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Start Up Internet Use:
Use The Internet
The Internet is an exciting, cost-effective communications
medium that small businesses can use to complement their existing
research, sales, and marketing efforts. For example, you can
use the Internet to:
- Get information and updates to your customers.
- Solicit feedback and ideas from customers.
- Communicate and collaborate with agencies, vendors, and
suppliers.
- Exchange information and questions with peers and consultants,
no matter where they're located.
- Search for information about products, technologies, statistics,
and your competition.
- Sell products or services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
to a global audience.
Making Your Connection
To connect your computer to the Internet, you'll need to
sign up with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). When choosing
an ISP, start by asking these questions:
- How long has the firm been in business, and how stable
is the company?
- How many customers does it have in relation to the number
of modems? (If the ISP doesn't have enough modems, you'll
be frustrated by busy signals when you want to connect.)
- Are its rates timed or flat-fee? (If you're a heavy Internet
user, a monthly flat-rate arrangement may be most economical.)
- What are its technical support services? Are they free
or for a fee?
- Does it offer any other services, such as design or hosting
of Web sites?
Web Sites
Many companies have set up Web sites with valuable information
for small businesses. Once you've connected to the Internet,
take time to visit the following sites. If you want to search
the Internet for specific information, it is best to use a
search engine. After typing in key words or phrases, your
results will be displayed on the screen. Here are some popular
search engines:
Search Engines URL/address - used most often:
Search Engines URL/address - the whole
list:
One of the best ways to learn
about the Internet is to browse sites on your own. Bookmark
those that you find are worth frequent visits.
Miscellaneous Sites
E-mail Address
When it comes time to choose your e-mail address, be prepared
to submit several name options in case your first choice is
already taken. For example, John Smith, president of ABC Inc.,
might become one of the following:
- johnsmith@provider.com
- jsmith@provider.com
- john.smith@provider.com
- abcpresident@provider.com
Later, ABC might set up its own domain name, and John's e-mail
address might become:
- johnsmith@abc.com
- jsmith@abc.com
- john.smith@abc.com
- abcpresident@abc.com
There are many web hosting companies you can contact to register
a domain name.
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To become acquainted with the capabilities of the Internet,
start with its terminology:
Term and Definition
- Baud - A rating that indicates how much information
a modem can send or receive per second, expressed as bits
per second (e.g.., a 28.8 baud modem transmits data at 28,800
bps).
- Browser - A program that is used to look at various
kinds of Internet resources, such as Web sites. Netscape
Navigator is an example.
- Domain name - The unique name that identifies an
Internet site.
- E-mail - Messages sent from one person to another
via computer.
- FAQs - (Frequently Asked Questions) Documents that
list and answer the most common questions on a particular
subject.
- Firewall - A combination of hardware and software
that separates a network into two or more parts for security
purposes.
- Home page - The "front door" to a company's information
on the World Wide Web.
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) - The universal
coding language of the Internet used to create hypertext
documents for use on the World Wide Web.
- Hypertext - Information linked in a web structure
on a computer, allowing all works referenced in a particular
work to be instantly accessible. Hypertext links can be
graphical, video, and/or audio in addition to text.
- Internet - A vast collection of interconnected
networks, also known as the "information superhighway" and
the "network of networks."
- Intranet - A private, internal network within a
company or organization that uses the same kinds of software
found on the public Internet.
- ISDN - (Integrated Services Digital Network) -
Technology that enables data to move more quickly over conventional
telephone lines.
- ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A company that
provides customers with access to the Internet for a fee.
- Modem - A device that lets people connect a computer
to a phone line to access the Internet.
- Netiquette - The etiquette of the Internet and
online communication.
- Newsgroups - Collections of articles and messages
on a particular topic.
- Surfing - Randomly browsing the Internet for information.
- URL - (Uniform Resource Locator) - The standard
format for the address of any resource on the Internet that
is part of the World Wide Web.
- WWW (World Wide Web) - The area of the Internet
that features magazine-like pages, with colorful text, graphics,
and sound.
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