1 Internet and Intranet Component 2

2 Assessment Outcomes 7H - Describe the use of search engines on the internet 7I - Describe common contemporary applications 7J - Discuss the possible effects of the internet upon professional groups and the wider community

3 Search Engines Search engines allow you to search the Internet!All search engines have ways of filtering results. for example, in Google, you can search not only for only images by selecting the Images button, but also the type of image you want, the size, the rights associated with the image and so on. See the image on the left as an example

4 Search Engine IndexingWhen you need to find something in a book, you usually go to the index at the back of the book or sometimes the chapter headings at the front. If you didn't have an index to search through in a book, you would have to go through each page in turn, scanning through all the words from top to bottom of each page. You would have to do this each time you wanted to find something in particular and it would take you a long time. Search engine indexing, also called web indexing, is the act of looking at web pages and other digital information, breaking them down to see what information is stored in them and then storing that data so that the information can be searched for and retrieved as quickly as possible and as accurately as possible. Although an index takes up additional storage space, and indexing needs to be regularly done to keep it up-to-date, which takes extra processing time, the benefits in terms of how quickly and accurately information can be found far outweigh the drawbacks.

5 Search Engines How indexing worksCompanies that provide search engines such as Yahoo or Google use software robots known as 'web crawlers' or 'spiders' to find web pages to index. These are stored in data centres around the world. When you search for something, the algorithms developed by companies start searching their data centres for relevant matches. The algorithms include a whole range of criteria, including how recently a web page was added or updated, how many words are on the web page, the metadata used, what sort of information it holds (the text, what language, types of pictures, videos, links etc), recommendations to the site, links to the site from other sites, the web site title and address and so on. As results are collected together, they are ranked and then displayed, so that you get the most relevant results at the top of your search results. All of this happens in a fraction of a second!

6 Ranking Criteria The site should be informative, relevant and updated regularly. Metadata should be added using the Title, Description and Keywords tags in HTML pages. Websites should be actively submitted to search engines, to tell them that your website exists and should be indexed. For example, you can submit your website to Google here: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/submit-url?pli=1 Your site should be linked to from as many other sites as possible, as search engines view this as a good indication that a website is recommended. This can be done by submitting your website to online directories, by making it easy for other people to link to you by giving them a clickable tool to link to you, by ensuring that you are active on social media sites and provide links to your website, and by offering to exchange links with other web site owners. 

7 Googles formula - PageRankPageRank is based around the idea that the more links there are to a web page, the more important it is. If peers link to one of your web pages then it must be a good sign that the web page is probably useful, relevant, up- to-date, informative and worth being higher up a list of results than a web page that has no links to it. PageRank works by assigning a numerical weighting to each web page in a website, looking at, for example, the number and quality of links to each web page (amongst other factors). Each link is considered a 'vote' for the web page. It also looks at the number of links on the web page that is linking to a web page it is ranking! If someone links to a page on your website from one of their web pages, and they have in turn many links from other people to that web page, then they are probably more 'important‘ The web page that linked to you and has also lots of links on their webpage will have a more important vote when it comes to working out the ranking of your web page compared to someone who no one links to. However, if they start putting too many links on a web page, this is picked up by PageRank and the importance of their vote is decreased. Other factors that might affect a ranking include how frequently a web page is updated, the age of links to and from web pages, how 'good' the domain name is and so on. PageRank is constantly being adapted and improved. VIDEO

8 Problems with PageRankWhenever people work out how an algorithm works, how algorithms are used to rank search engine returns, they can be manipulated. Google Bombs are a case in point. This is where a group of people agree to artificially increase the ranking of a web page by artificially linking words and phrases to it. Google adjusted its algorithms to counter Google bombs but the problem still exists. Link farming is another method used. This is where links are created in web pages to other web pages automatically using software, but without any concern as to how relevant the links are. You may well have come across web pages that are essentially just full of links to other web pages. This may be a link farm. Again, Google is proactive in its fight against link farming but the battle never ends! 

9 Intranets This is a system that provides the same kind of facilities as the Internet but they are only available from within the organisation itself and runs from a local server, so web pages of information can be accessed very quickly. Users on the Internet, however, may be able to dial into an organisation's Intranet and use the Intranet's resources. This might be very useful, for example, for a customer to get access to specialised technical data or for a salesman to check availability from a database kept on the Intranet or for a company to advertise itself

10 Extranets “an intranet that can be partially accessed by authorized outside users, enabling businesses to exchange information over the Internet in a secure way” The difference between an intranet and an extranet is: An intranet is a network where employees can create content, communicate, collaborate, get stuff done, and develop the company culture. An extranet is like an intranet, but also provides controlled access to authorized customers, vendors, partners, or others outside the company.5 For many, words such as intranet and extranet can cause a fair amount of confusion. It can be difficult to differentiate between the two, especially for those who have never used them in the past.

11 Professional Groups – Positive EffectsThe Internet has allowed people from all over the world to communicate and share ideas and feeling. Societies which are relatively closed or restricted are able to get information that they wouldn't have had access to before e.g. Chinese living in China and the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Online campaigns can be started by anyone and can go global very quickly. You can raise money for business ventures online through crowd funding and bypass traditional systems such as banks e.g. https://www.fundable.com/ Hobbies can be shared globally and new hobbies created e.g. Geocaching. Professional groups can share ideas and research easily and research any particular topic. Professionals can communicate instantly across the globe using VOIP services, SMS, the phone or . Second opinions can be looked for if you have a medical issue and help from online support groups are available. There are numerous self-help and how-to resources, everything from how to prevent sleep walking to how to make pancakes. Education is now potentially available to all (assuming you can get access to a computer).

12 Professional Groups – Negative effectsWhilst there are many helpful support groups, there are also groups set up to share information that should not be shared, especially to youngsters or vulnerable individuals, who would be better off supported by trained professionals. There is nothing stopping anyone putting anything on the Internet. There is a lot of rubbish out there, which is why any research you do needs to be confirmed using a number of reliable sources. It is sad but there are individuals who like to defame, stalk and generally make someone's life a misery. The Internet makes that easy to do. Some people post things quickly that they regret later, because it is so easy to do instantly. There are many examples of people posting things on Facebook or Twitter, for example, which has led to them getting into very hot water. Terrorist groups have been able to use the Internet to spread information and misinformation about themselves, their aims and activities. This can seriously damage young people or people with problems. Over-reliance on the Internet can be a problem. For example, diagnosing a medical issue yourself on the Internet is never a wise thing to do. The way some medical self-help web sites are set-up, you would think that we can all be fully trained doctors by just clicking on a web site.