SURFING THE NET

With over 20million users connecting onto the information superhighway per day to play games, do business, keep in touch, shop and even book holidays, it comes as no surprise that this haven of information is particularly useful for students, says Keith Chapman

what is it?

The internet began back in the 1960s as a US defence communication network and was re-developed in the 80s. It really took off in the early 90s, with the arrival of the Web, which made it easy to find and view information online. Today, the internet has over 20million users connected through more than two million computers, with a massive 1million new users connecting per month. Now that's expansion!

The internet is a worldwide group of computer networks that provides a mine of information. There's over five billion pages on the internet! Like a vast library, it contains information on almost any topic you can imagine, in many formats from books, articles and recordings.

For many students, this easy access to invaluable info can mean the difference between a 2:2 and a 2:1, if you make the most of it.

The net offers a variety of services, its most popular being the world wide web (www) and e-mail. The web is useful for students to research assignments and projects. For example if you're researching the works of Marx or Freud, type in their names and you're guaranteed loads of stuff on them.

In addition, you can use the web to read online magazines, newspapers and journals, get current news and stock quotes, view videos, hear the latest chart music, buy anything from shoes to even finding a job. The possibilities are never-ending. Get your guide to the internet from Chester Road Library.

searching for Uni stuff

Anyone who's trawled the web will know how much information is available and how useful it is for your academic studies. The vast amounts of information can be a touch mind-boggling, so search engines are a godsend. After you've connected, simply type in key words about your subject and it'll do the rest for you. Take your pick from a whole host of engines like google, excite, yahoo, alta-vista, lycos, and webcrawler. It's a try and test method as some are better than others.

When the search is finished, loads of results will show up in order of relevance so it's up to you from here. If no results come up try using different phrases and words.

e-mail

One of the joys of the internet is e-mail, best described as electronic mail. It's a quick, simple way to keep in touch with people at uni, home and across the globe. Best of all it's free at Sunderland Uni libraries.
Remember, all uni lecturers have an e-mail address so make sure you keep it handy for those stressed out moments.

If you follow the above advice and practice a little, you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll get the hang of it. Try it with your next assignment if you're a novice, there's a good chance it'll improve your grade!

The internet is completely free to use at uni, it's easily accessible and the information can be displayed at a click of a button. If you really ain't got a clue ask for advice in the library. The staff will be glad to help. So now, there's no excuse!

To quote one of the lads from American Pie, 'God bless the internet.'

useful sites

Sometimes it takes ages to find what you're looking for on the net, unless you've got an address. Here are some sites you may find useful…

www.library.sunderland.ac.uk information services homepage. You can access electronic journals and link to other sites here.
www.studentuk.com this excellent site ranges from everyday use, to help and advice at uni. Also hints and tips for essay writing and presentation skills. Enjoy!
www.the-times.co.uk everything you need to know about the broadsheet newspaper The Times.
www.niss.ac.uk National Information Services and systems. Contains a wealth of info from stuff on seminars, conferences and events. You can even find yourself a job.
www.yahoo.co.uk general searching and directories