The Internet is a network of computers
from all over the world. The World Wide Web, or Web, is the part of
the internet that has documents called web pages (you're reading one of these pages now). Each page is called a site. You can find information
about almost any subject
you can imagine. In fact, there is so much information on the internet that it can be difficult
to find exactly what you are looking for. That's why there are search
engines. Search engines are sites that help you find other sites on the internet. Sound confusing? Don't worry, search engines are
not too difficult to use. Like all Web sites, a search engine has an internet address.
For example, the internet address of CAMBA's ESL site is http://www.esolcamba.org.
One popular search engine is called Google. The address of this site is http://www.google.com.
There are no spaces in an internet address. Search engines use keywords to find information. For example,
if you want to find information about ESL programs for adults in New York, you might
use the keywords adult, ESL programs, New York. Keywords are just words
closely related to the subject that you want to know about. You can use one keyword or as many as you
want. If you use only one keyword, you will probably get
too much information. For example, if you use only ESL Programs for your
keywords, the
search engine will look for every site that contains the word ESL Programs.
That means you will probably get information on ESL Programs all over the world
when you only want those in New York. When you use ESL Programs and New York, the search engine will look for sites that
contain both ESL Programs and New York. If you only want ESL programs in New
York for adults, then using the keywords ESL Programs, New York, adults would give
you even more specific
results. Remember, the more keywords you use, the more specific your
results will be. That means there will be fewer results. After you enter your keywords and click search, you will get a list of sites
related to your keywords. We call this list of sites results or hits.
Each result is a link to a Web site that is related to your keywords or
contains your keywords. A link is simply text that you can click on and go
directly to the site without worrying about the site's internet address. A
link is usually underlined, like this: Visit
Camba's ESL Web-site If you click on the colored text, you will be taken to CAMBA's
homepage.
Search Tips
The best way to learn about searching the
internet is to search the internet!