Search Engines (Google)

The Internet is a sea of information. To make your job easier when searching, there are search engines to analyze and register the Internets’ contents to allow you to search and find what interests you. Some sites are Google, Bing and Yahoo! Below we use Google, as an example of a search engine.

Step 1: Define Your Search
Visit Google (www.google.com). Identify what type of information you’re searching for. The Google home webpage displays the general content in the web browser. However, if what you are looking for is news, an image, a video then click on the corresponding link on the upper-left bar of the screen.

Step 2: Create You Key Words
The rule of thumb is the more or better key words the better your search results will be. If you wish to find information about scholarships then type ‘scholarship’ in the search bar and click enter. A large list of results will appear. If you add other key words to your search such as ‘scholarship’, ‘university’, and ‘application’, the results will be narrowed and more precise to what you are looking for.

Step 3: Refine your Search
Although the Internet has a lot of material in many languages, the majority is in English. If you prefer English then utilize that language in your searches. In the prior example, the search results were good results but many of the options may have been out of the United States. If you add the word ‘college’ your result will be more appropriate.

Step 4: Define the Language
Google and other search engines tend to give any results in English, even for searched results in other languages. If English is not your prime language, use Google in Spanish (www.google.com/int/ed) or adjust your search preferences by clicking on ‘Search settings’ and select English and Spanish.

Step 5: Use Quotes
If you use quotes between your words and/or phrases in your search the system will look for pages only that contain the exact words and/or phrases within the quotes. For example, if you search for the words “How to fill out FAFSA” between quotes, the system will display only webpage’s with that exact phrase.

Need additional assistance with this lesson?
E-mail questions@club-digital.com or call 888-534-4820

Please note that the following lessons are educational in nature and intended solely to enhance understanding of the opportunities afforded by the Internet.  Companies and websites, as well as products and services, identified in these lessons are provided as examples only.  Neither Club Digital nor any of its sponsors endorses or recommends any of the companies, websites, products, or services identified in these lessons, and further disclaim any responsibility or liability for any activity by such companies, including the operation of their websites, or for any of their products or services.

Be a Twitter User

Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a social media site on the Internet that gives you the option to be micro-blogging, which is the publication and diffusion of small text messages referred to as ‘tweets’, which cannot be any more than 140 characters long.  Twitter is just one example of many different social media sites available.

Step 1: Create an Account
Visit www.twitter.com and click the ‘Sign Up’. It will request that give your name, email, define your username, and password. Choose a username which will clearly identify you or the organization you wish. Choose wisely, it will be the way you are identified on Twitter.

Step 2: Follow and Have others Follow You
Once you are a registered user click ‘Sign In’ at the top right hand corner of the screen. If you have friends that are on Twitter, find them and begin following them. Once you are following your friends their tweets will appear on your page. They too, can follow you and once they are your tweets will appear on their page. You may also follow famous people and/or organizations you like.

Step 3: Tweet for the First Time
Messages of 140 characters are the essence of Twitter. Write what you wish to tweet in the ‘What’s Happening’ box, the system will tell you how many characters you have typed, once your done click ‘Tweet’ to send out your first tweet. You may include links to webpage’s in your tweets. To abbreviate web links or web addresses to not waste character space use services like Bit.ly or Ow.ly.

Step 4: Retweet
Retweets (RT) are messages from people you follow and you choose to tweet them as well. To retweet any message you see, place your mouse cursor over the desired tweet and click ‘Retweet’ located below the message. You may also respond to tweets directly by clicking ‘Reply’.

Step 5: Use Hash-tags
Hash-tags identified by the # sign, reflect specific themes or issues. By including a hash-tag in your tweet, for example #hispanics, your tweet will appear in any search or list with that same hash-tag. Twitter also offers a ‘Trends’ option which refers to what is being used often at the moment in Twitter.

Now that you know how to use Twitter, you can follow Club Digital at http://twitter.com/clubdigital_usa

Need additional assistance with this lesson?
E-mail questions@club-digital.com or call 888-534-4820

Please note that the following lessons are educational in nature and intended solely to enhance understanding of the opportunities afforded by the Internet.  Companies and websites, as well as products and services, identified in these lessons are provided as examples only.  Neither Club Digital nor any of its sponsors endorses or recommends any of the companies, websites, products, or services identified in these lessons, and further disclaim any responsibility or liability for any activity by such companies, including the operation of their websites, or for any of their products or services.

Create a Facebook Account

There are many social networking website, where you can interact with friends and share information about yourself. In this lesson we utilize Facebook (www.facebook.com), as an example of one social networking site.

Step 1: Create your Account
Visit www.facebook.com. At the very bottom of the webpage you can see the languages that you can select from. Click ‘Spanish’. To begin creating an account you will need to state your first name, last name, email address, sex, date of birth, and create a password. Click on ‘Register’ and complete the process.

Step 2: Basic Personal Information
Once you are registered, the system will display a screen where you can begin searching for friends with their email or name. If you wish to do this click ‘Find Friends’. To skip this step click ‘Skip this Step’. The system will then ask you for some of you personal information such as: where you have studied, or where you work. This will also allow you to find mutual friends. If you wish to skip this step, click ‘Skip’.

Step 3: Select a Profile Picture
You may choose a picture saved on your computer’s hard-drive or take one if you have a web camera connected to your PC. To use a saved picture off you hard-drive you will have to click ‘upload Picture’ then ‘Browse’ select the image you want to use as a profile picture and then click ‘Save and Continue’.

Step 4: Protect your Privacy
Go to the last page of the welcome screen and click ‘Control the Information I Share’. A page will then display ‘Control what I Share’, click on ‘Edit your Privacy Controls’. Select ‘Only Friends’ and click ‘Apply this Setting’. This way only your friends will be able to view your information. You can change this option later if you wish to, but before doing so really think about how much you would like to let everyone see.

Step 5: Verify your Account
Finally, you will need to confirm you account to verify you are who you say you are by validating your email address that you used when creating you Facebook account. Look in your email (the one you used) you will then see a welcome email from Facebook. Click on the link it provides within the email called ‘Complete your Account’. Your account has now been validated.

Now you can follow Club Digital on Facebook. “Like” us at www.facebook.com/ClubDigitalUSA!

Need additional assistance with this lesson?
E-mail questions@club-digital.com or call 888-534-4820

Please note that the following lessons are educational in nature and intended solely to enhance understanding of the opportunities afforded by the Internet.  Companies and websites, as well as products and services, identified in these lessons are provided as examples only.  Neither Club Digital nor any of its sponsors endorses or recommends any of the companies, websites, products, or services identified in these lessons, and further disclaim any responsibility or liability for any activity by such companies, including the operation of their websites, or for any of their products or services.