Our Favorite Network – The Internet



The Other Internet

In the last chapter, you examined the World Wide Web, the most popular part of the Internet. However, there are many other exciting parts of the Internet. In this chapter, you will examine some of those other components, such as electronic mail, instant messaging, gaming, and file sharing.

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How Do I Send an E-mail?

Electronic mail or e-mail is one of the most heavily used features on the Internet. Every day, millions of messages are sent and received around the world. Anyone with access to the Internet can send and receive these messages, known as e-mail. Figure 3-1 shows a common e-mail.

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Figure 3-1:

Sample Electronic Mail

How does electronic mail work?

E-mail works in much the same way our regular mail system works. There is a post office, mailboxes, addresses, and messages. E-mail is delivered in a matter of moments. The speed of electronic mail has led to people commonly calling regular mail snail mail since it is much slower then e-mail.

You need e-mail software to send and receive messages. Your software can be on the World Wide Web or it can be a separate program on your computer, such as Microsoft Outlook. Either way, they both work the same and require the following steps:

▪ You compose a message.

▪ You hit the Send button and your software converts the message into a digital format.

▪ The digital message goes out over the Internet to a mail server.

▪ The mail server gathers incoming e-mail, sorts it, and then distributes it to the intended recipient.

How do I create an e-mail account?

To send and receive e-mail messages, you need an e-mail account. Your school, company, or Internet Service Provider (ISP) will set up an e-mail account for you. There are also sites online that let you create an e-mail account and send and receive e-mail without charge. One such site is Hotmail.

Every e-mail address has the same parts. It includes a username, which is often something you pick yourself, an @ symbol, and the domain name. For example, if Sally Student gets an e-mail account at Hotmail, her e-mail account might be: SStudent@ or she might choose something more clever, such as SassySally@.

For each e-mail account, you will get a unique username and password, which you will need each time you check your e-mail. Every e-mail address must be different. Then, when someone sends you an e-mail, it goes just to you using your unique address.

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Figure 3-2

Microsoft Outlook Express

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Figure 3-3

Hotmail Internet E-mail Window

How do I send and receive e-mail?

E-mail messages are all in the same basic format, so if you understand the components, you won't have trouble sending and receiving e-mail from any application.

Each message includes the same basic components, as shown in figure 3-4 below.

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Figure 3-4

E-mail Message with Typical Components

Those components include:

▪ Recipient's Name and Address: just like when you mail a letter, you have to indicate the name and address of the person to whom you are sending the message.

▪ Sender's Name and Address: this is your name and address, usually added automatically by the e-mail program. You can change how you want it to display to those receiving your messages.

▪ Subject: the topic of your e-mail that shows up in the list of new messages on the recipient's computer.

▪ Time and Date: this is usually inserted automatically by the e-mail software; indicates the time the person sent the message.

▪ Main Body: the space where you type your message.

▪ Attachments: you can attach a file for the person you are e-mailing, which can include graphics, sounds, applications, or documents.

▪ Carbon Copy (cc): you can include another person's e-mail address in the cc box and that person will receive a copy of the message.

▪ Blind carbon copy (bcc): this is the same as a carbon copy, but the recipient doesn't know you sent a copy to the individual indicated in the bcc box.

After you compose an e-mail by completing this information, you will send the e-mail to the recipient. On the other end, after the mail server receives the e-mail, sorts it, sends it to the appropriate mailbox, the recipient will be able to open the message and read it.

When you receive an e-mail, you can print it out for later reference, keep it to refer back to later, delete it and get rid of the message, reply to the person who sent you the message, or forward the message on to someone else.

E-mail Guidelines

E-mail is a faster way to communicate than via snail mail. Because of the speed and the ease, people often forget that you are still communicating with another person. When you have a conversation with someone in person, you can tell whether they are mad at you, bored with the conversation, angry about something else, or paying attention not just by their words, but by watching their body language.

