It's easiest to think of the internet as a collection of computers tied together like a web. In fact it is often referred to as the web. The term web implies it's like a spider web. Well, the internet is built like a spider web, but instead of trapped bugs here and there, it has a myriad of computers here and there. The internet web lines are made of communication equipment so computers can "talk" to each other.

What's an ISP?

When you sign up for internet service, you do this through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Examples of ISPs are Microsoft Network (MSN), America On Line (AOL), NetZero and a countless number of others.

When you sign up with an ISP, you are given a local phone number to call via your PC, which connects you to the internet. The neat part is that the cost to you for each call you make is included in your basic telephone service. The only cost to you is a monthly fee to the ISP of approximately $10 at the low end to about $50 at the high end. You can get on the internet any time of the day or night, 7 days a week.

What's a Modem?

When you "get on the web" as they say, you connect your PC to the web of computers and communication equipment by a device in your PC called a modem.

web page

A web page is a location on the internet. Every location that can be contacted on the internet is a web page. Every web page has an address which uniquely defines its location on the web. The internet, for the most part, is a gigantic advertising vehicle for businesses and individuals to sell their wares. However, there are also, lots of free and informational web locations as well - something for everyone. Another term you'll hear is web site or simply "site". A web site is a collection of more than one web page.

E-Mail

An e-mail is an electronic message, hence the name, e-mail. E-mail is sent from one PC to another PC by way of the internet. E-mail can be sent by anyone who has a PC and an e-mail address to anyone else who has a PC and e-mail address. An e-mail address is like a phone number except that e-mail messages travel via the internet instead of a phone company.

You should not confuse e-mail addresses with web page addresses. They are entirely different. E-mail addresses are like phone numbers. E-mail messages are sent over the internet but have nothing to do with web pages or web sites.