Ecdl v5 module 7 print

E uropean
C omputer
D riving
L icence
ECDL Syllabus 5.0

Module 7
Web Browsing
& Communication

ECDL Syllabus 5 Courseware Module 7

Contents

 THE INTERNET ............................................................................................................................... 1
THE INTERNET .................................................................................................. 1
WORLD WIDE WEB............................................................................................. 1
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER, UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR & HYPERLINK ......................... 1
WEB BROWSER ................................................................................................. 3
SEARCH ENGINES............................................................................................... 4
REALLY SIMPLE SYNDICATION (RSS) FEED ................................................................ 4
PODCASTS ....................................................................................................... 5
SECURE WEB SITES ............................................................................................ 6
DIGITAL CERTIFICATES ........................................................................................ 6
ENCRYPTION..................................................................................................... 7
MALWARE ........................................................................................................ 7
 USING THE BROWSER ............................................................................................................... 9
OPENING / CLOSING MS INTERNET EXPLORER ............................................................. 9
ENTERING A URL ............................................................................................... 9
DISPLAYING A WEB PAGE .....................................................................................10
STOPPING A WEB PAGE FROM DOWNLOADING ............................................................11
REFRESHING A WEB PAGE....................................................................................11
USING HELP ....................................................................................................11
SETTING THE WEB BROWSER HOME PAGE .................................................................12
DELETING THE BROWSING HISTORY ........................................................................13
ALLOWING / BLOCKING POP-UPS............................................................................15
ALLOWING / BLOCKING COOKIES ...........................................................................15
DELETING CACHE / TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES .........................................................17
HIDING/DISPLAYING TOOLBARS ............................................................................18
ACTIVATING A HYPERLINK ....................................................................................19
NAVIGATING BACKWARDS & FORWARDS ...................................................................19
NAVIGATING TO THE HOME PAGE ...........................................................................20
DISPLAYING PREVIOUSLY VISITED URLS ..................................................................20
ADDING / DELETING BOOKMARKS ..........................................................................20
DISPLAYING A BOOKMARKED WEB PAGE ...................................................................21
CREATING / DELETING A BOOKMARK FOLDER .............................................................22
ADDING WEB PAGES TO A BOOKMARK FOLDER ...........................................................23
 USING THE WEB .......................................................................................................................... 24
COMPLETING WEB-BASED FORMS ...........................................................................24
SELECTING A SEARCH ENGINE ...............................................................................25
USING THE KEYWORD SEARCH FACILITY ...................................................................25
SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION USING A SEARCH ENGINE ...............................................26
SEARCHING A WEB BASED ENCYCLOPAEDIA / DICTIONARY ..............................................27
 WEB OUTPUTS.............................................................................................................................. 28
SAVING A WEB PAGE .........................................................................................28
DOWNLOADING FILES FROM A WEB PAGE ..................................................................28
COPYING TEXT, IMAGES & URLS ...........................................................................29
PREVIEWING A WEB PAGE ....................................................................................29
CHANGING THE PAGE SETUP .................................................................................31
PRINTING .......................................................................................................31

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 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION ........................................................................................ 33
ELECTRONIC MAIL .............................................................................................33
STRUCTURE OF AN EMAIL ADDRESS .........................................................................33
SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE (SMS) ..........................................................................34
VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP) ................................................................34
INSTANT MESSAGING (IM) ..................................................................................34
ONLINE COMMUNITIES ........................................................................................35
FRAUDULENT & UNSOLICITED EMAIL .......................................................................36
PHISHING MESSAGES .........................................................................................36
COMPUTER VIRUSES & EMAILS ..............................................................................37
DIGITAL SIGNATURES .........................................................................................37
NETIQUETTE ....................................................................................................37
 USING EMAIL ................................................................................................................................ 39
OPENING / CLOSING MS OUTLOOK .........................................................................39
CREATING A NEW EMAIL......................................................................................41
INSERTING / REMOVING A FILE ATTACHMENT .............................................................42
RETRIEVING MESSAGES ......................................................................................43
SAVING A DRAFT OF AN EMAIL ..............................................................................43
CHECKING THE SPELLING OF AN EMAIL .....................................................................43
SETTING MESSAGE PRIORITY ................................................................................44
REPLYING TO AN EMAIL .......................................................................................45
FORWARDING AN EMAIL ......................................................................................45
SAVING & OPENING A FILE ATTACHMENT ..................................................................45
PREVIEWING & PRINTING MESSAGES .......................................................................46
APPLYING A SETTING TO REPLY WITH/OUT ORIGINAL MESSAGE ........................................47
FLAGGING EMAILS .............................................................................................48
IDENTIFYING READ / UNREAD EMAILS ......................................................................49
DISPLAYING / HIDING TOOLBARS ...........................................................................49
USING HELP ....................................................................................................50
 EMAIL MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................... 51
SEARCHING MESSAGES .......................................................................................51
SORTING MESSAGES ..........................................................................................52
CREATING / DELETING AN EMAIL FOLDER ..................................................................52
MOVING EMAIL TO A FOLDER ................................................................................53
DELETING AN EMAIL...........................................................................................54
RESTORING DELETED EMAIL .................................................................................54
EMPTYING THE DELETED ITEMS FOLDER ....................................................................54
ADDING / DELETING CONTACTS TO / FROM THE ADDRESS BOOK.......................................55
UPDATING THE ADDRESS BOOK FROM INCOMING EMAIL .................................................57

Courseware compiled by
James Cilia
2009

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 THE INTERNET

The Internet

Many people use the terms Internet and World Wide Web interchangeably, but in fact
the two terms are not synonymous. The Internet and the Web are two separate but
related things.

The Internet, short for „International networking,‟ consists of thousands of computer
networks that connect millions of computers around the world. The Internet refers to
the hardware and software that provides different communications services between
computer networks. The Internet is also referred to as the „Net‟, „Information
Superhighway‟ and „cyberspace‟.

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW, W3 or the „Web‟) is a way of accessing information over
the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet.

The Web is just one of the ways that information can be disseminated over the
Internet. The Internet (not the Web), is also used for electronic mail, file transfer
protocol, Usenet newsgroups and instant messaging. So the Web is just a one part of
the Internet.

The Web consists of the text and pictures that you view on your computer. It
encompasses all the Internet screens that appear on your computer. Over the years,
these screens have evolved from heavily based text screens to graphical screens with
pictures, sounds and video files. Such displays are commonly referred to as Web
pages.

Internet Service Provider, Uniform Resource Locator & Hyperlink

The Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that provides users with Internet
connection services. ISPs provide home users with an Internet Account consisting of a
username and a password. Users having the appropriate hardware and software will
use the Internet Account to access the services available on the Internet.
ISPs may charge a monthly subscription fee or a pay-per-use fee for use of the
Internet Account.

The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a standard address that tells your browser how
to locate a file or other resource on the Web. This is also known as an Internet
address or Web address. Every Web page is assigned an address e.g.:
http://www.skola.edu.mt

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The URL contains all the useful information about the site that you are looking for.
From the URL it is possible to know what type of organisation has put up the site, and
also an indication of where the organisation is based.

The URL of a Web page is made up of 3 distinct components:

Domain Name Filename

http://www.skola.edu.mt/courses/ecdl.html

Service Protocol Folder on Server

1. Service Protocol – Thousands of computers on Internet communicate with
each other by sending packets of data back and forth. The diversity and
multitude of computers on Internet dictate a standard procedure or protocol
(set of rules) for the reading of Web pages. http:// is the language used by
the web browser to request Web pages from a Web server.

2. Domain Name – This identifies the name of the organisation where the
information is stored. „mt‟ indicates that the web site is registered IN Malta.
„edu‟ shows that skola is an educational website.

