Chat it up!

There are many ways of communicating on the internet, the most common being through email. You can also communicate through chat, forums, and instant messaging.

Chat - A way of communicating over the internet as if you are speaking to a person in the same room. Generally it is instantaneous and can be between two people or a very large group of people. A chat room is found in one place and you must go to the website to use the chat room. When you leave the chat room and come back in you only see the text typed since you arrived. You do not see the text from your previous visits.

Instant Messaging (IM) - IM is basically a private chat between two people. IM can be set up so that when you add people to your "buddy" or "friends" list you are notified when they are online and you can send them a private chat at anytime without having to go to a certain website.

Forum or Bulletin Board or Message Board - These three seem to be pretty much the same thing. A forum is an online discussion group. A person can post a message to the group or board and reply to messages that others have left. On a forum you can generally leave the website and come back later to see what comments have been left for your or what other posts have been written. Forums, more so than chat rooms, are often on specific topics such as car repair or scrapbook crafts.

There are some rules that apply to all three of these forms of communication on the internet. These rules have come about due to the fact that you cannot see the expression on the faces of those reading your text.

Capital Letters - Writing text, in any form online, in all uppercase letters is considered to be yelling. It is considered to be very rude. No one likes to be yelled at in RL (real life)and no one likes to be yelled at online either. I find that people who cannot type well, or do not wish to take the time to type accurately, do this. It is better to use all lowercase letters with no punctuation than to use all capital letters.

Smileys and other ways of expressing yourself-
:)Happy or Just Joking! (use to show your excitement or after a comment that you don't want the reader to find offensive as you are just joking!)
:( sadness or I'm sorry! (use to show how sad you are, to let someone know how sad you are for them or to make them feel sorry for you)
;) a wink to signify a joke! (use to signify a joke or funny comment or after you have just shared a juicy secret)
LOL Laugh Out Loud (what you said made me laugh out loud and those around me to look at me strangely)
ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing (what you said was soooo funny that I want to express to you how much funnier it was than LOL)
ROFLMAO Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off (what you said was so much funnier than LOL or even ROFL that I even had to add what was being laughed off)
BRB Be right back (meaning you are walking away from the computer for a moment but that you will be back to join the conversation.

These are the most common of the expressions although there are many more that can be used and even variations of these. Some people do not like it when others use smileys or other text expressions. They find them annoying but remember that a funny, sarcastic comment can look really rude when there isn't a laughing voice to go with it!

Look at this example:

You are such a dog.

You are such a dog! :)

See? If you are unsure just use a smiley or other text expression!

Logos, headers, and navigation paths

Logos, headers and navigational paths are the internet hints for today! These are some very basic hints to make your internet experience easier and more enjoyable.

Logos and headers are generally found at the top of website pages. These often give the company name and tagline. Click onNature's Thumbprint to take a look at a header. Across the top of the screen you see a flower, the company name "Nature's Thumbprint" and the company tagline, "Each glimpse of Nature is as unique as a thumbprint". This is the company header which on some websites may also be the company logo.

Often, logos and headers, can be clicked on with your mouse. By clicking on a logo or header you will be redirected to the home page of that website. If you get lost on a site this is often an excellent way to go back to the beginning and start over without having to press the back button on your browser a hundred times. Also, when you see a company logo on another website you can often click on the logo and it will take you to that companies website. Beware though, not all websites work this way. Some are too old and many smaller companies do not link their logos or headers to their home pages because they do not realize this is possible.

Another way to find your way if you become lost on a website is by using the navigational path. Once again, not all websites have these but those that do make it much easier for you to go back three pages than by using the back button on your browser. Click on Nature's Thumbprint again. Above the title of the photograph "Pagosa Springs Bridge" you will see something like this Home > All Things Nature > Rivers and Ponds > Pagosa Springs Bridge. This is the navigational path for this page. Instead of using the back button you can revisit the path from the home page to this particular product page. When using the back button on your browser you must revisit each page you clicked on prior to the one you are currently visiting. With the navigational path you can go from the "Pagosa Springs Bridge" to the "All Things Nature" page or the "Home" page without having to pass through the "Rivers and Ponds" page to get there!

Hope that these hints help you out some or at least get you experimenting with some websites on your own! Please feel free to comment on any post or send in your suggestions or questions and we will try to find the answers for you!

-MH