Toshiba SATELLITE M30X - Manual (Page 141)

141 Exploring Your Options
An overview of using the Internet
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.3
Surfing the Internet
Once connected to the Internet, the Web browser displays a
home page, for example, your ISP’s home page on the
Internet or your company’s Web site home page.
To visit a desired Web site, type the Web address. The Web
address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is a unique
identifier for that computer system linked to the Internet. Web
addresses can also appear within a Web page’s text, and are
known as links. Clicking a link automatically transfers your
Web browser to that site.
You can also use a Search Engine, a Web site specifically
designed to help you look for information.
Internet features
The Internet offers many types of communication tools to
help you perform many tasks.
❖ Internet email
To send and receive your own email, you need a mailbox on
the Web or an email address.
If you have an account with an ISP, you can probably set up
an email address at the same time you sign up for the service.
❖ Internet chat rooms
A chat room is a Web site that offers a place where people
with similar interests and ideas communicate in real-time,
one-on-one or in groups, by typing messages which are
instantly viewed by others on their computer screens.
❖ Internet news groups
A news group is similar to a chat room, but instead of using a
dedicated site to converse about a specialized subject with
others in real-time, it uses a Web site as a clearinghouse where
all the messages are placed, like a gigantic bulletin board.