The following table shows some geographical domains:

Domain Area Domain Area
at Austria fr France
au Australia gr Greece
ca Canada ie Ireland
ch Switzerland jp Japan
de Germany mt Malta
dk Denmark nz New Zealand
it Italy uk United Kingdom

The following table shows the types of organisations that may be found on
Internet:

Organisation Meaning
com Commercial organisation
edu/ac Educational institution
gov Government body or department
int International organisation (e.g. NATO)
net Networking organisation
org Non-profit making organisation (unions or charities)

3. Folder & Filename (the File Path) - This shows the location of the Web page
on the Internet server and the name of the document that is being requested.
The file „ecdl‟ ends with the extension „.html‟ – short for hypertext markup
language.

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Some examples of URLs include:
Ministry of Education http://www.education.gov.mt/
University of Malta http://www.um.edu.mt
Government of Malta http://www.gov.mt
NATO http://www.nato.int

Web page – is the basic unit of the WWW. Web pages are hypermedia documents or
screen displays containing all sorts of data ranging from text files and sound (audio)
files to graphic images and any other sort of data stored in a computer file.

Unlike regular documents, Web pages contain coloured text and graphics, which can
link to other Web pages.

For example, a Web page about Malta may contain the following coloured text -
„Beaches‟. When you position the pointer over this text, the pointer changes to a
pointing finger. Clicking the mouse over this text will take you to another web page
displaying information and small pictures (called thumbnails) of popular beaches in
Malta. When you click on a thumbnail you will be taken to another Web page
displaying an enlarged view of the small picture. The beaches page may also contain
the following coloured text „Transport in Malta‟. Clicking the mouse over this text will
take you to a Web page with information about transport in Malta.

As you move from one Web page to the next, you may be jumping from one computer
to another on the Internet. The coloured text and graphics which take you from one
Web page to the next are known as hyperlinks.

Hyperlinks are text or images available on Web pages which make connections to:
 other sections on the same Web page.
 a different Web page.

Hyperlinks may be used to download files or launch an application, video or sound.

Web Browser

The Web browser is a program used to locate and display Web pages. The two most
popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. These are
available (can be downloaded) for free from Internet. Both of these are graphical
browsers, which mean that they can display graphics as well as text. In addition,
these can present multimedia information, including sound and video, though they
may require plug-ins for some formats.

The Web server is a computer connected to the Internet that makes Web pages
available to other computers. Web servers store and deliver files over the Internet in
response to requests from web browsers. Any computer can be turned into a Web
server by installing server software and connecting the machine to the Internet.

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Search Engines

If you do not know the URL of a Web page, you can still search for it using the search
engines available on Internet. A search engine is a program that locates Web sites via
searches for keywords and phrases.

Typically, a search engines use a program known as a spider to fetch as many Web
pages as possible. Another program known as indexer, then reads these documents
and creates an index based on the words contained in each document. Therefore
search engines do not search the WWW in real time. Each search engine maintains a
database of information accumulated from the WWW.

When you use a search engine and submit a query, the database is searched to yield
Web pages that fit the search criteria. These are returned as a list of „hits‟, rank
ordered according to criteria applied by the search engine. Different search engines
maintain different databases of information and apply different criteria to rank order
the list of potential sites.

There are several search engines on the Internet including:

Search Engine URL
Google http://www.google.com
Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
Askjeeves http://www.askjeeves.com
Webcrawler http://www.webcrawler.com

Most search engine sites contain sub-headings called directory indexes to facilitate the
location of information on Internet. Directory indexes are used as a starting point for
a search, refining the search criteria at each step of the way.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feed

Many websites such as news sites (e.g. BBC and CNN) contain information that
changes frequently. To keep track of the changes in news sites:

 You open your Internet browser and visit these sites to check for updates.
Normally you will add the web addresses of these sites to the browser
favourites/bookmarks.
 Alternatively you can subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds. The
news sites will automatically send information to your browser when they are
updated. You will need to visit a single website that receives all updates or
feeds from different news sites. This website will contain a list of headlines and
a small amount of text with a link to the full news story. This lets you quickly
browse the list of new content without visiting each site.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is technology you can use to have information sent to
you, rather than having to go look for it. Many websites offer RSS as a way to have
headlines delivered to you.

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To use RSS, you need a program known as a reader that enables you to read all posts
in one place. The latest versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers come with
built-in RSS support.

If you are on a website that has an RSS feed, the browser will usually
recognize this and put the RSS icon on the tab bar in Internet Explorer.
Clicking on the RSS logo will take you to the web feed where you can
subscribe to it through Internet Explorer.

Podcasts

A podcast is an audio or video file available on the Internet for you to listen to and/or
watch. A podcast can also refer to a series of these audio or video files (similar to how
a TV or radio show can be a series of shows or just one show). When using the word
podcast, most people refer to the entire series and not just one audio or video file.

Podcast is made up of two words:

 POD - You can either listen to a podcast on your computer or transfer it to
your portable audio (e.g. MP3 player) or video device, which means that file is
Portable, and it‟s On-Demand because you can listen to or watch it when you
want.

 CAST - the file is sent out to you over the Internet, in the way a broadcast
comes to you over the radio or TV airwaves. But instead of using a radio or TV,
with podcasts you use a computer connected to the Internet, and on that
computer you have a program that allows you to subscribe to, manage, and
listen to or watch your favourite podcasts.

Podcasting lets you automatically receive the latest audio/video shows from websites
that you subscribe to as soon as these are available. You can subscribe to receive a

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podcast, rather like you might subscribe to a magazine and get it delivered each
week.

In order to subscribe for a podcast, you need an Internet
connection and podcast software which is usually available
free of charge e.g. e.g. iTunes or Winamp. To subscribe to
podcasts, locate the relevant button on the website. Each
time you connect to Internet the podcast software will
automatically download any new available podcasts to your
computer.

Secure Web Sites

A secure (protected) Web site is a site that can only display its content if the user
types in a username and a password. Many organisations restrict access to sections of
their Web sites. When users try to access these sites, the browser prompts for a
username and a password. The Web sites will be displayed if the correct username
and password are entered.

Digital Certificates
Internet users are often concerned about online purchases. Normally payments for
online purchases are made by a credit-card. Here are some important facts that you
should know before submitting your credit number:

 Information travelling between your computer and a server can be routed
through many computer systems.
 Any one of these computer systems can capture and misuse your information.
Each of these computers can eavesdrop and make copies of your information.
 An intermediary computer could even deceive you and exchange information
with you by representing itself as your intended destination.

If you decide to shop or do banking on the Internet, protect yourself by dealing with
secure sites. Browsers display security warnings when you are about to enter a secure
site. You can tell when you have a secure connection by looking at the URL. Secure
sites have URLS starting with “https:” not “http://”.

A secure Web site has a digital certificate confirming that it is secure and genuine. It
ensures that no other Web site can assume the identity of the original secure site.
When you are sending personal information over the Internet, you should check the
certificate of the Web site you are using to ensure that it will protect your personally
identifiable information.

Digital certificates are issued by a certificate authority.
When you visit a secure Web site, the site automatically
sends you its digital certificate. Digital certificates are
used by organisations involved in online monetary
transactions. The certificates ensure that credit card details will not be intercepted as
these travel from the buyer‟s computer to the web server. Digital certificates can be
viewed by double-clicking on the padlock icon in the Web browser.

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Encryption

Encryption is the translation of data into a secret code. A secret key or password is
required to translate (decrypt) the secret code back to readable data. Encryption is
used to safeguard confidential data as this as being transmitted over the Internet.

Public-key encryption is one type of computer encryption system. This uses a public
key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the
message. When John wants to send a secure message to Jane, he uses Jane‟s public
key to encrypt the message. Jane then uses her private key to decrypt it.

