Web Research Projects

WEB RESEARCH PROJECTS

CHAPTER 3 USING THE INTERNET: MAKING THE MOST OF THE WEB’S RESOURCES

Discussion Questions

1. Like most technology, the Internet and its uses continue to grow and evolve. Some people use the Internet to take online courses to earn college credit. Others use the Internet for entertainment purposes: instant messaging, listening to music, gaming, and so on. Still others use it for podcasting, blogging, and managing personal Web sites. Some use it for financial transactions, such as banking and selling or trading stocks online. What is your level of Internet interaction? What do you use the Internet for? What Internet tools and applications would you like to see developed in the future? How would those tools make your life easier and more enjoyable?

Answers will vary.

2. Chapter 3 discusses instant messaging services that enable you to have real-time online conversations with friends and family; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a form of voice-based Internet communication that turns a standard Internet connection into a means to place phone calls, including long-distance calls; chat rooms, a form of synchronous communication in which online conversations occur in real time and are visible to everyone in the chat room; and Web 2.0, a new trend of Web interactions among people, software, and data. With which of these are you personally familiar? Do you routinely use any of these ways to communicate over the Internet? Why or why not? What are some advantages and disadvantages of these forms of communication?

Answers will vary.

Advantages: For people who make many long-distance phone calls, VoIP is free or less expensive than traditional long distance. You can also access it anywhere you have an Internet connection. Many businesses now use instant messaging as a means of quick and instant communication between coworkers.

Disadvantages: Not all users follow general rules of netiquette when using chat rooms and other online forums. Users “hide” behind a username to protect their privacy. With everyone, including the people you are chatting with, hiding their identities some chatters use this privacy to cover dishonest intentions. Disadvantages to VoIP include not having continuous service during a power outage and there is currently no way to determine where your Internet phone call is originating from, so most VoIP services cannot be used for emergency calls.

Web Project 1: Which Web Browser Should I Use?

Once you are connected to the Internet, if you want to locate, navigate to, and view Web pages, you need special software—a Web browser—installed on your system. If you purchase a computer from a retail store, the computer typically has a browser installed on it. However, there are other Web browsers available as well. You can use the browser already installed on your computer, replace it with another, or have several installed on your machine.

Using the Internet, locate and research three Web browsers. Compare and contrast these browsers. With which operating systems are they compatible? What are the features of the software? What are the advantages and disadvantages? After making your comparison, decide which browser you would most likely use.

Suggested Web Sites http://www.free-web-browsers.com/ http://websearch.about.com/od/whatistheinternet/a/browser.htm http://internet-browser-review.toptenreviews.com/

Suggested Keywords

Web browsers, compare browsers, review browsers

Web Project 2: Online File Storage

People are now working collaboratively online. If you want to share your files with others, how can you easily do so? If you travel frequently or don’t carry your USB drive with you and need access to your files, what are your options?

Using the Internet, search for information on online file storage. Write a short paper that describes what you found. What are the advantages? Are there any disadvantages? What is cloud computing? Will you personally begin using this option? Why or why not?

Suggested Web Sites http://www.box.net http://online-storage-service-review.toptenreviews.com http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031

Suggested Keywords

Online file storage, share files, cloud computing

Web Project 3: Netiquette

Rules of etiquette, or netiquette, govern online behavior. For instance, typing in all capital letters does not make text easier to read. Instead, it indicates emphasis or shouting. Keep in mind that it is also difficult to convey emotion electronically and the reader can misinterpret your message. Emoticons are one way the sender can try to express feeling.

Conduct a Web search on netiquette and emoticons. Are there differences in the way you would conduct yourself when e-mailing, texting, or IMing? What if you are using these tools in a business environment? Write a short paper on what you learn. Show five emoticons and their meaning.

Suggested Web Sites http://www.albion.com/bookNetiquette http://www.tafinn.com/andyfinn-us/Writing/Technology/netiquette-im.htm http://www.life123.com/holidays/etiquette/texting/text-messaging.shtm http://www.windweaver.com/emoticon.htm

Suggested Keywords

Netiquette, texting netiquette, IM netiquette, emoticons

Web Project 4: Evaluating Web Sites and Resources

Whether you are surfing the Internet for your own pleasure or conducting important research, it’s important to know whether the Web site or resource you’re viewing is legitimate. As you’ve seen throughout Chapter 3, it can be easy to create a Web site, blog, wiki, or podcast. But easy doesn’t mean accurate! This chapter lists five key questions to consider when deciding whether the information you’ve found on the Internet is credible:

1. Who is the author of the article or the sponsor of the site? 2. For what audience is the site intended? 3. Is the site biased? 4. Is the information on the site current? 5. Are the links valid and appropriate?

Select a topic that has been approved by your instructor, and locate three Internet resources about your topic. Review the suggested Web sites listed below for additional ideas about determining site validity. Apply the appropriate evaluation criteria to each site, and determine the legitimacy of the resources you’ve selected. Write a brief paper identifying the selected sites or resources, describing your results for each site, and summarizing your findings.

Suggested Web Sites http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/evalcrit.html http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html http://www.snopes.com http://www.virtualchase.com/quality

Suggested Keywords

Evaluation criteria, evaluating Web sites, site legitimacy, hoax sites, Web site quality