What about local information? Say I want to find a garden center near me?

No problem. The web works like a constantly updated directory of local services: you can track down a garden center, pet store, carpenter, builder, or any other company in an instant. Most businesses now have a website giving details of their services and contact information. To find the one you want, simply type in the type of company or service—“garden center” or “plumbing”—plus the name of your town or area. A list of local suppliers will appear in the results, and depending on the search engine you use, there may also be a map with pointers showing where they are located.

Can I trust the information I find on the web?

Anyone can produce a website, and so the information on any given website is no more or less reliable or rigorous than the person or organization that created it. It is down to you to assess the trustworthiness of a website—just as you would form an opinion about any person, company, or organization that you have dealings with. It’s all about judgment and common sense.

I don’t know how to assess a website though. What should I look for?

The main thing to consider is who runs it. (There should be a contacts or “about us” page that tells you this.) If it is a reputable national body, such as a charity or government department, then the information is likely to have been rigorously checked. Commercial websites want to sell you something, but some still have good information—they want to appeal to their customers and build a reputation for trustworthiness, after all. An individual’s website or one that is loaded with advertising is much less likely to be reliable. And anonymous, unreferenced text—which has no named writer or organization behind it—should be viewed with a sceptical eye. (There is more information about assessing information here.)

Find what you want on the web

Search engines are a vital component of the web. They are designed to help you find the desired needle of fact in a vast haystack of information. But to get the best from a search engine, you need to frame your query in terms that its computer brain can understand.

1. Start with word association. Search engines work by scanning the web for the words you type in (keywords). So think what combinations of words are likely to be on the page or in the answer that you’re hoping to find. So, if you are looking for places to stay in Canada, the most direct and fruitful search would be “hotel Canada”—or, better still, “Hotel Quebec” or “Hotel Toronto.”

2. Quote marks are a tool. If you put a phrase in double quotes when you search, the engine will seek out exactly that phrase in web pages. This can be useful if you are trying to find the author of a line of poetry (just type in the line, or part of it, inside double quotes) or if you want to find a statistic such as “population of the world in 1850.” But don’t submit queries such as “How tall is the Eiffel tower” because you will exclude all the sites that don’t include the question in that exact form of words. Better to type “height Eiffel Tower,” without quotes.

3. Say what you don’t want. If you want to exclude a word from your search, type that word with a minus sign before it. Say you need a video of cats for a talk on feline behavior, but when you type “cats” all you get are cute “outtakes” of cats falling off sideboards. Try searching on “cats -funny”; that will weed out all the hits that are labeled as funny.

4. Say what’s essential, too. If you put a plus sign before a word, this tells the search engine that this word must be present on all the pages it displays in the results. So “four seasons +hotel” brings up search results that always have the words “four seasons” associated with the hotel chain (rather than with the music of Vivaldi, the pizza, or the times of the year).

5. Don’t worry too much about spelling. Search engines usually offer you alternatives to the word you searched on if there is a more popular spelling. So if you type in “elephonts,” the search engine will recognize the misspelling and ask you if you meant to type “elephants,” with a clickable link that takes you straight to search results for “elephants.” (But if you are in fact searching for, say, a rock band that’s called Elephonts, then you can reject the search engine’s prompt.)

6. Let the search engine itself answer your query. Some, such as Google and Ask.com, offer instant results, with no click-through needed. So you can type, say, “convert 1 inch to cms”—and you’ll be shown the answer straight away. Tap in “capital Lithuania” and the word “Vilnius” will pop up almost before you finish typing the keywords.

7. Search single websites. Type “site:” then the simple name of the website (without the www.) directly after, with no space, then your search words. For example, “site:msn.com berlin” brings up any pages on msn.com that have the word “Berlin” on them.

8. Take your search to a higher level. All search engines have “advanced options.” They are not advanced in the sense that you need special skills to use them. They are just a set of more detailed restrictions on the results that you get back. They allow you to choose to see results in particular languages or that originate in specified countries, among other things.