An important element to the public key system is that the public and private keys are
related in such a way that only the public key can be used to encrypt messages and
only the corresponding private key can be used to decrypt them. Moreover, it is
virtually impossible to deduce the private key if you know the public key. Public-key
systems, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), are becoming popular for transmitting
information via the Internet. They are extremely secure and relatively simple to use.
The only difficulty with public-key systems is that you need to know the recipient's
public key to encrypt a message for him or her.

Malware

Malware (malicious software) is a program designed to secretly enter and damage a
computer system. Malware includes:

 A computer virus is a piece of program designed and written to make additional
copies of itself and spread from location to location, typically without user
knowledge or permission. Viruses are written by programmers with malicious
intent to annoy computer users.

 Worms are similar to viruses in that they make copies of themselves, but differ
in that they need not attach to particular files or sectors at all. Once a worm is
executed, it seeks other systems - rather than parts of systems - to infect,
then copy its code to them. Typically worms slow down computer systems.

 Trojan horses secretly place illegal, destructive instructions in the middle of a
computer program. Once the program is run, the Trojan horse becomes active.
Trojans do not replicate themselves like other viruses.

 Spyware is a program that secretly installs itself on computers and collects
information about users without their knowledge. Spyware programs can
collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits
and sites that have been visited. They can also interfere with user control of
the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and
redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer
settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss
of Internet or functionality of other programs.

Two sources of viral infections are:
 Sharing infected files over the intranet i.e. the internal computer network of
an organisation.
 Downloading infected files from Internet sites.

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You should be careful with program or file downloads from the Web. Files available on
bulletin boards or public newsgroups may be infected. Software updates e.g. drivers,
multimedia players, should be downloaded from the manufacturer's official website. It
is important to update your anti-virus program to prevent against malware.

Firewall

A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorised access to your computer
system when connected to Internet. A firewall is simply a program or hardware device
that filters information coming through the Internet connection into your private
network or computer system. If an incoming packet of information is flagged by the
filters, it is not allowed through. Many users having always-on connections (such as
ADSL or cable) are encouraged to install personal firewalls (software) that protects
their system from intruders.

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 USING THE BROWSER

Opening / Closing MS Internet Explorer
As indicated earlier the Web browser is a program used to locate and display Web
pages. The two most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla
Firefox. The Web browser used during this course is MS Internet Explorer 8.0.

To start MS Internet Explorer:
1. Click Start button.
2. Point to Programs.
3. Click Internet Explorer. The following screen will be displayed:

Note that:
 You may also open MS Internet Explorer by double-clicking Internet
Explorer icon which may be located on the MS Windows desktop.
 When you start MS Internet Explorer, this will display a specific Web page.
The first page displayed when you start up your browser is called the home
page.

Entering a URL

1. Type the URL in the address field e.g.
http://www.google.com.mt
2. Press ENTER key.

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Displaying a Web page

Web pages may contain text, images and icons,
referred to as hyperlinks that may link to other:
 parts of the same Web page.
 Web pages within the same website.
 Websites.

Text that links to other areas in the same Web page
or different Web pages is usually underlined or/and
coloured differently from the other text in the page.
You can open a hyperlink and display the Web page
in a new browser window:

To display a Web page in a new separate browser
window:
1. Position the pointer on a hyperlink.
2. Right-click the mouse. This will display a pop-
up menu.
3. Click Open in New Window.

Note that:
 You can also open a hyperlink and display the Web page in a new browser
window by pressing SHIFT key whilst clicking on the link.
 Your screen will display two browser windows, one containing the first Web
page and the second containing the second Web page.
 Typically you can switch between different browser windows by clicking the
appropriate browser window button on the task bar.

To display a Web page in a new tab:
1. Repeat steps 1-2 as above.
2. Click Open in New Tab.

Note that:
 Your screen will display one browser window with two web pages in separate
tab panes. Tabs enable you to switch between web pages within the same
browser window. There are some features associated with tab browsing such as
bookmarking all web pages

Tab panes

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Stopping a Web Page from Downloading

The downloading of some Web pages from Web servers to your computer may take
considerable time. There may be several reasons for this:

1. Web pages that are heavy loaded with images, sounds and movies are larger in
terms of memory compared to text based Web pages. Accordingly these pages
take considerable time to transmit from Web servers to your computer.
2. The Web server may be slow.
3. The modem and link to the Web server may be slow.

You can stop a transfer whenever the loading process takes longer than expected:

Click Stop button in the standard toolbar.

Refreshing a Web Page

Sometimes the content of a Web page (news page) may be updated during your
online session. Your browser downloads the page once but it will not automatically
reload the page when this has been changed. The refresh facility forces the browser to
download the latest version of the page. To reload a Web page:

Click Refresh button.

Using Help

1. On the Command bar click Help button.
2. Click Internet Explorer Help.
3. Click Search tab.
4. Type in the keyword to find e.g. cookies.
5. Click List Topics button.
6. Select the topic to display.
7. Click Display button.
8. Help text will displayed in the right pane of the MS Internet Explorer window.
9. Close the help window.

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Setting the Web browser Home Page

Your home page is displayed each time you start Internet Explorer or when you click
Home button on the Command bar.

You can change the browser‟s home page as follows:
1. Click the arrow to the right of the Home button on the Command bar.
2. Click Add or Change Home Page…
3. In the Add or Change Home Page dialog box, do one of the following:

4. To make the current webpage your only home page, click Use this webpage
as your only home page.

o To start a home page tab set or to add the current webpage to your set
of home page tabs, click Add this webpage to your home page tabs.

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o To replace your existing home page or home page tab set with the
webpages you currently have open, click Use the current tab set as
your home page. This option will only be available if you have more
than one tab open in Internet Explorer.

5. Click Yes button.

To reset the home page to the default:
1. Click Tools button.
2. Click Internet Options.
3. Click the General tab.

4. Click Use default to replace your current home page with the one that was
used when you first installed Internet Explorer.
5. Click OK to save your changes.

Note that:
 If you do not want any home page to be opened when Internet Explorer starts,
click Use blank in step 4 above. You might want to have a blank home page if
you frequently work offline and are not connected to the Internet when you
open Internet Explorer.

Deleting the Browsing History

MS Internet Explorer automatically saves previously visited Web pages in a list known
as the history list. The history list contains shortcuts to pages you viewed during
browsing sessions. The list allows you to quickly return to the pages you have recently
visited.

To access the history list and display previously visited Web pages:
1. Click Favourites button. The Favourites pane appears along the
left side of the browser window.
2. Click the History tab. This contains links to Web sites and pages visited in the
previous days and weeks.
3. Click a week or day.
4. Click a Web site folder to display individual pages.
5. Click the Web page icon to display page.

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To delete specific websites from the history list:
2. Right-click the website folder to delete.
3. Click Delete.

To delete all browsing history:
1. Click Safety button.
2. Click Delete Browsing History…

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3. Tick the History check box.
4. Click Delete button.

Note that:
 Deleting your browsing history does not delete your list of favourites or
subscribed feeds.

Allowing / Blocking Pop-ups

A pop-up is a small web browser window that appears on top of the website you're
viewing. Pop-up windows often open as soon as you visit a website and are usually
created by advertisers.

MS Internet Explorer has a Pop-up Blocker feature that lets you limit or block most
pop-ups. You can choose the level of blocking you prefer, from blocking all pop-up
windows to allowing the pop-ups that you want to see. When Pop-up Blocker is turned
on, the Information bar displays a message saying "Pop-up blocked. To see this pop-
up or additional options click here."

By default, the Pop-up Blocker is turned on in MS Internet Explorer. To turn it off or to
turn it on again if you've already turned it off, follow these steps:

1. In MS Internet Explorer click Tools button.
2. Click Pop-up Blocker
3. Do one of the following:
 To turn off Pop-up Blocker, click Turn Off Pop-up Blocker.
 To turn on Pop-up Blocker, click Turn On Pop-up Blocker.

