4. Can get connected to
websites around the world.
5. Can communicate with
people immediately through e-mail, chat rooms, etc.
6. Can get advice and
information from experts online.
7. Can access internet at
any time (24 / 7).
8. Search engines are
available to find any information.
9. Some people (disabled)
can work from home.
10. Can do shopping from
home and buy from any country.
Disadvantages of internet
1. Misuse of internet is
vast
2. Hacking is a serious
security threat in the internet
3. Virus programs can
spread easily
4. Information overload
(too many search results)
SEARCH ENGINE
“Program which searches
large databases to find information on web sites/web pages/other links that
match our request.”
The most
effective way of finding information on the internet is to use a search engine.
However, it is just as easy to use these inefficiently, as well as efficiently.
Disadvantages
of using a search engine
1. Too wide search / too much information / irrelevant
information found
2. “Unwanted”/undesirable sites found during the search
3. Picks up words with same spelling but different meaning
4. Search engine loyalty/funded by advertising puts websites
top of list
5. May produce out of date sites
6. Misleading/incorrect information.
ISP (Internet
Service Provider)
or IAP (Internet
Access Provider)
“A company that gives permanent access to the Internet for a
nominal fee”.
User account and
password is validated before gaining access to the file server.
Services offered by ISP
E-Mail Software
Downloads
Internet Access Chatting
Access to News, Sports,
Weather etc
Access to On-Line
Shopping Instant Messaging
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
“It
is the method of voice conversations over the Internet”
If
you have a reasonable quality Internet connection you can get phone service
delivered through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone
company.
Methods used
1.
PC to PC,
2. PC to fixed-network lines,
3. Telephone calls via internet protocol based internal networks.
Requirements
for a VoIP
1.
A microphone to capture the sound
2.
A Speaker to hear sound
3.
Access to broadband communication
line
4.
Special VoIP software
Benefits of
VoIP
1.
Unlike in traditional phones, no
need to pay for additional features such as conference calling, call
forwarding, automatic redial, and caller ID etc.
2.
Costs are lower, mainly because of
the way internet access is billed compared to regular telephone calls.
3.
Can transmit more than one
telephone call over a single broadband connection without the need to add extra
telephone lines.
4.
Only a sufficiently fast and stable
internet connection is needed to get a connection from anywhere to a VoIP
provider.
Drawbacks of
VoIP
1.
While making long distance calls,
VoIP makes use of satellite circuits for transmission. Due to this, there are
possibilities where the voice may reach after a moment’s pause.
2.
Power failure will create a problem
because VoIP systems typically depend on the availability of electricity or
locally generated power.
3.
VoIP may be attacked by hackers.
Hackers who know about these crimes can attack, collect customer data, record
conversations and break into voice mailboxes.
4.
VoIP service providers do not offer
emergency calls, so not all of them offer it.
BAND WIDTH
“Measure of the
capacity of a communication line”
|
Bandwidth
|
When you open a web page or download a file, it travels very
quickly from wherever it happens to be on the planet Earth to your ISP’s
computer. It then travels from the ISP's computer to your computer. So why does
it take so long for every Web page you visit to appear on your screen? That's
where bandwidth comes in.
BROADBAND
“A communication link which can move data
at high speed.”
A broadband Internet account can move data at
anywhere from 128 Kbps to 4,000 Kbps or more. It takes less time to get a web
page or file from your ISP's computer to your computer using the broadband
account than a dial-up account (narrow band) which uses modem.
Advantages of using
broadband
1.
Do not have to wait for a system to dial up, it is always
connected.
2.
Fixed monthly charges irrespective of usage
3.
Phone and browsing could be done at the same time in one line.
4.
Broadband permits other facilities such as “skype”/VOIP
5.
The connection rate/data transfer rate is much higher compared to
narrow band. Because of this files and web pages could be downloaded at a
faster rate and can watch movies/videos without any interruption.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
“Social networking is
the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts
by making connections through individuals using a website”.
Eg. MySpace, Twitter, FriendFinder,
Linkedin, Facebook, Orkut, etc. social networking establishes interconnected
Internet communities (sometimes known as personal networks) that help people
make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be
unlikely to have met otherwise.
Features of social
networking website
1. Profile. This is where you
tell the world about yourself. Profiles contain basic information about you.
2. Friends. Friends are trusted
members of the site that are allowed to post comments on your profile or send
you private messages.
3. Groups. Use groups to help
you find people with similar interests. E g. "Johnson High Class of
'98".
4. Discussions. Most social
networking websites support discussion boards for the groups, and many also
allow members of the group to post pictures, music, video clips, and other
tidbits related to the group.
5. Blogs. Another feature of
some social networks is the ability to create your own blog entries. It is
perfect for keeping people informed on what you are up to.
6. Wall. This is where you
allow friends to write comments to you.
7. Suggest
friend.
8. Add
pictures/video.
Benefits of social
networking
1. Quick and easy way to get the opinion of the
public and to keep the public updated on their activity
2. Connects people at low cost
3. Can always keep in touch with friends
4. Can get/share variety of info/ideas on a
specific topic from friends around the world.
Issues of social
networking
1. Privacy: Dangers of
giving out too much personal information.
2. Data theft/mining:
Stealing others e-mail id for misuse/send unsolicited advertisements.
3. Viruses: Computer can
be infected with viruses easily.
4. False Identity:
Individuals who claim to be someone that they are not.
5. Trolling or
Online/cyber bullying: Occasionally used to emotionally abuse individuals and
it can often result in emotional trauma for the victim.
6. Interpersonal
communication: This has been a growing issue as more and more people have
turned to mass media socializing force as a means of communication replacing
interpersonal communication.
7. Wasting time: People
have been spending an excess amount of time on social networking sites and on
the Internet in general.
BLOGS
A website set up by people to provide
information and opinions about events, ideas or reflections, experiences,
observations, comments that they want to discuss in chronological order. Blogs
can include links to other related sites, photos, videos and sound as well as
text.
Types of Blogs
1. Personal
blogs: Created by individual people.
2. Corporate
and organizational blogs: Created by individual companies.
3. By
genre/subject: E g. Political/travel/fashion/education blogs.
4. By
media type: A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, comprising links is called a
linklog, comprising photos is called a photoblog.
5. By
device: Type of device is used to compose it. E g. written by a mobile device.
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