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Using the Internet (3 main functions) The first function is logging on with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is where your computer connects to the Internet and transfers information over your phone line. Your provider may be national like AOL or AT&T or it may be local smaller company. These companies provide the gateway to the Internet. You should hear your computer dial your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and log on. If you are having problems logging on you should contact your ISP or give our help line a call. The second function is Browsing the Web for information. The two most prevalent browsers are Microsoft Explorer and Netscape. The Browser must be pulled up by double-clicking on the icon marked Internet or Netscape on your desktop. Using your browser efficiently is important when research becomes necessary, to view your own pages, check your inventory online, or to shop your competitors. The third and most important function, is the use of your E-Mail program. Used correctly this is one of the most powerful sales tool a car saleperson can possess. It is your connection to car shoppers ready to buy. If you ignore E-mail and rely solely on Telephone number leads you will never maximize your potential. Depending on what programs you have it is either part of your browser buttons or a separate inbox icon on your desktop. Either way, effective E-Mail follow-up is the key to successful selling using the Internet. Even if you never open your browser once to surf the Net, by setting up a good good E-Mail network, you will sell cars. What is HTTP? (HTTP://www.autonetusa.com) As complicated as the Web is, (behind the scenes) it is unbelievably simple to operate. Most newcomers with a little instruction can learn to use the Web quite effectively in just a few weeks. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), those four letters you see at the beginning of EVERY Web address, is what enables the Web to function so simply. The HTTP performs four primary steps. 1. Makes a connection with the computer on the Internet that has the information you want. Most browsers show you a report of the progress on the bottom of the screen. Something like, Connecting to HTTP server.. 2. After a connection is established, it makes a request. 3. If the server, has the information you are requesting, it executes the response. Now you see a message at the bottom of your screen that says something like, Reading Response... and if successful, something like Transferring. 4.The connection is closed If you understand what http (hypertext transfer protocol) means: simply the method whereby your Web browser makes a connection with another computer, requests some information, gets the information, and leaves. So now we know why every Web address starts with http. But, what about the rest of the address? Let's use the Arizona Autonet Web Address as our example. To get this Web Site you either typed, or simply clicked (hyper linked) on a link somewhere on the Web. You will also hear it referred to as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). Just think of it as a Web Address. http://www.dealerdoctor.com/training.htm
Web Browsers (Netscape, Microsoft Internet Explorer) Being able to find information fast and easily is part of the interest in the Internet, but perhaps only a small part. More significant is being able to find, view photos, and make use of this information. The World Wide Web makes this possible. The Web is only a part of the Internet. There are a number of Internet activities that you could do outside of the Web. You could e-mail a client, participate in a news group or subscribe to a mailing list , You could do all of these activities WITHOUT the Web. But why would you, since ALL of these features are included in most Browsers? Your Web Browser is the Internet software that makes it possible for you to view and use the World Wide Web portion of the Internet. You either have a browser of someone else's choosing (for example, an online service), or the browser your local ISP included within their software. Maybe you have purchased a Web browser from the local computer store, or just maybe you have a browser, like Microsoft Internet Explorer, that you can download for free off the Internet itself! If you are online reading this, it is the Browser that is allowing you to view this information. When you click to different Web Sites, it is the Browser that allows it to happen. Without the Browser all you would see is a bunch of program language. A good Web browser makes it possible to search (surf, navigate) the Internet without having to memorize lengthy and meaningless addresses and filenames that UNIX and TCP/IP need to operate. One good tip for saving sites that you frequent, (ex. kelly blue book) is placing them in files called Favorites (Microsoft) or Bookmarks (Netscape). Just click on the button on the top of the browser and you can save that URL for later use. It sure beats typing in the address every time. Using Search Engines with your Browser With the millions of Web sites and billions of pages with information, how do you find anything? Search Engines, such as Yahoo, Infoseek, Excite, all act as filters to help you narrow down your search for a particular topic. If I were to type in the keywords Arizona Cars for sale into Infoseek and click search, the Search Engine will immediately look for registered Web Sites with text similar to your request. Search Engines are the most popular, easiest and fastest way to find areas of interest with just a few keywords or phrases. Your browser probably has a button on the top called search, when you click on it you will have choice of search engines to use for a search. My personal favorite is infoseek, but, I use them all. Do a search now! Go to the top of your browser and click SEARCH. Choose Netfind or Excite as your search engine and in the keywords box, type, Arizona Cars for Sale. If you cannot find the search button, just type in www.NetFind.com to go to their homepage.The best way to understand how Search Engines work is to use them. A friend of mine the other day was just joking around and told me to type in the keywords fishing in Maine, to his surprise, over 2,000 sites came up. |