Allowing / Blocking Cookies

Cookies are text files that save information regarding particular websites. They may
save information, shopping cart contents, or user preferences.

When a Web browser requests a Web page from a Web server, the latter can store a
piece of text on the user‟s computer. The text is sent back to the server each time the
browser requests a page from that server.

The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare customised Web
pages for them. When you enter a Web site using cookies, you may be asked to fill out
a form providing such information as your name and interests. This information is
packaged into a cookie and sent to your Web browser which stores it for later use. The
next time you go to the same Web site, your browser will send the cookie to the Web
server. The server can use this information to present you with custom Web pages.
So, for example, instead of seeing just a generic welcome page you might see a
welcome page with your name on it.

Many websites require that you enable cookies in order for the website to be properly
viewed. To enable cookies:
1. In Internet Explorer click Tools menu.

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3. Click the Privacy tab.

4. Set the slider to Medium. This should be enough to enable cookies.

If you want to enable cookies for a particular site, click Sites button. In
Address of website: field type the URL. Click Allow button to enable cookies
for that site.

5. Click OK button to close the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box.
6. Click OK button to close the Internet Options dialog box.

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To block cookies for a site:
2. If you want to block cookies for a particular site, click Sites button. In
Address of website: field type the URL. Click Block button.

Deleting Cache / Temporary Internet Files

Cache is a special folder on the hard disk that stores Web pages accessed by your
browser. The first time visit a Web page, your browser retrieves all content (text,
images, audio etc.) and a copy of these will be stored on the hard disk. The next time
you visit the same Web page, your browser checks if the last modified dates of the
files on the Internet are newer than the ones stored or cached. If the dates are the
same, your browser uses the files on your hard disk instead of downloading these
again from the Web server. Thus the cache speeds up browsing of Web pages. The
files stored in the cache are known as temporary Internet files.

The temporary Internet files are never deleted unless the cache is full. To delete
these:
1. In MS Internet Explorer click Tools menu.
3. In the General tab click Delete button.

4. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, tick Temporary Internet files.

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6. Click OK button.

Hiding/Displaying Toolbars

To hide/display toolbars:
1. Click Tools on the Command bar.
2. Point to Toolbars.
3. Click the toolbar to hide/display.

Note that:
 If the command bar is hidden, right-click in the empty area. Click the
Command Bar from the shortcut menu.

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Activating a Hyperlink
As indicated earlier on, links or hyperlinks are words or pictures in a Web page that
can connect to another Web page. Links are usually underlined or in a different colour
than the regular text in the Web page. Another way to find out if a piece of text or
picture is a link, by placing the cursor over it. If it is a link, the cursor will change to a
pointing hand.

To navigate a website:
1. Position the mouse pointer over the hyperlink. The pointer will change into a
pointing hand. Also the URL location of the link appears in the status
message area at the bottom-left of the window.
2. Click once on the highlighted text, image, or icon. This transfers page content
from a server location to your computer.

Note that:
 Sometimes the page specified by a link may not be available. Such links are
often referred to as dead links. The error window shown on the following page
will be displayed.
 By default, links you have previously visited (referred to as followed links) are
shown in a different colour compared to links (or unfollowed links) that you
have not visited.

Navigating Backwards & Forwards

You can navigate backwards and forwards between previously visited web pages:

1. Click Back button or ALT+ keys to display the previous page in
the history list.

2. Click Forward button ALT+ keys to display the next page in the history list.
This button is available only after you have used Back button or a history
menu item.

19

Navigating to the Home Page

You can navigate to the home page of MS Internet Explorer:

In the Command bar click Home button.

Note that:
 Alternatively you can press ALT+M keys to display the browser‟s home page.

Displaying Previously Visited URLs

MS Internet Explorer offers several facilities to
re-display previously visited Web pages.

To display previously visited URLs using the
address bar:

1. Click the drop down arrow to the right of
the address bar. A list of previously
visited URLs will be displayed.
2. Click the address of the Web page you
wish to visit.

MS Internet Explorer automatically saves previously visited Web pages in a list known
as the history list. The history list contains shortcuts to pages you viewed during
browsing sessions. The list allows you to quickly return to the pages you have recently
visited.

To access the history list and display previously visited Web pages:
1. Click Recent pages button. This is the
arrow pointing downwards to the right of
the Forward button.
2. Click History at the bottom of the drop
down menu. The History pane appears
along the left side of the browser window.
This contains links to Web sites and
pages visited in the previous days and
weeks.
3. In the History pane, click a week or day.
4. Click a Web site folder to display individual pages.
5. Click the Web page icon to display page.

Adding / Deleting Bookmarks

The Bookmarks, referred to as favourites in MS Internet Explorer enables you to store
the URLs of Web pages that you frequently visit. It is a list of URLs of frequently
visited Web pages. Through the favourites list you can return to a Web page without
having to remember and retype its URL. Once you add a URL to the favourite list, the
item stays until you remove it or edit the list.

20


To add a URL to your list of favourite Web pages:
1. Go to the page that you want to add to your favourites list.
2. Click Favourites button. The Favourites pane appears along the
left side of the browser window.
3. Click Add to Favourites… The following dialog box will
be displayed. You can replace the default name of the
Web page in the Name: field.
4. Click OK button.

Note that:
 The title of the currently displayed Web page will be added to the Favourites
list. The Favourites menu grows as you add Web pages.

To delete a bookmark:
1. Click Favourites button. The Favourites pane appears along the left side of
the browser window.
2. Click Favourites tab in the pane. This will display a list of bookmarked Web
pages.
3. Right-click the web page to delete from the Favourites list.
4. Click Delete in the shortcut menu. The Confirm File Delete dialog box.
5. Click Yes button.

Displaying a Bookmarked Web Page

1. Click Favourites button. The Favourites pane appears along the left side of
the browser window.
2. Click Favourites tab in the pane. This will display a list of bookmarked Web
pages.
3. Click the page to open. The browser will display the selected Web page.

21

Creating / Deleting a Bookmark Folder

As your list of favourite pages grows, you can organise them by moving them into
folders. To create a folder in the favourites list:
1. Click Favourites button.
2. Click the drop down arrow to the right of the Add to Favourites…

3. Click Organise Favourites…

4. Click New Folder button.
5. Type in the name of the new folder.
6. Click Close button.

Note that:
 You can also rename folders stored in the Favourites list.

To delete a folder in the Favourites list:
2. Select the name of the folder to delete.
3. Click Delete… button.

22


Adding Web Pages to a Bookmark Folder

To add a Web page to a particular folder in the Favourites list:
1. Go to the Web page that you want to add to your Favourites list.
2. Click Favourites button.
3. Click Add to Favourites… button. The Add a Favourite dialog box is
displayed.
4. Click the drop-down arrow in the Create in: field. This will display the
available Favourite folders.

5. Click the folder where the web page will be added.
6. Click Add button.

23

 USING THE WEB

Completing Web-based Forms

In recent years Web pages have become highly interactive. Nowadays, Web pages do
not only display information. Users are purchasing goods and services through the
Web. Users are applying for courses through the Web etc.

Web-based forms are one way how users may interact with the Web. Online forms
are the equivalent of printed forms. They are so convenient because users can
complete and submit these forms quickly.

Web based forms may contain:

 Text fields - These are blank boxes where you type in textual information.
 Menu fields - These provide you with a choice to make in the form of a menu
that “appears” when you click on it.
 Check boxes - These are used when you have a choice to make. You can
choose as many check boxes as you want.
 Radio buttons – These are also used when you have a choice to make. Unlike
check boxes, you can only choose the one you want. They are circular.
 Submit or Reset buttons - These allow you to clear your form (reset) or to
submit your form. What happens to the data after you “submit” depends on
how the Web page has been set up.

Text Field

Menu field

Check
Boxes

Button

24


Selecting a Search Engine

As indicated earlier there are a search engine is a program that locates Web sites via
searches for keywords and phrases. You can use different search engines e.g. Google,
MS Live Search etc.