When you talk to your friends, you probably watch for their facial expressions, watch how they shift their eyes, look at how they're dressed on a given day, even listen to how fast or how loud they speak to help understand their mood. You make assumptions based on those things. You don't have that option in e-mail. However, by following a few simple guidelines, you can ensure that you are still able to communicate effectively with people in e-mails. Below are some of those guidelines, generally known as netiquette:

▪ Use clear subject lines; include enough information so the recipient knows what you are e-mailing about before they open the message. Never leave the subject line blank.

▪ Never use all UPPERCASE letters; this is considered rude and it is more difficult to read.

▪ Use correct grammar and spelling. If you word the e-mail poorly and include misspellings, it makes it more difficult to communicate.

▪ Avoid fancy formatting. Not all e-mail programs can view fancy text. If you use a software program that offers fancy backgrounds for your e-mail, you might want to avoid those as well. Many applications include those as an attachment and people often delete e-mails with attachments.

▪ Avoid including credit card numbers, passwords, and other sensitive information in e-mails.

▪ When you reply to a message, only include enough of the original message so the person understands what you are saying. Don't send the entire message back.

▪ Include a signature line at the end of every e-mail. The signature line usually includes your name, e-mail address, and perhaps other significant information. Try to keep the signature line to less than four lines.

▪ Keep e-mails short and try to use short paragraphs. It is usually helpful to put a blank line between paragraphs.

▪ Use asterisks to emphasize words; this can be *extremely* helpful.

▪ Use underscores to underline, such as in _Romeo and Juliet_.

▪ Use emoticons and acronyms to add emotion to your e-mails.

Is there anything else to do with e-mail?

In addition to sending e-mail to individuals or small groups, you can also use electronic mail to join a discussion list. A discussion list is a group of people who communicate via electronic mail. They all share a common interest. You can send an e-mail to the main address for the group and then the mail server automatically sends a copy to everyone who is part of the group.

Electronic mail makes it easy to discuss common interests. For example, if a group of students is attending a summer program together, the organization sponsoring the program might form a list for all those attending. The individual students would subscribe to the list. Then, they can send messages back and forth. By sending one message to the main list, a copy of that message would go to all students who subscribed.

There are thousands of lists on the Internet, covering a diverse list of subjects. There are so many lists there are even lists of lists. Once you find a list you are interested in, you send a message asking to subscribe. Depending on the list, you will usually get an e-mail message back, either telling you that you are part of the group or that someone will approve you and add you to the list of subscribers. Every list has a set of guidelines. Read these rules and follow them closely.

What If I Don't Want to Wait for E-mail?

While e-mail is quicker than snail mail, you aren't guaranteed an immediate response from someone when you send an e-mail. To communicate online in real time, you can use an instant messaging tool. Real time means that, as you type the message into the IM program, others can see it almost immediately.

There are many different ways to chat online. One of the most popular methods for chatting is through the use of an Instant Message (IM).

What is Instant Messaging?

An instant message is a message you type into a window in a special software application. The person you are chatting with, who is also using that same software, instantly receives the message. For instant messaging to work, you must both (or all if you are chatting with more than one person) be connected to the Internet and must be using the same software. You can also chat with more than one person at a time in a chat room using some IM software. In chat rooms, you type a message and it is instantly seen by all others in the same chat room. You can enter public chat rooms that are usually about a particular topic of interest, or you can create your own chat room in which you can meet and chat with your friends.

There are several popular IM applications, such as Microsoft's MSN Messenger.

Figure 3-5 shows a typical Instant Message window.

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Figure 3-5

Microsoft Messenger Instant Message Window

How do I send and receive IMs?

To use instant messaging, you must first register with the messaging service, get a username and password, then download the software to your computer. The software for all major IM programs lets you create a list of "buddies" with whom you routinely communicate. In this way, you can tell when that person is online, if they are active or away, and can instantly contact them. You can set your IM software so that only people on your list can see when you're online. You can choose to chat with one person at a time, or you can go into a special virtual "room" and chat with several people at a time. While there are public chat rooms, in which you can join people discussing a favorite hobby, a movie, or a new song, you can also open your own private chat room and only invite people you want to include.