9. There’s more than words. Most search engines look for text as a default, but they also allow you to search through images, videos, shopping products, maps, news, and more. Have a look at what your search engine offers in the way of extra searches like this and try them out.

10. Don’t be misunderstood. If, say, you were searching for information about breast cancer, it is possible that some explicit content might be among the results. But you can specifically filter out such material. On the Google home page, type in or click on Settings, then tick the box under SafeSearch Filters that says Filter explicit results. On Bing, click the gear icon at the top right and under SafeSearch select the appropriate setting. In Yahoo!, perform a search and then to the right of the search box you’ll see the Options menu, which may appear as a gear icon. Click on this and select Preferences. Then in the SafeSearch section, click Edit to tailor the options.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR BROWSER

What should I use as my home page?

It can be good to stick with the default home page set by your browser—Chrome takes you to a tailored home page (called the New Tab page) that includes Google search as well as icons for the pages you use most often, for example. But if you want to change it, choose a site you often view—your favorite news page or a social media site such as Facebook. Alternatively, you may want to choose a search engine or webmail page.

How do I change my home page?

This is simple to do, but the method varies depending on the browser you are using.

In Internet Explorer

• Go to the website you want. Click on the gear icon at the top right of the screen, then select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.

• A new window will appear. Select the General tab and under Homepage click on Use Current. The address of the page you are currently viewing should appear in the address box. Click OK.

In Chrome

• Go to the site you want and copy its web address in full (highlight the full address and click Ctrl/Cmd+C).

• Click on the three-lines icon at the top right of the screen, then select Settings from the drop-down menu.

• A new window will appear. Under Appearance, where it says Show Home button, click on Change, and then paste in the address of the site you copied. Click OK.

• If you want to change back to the New Tab page at any point, all you need to do is repeat the process but select the Use the New Tab page option instead of pasting in the web address.

In Safari and Firefox

• Go to the Safari or Firefox menu, then select Preferences. Select the General icon, then type in (or copy from the address bar) the web address you want into the Homepage bar.

Multitasking on a browser

Can I have more than one website open at a time?

It’s very useful to keep one website open while you visit another, and all the commonly used browsers allow you to do this. It is like having a pile of books open on your desk: you don’t have to close one and put it away before you move onto the next.

One way to open a second web page while keeping the first on-screen is simply to open a new window (press Ctrl+N, or Cmd+N if you have a Mac). If you are on a PC and want to open a link in a new window, click with the right-hand mouse button; a pop-up menu appears, and you should choose Open Link in New Window.

I don’t like having too many windows open at once, though.

This is where the tab function comes in handy. It allows you to see all the different pages that you have open—they are neatly displayed at the top of the screen, and look like those old-fashioned files that you used to find in a filing cabinet. All you need do to bring up the web page is click on the correct tab. You can even move tabs around by grabbing the tab you want to move (click and hold to do this), moving it to the position you want, and then releasing the mouse button to drop it.

The easiest way to open a new tab is to click to the right of the existing one—depending on your browser, there may be a small “+” symbol here or a blank tab. Alternatively press Ctrl/Cmd+T. Click the X button at the top right-hand corner to close the tab (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox); if you are using Safari, the X is on the left.

Do tablets and phones use tabs?

They do. They may look exactly the same as on a computer. Or else you may see an icon consisting of two overlaying rectangles—, like a couple of sheets of paper—at the bottom of the screen. (This is how the Safari app on an iPhone works, for example.) Tap this icon to see what pages you have open: the pages will come up in a kind of floating stack. You can bring a page to the fore by tapping on it, or close a page by tapping the X in the corner.

Your browsing history

I was on a great website but can’t remember what it was called. How can I find it again?

Your browser keeps a record of the sites that you have visited in the past days or weeks. This feature is known as History. You can use this function to keep an eye on what any children have been looking at on the web, although this is by no means definitive since it is easy to edit.

