Resources

Internet Tips

If you are new to the Internet, you will find that getting the information you want from a Web site is a matter of knowing how to move from page to page so that you

• avoid getting lost, and
• get to the information you want quickly.

The purpose of this section is to describe the basics you need in order to move about easily - like moving from one page to another in a book. "Moving about" means that you go from one part of a Web site to another or that you go to another Web site.

Basic Moves

One way to move about a Web site is to click on buttons like the ones below (these example buttons do not work):

Another way to move about is to click on any word or group of words that is underlined. Sometimes words are not underlined, but as you move your computer mouse, the marker that moves to indicate where you are on the screen changes into the shape of a hand. Whenever you are see that the indicator has changed into a hand, you are over an active link to other places — within the Web site or outside a site. Clicking on the area that is an active link will take you to the new area.

Web Site Organization

Web sites, like this one, are organized somewhat like a book. This makes it easy for you to move about to find what you need within a Web site. A Web site is like a book in the following ways:

• The Web site has many pages. What you see on your screen now is one page. It begins with the title "Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Central" and ends with the links on the bottom of the screen.
• Unlike a book, pages of a Web site vary in length. One page containing a lot of information may fill many screens, while another page with less information will fit in a single screen.
• Different types of information within a Web site are typically separated into sections, similar to a book being broken into chapters. Most of the sections of a Web site consist of several pages. "Internet Tips" is one section of this Web site.
• The sections of a Web site are usually listed on the first or second page of a Web site, like a book's table of contents. This listing of sections is called the Main Menu.

TBI Central's main menu appears on the left hand side of most pages. It begins with "Introduction" and ends with "Rehabilitation Trials".

Main Menus and Section Menus

Once you click on a topic listed in the main menu, you will then move directly to that section of the Web site. The main menu (on this Web site, but not all Web sites) stays available on the left hand side of the page.

Many of the sections of this Web site also have a menu, to help you quickly spot the information you want within the section. For example, if you click on "Resources" (on the main menu of TBI Central, at the left), you will see listed all parts of the Resources section.

Moving within a Section

To move through a page or a section of a Web site, you click on the scroll bar, which is part of the window frame on the right side of your computer screen. The scroll bar must be clicked on when a page of a Web site contains more than one screen of information. To move to an area that you haven't yet read, click BELOW the colored button on the scroll bar that indicates where you currently are within a section. For example, if you are at the beginning of a section, the colored button on the scroll bar will be at the top, but if you are in the middle of a section, it will be in the middle of the bar.

Other Kinds of Moves

Sometimes you will want to make other kinds of moves:

• Going back to look at previous pages, or
• Getting to other parts of a Web site.

These kinds of moves can be done quickly:

• To return to previously selected pages, click on the button at the top of your computer screen (at the top of the window frame), which may be labeled "Back" or more typically has an arrow pointed to the left. Keep clicking until you get to the page you want.
• To move to another section within the Web site, click on the title of the section listed on the main menu (on the left hand of the screen on this Web site).

Printing Text from Web Sites

If you wish to print a copy of what you are reading on a Web site screen, you simply click on the symbol for the printer (the printer icon) at the top of your computer screen (this button is found above the window frame). A box will then open on the screen. To print the material you want, click on the PRINT button within the box.

Other Ways to Learn about the Internet

We have provided very simple instructions for moving about this Web site. If you want to learn more about the Internet, simple tutorial programs are available on the Internet, as are books written for newcomers.

One useful tutorial program that you can reach by clicking on the Web address below, was developed by the American Association of Retired People (AARP), to teach AARP members to use the Internet. Should you wish to look at the AARP tutorial program, visit the Web address by clicking below: http://www.aarp.org/learntech/computers/basic_web/a2004-10-15-lti-basicbrowsing.html

One can also purchase relatively inexpensive books, to learn more about the Internet. We have listed two. Although the titles of these books are humorous, they contain solid information for newcomers.

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet. Author: Peter Kent. Cost: $14 (approximate)
• The Internet for Dummies. Authors: John R. Levine and others. Cost: $15 (approximate)

These books can be purchased through amazon.com or bn.com, and can also be purchased at many local bookstores.