Navigating the 'Net
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Navigation on the Internet is simple, especially when compared to navigation in the "real world". . .
Links, hotlinks, hypertext: whatever you call them, they are the "page changers" of the
Internet. Links can be incorporated into graphic images, text, or special "navigation buttons" in a web page.
Links get you from one document to the next, and it doesn't matter where the document is located. It
could be on a computer in France. As long as it is linked to the document you are viewing, you can select the link
(click on it with the mouse) and Voila! you are there . . .or, rather, the document is here. It is actually sent to
your computer so you are able to see it.
Links are usually blue (the default color) on a color monitor; sometimes the author of the web page will designate different colors for the links to accent the page
design. On a monochrome monitor, links appear as underlined text. Some web sites prefer a clean look which uses
"invisible" links. Usually, these links are placed in obvious navigation buttons, and wherever a link has been
placed, you will notice the mouse pointer change shape as it nears an image or text which is linked. Another interesting way to navigate the Internet is through the use of "clickable maps" or "image maps". These
are specially designed graphic images which contain several different links in one image. In some cases, an image
map provides a simplified way to present the viewer with the menu options for a site; in other cases, the image map
is a clever graphic that adds "pizazz" to those Web pages. There are so many places to go on the Internet, it might seem impossible to remember how to find the
ones you really like. Luckily, most browsers have solved this problem by
providing a place for you to keep "bookmarks" of your favorite sites.
Here is how it works in Netscape: while viewing a site you would like to
return to, go to the Bookmark menu at the top of the Netscape window. Select "Add Bookmark" from the menu.
Netscape will automatically mark the page you are viewing by saving the url so you can return at another time. If you are browsing with Internet Explorer you use the command "Add page to Favorites" under the
"Favorites" menu to do the same thing. Your list of favorite bookmarks will appear each time you choose the
appropriate menu on your browser. No muss, no fuss!
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