Internet and E-mail Basics
This section contains a number of resources on Internet and e-mail basics, selected for their clarity and ease of use. Topics covered range from general introductions to the Internet, to guidance on specific tools such as e-mail and web browsers.
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Internet and E-mail Basics - Introduction to the Internet
ICT for Beginners - A Resource Manual
Developed by: ITCAN Type of resource: pdf manual Target audience: General Cost: Free access
his manual identifies a number of high quality free training workshops with regard to basic ICT skills, classifying them according to focus and type of training course, whether it be email or internet-based, or downloadable. The aim of the manual is thus to be able to cater for varying degrees of connectivity, as well as to save time and effort for those organisations or individuals looking to enhance their capacities and find a course which suits their requirements the best.
Dhttp://www.it-can.org/training/pubs.html
Basic ICT Online Training
Developed by: ITCAN Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
This course covers the management of emails and using the Internet.
Dhttp://www.it-can.org/training/online.html
Editor's choice: Becoming WebWise - Online Course
Developed by: BBC Type of resource: - Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Becoming WebWise - Online Course
For novice Internet users wanting to learn at their own pace. Consists of 8 sections that take users through Internet basics in a simple and easy-to-follow format.
Dhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/learn/index.shtml
WebTeacher
Developed by: Tech Corps Type of resource: Web site Target audience: Trainers Cost: Free access
Simple tutorials for teachers (trainers) related to using the web, communicating (e-mail, chat, newgroups etc), multimedia (image, sound and movie files), home page construction (basic html etc.), peripherals and utilities and the web in the classroom.
Dhttp://www.webteacher.org/windows.html
Reach for the Sky: A set of On-line Courses for Teachers
Developed by: US West Foundation, The Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Program Type of resource: Web site with on-line tutorials Target audience: General, Trainers Cost: Free access
A set of on-line tutorials for teachers covering basic Internet skills and classroom collaboration on the Internet. Each topic has several supporting units including tests.
Dhttp://www.learner.org/courses/rfts/
Learn the Net
Developed by: Learn the Net Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
A number of easy online tutorials for beginners wanting to learn more about the Internet and the World Wide Web. The site also features an animated glossary and links to other resources.
Dhttp://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/00start.ht ml
Learning Internet Basics: Some Useful Guides and Tutorials
Developed by: Austin Free-Net Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General, Trainers Cost: Free access
Provides links to several on-line tutorials related to PCs and the Internet. Some curricula resources also avaliable in Spanish.
Dhttp://www.austinfree.net/curricula/
Why Am I Getting All This Spam?
Developed by: Center for Democracy & Technology Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
"Every day, millions of people receive dozens of unsolicited commercial e-mails (UCE), known popularly as 'spam'. Some users see spam as a minor annoyance, while others are so overwhelmed with spam that they are forced to switch e-mail addresses. This has led many Internet users to wonder: How did these people get my e-mail address?" This report answers this question, and offers tips for avoiding spam.
Dhttp://www.cdt.org/speech/spam/030319spamreport.sh tml
Size Matters When Emailing Photos
Developed by: Sydney Morning Herald Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Large images sent by e-mail can be a serious inconvenience for the recipient, particularly those on dial-up internet connections. Terry Lane explains the basics of file size reduction in a range of free and commercial tools.
Dhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/cameras--videos/size-ma tters-when-emailing-photos/2006/10/17/116085093683 4.html
Internet and E-mail Basics - E-mail
E-mail Tips & Techniques
Developed by: Planet-friendly Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Tips on "how to send e-mail without creating misunderstandings, clogging up people's e-mail boxes, or otherwise causing trouble."
Dhttp://www.planetfriendly.net/emailtips.html
Internet Fraud Tips
Developed by: US National Consumer's League Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
You received an email from Nigeria or another country with an offer of millions of dollars - beware! Criminals and con artists are using new media to carry out old scams and schemes. This site describes how to recognize Internet scams and frauds and what to do about them.
Dhttp://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/
Email Effectiveness Training
Developed by: Kaitlin Duck Sherwood Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General, Trainers Cost: Free access
Exercise and overheads for a training course on managing e-mail. Some very useful advice concerning managing email overload. A well written set of resources - excellent for trainers as is, although some of the spam-related material is out of date.
Dhttp://www.overcomeemailoverload.com/training/
Essential E-Mail Etiquette
Developed by: TechSoup Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Brief guide on the key elements of e-mail etiquette, such as thinking of an appropriate subject line, addressing recipients properly, selecting an appropriate tone and editing your message.
Dhttp://www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?Arti cleId=510&topicid=5
Editor's choice: YouSendIt!
Developed by: YouSendIt Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Now you can send files of up to 1GB without clogging up people's emails!. Sometimes sending large files is impossible from an email programme because internet service providers (ISP) must limit the size of files to send or receive to avoid mailbox congestion. You Send It is aneasy online tool to send large files - such as print graphics, audio, or video files - and it won't clog up the recipient's mail box either, because "YouSendIt" stores the file temporarily on its website.
