The following checklist is independent of any particular browser software. The concepts are the same but the way that each is achieved will vary. Some features may not be available for some browsers and versions. Any given browser will have its own special features. Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator / Communicator are the most commonly used browsers.

If you're new to the Web you can try sampling some selected Web sites in an activity designed to help you Finding Your Place in CyberSpace.

Basic skills - I can:

• Launch my browser and know my way around the opening screen
  Please explain!

• Read URLs and understand each component
  Please explain!

• Recognise a web page (often called homepages)
  Please explain!

• Browse the web by clicking on hypertext links
  Please explain!

• Navigate where I've been before by using the Back & Forward buttons and the Go menu
  Please explain! (scroll to 'Net navigating with the toolbar')

• Use a search engine to do simple searches of the World Wide Web
  Please explain!

• Store the sites that I may want to visit again (bookmarks or favourites)
  Please explain!

• Revisit sites I have stored as Bookmarks or Favourites

• Organise sites I have stored as Bookmarks or Favourites

• Send mail from my browser

• Turn images off, use the STOP button, cache and "find" features so that my "surfing" is faster
  Please explain!

• Reload a webpage after turning images on/off
  Please explain - this one is really easy (once you know how)!
  Netscape - click the 'reload' button
  Internet Explorer - click on the 'refresh' button

More Advanced Skills - I can:

• Conduct advanced searches using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NEAR)
  Please explain!

• Alter the preferences in my browser to:

  • choose the homepage that loads when I launch my browser
    Please explain! (scroll to 'harnessing the browser'

  • enter my email settings
    Please explain! (scroll down to activity 2)

  • expire the visited links on the page I am on

  • alter my cache settings

• Check to see what plugins my browser has