To select a search engine:
1. Click Search Options drop-down arrow.
2. Choose the search engine to use e.g. Live Search. The Search field will
display the name of the search chosen

f

Using the Keyword Search Facility

It is possible to look for information using the search facility available on the search
engine site. If you know exactly what you are looking for, type the word or phrase
that best describes the subject, click on „search‟ button, and wait for the search engine
to come up with the results.

25

In some cases the search engine would list thousands of web pages related to the
subject you are searching for. This would make it next to impossible to go through all
the Web pages on the list. The following hints might help you select the appropriate
information from Internet:

 Read the „hints‟ and „help‟ for each search engine - these will explain
how the search tool works, and which commands can be used to attain more
accurate results.
 Use specific words instead of general ones – for example, searching for
„constructivist education‟ will have more specific results than a search for
„education‟.
 Use quotes around words that are part of a phrase - if you want the
words to be found in a specific order, it is important to enclose them in
inverted commas. Thus, if you want to find documents about Jean Piaget,
type in „Jean Piaget‟. The former will produce a never-ending list of Web
pages having either Jean or Piaget or both.
 Use the „+‟ (plus) for words that the search must contain – if you are
looking for Italian cars, you should search for +Italian+cars, which, means
that the documents retrieved will all have both the word „Italian‟ and the
word „cars‟ in them.
 Use the „-„ (minus) for words that the search must not contain – if you
are looking for information about cars but these must not be Italian cars, you
should search for +cars-Italian. The results of this search would include a
list of documents about cars with no mention of Italian cars.
 Use Boolean operators AND, OR, AND NOT – These operators must
appear in capital letters and with a space on each side.
o AND – documents found must contain all words joined by this operator,
for example italian AND cars would list all Web pages about Italian
cars.
o OR – documents found must contain at least one of the words joined by
OR, for example butterfly OR caterpillar would list all Web pages
containing either butterfly or caterpillar.
o AND NOT – documents found cannot contain the word that follows AND
NOT, for example English language AND NOT England would display
of all Web pages containing English language and not England.

Searching for Information using a Search Engine

1. In the Search field: type the keywords.
2. Press ENTER key. The search engine will locate occurrences of the text in its
database of Web pages.
3. Examine the search results. These are usually presented as a list of links to
pages containing the text you requested. Click any link to display a Web
page.

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Searching a Web based Encyclopaedia / Dictionary

You can access many encyclopedias e.g. Wikipedia and dictionaries e.g.
Dictionary.com on Internet. The screens of encyclopedias and dictionaries vary
however all of them will have a search field where you can type keywords to search.

To use Wikipedia:
1. In the address bar type www.wikipedia.org.
2. In the search field type the keyword e.g. ecdl.
3. Click search button.

To use Dictionary.com:
1. In the address bar type www.dictionary.com.
2. In the search field type the keyword e.g. flood.
3. Click search button.

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 WEB OUTPUTS

Saving a Web Page

MS Internet Explorer allows you to save Web pages as files on your computer. To save
the Web page displayed on your screen:
1. Click Page button on the Command bar.
2. Click Save As…
3. Browse to the disk/folder where the page will be saved.
4. In the File name field, type a name for the page.
5. In the Save as type field, do one of the following:

 To save all of the files needed to display this page, including graphics,
frames, and style sheets, select Webpage, complete. This option saves
each file in its original format.
 To save all of the information needed to display this page in a single file,
click Web Archive, single file. This option saves a snapshot of the
current webpage. This option is available only if you have installed
Outlook Express or later.
 To save just the current HTML page, click Webpage, HTML only. This
option saves the information on the webpage, but it does not save the
graphics, sounds, or other files.
 To save just the text from the current webpage, click Text File. This
option saves the information on the webpage in text format.

6. Click Save button.

You can also save a Web page without viewing it:
1. Right-click the mouse on a link.
2. Click Save Target As…
3. Repeat steps 3 to 6 as above.

Downloading Files from a Web Page

You can download text files, image files, sound files, video files, and software from a
Web page as follows:
1. Right-click the file to download.
2. Click Save Target As… The Save As dialog box will be displayed.
3. Browse to the disk/folder where the file will be saved.
4. Type the name of the File in the File name: field.

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Note that:
 Files downloaded from Web pages may be infected with a virus. It is important
that you use anti-virus software to scan all files downloaded from the Web. If
the files are safe you can proceed with opening these.

To save an image:
1. Right-click the image.
2. Click Save Picture As… The Save Picture dialog box will be displayed.
3. Browse to the disk/folder where the file will be saved.
4. Type the name of the File in the File name: field.

Copying Text, Images & URLs

You can copy text, images and URLs from a web page to documents.

To copy text from a web page to a document:
1. Select the text you want to copy.
2. Right-click over the highlighted text.
3. Click Copy.
4. Paste the information into the document you are working on.

To copy an image from a web page to a document:
1. Right-click the image to copy
2. Click Copy.
3. Paste the image into the document you are working on.

To copy a URL to a document:
1. Right click the hyperlink text.
2. Click Copy Shortcut.
3. Paste the URL into the document you are working on.

Previewing a Web Page

When printing a Web page, MS Internet Explorer formats content according to the size
of the printed page. The Print command rearranges the page layout (text is word-
wrapped and graphics are repositioned) to fit in the paper.

To preview the appearance of a printed Web page:
1. Click the drop down arrow next to Print button on the Command
bar.
2. Click Print Preview… The Print Preview dialog box will be displayed.

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3. Select the appropriate option.
4. Click Close button to close the Print Preview screen.

Option Button To do this

Print Set printing options and print the page

Print the page vertically (portrait
Portrait
orientation).
Print the page horizontally (landscape
Landscape
orientation).
Change paper size, orientation, or margins,
Page Setup
and add headers or footers.
Turn headers Decide whether to print additional
or footers on or information (such as the date, website
off address, or page number) at the top or
bottom of the page.
View full width Zoom the webpage to the width of the
preview screen.
View full page Zoom the webpage to show the full
webpage in the preview screen.
Show multiple
View multiple pages on the preview screen
pages
Change Print Stretch or shrink the page size to fill the
Size printed page.
Page number Type the number of the page you want
displayed.
First page
Display the first page to be printed.

Previous page Display the previous page to be printed.

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Option Button To do this

Next Display the next page to be printed.

Last Page Display the last page to be printed.

Changing the Page Setup

You can also adjust the Page setup options before printing:
bar.
2. Click Page Setup… The Page Setup dialog box will be displayed.
3. Select the appropriate options e.g. paper size, orientation and margins.
4. Click OK button.

Printing

You can also adjust the Page setup options before printing:
bar.
2. Click Print… The Print dialog box will be displayed.
3. Select the appropriate options.
4. Click Print button.

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To print… Do this
Entire Web page Tick the option All in the Page Range section.
Specific page(s) Type the pages to print in the Pages: field.
Selected text Tick the option Selection in the Page Range section.
Number of copies Type in a number in the Number of copies: field.

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 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Electronic Mail

Electronic mail or email is a way of sending electronic messages through the systems
and networks that make up the Internet. Email is the most frequently used application
on the Internet. This is because email has many advantages over other means of
communication:

 Email is very fast compared to normal the postal service. An email gets to
any destination in a few minutes.
 Email is cheaper compared to the normal postal service. It only requires an
Internet connection. There is no need for envelopes and stamps.

To send and receive email you will need an Internet connection and an email address.
You may also need an email client (or program) with specific email addresses.