TinyURL
Developed by: TinyURL Type of resource: website Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Long URLs included in e-mail messages may break across lines and cease to be "clickable" links, forcing users to copy and paste each line into their browsers. TinyURL is a free online tools which produce short versions of URLs which can easily be used in e-mail messages and other contexts where a short URL is important.
DigBig
Developed by: DigBig Type of resource: website Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Long URLs included in e-mail messages may break across lines and cease to be "clickable" links, forcing users to copy and paste each line into their browsers. DigBig is a free online tools which produce short versions of URLs which can easily be used in e-mail messages and other contexts where a short URL is important.
Internet and E-mail Basics - Mailing lists, newsgroups, and other discussion forums
A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools
Developed by: Idealware Type of resource: web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
A brief overview of different tools for distributing and formatting email newsletters. It covers the use of existing email programmes, free online newsletter services, and overviews several paid software options with comments on the specialties of each. It also goes into more technical solutions, as well as offers a taste of strategy beyond newsletters
Dhttp://www.idealware.org/articles/fgt_email_newsle tter_tools.php
Internet and E-mail Basics - Spam and scams
Windows Utilities that Stop Spam
Developed by: Volunteers Online Type of resource: Article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Unwanted e-mail, junk mail, spam, whatever you call it, most of wish it would go away! This article reviews three Windows based programs that can help clean your e-mail: SpamKiller; Spam Buster; and Mail Guard.
Dhttp://www.volunteersonline.ca/modules.php?name=Re source_Library&op=display&rid=262
Death to Spam: Dealing with Unwanted E-mail
Developed by: Alchemy Mindworks - Steven William Rimmer Type of resource: Article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Death to Spam is a detailed overview of unsolicited e-mail and the techniques available to defend your In Box. Learn about tracing mail, message filters, legal issues and more.
Dhttp://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/nospam.html
What is Spam?
Developed by: Spamhaus Type of resource: Definition Target audience: General Cost: Free access
The word "Spam" as applied to Email means Unsolicited Bulk Email ("UBE").
Unsolicited means that the Recipient has not granted verifiable permission for the message to be sent. Bulk means that the message is sent as part of a larger collection of messages, all having substantively identical content.
Technical Definition: An electronic message is "spam" IF: (1) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (2) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent; AND (3) the transmission and reception of the message appears to the recipient to give a disproportionate benefit to the sender.
Click the link for more Spam definitions.
Dhttp://www.spamhaus.org/definition.html
spam.abuse.net
Developed by: spam.abuse.net/Scott Hazen Mueller Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Online since 1996, the aim of spam.abuse.net is to provide a definitive collection of anti-spam links and resources. The site includes help for users, Sysadmins and Internet Service Providers, and marketers as well as FAQs on unsolicited email and links to the main anti-spam organisations.
Top 20 Ways to Prevent Spam
Developed by: TechSoup Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Twenty tips for combatting spam from the TechSoup community.
Dhttp://www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?Arti cleId=568
How do I stop getting spam?
Developed by: BBC Type of resource: Web guide Target audience: General Cost: Free access
"A couple of simple precautions and software available online can dramatically reduce the amount of spam you get." The BBC's "Ask Bruce" looks at some basic precautions.
Dhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/askbruce/articles/ema il/spam_1.shtml
Ten Spam-Filtering Methods Explained
Developed by: TechSoup Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Brian Satterfield explains how different spam filtering methods work.
Dhttp://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/pa ge6028.cfm
Internet and E-mail Basics - Web browsers
Internet Explorer 6.0 Tutorials: Help for the Average Computer User
Developed by: Intrigue Learning Services, Inc. Type of resource: Web guides Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Comprehensive, easy-to-understand tutorials on Internet Explorer 6.0 for computer novices.
Dhttp://www.internet-explorer-tutorials.com/
ieSpell - A Spell Checker for Internet Explorer
Developed by: ieSpell Type of resource: Utility Target audience: General Cost: Free access
ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell checks text input boxes on a webpage. Useful for your owen personal use but also something that a site with lots of forms on might like to link to as a tool for people using the site.
Explore the way you want to
Developed by: Sydney Morning Herald Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
"Do you like your internet browser but wish it were just a little bit different - better, smarter or feature rich? One alternative is Firefox, to which can be added many extra functions."
Dhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/tips/explore-the-way-yo u-want-to/2006/11/25/1164341442704.html
Internet and E-mail Basics - Using web-to-e-mail services
If you have e-mail but not web access, or if your web access is unreliable, you can get web pages by e-mail. This doesn't let you "surf" the web, but you can retrieve specific articles this way - this can be useful if you want to get the text of a particular article off the web and you know its location. There are a number of web-to-e-mail gateways, including
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
and
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To use them, send an e-mail message to either of the addresses listed. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message write GET url substituting the URL of the web page you want to retrieve for "url". For example: GET http://bridges.org/spanning/summary.html The web page will then be sent to you by e-mail.