Once you have created your account, you select the name of the person you want to contact, then type a message into the software window on your computer. Instantly, the person with that username receives the message and can respond to you.

When you are away from your computer, you can put up a message letting others know you are busy and not currently available. They can choose to leave you a message that will be waiting for you when you return, as long as you are still connected to the Internet.

Can I Play Games Online?

We've already seen in chapter 2 that there are numerous games you can play using your browser. However, the Internet has many other opportunities for you to play online games.

In late 2002, Microsoft introduced Xbox Live, a gaming console that connects gamers via the Internet. Figure 3-6 shows the Xbox Live.

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Figure 3-6

Xbox Live

With this new technology, you do not need an Internet browser or even a computer to play games over the Internet. You purchase the Xbox Live Communicator and it enables you to play games with multiple players (known as multiplayer gaming), and you can share content on the hard drive, swapping and downloading games with other players, even collecting sets of characters.

Since Microsoft introduced the Live version in 2002, other companies such as Sony and Nintendo have entered the market with additional games. One of the advantages of multiplayer consoles like Xbox is the adaptability of the games. Characters evolve depending on how you control them. You can pause, rewind, and record games. There also may be a headset for you to add voice features to the game experience.

One of the biggest advantages to using a console to play games with others online is that there is no need to wait for the computer to start, to find a site online that offers games, or to share the computer with other resources. The game console offers a push button that gives you almost instant access to your games. You simply plug the system in, hook up the Internet access, turn it on, and start playing games.

If you do not have an Xbox console, you can configure your computers to play live online games. You will have a chance to connect computers and play interactive games over the network in chapter 6.

How Do I Share Files Over the Internet?

Several years ago, a new trend hit the Internet. As you learned in chapter 3, the most common format for digital music files is MP3. As those files became more popular, several companies found ways to set up applications known as file sharing software. This enables people to save digital music files on their computer, and share those with others across the Internet. Sharing files directly with other people is called peer-to-peer file sharing. While originally used for music files, file sharing today has expanded to include all types of files, such as spreadsheets, word processing documents, even movies.

What is file sharing and how does it work?

File sharing is exactly that: sharing files with other users over the Internet. To use file sharing, you need a file sharing application on your computer. Once that software is installed on your system, it then connects your computer to a main server. The server does not store the files. Those files are saved on thousands of other computers just like yours across the Internet. The server contains a list of peers on the network and an index of the files on those other systems.

Your computer, through the file sharing software, contacts one of the other systems that holds the files you want to access. The software sends your computer address, your identification from the file sharing software, and requests the information you want. That other computer then sends the information over the Internet directly to your computer. Thus the peer-to-peer file sharing system lets you connect with others on the Internet and share files between systems.

Is file sharing legal?

Just because something is available on the Internet does not mean it is legal. You need to be careful when sharing files, making sure you know what you can and cannot share.

File sharing itself is not illegal; however, many uses of file sharing are illegal. File sharing is not legal if you copy or download copyrighted material, such as music, and make it available to others over the Internet. File sharing is useful if you use it to distribute and share files you own.

Some people have a hard time understanding why it's illegal to share music files online. Imagine that you have worked very hard on a research paper for class. You spent hours of time studying when you could be out with friends. After you turn in your research paper and get your grade for it, the teacher puts it in the library as an example of a good paper. The next year, a student goes to the library to look at a sample of the paper. He copies your paper and turns it in to the teacher. In addition, he sends a copy of it to his friend at another school in the same town and to another friend in a distant state. This is theft of your property in the same way that sharing music files is theft of the artist's property.

What You've Learned About the Other Internet

In this lesson, you learned about electronic mail and the various ways to send and receive e-mail. You also looked at instant messaging that lets you communicate with someone else online instantly, as long as they have the same IM software. You examined ways to participate in multiplayer games using the Internet and finally explored the concept of file sharing and why sharing some files is illegal.

