Internet 101/102: Untangling the Web

welcome | bibliography | glossary

I. How does it work?

II. What's really out there?

III. How can I search?

IV. Why should I evaluate?

V. How do I cite sources?

a. accessing the Internet | b. uses for the Internet | c. Internet addresses | d. tips & tricks

How does it work? -- Internet addresses

Internet addresses are also called URLs-- "Uniform Resource Locators"

Basic Anatomy of a URL

http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Instruction/conshealth.html

http://= hypertext transfer protocol (item "lives" on the Web & has hypertext links)

www.lib.utsa The name of the server which hosts the item requested

.edu =type of web site, in this case an educational institution

/Instruction= name of the directory on the server where the item is stored

/conshealth = filename of the actual item

.html= type of document, in this case a web page using hypertext markup language

Besides http:// you may also see "protocols" or rules that govern access for other parts of the Internet such as telnet:// and ftp://.

Things to consider...

If you are not able to get to an exact address, you might be able to relocate it by cutting off the individual file name or ending of the address:
http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Instruction/
Or, take a look to see if the home page for the server is available:
http://www.lib.utsa.edu/