• In Internet Explorer 10, on the View menu, click Explorer Bars then History. (If you can’t see the View menu, right-click in the blank area above your Internet window and make sure Menu Bar is ticked.) Click on any of the dates listed on the left to open up a list of the websites you visited.

• In Safari, Firefox, and Chrome, click on History from the menu at the top of your screen. In the drop-down menu that appears, you will see a list of the last websites that you visited. Click on any of these to view the website. Below this in Safari you will see the rest of the week’s browsing history, organized into day folders; click on Show All History (Firefox) or Show Full History (Chrome) to view earlier history.

Can I change the length of time that my browsing history is stored?

It depends on the browser that you are using.

• In Internet Explorer 10, click on the gear icon, then select Internet options from the drop-down menu, then the General tab in the window that appears. Next, click on Settings and tailor them to your needs.

• In Safari, go to the Safari menu, then select Preferences. Click on General in the window that appears. Change Remove history items to your preferred time period using the pop-up menu.

• In Firefox and Chrome, the browser itself determines how many pages can be kept—so you can only choose between remembering the history or disabling it altogether (find out how to disable your history opposite).

What if I want to delete my browsing history? I have been shopping for gifts, and I don’t want to leave any clues!

Many people want to keep their browsing history private for a variety of reasons. It is very easy to do:

• In Internet Explorer 10, click on the gear icon, then Internet options from the drop-down menu, then the General tab in the window that appears. Under Browsing History click Delete, then select what you wish to remove and click Delete again.

• In Safari, go to the History menu. At the bottom of the drop-down menu, you will see Clear History. Click on this to remove the record of the websites you have visited.

• In Chrome, click on the three-lines icon, select History, and click Clear Browsing History. Select the time period you require and then click on Clear browsing data.

• In Firefox, go to the History menu and select Clear Recent History. Choose the required time range from the window that pops up, and click Clear Now.

I don’t like the idea of my history being stored at all. Can I prevent this?

Many people are concerned about privacy and tracking on the Internet, and want to browse anonymously. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to do this, and browsers have made it easier for you:

• In Internet Explorer 10, click to open a new tab and select InPrivate Browsing on the new tab screen.

• In Safari, go to the main Safari menu and select Private Browsing.

• In Chrome, click on the three-lines icon and select New Incognito Window from the menu, or press Ctrl/Cmd+shift+N.

• In Firefox, on the Mac go to the Tools menu and select Start Private Browsing. On the PC, select New Private Window from the File menu.

If you browse anonymously, your browser will not keep a record of any websites you visit. Similarly, any files you download (copy) onto your computer will not be recorded in your download history.

Is my search engine keeping track of the websites I visit?

Well, yes, it probably is. Any searches made from the same computer are tracked and kept by search engines for a fixed period of time. They can also be viewed by your ISP. That information is then analyzed statistically, along with everyone else’s searches, to give search engines an idea of what people want to know from them. Tracking also helps to spot fraudulent or criminal activity. Some search engines make a point of not storing any user details, and these include DuckDuckGo; you can also choose to search anonymously (see here).

Favorites and other useful features

There are some websites I use a lot. How can I remember what they are?

You are bound to have websites that you visit frequently. All browsers have a function that lets you list the websites that you visit most often; these can then be loaded quickly, without having to type in the address. In Internet Explorer this feature is called Favorites; in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, it’s Bookmarks. It is extremely useful, and you may find yourself gathering a large, eclectic set of bookmarks quite quickly.

A word of advice: keep them current by regularly deleting the ones that you no longer use, or organize them into folders from the start—otherwise you’ll end up with an unwieldy list of websites.

How do I use Favorites or Bookmarks?

You need to be viewing a website in order to add it to your Favorites or Bookmarks. So type in the URL to get there. Then:

In Internet Explorer

• Click on the little star icon at the top right of the browser window and select Add to favorites; a small window appears with the name of the web page—edit this to a shorter and more recognizable name.

• Create a new folder by clicking the New folder button next to it (choose a name that will make sense to you later—News Sites, say). Alternatively, click the Create inbox to put the website into a folder you have set up previously. Click on Add once you have chosen the right place.