You can obtain an email address from any of the following sources:
 Typically the ISP which provides you with an Internet connection will also
provide you with an email address.
 Your school will provide you with an email address. It is important that you
use such email for schoolwork. Such emails should not be used for personal
communication or to forward jokes.
 You can get a free email address from some Web sites e.g. Hotmail, Yahoo,
Gmail etc. Email addresses derived from the Web are known as Web-based
email accounts. Web-based accounts enable you to read and send email
through a Web page i.e. from any location. You will not need to configure an
email program on the Internet connected computer. However, most ISPs and
organizations do offer facilities to check their email addresses through the
Web.

Structure of an Email Address

Email addresses have a standard format made up of two parts separated by the @
symbol:
1. The UserID or Username is a unique identification of a person on a particular
server.

2. The Host name or Domain name is the location at which the mail is sent. This
refers to the mail server i.e. the computer where the recipient has a mailbox.

Username Domain name

ganni.borg@ @skola.gov.mt

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How does Email work?

Every user with an email address has a mailbox that stores all incoming and outgoing
mail. The mailbox is located on the mail server computer at the ISP. This mail server
computer is connected to Internet 24 hours a day. So, your incoming mail is delivered
to your mailbox even while you have your computer switched off. Therefore, you need
to check your mailbox to read your mail. You will need a mail program such as MS
Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird to read and send mail (unless you will be checking
email on the Web).

Therefore, you type a message on your computer using a mail client. You send the
message when you connect to Internet. The email will be delivered to the electronic
mailbox of the recipient (the person who receives your email) on a mail server
computer. The recipient can check his or her mailbox and can download the electronic
messages from the mail server to his/her computer. The recipient of your message
can respond to you, forward the message to someone else, file the message in the
computer, or just delete the message.

It is important to understand that the recipients of your mail do not have to be
present at their computer when you send mail to them. Your message travels to the
destination mailbox quickly. But the person at the other end still has to check the
mailbox to read your message.

Short Message Service (SMS)

Short Message Service (SMS) allows for short text messages to be sent from one cell
phone to another cell phone or from the Web to another cell phone. SMS is also
referred to as texting, sending text messages or text messaging. SMS text messaging
is the most widely used data application in the world.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – is an Internet service that enables you to
communicate using voice with another person/s. The communication is real time. It is
a telephone conversation over Internet. Sometimes this is referred to as Internet
telephony or IP telephony. Many home users communicate with their friends and
relatives through Internet telephony using a VoIP program, a microphone and
speakers/headphones. There are no additional charges for these voice calls because
these happen over the same Internet service used for Web browsing and e-mail.

Instant Messaging (IM)

Instant Messaging (IM) – is an Internet service that enables you to communicate
using text with another person/s using an instant messaging program. The
communication is real time – similar to a telephone conversation but using text
instead of voice. A program known as instant messenger is used for text or chat
communication. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever
somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that

34


particular individual. You can also use an instant messaging program to send files such
as documents and pictures.

Nowadays, programs such as Windows MSN (Messenger) and Skype are used as
instant messengers and VoIP. Some users make use of web cam during IM or VoIP
communications.

Online Communities

An online (virtual) community is a group of people that communicate with each other
using Internet e.g. email, internet social network service or instant messages. They
communicate for social, professional, educational or other purposes.

Many individuals use social networking websites such as Hi5 or Facebook to keep in
touch with their friends and seek „old‟ friends. They set up an online profile, describing
their interests, and add links to other profiles. Generally, users are able to post
personal information, including photographs, videos etc. Some people join special
interest groups on social networking sites.

An Internet forum is also called a message board, discussion group, bulletin board or
web forum. An Internet forum usually allows all members to make posts and start new
topics.

Before a prospective member joins an Internet forum and makes posts to others, s/he
is usually required to register. The prospective member must usually agree to follow
certain online rules, sometimes called netiquette. When a member is approved by the
administrator or moderator of the Internet forum, the member usually chooses his or
her own user name and password. Sometimes, a password is supplied.

The separate conversations in an Internet forum are called threads. Threads are made
up of member-written posts. Internet forum members can usually edit their own
posts, start new topics, post in their choice of threads and edit their profile. A profile
usually lists optional information about each forum member such as the city they are
located in and their interests.

An Internet forum administrator or monitor may also participate in the forum. A forum
administrator can usually modify threads as well as move or delete threads if
necessary. Administrators can also usually change software items in an Internet
forum. Moderators often help the administrator and moderate Internet forum
members to make sure the forum rules are being followed.

Chat rooms are virtual spaces on Internet where individuals discuss topics in real time.
Within a chat room, there may be a moderator who monitors the content of the
conversation in order to prevent abuse.

Social networking, Internet forums and chat rooms provide ways to learn, talk and
socialize, however some users abuse these systems. Children and teens must be
aware that they can meet irresponsible users and adults who use chat rooms
anonymously. Children must report all bullying and harassment they may receive
through chat rooms. Children and teens must never give their personal contact
details, pictures etc unknown users. They must never meet a person that they have
met through a chat room or any other social networking. If they agree to meet a

35

person, they must be accompanied by a parent or an adult family member. Parents
need to be aware of who their children are talking to in chat rooms and social
networking sites.

Online computer games refer to any type of game that someone can play through the
Internet or over a computer network. Most of the time, online gaming refers to video
games played over the Internet, where multiple players are in different locations
across the world. Online gaming also refers to gambling over the Internet, through an
online casino.

Online gaming is growing in popularity for a variety of reasons. Gamers can easily find
opponents of a similar skill level when playing a game over the Internet. Players also
can compete in multiplayer games, where many players play an ongoing game in a
virtual world. Often times, participants can communicate with other gamers through
text chat sessions during online gaming or, sometimes, players can actually speak to
other players, using special audio hardware. Some online games charge a monthly fee
for access to the video game software.

Parents are encouraged to supervise closely what their children are doing on the
computer. Software can be installed on computers to monitor the sites visited by
children and teenagers. Parents are encouraged to agree with children on the duration
of time that their children spend on the computer.

Fraudulent & Unsolicited Email

All email users must be able to distinguish between genuine, unsolicited and
fraudulent messages.

From time to time you may receive messages with promotional material about a
product or service. You may not be interested in such messages which are often
referred to as unsolicited mail or spam mail.

Occasionally you may receive messages with information about fraudulent schemes
such as pyramid selling or get rich quick schemes. It is important that you do not
forward such emails and delete these from your mailbox.

You may also receive messages which appear to be sent from a reputable institution
such as a bank, a mobile company, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) asking for
personal information such as name, surname, address, username, password, and
credit card details. This is known as phishing. It is important that you do not forward
such emails and delete these from your mailbox.

Phishing Messages

Phishing messages often direct you to enter details at a fake website whose look and
feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Reputable institutions/organisations
never ask users to send their usernames, passwords, credit card details etc via email.
It is therefore important to disregard these messages. If you are in doubt, phone the
institution/organisation and inform them that you received a phishing message.

36


Computer Viruses & Emails

Files attached to emails may contain viruses that may infect your computer system.
Receiving an email with an infected file attachment does not infect your computer. You
need to open the file for your system to be infected.

It is important to treat all files attached to emails with caution. Use an updated
antivirus program to scan these files before opening. Some file types particularly those
carrying the extension .EXE, .COM, .PIF, .JS, .VBS, .SHS, .SCR, .DOT are potential
viral infections. Double file extensions e.g. "readme.txt.vbs", should always be treated
with suspicion. Just because an email appears to come from someone you trust, this
does not mean the file is safe or that the supposed sender has anything to do with it.

Digital Signatures

A digital signature (not to be confused with a digital certificate) is basically a way to
ensure that an electronic document (email, spreadsheet, text file, etc.) is authentic.
Authentic means that you know who created the document and you know that it has
not been altered in any way since that person created it.

Digital signatures rely on certain types of encryption to ensure authentication.
Encryption is the process of taking all the data that one computer is sending to
another and encoding it into a form that only the other computer will be able to
decode. Authentication is the process of verifying that information is coming from a
trusted source. These two processes work hand in hand for digital signatures.