Information Systems Services: Introductory Exercises Using the Webmail Program IMP
Developed by: University of Leeds Type of resource: PDF file Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Practical user guide to Horde, a popular free and open source webmail programme, in PDF format. Takes users through the basic how-to's of using Horde.
Dhttp://www.leeds.ac.uk/iss/email/documentation/tut 92/tut92.pdf
Selecting a New Web Mail
Developed by: University of Illinois at Chicago Type of resource: web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Research done by the UIC in their decision regarding a new webmail service allows administrators to think about key questions in evaluating any email programme, such as the ease of using address books or incorporating different character sets. The usability of two free and open source webmail programmes, Horde and Squirrell, are compared.
Dhttp://www.uic.edu/depts/accc/ecomm/election/elect ion.html
Internet and E-mail Basics - General
Webwise for Africa
Developed by: BBC for Imfundo Type of resource: CD Rom (free) Target audience: General Cost: Fee
Webwise for Africa includes a step-by-step interactive introduction to the use of computers, covering everything from what a mouse is and how to use it, to the various components of a computer, and health and safety issues. The main menu has four options:
- Introduction, providing a short guide to the Internet, its history and uses
- Taster session, providing interactive sessions that help users to get to grips with the World Wide Web, e-mail and searching
- Getting online, which gives information on connecting to the Internet and online communities, and
- Going live, enabling users to go online to explore a number of selected sites.
There is also a helpful section on jargon, which provides simple definitions of commonly used terms, such as spam and hardcopy, to HTP and WAN. Webwise for Africa is freely available from the Imfundo team for use in Africa. Please contact Sue Ramsay (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
) should you wish to receive copies.
Dhttp://imfundo.digitalbrain.com/imfundo/web/imfund o/documents/news/2003/News32.pdf
Time to Get Online
Developed by: Kabissa Type of resource: PDF files Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Self-instructional materials on connecting to the Internet, accessing information resources, interacting online, establishing and maintaining a web site and integrating the internet into your organization.
Dhttp://www.timetogetonline.org/content/view/19/43/
Technology for Activists
Developed by: Center for the Study of Human Rights Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
This resource, from the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, provides beginner-level information on Internet Basics, Getting Net Access, Using the Web, Using Search Engines, Internet Security, and E-Mail.
Dhttp://www.hradvocates.columbia.edu/tech/index.htm l
Net tools to help you "record history"
Developed by: Independent Online Type of resource: Web article Target audience: General Cost: Free access
A quick guide to options for saving information you find on the web: saving the screen, saving the web page, and offline browsers.
Dhttp://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=2813&click_id=31 &art_id=iol1048256541556S152&set_id=1
The Animated Internet
Developed by: Learn the Net Type of resource: Flash animations Target audience: General Cost: Free access
Short animations on connecting to the internet, how the web works, how e-mail works, how mailing lists work, how search engines work, how newsgroups and forums work, how streaming media works, how encryption works, and how online shopping works. You will need the Flash player to view these animations.
Dhttp://www.learnthenet.com/english/animate/animate .htm
Editor's choice:RSS for Non Profits: Web Content on Your Terms
Developed by: TechSoup Type of resource: website Target audience: General Cost: Free access
This resource explains how to get the content you want, when you want it and how you want it, without suffering from information overload. Keep up-to-date on new and relevant information for your organisation using "RSS" - really simple syndication. It is also a good tool for keeping people informed about updates on your own web page.
Dhttp://www.techsoup.com/howto/articlepage.cfm?arti cleid=594
OpenICDL
Developed by: Go-Open Campaign / ICDL Foundation Africa Type of resource: Web site Target audience: General Cost: Free access
"OpenICDL is an open source project that aims to develop and maintain a Free/Open Source version of the training materials used to ready students for the International Computer Driving License certification.\" Materials cover Basic Concepts of IT, Using a Computer and Managing Files (K Desktop Environment), Word Processing (OpenOffice.org Writer), Spreadsheets (OpenOffice.org Calc), Databases (OpenOffice DB), Presentations (OpenOffice.org Impress) and Information and Communications (Mozilla 1.4 and Ximian Evolution 1.4). Materials are available in HTML and PDF versions.
Dhttp://icdl.tsf.org.za/courseware.html
Using the Internet for Librarians
Developed by: INASP Type of resource: Handouts, exercises and presentations Target audience: Trainers Cost: Free access
Course materials (presentations, handouts and exercises) are available to download as zip or stuffed archives containing Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files. Areas covered are (day 1) introducing the Internet, browsing and searching; (day 2) searching (continued), information gateways and the importance of quality; (day 3) quality issues and web page design; (day 4) web page evaluation, software, copyright, e-mail, costing; (day 5) developing an Internet-related training programme. Materials are available in English, Portuguese, Russian, French and Spanish.