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VIA THE INTERNET
BOOT-UP Making Use of the Information Highway
OUTPUT
you learn how to talk about using the Internet as an individual
1) What use do you make of the Internet?
Interview your partner about
• kinds of online services used
• personal experience of Internet service
• main use of Internet
• favourite sites
• articles bought on Internet
• own website? main use?
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2) Communicating on the Net.
• How often do you send e-mails?
• What is “netiquette”? Give examples.
• What other ways do you use to communicate via the Net?
3) Do you use the Internet to do your shopping? What are advantages and disadvantages of
shopping through the Net? On a separate sheet of paper, complete the list given below.
Pro
You don’t have to walk or drive from
shop to shop.
Con
You don’t have any real contact
with people.
You can compare prices quickly
and easily.
...
You cannot see the articles or touch them,
only computer images of them.
...
4) With a partner, talk about the pros and cons of Internet shopping. One of you is in favour of
it, the other is against it.
The expressions below will help you:
Well, I am all for it, because …
But it’s certainly an advantage that …
You have to agree that …
The most important point in favour is …
Yes, but don’t you think …?
In my opinion, it’s a disadvantage that …
I think you are wrong. I’m sure that …
The biggest argument against it is …
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BUSINESS APPLICATIONS The Main Uses of the Internet
OUTPUT
you learn • how to answer questions about the Internet
• how to make more efficient use of e-mail
• how to carry out Web searches
• how to compare different means of access
FAQs about the Internet
1) Read the FAQs and match them with an answer.
1) Isn’t the Web the same as the Net?
2) What does HTML mean?
3) What is an ISP?
a) These four letters are sometimes included in a Web address. They stand for an object-oriented
computer language (hypertext markup language) used to create Web pages. This language has
been used by the World Wide Web since 1990.
b) Many people think they are the same thing, but they are different. The Internet is a global network
of computers which are interconnected via existing telecommunications networks or newer
broadband networks. Many kinds of communications use the Internet, including e-mail, newsgroups and discussion groups as well as the distributed information system known as the World
Wide Web. So the Web is one very important use of the Net, and the fastest growing one, but not
the only one.
c) These are a type of company, their full name is Internet Service Providers. To access any
information through the Net, for example e-mail or the Web, you need an account with one of
these companies. They operate powerful computers which are permanently connected to the
Internet and make the Internet connection with your computer.
2) Work with a partner. Write down an FAQ about the Web, the Net or hardware / software
used in connection with them. Give it to your partner and write an answer yourself.
Compare your answers and correct them where necessary.
3) Work in a group. Compare your questions and answers with those of other pairs of students.
OF IT
THE FUNNY SIDE
Who needs Internet cafés? The servers are
always too busy to give you what you want.
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More efficient e-mails
1) Composing business e-mails
Read the e-mails 1– 4 below. Each one has elements in it which stop the recipient either
from understanding it quickly or from reacting favourably to it. Identify each error of
netiquette and match it with a rule from a–e. Then work with a partner and write a
corrected version of each e-mail.
1)
2)
3)
4)
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a) Do not use comic abbreviations such as “BCNU” for “be seeing you” or acronyms like “AGM”
for “Annual General Meeting” in international business e-mails. You make it difficult for people
to understand you, and these short forms are not in dictionaries.
b) Do not use abusive language of any kind in an e-mail. You could start a “flame”, and angry or
insulting remarks never help in business. One tip is, if you are angry about anything, do not
send an e-mail about it straight away. Leave some time, do something else, then read your
e-mail again. Do you really want to send it?
c) Smileys or emoticons, e.g. L ;-, are fine in their place, which is Internet chat, but business
correspondence is not the place for them.
d) Do not state the obvious. Phrases like “In answer to your e-mail of ” are not necessary. You can
send a reply directly to the received e-mail, the recipient then knows what you are replying to.
Do not begin with “The purpose of this e-mail is...” or “I am sending you this e-mail because ...”.
Just say what you want to say.
e) E-mail is the newest form of business communication and the fastest. You should avoid the
more traditional set forms of formal letters, which are often long and wordy and use short,
simple sentences.
2) Which other rules of netiquette do you know? Compare your list to the suggestions above.
3) Have you ever received e-mails like the ones above? If yes, what was your reaction?
Making full use of your e-mail program
Read these tips about improving your e-mails and answer the questions below.
The electronic address book
You can use the electronic address book of your email program to address an e-mail by just clicking
on the recipient’s name in the list, and you can add
new addresses straight from incoming mails by a
simple mouse click.
You can form group lists of recipients using your email address book, for example, if all members of a
team should always receive copies of the same emails.
Use the options under “to”
If the mail must be sent to more than one person,
select Cc. The mail will be sent to the people you
list. You can also send a copy to a person or
persons without including their name in the list of
recipients if you click on Bcc (“Blind carbon copy”),
or you can send it to all members of a previously
selected group.
Other options
If your e-mail program offers the option “high
priority”, this does not mean your mail will go faster,
but that it will be marked as high priority when the
recipient gets it.
In many programs you can also select the option
“notification of receipt”, but this is often seen as
“bad netiquette” and a sign of mistrust. In any case,
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if there is an error in the address, the e-mail will
“bounce”, that is, it will be sent back to you.
Personalise your e-mails
In many programs you can design a “default mail”.
This means that all e-mails you send will have this
layout, unless you specify a new format for your
current e-mail.
Add a Signature
To select your format, click on OPTIONS
under TOOLS.
You can select the stationery (that is the background “writing paper” for your message) and the
fonts (the type of print). You can also add your
signature. To do this, click on “Signatures” (or
“Signature Picker”). By using these features, you
can take away the impersonal quality of the
everyday e-mail!
Comprehension
1. What kind of addresses are there in an electronic address book?
2. How can this function save time?
3. What does “Bcc” mean?
4. Translate into German: high priority • notification of receipt • option • error • bounce
5. Explain what is meant by “default mail” and give the German word(s) for this.
Input from you
1. Have you got a “signature” option in your e-mail program? If yes, do you use it?
2. What do you do if you are not sure that someone has read an e-mail you sent? (The answer is
not in the text!)
3. Choose another function which is available in your e-mail program. Describe what it does,
and how to use it.
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