Get Basic Web Concepts

Reading about the World Wide Web
 
Make sure you know what the World Wide Web is before you make any judgment about it. Go to the following sites and find out how the websites are conceptualized, developed and implemented. 
 
  • Beginner's Guide to the Internet for Educators: the World Wide Web
  • What is the World Wide Web?
  • How can  I provide information on the Web?

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    The content and presentation of information on the Web varies to a great extent.  William M.K. Trochim (1996) describes different types of websites by examining different purposes: 
     
    • Information Dissemination: The most commmon use for a website is to make information available to anyone who would be interested in it.
    • Education and Training: The Web is often used to provide specific training in well-defined topic areas.
    • Commerce and Advertising: The Web is an ideal platform for advertising and purchasing products or services.
    • Entertainment: A variety of websites are constructed for entertainment purposes -- to play games, post humorous essays or jokes, show cartoons and so on.
    • Communication: The web has become a generic platform for communication via the Internet.
     
     
     Jan Alexander and Marsha Tate (1996) put web pages into five categories: 
     
    • Advocacy Web Page: a page sponsored by an organization attempting to influence public opinion
    • Business/Marketing Web Page: a page sponsored by a commercial enterprise trying to promote or sell products
    • Informational Web Page: a page whose purpose is to present factual information
    • News Web Page: a page whose primary purpose is to provide extermely current information
    • Personal Home Page: a page published by an individual who may or may not be affiliated with a larger institution
     

     
     
     
    Hands-On Activity 
     

    1. Take a Quiz.
    2. Visit different web sites.