• To load one of your Favorites, simply click the star icon. You’ll see a list of saved web pages and folders. Click on a folder to open it, then click on the web page you want to visit.

In Chrome

• Click on the star icon at the far right of the address bar, and a small Bookmarks box opens. Here, you can change the name of the web page to something recognizable. Then click the arrow next to Add to folder to bring up a list of folders; select the one you want to store the page in. Or select Choose another folder and click on New folder to create one.

• To load a website stored in your Bookmarks, click on Bookmarks at the top right of the screen to bring up a list of folders; select the one you want by clicking on it, then click on the required web page.

In Firefox

• Click on the star icon at the right side of the address bar; in the small box that pops up you can change the name of the web page. Click the arrow next to Folder to bring up a list of folders. Select the one you want. To create a new folder, click on Choose, then click the “+” symbol. Give the new folder a name, and click Done.

• To go to a site stored in your Bookmarks, click on the star icon at the top of the screen and select Show All Bookmarks. Click through to the right web page.

In Safari

• Click the “+” symbol on the toolbar; in the box that appears you can edit the name of the web page. Click on the arrow button to bring up a list of folders, select the one you want to store the page in, and click Add. Create new folders using the Bookmarks menu at the very top of your screen.

• To view your bookmarked pages, click on the book symbol on your toolbar, and click on the right folder, then the page you want.

How to speed up your browser

If your browser seems sluggish, there are some things you can do to get it working faster:

1. Time for a spring cleaning. Clear your browsing history by deleting your browser’s history files (see here). Internet browsers store information about each website you visit. After a while, that data can begin to slow down the speed at which pages load.

2. Clean out your cache. Empty your browser’s cache of temporary Internet files—this is a folder on your hard drive where websites you have visited are stored by your browser to help speed up the time it takes to load the pages if you go back to them. There’s no need to clear them out regularly (unless you want to for privacy reasons). But it’s worth doing this from time to time because if it is full to bursting it will have the opposite to its intended effect and will slow your browser down.

To do this in Chrome, click on the three-lines icon, and then More Tools, Clear Browsing Data. Select Empty the cache and choose the time period, then click on Clear browsing data. In Firefox, click on Firefox, Preferences, Advanced, then Network. Here, you’ll see exactly how large your cache is and have the opportunity to clear it. In Internet Explorer click on the gear icon, then Safety, then Delete browsing history, and tick the option marked Temporary Internet files and website files. Then click Delete (make sure nothing else on that list is ticked, or you’ll delete that as well). Safari users should click Safari, then Empty cache.

3. Close the tabs. Tabs are a great feature as you can keep several web pages open at once and flick between them. If you find that your browser is slow and you have a lot of tabs open, close some of them and see if the speed improves (save them as bookmarks if needed). Each tab takes up memory on your device and is therefore slowing you down.

4. Rationalize your add-ons. Each add-on takes up space on your device, so don’t keep them unless they are useful (see here to find out about add-ons). To view your add-ons and delete any you don’t need, in Chrome go to the three-lines icon, More Tools, then Extensions; in Internet Explorer go to Tools, then Manage add-ons; in Firefox click Tools, then Add-ons; and in Safari go to Help, then Installed Plug-ins.

5. If you’ve tried all these fixes and your browser is still slow, consider switching to a different browser. Safari and Chrome are said to be fast browsers, possibly because they have fewer added extras than some other browsers. And consider upgrading your Internet speed with your ISP, as this may help enormously.

What about if I am on my smartphone?

Tablets and smartphones allow you to make Bookmarks or Favorites into folders, too. Go to your browser, and find Bookmarks or Favorites (a book or star icon). Click on Edit (on some phones this may be a pencil icon), and you should have the option to save to existing folders or to make a new one. On some phones, you can also save a web page to your home screen, where it will look like yet another app—this way, you can visit it with one tap.

There are some websites that I visit every time I go online. Is there a quicker way of loading these?