What's Next?

You have examined many ways to enjoy and utilize the things available over the Internet, but now you need to become aware of some of the dangers of this massive network. In the next chapter, you will learn ways to protect yourself while you are online.

Terms to Know

Review the following terms:

Chat

Discussion list

Electronic mail (E-mail)

Instant Message (IM)

Multiplayer gaming

Netiquette

Peer-to-Peer file sharing

Real Time

Snail Mail

Subscribe

Suggested Web Sites

40,000_ E-mail lists via Topica:

SOFWeb (E-mail):

Net Lingo:

SOFWeb (Netiquette):

TeamXbox:

Online Gaming Network:

Multiplayer Online Games Directory:

AOL Instant Message:

Microsoft Messenger:

Yahoo! Messenger:

How Instant Messaging Works:

Examine two of the Web sites listed above and answer the following questions:

a. Which Web site did you examine?

b. What type of Web site is this? Are they trying to sell something? If so, what do they want to sell?

c. What did you find most useful on this Web site? If they are selling something, do they also have information you can use?

d. Who published the site? Does that impact the information you can get from the site? Explain.

e. Out of the various types of Internet features you examined, such as electronic mail and instant messaging, which ones do you believe you will use most often? Why? Explain how you will use these features.

f. Did this site lead you to other sites? If so, give one site you found helpful that you discovered as a result of visiting the original site.

g. What is your overall impression of the site?

Questions for Review

1. Discuss reasons why electronic mail is so important to the business world today. Can you think of uses for electronic mail?

2. List three things to keep in mind as you write an e-mail. Why are they important?

3. Explain the difference between sending an electronic mail message and an instant message. Give examples of when each might be preferred.

4. If you create a series of short stories that you want to make available to other students around the world, could you put that material on a file sharing system to share with the world or would you be violating copyright law?

5. If you by a CD by your favorite band and then go online and download that same CD to your computer, is file sharing then permitted because you purchased the CD? Explain.

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Chapter

3

In this chapter, you will answer these questions:

▪ How does e-mail work?

▪ How do I create an e-mail account?

▪ How do I send and receive e-mail?

▪ What else can I do with e-mail?

▪ What is Instant Messaging?

▪ How do I send and receive IMs?

▪ Can I play games with others online?

▪ What is file sharing and how does it work?

▪ How do I know if it's legal to share files?

e-mail emoticons

You can help show emotion in your e-mail messages by typing the following symbols:

:-) Smile

;-) Wink

* Kiss

{{{***}}} Hugs and

Kisses

:-( Frown

:-o Shocked

:-O Yell

:-D Laugh

{ } Hug

:-P Stick out your tongue

:-| Undecided

8-) Glasses

:-> Evil Grin

:-/ Confused

E-mail acronyms

Acronyms help make e-mail short and concise:

LOL Laugh out loud

IMO In my opinion

BTW By the way

FYI For your info

ROTFL Rolling on the floor laughing

TTYL Talk to you later

VGB Very big grin

BG Big grin

IMHO In my humble opinion

FWIW For what it's worth

BCNU Be seeing you

IOW In other words

Hands-on exercise

Complete the exercise to set up an e-mail account in Hotmail or on your school's server.

Note

Most e-mail programs include some type of an Address Book that lets you save your favorite e-mail addresses.

Hands-on exercise

Complete the exercise to create, send, and receive e-mail messages..

warning

You will read more about safety while using Instant Messaging and Online Chatting in chapter 4. You must never give any real personal information or address to someone you meet online.

hands-on exercise

Complete the hands-on exercise to create, send, and receive Instant Messages through MSN Messenger.

warning

Many students have gotten in trouble for downloading music files and then sharing that music with others on the Internet via a file sharing system. That is NOT legal. You are not immune from punishment because you do it at school or only share files with your friends. Throughout the country, the government is prosecuting parents and students, along with schools and other organizations, for illegally distributing music files through the use of file sharing software.

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