Bookmarks, Links, Back and Forward, GO, Home, set your own Home Page, Web References
At this point, you should turn on your computer and display (open) a Web Browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. The browsers look and function identically on MACs or PCs with Windows. At the top of the screen is a horizontal set of labeled buttons - that is the tool bar. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the display. If you are not at the workshop, go to one of the tutorials for your particular browser now.
I. The text of the URLs shown below is in color and underlined. That means it is hyprelinked. Just click on the text and it will pprovide the URL to your browser and take you there. Alternatively, choose FILE from the menu bar, choose OPEN LOCATION, and type in the address in the screen that appears. Choose GO on the toolbar or press ENTER. Visit at least two of these locations.
Hint: notice the STOP tool in the upper right of the browser screen. If an address is not responding or is very slow in appearing, choosing STOP will cease the connection.
II. Set a BOOKMARK (Favorite in Internet Explorer) in order to find this page quickly, without typing in the address (URL). Choose BOOKMARKS on the menu bar, choose ADD BOOKMARK, and the site is added to your bookmark list.
When BOOKMARKS is selected, your bookmark list is shown. When you select one of your bookmarks on this list, the browser reads the address (URL) and automatically retrieves the page you want.
This is a great way to keep track of your favorite Web sites. Set at least one more bookmark during this exercise!
As you accumulate bookmarks, you can organize them into subject categories to make it easier to find the one you want quickly. Choose WINDOWS on the menu bar, choose the BOOKMARKS option, and a screen will appear listing your folders and the bookmarks that they contain. Double click on any to go there. To make a new folder, choose ITEM, and then INSERT FOLDER. Drag and drop to move the bookmarks to the desired folder.
III. When you are on the pages listed above, move around to other pages of interest using hypertext LINKS. Click on a word that is underlined, or an icon (picture) and the browser will automatically take you to that location (URL). Most sites have a page of links to relevant sites, the national PTTC site has an extensive set of links at -
http://www.pttc.org/hq/linkindx.html
This is a great way to ferret out information of interest on the Web.
It is similar to asking a friend if they know anyone who has (for example)
worked Hambert-Aristocrat Field, calling that contact, asking if they know
of any maps or field studies
available, and then finding the right map to answer your question!
In this case, the people building the Web pages provide their knowledge of who, what, and where for your automatic hop in cyberspace. Visit at least three more Web sites by choosing LINKS.
Hint: notice the information bar at the bottom of your browser screen, it shows the URL of each linked text as you point to it.
IV. Locate the BACK and FORWARD buttons at the top of the browser screen. Think of these as 'page-turners.' Go BACK to the previous page that you visited. Now go FORWARD to the one you were on at the beginning of this step. Back and Forward are especially useful when you are following links.
Choose GO on the menu bar to select from a list of recently visited sites. Choose the second site you visited in this exercise from the list. This tool is very useful when you are in an active search and visiting lots of sites.
V. Are you LOST yet? With all this link hopping, backs, and forwards - it is easy to get lost in cyberspace! Choose the HOME button from the toolbar and you will return to this computer's preset Home Page.
VI. The HOME PAGE can be set to any location you desire. To set the Home Page for your own Netscape browser, choose OPTIONS on the menu bar, choose GENERAL PREFERENCES, choose APPEARANCE, and type in the URL of your desired home in the space after HOME PAGE LOCATION. For example, my home page is set to
It is often convenient to use the e-mail links on Web pages. In order to do this, you must set your e-mail address in the browser. Choose OPTIONS on the menu bar, choose MAIL & NEWS PREFERENCES, choose IDENTITY, and type your e-mail address in the space after YOUR EMAIL.
Congratulations! You have completed the Web Browser Exercise. You should have:
The following sites offer browser tutorials and/or downloadable browser software.
Netscape Tutorial - this is the best that I have found -
Tutorials on Netscape, Usenet, and general WWW stuff
Netscape Navigator (browser) and other Web software
Internet Explorer (browser) for Windows
Copyright 1996 by the Rocky Mountain Region of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council
PTTC is partly funded by the U. S. Department of Energy, visit their Energy Technology Center on the Web.
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