Netiquette

As with other forms of communication media, there are widely observed conventions,
often known as „network etiquette‟ or „netiquette‟ - associated with email
communication. Netiquette is a set of guidelines intended to promote effective,
efficient and responsible communication between all email users.

The following netiquette guidelines are derived from those in use at many locations on
the Internet:

 Use short meaningful descriptions in the subject field of all your messages.
Messages without subject lines can confuse and frustrate the persons who
receive these particularly if they receive a lot of mail.

 Messages should be concise and to the point. Use short paragraphs with
breaks in between. White space makes long text easier to read.

 Be careful about the way you express yourself in a message, especially if you
feel strongly about an issue. Never shoot off a quick response to some issue.
Once you press the send button there is no way you can retrieve the
message back.

 Never type your messages in all uppercase letters. Capitalizing whole words
that are not titles is the equivalent of shouting. Asterisks are usually used to
add *emphasis* to a word.

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 Acronyms (e.g. ASAP – as soon as possible) are often used in email
messages. Avoid overuse of acronyms in your messages. Such messages can
confuse and annoy readers that are not familiar with acronyms.

 Ensure that your message is free of spelling and grammar errors before
pressing the „send‟ button.

 It is unethical to forward a message without asking permission of the person
who wrote the message.

 Do not make changes to someone else's message and pass it on without
making it clear where you have made the changes.

 Do not initiate or forward chain letters and other unwanted email, known as
„spam‟, to your friends.

 Be careful with file attachments that you send along with your mail. Large
files can completely fill the recipient‟s mailbox making it impossible for
him/her to receive any more messages. Seek permission from your recipients
before actually sending large mail (>5Mb). Compression utility programs can
be used to reduce the sizes of your attached files.

 Some networks blocked the transmission of emails with particular files e.g.
executable files and MS Access files. You may be able to send such files if
these are compressed using compression utility programs.

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 USING EMAIL

Opening / Closing MS Outlook

As indicated earlier, an email client is a program used to send and receive email.
There are several email clients – MS Outlook, MS Outlook Express, Mozilla
Thunderbird. The email program that you will use is MS Outlook 2003.

To start MS Outlook:
1. Click Start button.
2. Select All Programs.
3. Click MS Outlook.

1

3

2

MS Outlook 2003 displays three vertical panes:
 Navigation Pane (1) – has tools and information determined by the current
selection. The Navigation Pane displays several tabs including Mail, Calendar,
Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Folder List, Journal, and Shortcuts.
 Message Pane (2) - contains all emails in the folder currently selected.
 Reading Pane (3) - displays the content of the email currently selected, its
basic header information (sender, recipients and subject) and any file
attachments.

To close MS Outlook click Close button.

39

To open an email i.e. to view a message:
1. In the Navigation pane click Inbox folder. The Message Pane will display the
list of emails in the Inbox folder.
2. In the Message pane, click the email to open. The Reading pane will display
the message.

Note that:
 To view a message in a separate window, double click the email in the
Message pane.

 To view messages that you have sent, click Sent Items folder in the
Navigation pane.

To close an email:
If you are viewing the email in a separate window, click the close button of the
window. You will be returned to the previous MS Outlook screen.

A typical email message includes:
 Subject: a short meaningful description of the message
 Date: when mail was sent
 From: the sender‟s address
 To: the recipient‟s address
 Body of the message.

The From: and To: lines contain addresses that are similar to the addresses you put
on a paper envelope. The electronic postmaster is much stricter about the format of
the address. All the spelling and punctuation must be correct, or the message will be
sent right back to you from the electronic mailbox.

40


The Subject line is a convenient place to give a one-line description of your message.
This description helps the person receiving your email to decide what your mail is all
about.

Creating a New Email

1. Click New Mail Message button. The Untitled Message window
will be displayed - here you will type the message to send.
2. Type the email address of the person you want to send the message to in the
To: field. If you want to send the same message to several people, press
ENTER key after typing the first address and type another email address.

An address in an address list can have one of the following recipient types:

To: Primary recipients of your message.
Cc: Carbon Copy, for secondary recipients i.e. the persons whom you decide to
keep them informed.
Bcc: Blind Carbon Copy, email addresses typed in this field are not visible.

3. Type the subject of your message in the Subject: field.
4. Click in the lower part of the window and type in the message. You can copy
and paste text from other programs such as MS Word etc.
5. Click Send button to send your message.

Note that:
 By default, the email message sent is stored in the Sent Items folder.
 To discard your message without sending it, just close the window.

41

Inserting / Removing a File Attachment

Email messages do not only consist of simple text messages. Depending upon the
hardware and software, e-mail messages can contain embedded sound files, image
files, video-clip files, executable files etc. These are collectively known as attached
files. Attached files are files that are sent along with e-mail messages.

You can attach files to an email message:
1. In the Message window, click Insert File button. The Insert File dialog
box will be displayed.
2. Browse to the disk/folder where the file (to be attached) is located.
3. Click the file to attach.
4. Click Insert button.

Note that:
 The name of the selected file will be displayed in the Attach… field.

 It is important to attach small files, which do not exceed 4MB. Large files can
completely fill the recipient‟s mailbox making it impossible for him/her to
receive any more messages. Compression utility programs can be used to
reduce the sizes of your attached files.
To remove a file attachment:
1. Click the name of the file in the Attach… field.
2. Press Delete key.

42


Retrieving Messages

Messages are stored in your mailbox on the mail server until you download them using
your mail program. To retrieve messages, you need to connect to the Internet:

1. Open MS Outlook.
2. Click Tools menu.
3. Select Send/Receive
4. Click Send/Receive All. The program retrieves all mail in your mailbox.

Note that:
 By default, the Inbox folder stores all incoming mail.

Saving a Draft of an Email

Occasionally you may wish to save an email and continue working on it at a later time
before sending this.

To save a draft of an email:
1. In MS Outlook, start typing an email.
2. Click File menu.
3. Click Save.

Note that:
 The email will be saved in the Drafts folder.

When you are ready to continue working on the message:
1. Click the Drafts folder in the navigation pane.
2. Double-click on the message you want to work with from the list in the main
view.

Checking the Spelling of an Email

To check the spelling of an email:
1. Click in the body of the email.
3. Click Spelling and Grammar…
4. Click the appropriate options (refer to the following table).
5. Click OK button when MS Outlook displays a message that it has checked all
text in the email.

43

Option To Do This

Not In Displays a possible error, such as an incorrectly spelled word, a duplicate
Dictionary word, a grammar error, or incorrect capitalization. Edit the text in this box to
correct it, and then click Change, or click the correct word in the Suggestions
box and then click Change.
Suggestions Lists a number of words close to the incorrectly spelled word. Click the
appropriate suggestion to choose it.
Ignore Once Leaves the word unchanged and continues with the checking. The spell
checker stops if the same word is encountered within the same email. This
button changes to Resume if you click in the document to edit the document.
Ignore All Leaves the word unchanged and skips any occurrences of the same word
within the entire email throughout the rest of the current MS Outlook session.
Add to Adds the word in the Not In Dictionary box to the custom dictionary.
Dictionary
Change Replaces the incorrectly spelled word with the highlighted word/phrase in the
Suggestions: box. When the selected error is a repeated word, this button
changes to Delete so you can easily remove the second instance of the word.
Change All Replaces all occurrences of the same incorrectly spelled word with the
word/phrase in the Suggestions: box.
Autocorrect Adds a word to the AutoCorrect list so that MS Outlook can correct any
incorrect spelling of it automatically as you type.
Options Displays a dialog box in which you can specify the rules that MS Outlook uses
to check spelling and grammar.
Undo Reverses the most recent spelling and grammar check actions, one at a time.

Setting Message Priority

When you send a new message, you can assign a priority to it, so the recipient could
see if the message has a high or low priority setting.

