1. Home - return to the first page of this website.
2. Folder - go to the Table of Contents of the section that you are viewing.
3. Index - go to the General Index of this website.
4. Previous - go to the previous page.
5. Next - go to the next page.
6. Help - go to the Help page for that section.

How can I view a page?

To view an internet page, you have to know an internet address. Using a web browser (most internet service providers will give you with a browser to use), you can enter this address on the internet address area. For America Online users, click on Keyword, then enter the address. For Compuserve users, click on Go (from the Menu), then enter the address. In Netscape, there is an internet address line at the top of your window.

The internet address is commonly known as an URL (Uniform Resource Locator). For most pages or documents on the internet, the URL will appear in format with the following elements:

1. http:// (hypertext transfer protocol with a colon and two forward slashes)
2. domain name/ (name of company or organization, often an acronym, finishes with a forward slash. The domain often has a suffix like .com, .gov, .org or .edu. This 3-character suffix is assigned to the internet domain registrant by Internic and denotes that the domain belongs to a company, government body, organization or educational institution. Sometimes you will see a suffix like .ei, .au, .za, .ca, etc. which indicate that the domain originates from Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Canada, etc.)
3. directory name / (internet pages are usually organized into a hierarchy of directories, and as such, may have several words, numbers or characters separated by a forward slash. Some sites may not have a directory name.)
4. Page or document name (most internet documents end with .htm or .html to indicate that they have been written for the internet).

Example:     about.htm
In this example, the domain is "users.aol.com", the directory is "cullinanms" and the document name is "about.htm".

Return to Top

What is a hypertext link?

A hypertext link serves as a quick method for a user to move around a document, move to a different document, or connect to a different URL. The link is activated once the cursor has been positioned over the hypertext region and selected (by clicking on the region). In addition, hypertext links can be used to execute applications, initiate email messages, run sound or movie files, etc.

Hypertext links can be either icons (pictures), graphics, buttons or highlighted text. Usually text will appear in a different colour (different from the body of text) or underlined or both. Non-text links often have a coloured line surrounding them, and in some cases, the cursor will change shape (from a pointer to a hand) when it passes over mapped hypertext links.

Often, hypertext links which have been visited usually change colour to indicate that the link has been executed.

Return to Top

What is an email address?

An email address (electronic mail) permits the transmission of files--from binary code, graphics, formatted and unformatted text electronically. To transmit these files, it is necessary to know the destination or receiver of the file, which is an email address. This address is composed of the following elements:

1. Name of Receiver (often an 8-character name or User ID)
2. Service Provider (the company or organization where the Receiver is located).
3. Internic Extension (the 3-character registrant indicator, preceded by a period).

Example:

joeschmoe@myispco.com

Return to Top

Can I print these pages?

From your browser menu, select Print. With most internet browsing applications, a printer icon will appear, and once clicked, it will generate the print job.

Return to Help Topics

Where can I write for more information?

If you would like more information on the Cullinan & Cullinane Family Genealogy Project, you can write to the Editor at the following address:

Michael S. Cullinan
2715 Ulster Crescent
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 8J5 CANADA

If you have access to email, you can send all queries or comments to the following email address:
Click Here
     

Return to Top

Can I copy text from this homepage?

To copy text from most internet pages (MS Windows users):

1. Position your cursor at the beginning of the text which you would like to copy.
2. With your left mouse button depressed, drag your cursor in a downward motion so that all of this text is highlighted.
3. Release the mouse button. The text to be copied will be highlighted.
4. Position your cursor over the highlighted text, then click the right mouse button.
5. Choose Copy.
6. The text has now been copied to the clipboard and can be deposited in any Windows-based application. For example, you can now go to your word processing application and paste the text in a document. In most applications, you will find an icon or a menu option which will allow you to Paste the text.

Return to Top

Why don't these pages print with the graphics? If you are using a black and white printer, dot matrix or monochrome (single colour) printer, your printer will not be capable of printing these colour graphics. Instead, you may find that while the text prints without difficulty, the graphics are either too dark or do not show at all. Only printers capable of greyscale printing will be able to print photographs and other graphics found in these web pages.

Most colour printers are not able to distinguish the detail, saturation and intensity of the graphics. To overcome this problem (if you wanted to print out a colour graphic), you can download the graphic to your computer and then print it using a MS Paint brush, MS Powerpoint, Corel Presentations, Corel Wordperfect, or another productivity software programs. The downloading process is described under the topic "How do I download a picture from the site?"

Return to Top

Can I save a page to a folder?

Your Internet browser usually comes equipped with a feature that will allow you to save the text file and formatting code to your computer. These programs may vary one to the next, but usually follow predictable steps. Instructions:

1. The page must be displayed in your browser.
2. From the File menu, select Save As (or Save As File). Select this option.
3. A window will appear and will suggest a directory location or file name where the page can be saved. If you want to save it as an internet file, you must save the file with the suffix .htm
4. Click on OK.

How Can America Online Users Get a Copy of Netscape Navigator? America Online has an agreement with Netscape which enables its users to obtain a free copy of the Netscape browser. The following instructions will help you obtain a copy of this browser:

1. Log On to AOL.
2. From the Go menu, select Keyword.
3. Enter Netscape, then press Go.
4. America Online will guide you through all of the steps which are required for you to download this software.

