Explaining the Internet

During class on Wednesday, I explained the difference between some of what is found on the Internet:

• Email: private accounts that send and receive basically private emails.
• Listservs or email groups: list members subscribe to an email group or listserv, usually because it is dedicated to a specific topic. List members then email the group, which will then distribute that email to the email addresses of all the other group members. So, while emails are still privately and individually sent and received, everyone on the list can read the email messages.
• Websites: equivalent to newspapers, webSITES are made up of many webpages. Example:
  
• Webpages: equivalent to articles in the newspaper, webPAGES are individual pages on a larger website. Example:
• Blogs, like the one you've just created, are usually run just by one person. Sometimes, there are group blogs, but that is usually indicated somewhere on the front page of the blog. Blogs are sometimes just individual journals, sometimes discussions of news and gossip about a particular topic. Blogs are made up of blog POSTS, shown on the blog in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Anyone can comment on blog posts, creating a conversation with the blog author and with the other commenters. For example: Cake Wrecks is run by one woman who receives pictures from other people over email, then posts them in themed posts (bad wedding cakes, bad birthday cakes). Or the Daily Dish is a very well-respected political blog run by Andrew Sullivan, a gay conservative, under the auspices of the well-respected magazine The Atlantic. Or Teach Me Tonight is a group blog that I belong to in which a number of people (all listed down the side) write about romance novels.
• Wikipedia is the online encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit or add to. While the information is generally correct and gives a solid, general overview about a topic, don't count on it, always confirm the information, and be especially wary of entries about controversial topics.
• Google is a search engine that allows you to enter keyword searches that will then search the Internet for webPAGES that discuss that particular topic. No matter which search engine you use, make sure you understand which are the paid entries and which are the un-paid-for entries on the page of returns.
• Library databases are places to do more academic research, rather than the informal research you can usually do on the open-access Internet. FSU's databases are available only to members of the FSU community because the library has spent a lot of money on them. You'll need your FSU username and login in order to be able to access them. We'll discuss them later in the semester.
• Edited to Add: The one thing I forgot is chat rooms and instant messaging. This is kind of like a conversation done over the Internet, instant emails (all emails are instant) but with an instant response because it's all happening in real time, rather than with a delay. Chat rooms happen in on themed websites, but also and most often through email programs.
  

If you have any questions about any of this, comment to this post and I'll respond!