You can set the priority of a message by clicking the Importance: High button.
To switch off the high priority setting click on the Importance: High button.

44


Note that:
 Messages sent with a high priority setting will be delivered at the same speed
as a message having a low priority setting.

Replying to an Email

When replying to a message the original message and the subject details of the
message with the prefix RE:. The reply to the message can be typed above, below or
in the body of the original message.

To reply to a message:
1. In the lnbox folder, select the message to reply to.
2. To reply to the sender, click Reply button. To reply to all recipients
of the original email, click Reply to All button.
3. The RE: message form displays. Type a reply message.
4. Click Send button.

Forwarding an Email

Once a mail message has been read it can be forwarded to other mail users. The
sender's own comments can be added to the message before it is sent to other
members.

As with replying to messages, the subject of the original message is automatically
entered in the Subject box with a prefix. In this case Fwd: indicating that the message
is a forwarded message.

When forwarding a message the original message with the address information is
automatically entered in the Message area.

To forward an email:
1. In the lnbox folder, select the required message to forward.
2. Click Forward button. The Fwd: message form displays.
3. Click in the To: field and type the email addresses of the users to
receive the forwarded message.
4. If required, type a message in the Message area.
5. Click Send button.

Saving & Opening a File Attachment
Messages carrying attachments display a
paper-clip icon. When you read these
messages, the name of the attached file will
be displayed below attachments.
It is important that you save the attached
file on your computer and use updated
antivirus software to scan if the file is
infected.

45

To save a file attachment:
1. Click the email that has the file attachment.

2. Double-click the attached file.

3. Click Save button. The Save As dialog box is displayed.
4. Browse to the disk/folder location where the attachment will be saved.

To open the attachment/s saved you will need a program that can open files of the
same type as the attachment's file format. For example, if you want to open a .DOC
file, make sure you have a program on your computer that can open .DOC files.

Previewing & Printing Messages

You can preview a message before printing:
1. Click File menu.
2. Click Print Preview. The Print Preview window will be displayed.
3. Click Page Setup… to adjust the page setup options such as orientation,
paper size and margins.
4. Click OK button to close the Page Setup dialog box.
5. Click Close button to close Print Preview dialog box.

46


You can print a message:
1. Click File menu.
2. Click Print… The Print dialog box will be displayed.
3. Adjust the appropriate options such as number of copies.
4. Click OK button.

Applying a Setting to Reply with/out Original Message

By default MS Outlook, when replying to a message, this will also contain the original
message. To change this setting:

2. Click Options…
3. Click E-mail Options… button.

4. In the E-mail Options dialog box, choose one of the following in the When
replying to a message drop down menu:

47

 Include original message text
 Do not include original message

5. Click OK button to close the E-mail Options dialog box.
6. Click OK button to close the Options dialog box.

Flagging Emails

You can use flags to remind yourself to follow up an issue or to categorize messages in
your Inbox. To flag a message:
1. Click the message to flag.
2. Click Actions menu.
3. Select Follow Up.
4. Choose the appropriate flag for the
message. The subject of the
message will displayed a coloured
flag.

To remove the flag mark from a message:
1. Click the message to remove its flag
mark.
2. Click the flag in the message line.
The flag will be replaced with a
checkmark.

48


Identifying Read / Unread Emails

When you receive emails, the Unread Mail folder will be bold. It will also display the
number of unread messages within a bracket.

Unread emails in the Message pane will display a closed envelope. Messages that you
have already opened will display an open envelope.

You can also mark emails as read or unread:
1. Choose the message in the Message pane.
2. Click Edit menu.
3. Choose Mark as Read or Mark as Unread.

Displaying / Hiding Toolbars

By default MS Outlook displays the Standard toolbar. To display additional toolbars:
1. Click View menu.
2. Highlight Toolbars.
3. Click the appropriate toolbar to show e.g. Advanced or Web.

To hide toolbars:
2. Click the appropriate toolbar to hide.

49

Using Help

1. Click Help menu.
2. Click Microsoft Office Outlook Help. The office assistant is displayed.
3. Type a keyword or question in the Answer Wizard box.
4. Click Search button.
5. Click the topic to display.

50


 EMAIL MANAGEMENT

Searching Messages

You can search for a message by sender, subject or email content:
2. Select Find.
3. Click Advanced Find…
4. To search by:
 sender, click in the From: field and type the name or email address of
the sender.
 subject, type a word or phrase in the Search for the word(s): field and
choose subject field only in the In: field.
 email content, type a word or phrase in the Search for the word(s): field
and choose subject field and message body.

5. Click Find Now button.
6. Messages which match the search criteria indicated in step 4 will be displayed
at the bottom of the Advanced Find window.
7. Double-click the appropriate message to open.

51

Sorting Messages

You can sort emails by name, by date and by size:

1. Click View menu.
2. Select Arrange By
 Choose From to sort emails by name
 Choose Date to sort emails by date
 Choose Size to sort emails by size.

Creating / Deleting an Email Folder

You can create folders in MS Office Outlook to organise the messages that you want to
save for future reference. For example you can create a folder to store messages that
you received during 2009.

To create an email folder:
1. Click File menu.
2. Point to New.
3. Click Folder…

4. In the Name: field type a name e.g. Year 2009 for the folder.
5. Click OK button.

Note that:
 The Navigation pane will display the folder
created.

52


To rename a folder:
1. Right-click the folder to rename e.g. Year 2009.
2. Click Rename “Year 2009”…
3. Type the new folder name e.g. Year 2008.
4. Click outside the folder name.

To delete an email folder:
1. Right click the folder to delete e.g. Year 2008.
2. Click Delete “Year 2008”.

3. Click Yes button to confirm that the folder will be deleted.

Moving Email to a Folder

To move an email to a folder:
1. In the lnbox folder, select the required message to move.
2. Click Edit menu.
3. Click Move to Folder…

4. In the Move Items dialog box, click the folder name where the messages will be
moved.
5. Click OK button.

53

Deleting an Email

1. Choose the message in the Message pane.
2. Press DELETE key.

Note that:
 Deleted messages are transferred to the Deleted Items folder.

Restoring Deleted Email

You restore deleted messages:
1. Click Deleted Items folder. This will display the list of messages that have
been deleted.
2. Choose the message to undelete in the Message pane.
3. Click Edit menu.
4. Click Move To Folder… The Move Items dialog box is displayed.

5. Click the folder e.g. Inbox where the message will be moved to.
6. Click OK button.

Emptying the Deleted Items Folder

You can decide to delete your mail permanently from the Deleted Items folder as
follows:
1. Right-click Deleted Items folder.
2. Click Empty “Deleted Items” Folder.

Alternatively, you can delete all messages in the Deleted Items folder as follows:
2. Click Empty “Deleted Items” Folder.

54


Adding / Deleting Contacts to / from the Address Book

MS Outlook has a built-in address book to store the email addresses and other contact
details of friends etc.

To open the address book:
2. Click Address Book…

Note that:
 The first time you open the address book, it will be empty.

To add the details of a friend to the address book:
2. Click New Entry button. The New Entry dialog box is displayed.

3. In the Select the entry type: click New Contact.
4. Click OK button.

55

5. Type the contact details in the form.

6. Click Save and Close button. The Address Book window will display the details
of your friend.
7. Close the Address Book window.

To delete the contact details from the address book:
2. Click Address Book…
3. Choose the contact details to be deleted.


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5. Click Yes button to confirm the deletion of contact details.
6. Close the Address Book window.

Updating the Address Book from Incoming Email

You can add the email address of a sender to the address book:
1. In the lnbox folder, select the required message to add the sender‟s email
address.
2. Right-click the email address of the sender.
3. Click Add to Outlook Contacts…
4. The Contact window will be displayed. Type in any other details as appropriate.
5. Click Save and Close button.

57

Ecdl v5 module 7 print

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