Return to Top

How do I download a picture from the site?

Not all internet browsers will allow you to download graphics. To download a graphic file, try the following steps:

1. The page must be displayed in your browser.
2. Position your cursor over the graphic image which you would like to copy.
3. Using the right mouse button, click on the graphic.
4. A window will appear with an option to Save Graphic (or Save Picture As). Select this option.
5. A window will appear and will suggest a directory location or file name where the graphic can be saved. If you want to save it as a graphic file, you must save it with its graphic suffix (e.g., eire.gif). Click on OK.
6. The graphic will be saved on your computer and can be incorporated with many applications which support GIF or JPEG file formats.

Return to Top

How do I download a file from the Download page?

To download a file from the Download page:

1. The Download page must be displayed in your browser.
2. Position your cursor over the hypertext file which you would like to download.
3. Click on the hypertext link.
4. A window will appear with an option to Download the file. Select this option.
5. A window will appear and will suggest a directory location or file name where the file can be saved. You can choose the directory where the file is to be stored, but Windows will recommend the filename automatically; changing the filename may prevent you from accessing the file. Click on OK.
6. The file will be downloaded to your computer and can be examined in greater detail after you have finished your internet session.

Return to Top

Why do graphics take so long?

Graphic images are generally larger in size than the internet pages (text) on which they appear. Many of these pages contain large graphics files which may take a few seconds for the graphics to load to your browser, depending on:

1. The send/receive speed of your modem
2. The retrieval and display speed of your computer
3. The transfer rate from your internet service provider, and
4. The activity of the site.

The following topic discusses ways to speed up the transfer.

Return to Top

What can I do to increase the speed of document transfer?

In most cases, there is little that can be done to speed up document transfer rate. Here are a few suggestions which may be useful in increasing the speed.

1. Close other windows when browsing the internet.
2. Disable TSR (Terminal Stay Run) programs such as Screen savers.
3. Disable graphics (in Browser preferences or settings).
4. Increase your modem speed to 14,400 or 28,800 or a higher setting. Currently, industry standard is 56 kbps.
5. Purge unnecessary files from your cache (applies to AOL and Compuserve users).
6. Decrease the web browser's display resolution.

Return to Top

How do I create my own homepage?

There are many internet authoring products available in the market today. These pages have been created in Corel Presentations and Corel Wordperfect, products which I would recommend for this purpose if they provided more internet tools and formatting options. Netscape Navigator has recently come out with some excellent software, fully capable of handling forms, tables and graphics which other products do not support. Caution: Be sure that the software is capable of creating files which can be accessed by the greatest number of browsers.

Larger internet service providers supply users with software which can create web pages. Call your internet service provider for details (or connect to the Help Desk if the ISP offers on-line technical support). Generally speaking, the software should be free of charge.

I would suggest that users examine the numerous products available through the internet at Jumbo, a site which serves as a repository for 'freebie' software and limited trial time products. Try http://www.jumbo.com for trial versions of internet page authoring software such as HOTDOG or Netscape.

Return to Top

How do I keep costs down on my Internet account?

Your first few months in cyberspace can add up quickly so I have added this topic to help users decrease internet cost. Most new users are exposed to the internet through either educational institutions (where access is free), through their employers (where access may be monitored or charged to the user) or through heavily marketed internet brokers such as Compuserve, Prodigy or American Online (which can wind up costing an arm and a leg). So to keep costs down--and therefore increase your enjoyment of your internet experience, here are a few ideas:

1. Get an inexpensive internet account from a local service. You may wish to have two accounts--one which you can use to browse until the sun comes up, and the other which you could use to send and receive mail.
2. If you intend to use 'Chat Mode' or meeting rooms, you can expect to use up your internet time quickly.
3. If you want to spend a lot of time browsing, increase the maximum number of free hours from say 10 hours a month to 20 hours (many ISPs offer the additional hours for a much lesser cost than what you might pay if you overrun the minimum time by a few hours).
4. Write your correspondence off-line, and once completed, connect to your internet service and copy the text into the mail message using cut and paste.
5. Save internet time by writing down or bookmarking sites which interest you. Most browsers come with the ability to add an URL to a list, so that you can connect to a site quickly. The next time you want to re-visit a site, you will be able to connect quickly and avoid flowing through a labyrinth of web pages.
6. If you have difficulties in downloading files or connecting to web sites, demand that the ISP reimburse you for lost time. For AOL users, go to Keyword Credit and enter the details (they will usually respect your request). Compuserve and other ISPs have a similar feature, so check with the Help module.
7. Use Search engines with discretion--check their advice for effective search strings or terms so that the search returns meaningful results. I recommend Yahoo and WebCrawler for quick lookups.
8. Avoid (if you can) ISPs which require connection to 800/888 numbers as these charges are often added to your costs. Long distance connection costs can be reduced by calling in off-peak hours with a good tariff plan with your telephone company.
9. If you get unwanted mail--such as sales promotions--report these to your ISP as this practice goes against the grain of the internet etiquette (known as netiquette). Be sure to copy the email to your ISP. The practice of mass distribution of unsolicited mail is called SPAMMING and sanctions can be brought against repeat offenders.

Return to Top