One of these top sites should be your home page, of course. But most browsers allow you to save web pages to the Favorites/Bookmarks toolbar, which is along the top of your screen. This means you can open the web page with a single click. You’ll find an option to place a website on the toolbar when you are saving it as a Favorite or Bookmark.

I can’t see my Favorites/Bookmarks toolbar. How do I find it?

If the bar isn’t visible:

• In Internet Explorer, right-click on the blank toolbar area at the top of the screen and select Favorites bar, which should now have a checkmark next to it. (Repeat to remove the checkmark and hide the Favorites bar.)

• In Safari, go to View and click on Show Bookmarks Bar.

• In Chrome in Windows, click on the three-lines icon, select Bookmarks, and then make sure there’s a tick next to Show Bookmarks Bar. On a Mac, go to View and select Always Show Bookmarks Bar.

• In Firefox, click on the star icon, and select View Bookmarks Toolbar.

I have loads of Favorites, but I haven’t organized them. Help!

You can organize your saved web pages at any point—though it can be a dull task. In Internet Explorer, click on the Favorites star icon at the top right of your browser window, then click the arrow next to Add to favorites. Now click Organize favorites. The box that appears contains a list of your Favorites. You can create new folders (click New folder, name it, then press Enter), click on links and drag them into folders, reposition your folders by clicking and dragging, and rename saved web pages or folders (click on the one you want to change, click on Rename, and press Enter). To delete a saved web page or folder, click on it and then click Delete. Once you are happy with your reorganization, click Close.

One handy tip if you can’t face doing this: alphabetize! All you need to do is right-click on any item, and then click Sort by Name.

How do I arrange my Bookmarks?

It’s a simple process but varies depending on the browser you are using:

• In Chrome, you can sort your Bookmarks by clicking on the three-lines icon , then on Bookmarks, then on Bookmark Manager. If you wish to order the links alphabetically, click on Organize and then Reorder by title. From that same Organize menu, you can also click to add a new folder or new page. To move pages into folders, drag and drop them across the screen to the desired folder.

• In Safari, on the Bookmarks bar click the open-book icon to open your bookmarks list. To add a new folder, click the “+” button at the bottom of the list on the sidebar at the left and type the name you want to give the folder. You can click and drag if you want to move them to a different place.

• In Firefox, click the star icon at the top right and choose Show All Bookmarks. A box with your bookmarks in it will pop up. If you want to alphabetize the links in any folder, right-click on that folder and select Sort By Name (or click and select this option in the three-lines menu). You can also move links and folders around by dragging and dropping them to the desired location on-screen. If you right-click on any folder, you can choose New Folder to create a new folder right there. (On a Mac, click on the gear icon and select New folder from there.)

I am always spotting articles online that I want to keep for later. Is there a way of saving web pages temporarily?

Yes, there is. In Safari, this feature is built in. It’s called Reading List, and the icon is a pair of spectacles. You click on this, and a window appears to the left of the browser. Click on Add to save the web page, and you can read it offline. You can look at your reading list at any time by selecting Show Reading List in the View menu at the top of the screen. Delete an item by passing your mouse over and clicking on the X to the right; or select Clear All. Other browsers also have similar functions, but they are add-ons: Read Later Fast in Chrome, and Read It Later in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

What exactly is an add-on?

It is an optional extra that you can add to your browser. Add-ons, extensions, or plug-ins are software programs that add something to the website you are using and allow it to perform other functions. The Readability feature mentioned here is an add-on. Few of them are essential—but many are useful, or might fit your particular needs. (There are add-ons that allow you to use diacritics in foreign language text, for example.) A browser add-on could be, say, a video player that allows you to watch movies on a website. If you don’t have the add-on required for that site, you won’t be able to make use of all the functions the site offers—for example, you might be able to just see text and not view videos.

How do I know what extras I need?

If you need a video player, say, then your browser will display a message across the top of the Internet page saying that a certain add-on (or plug-in) is required and asking you if you wish to install it. If you feel you need the add-on to get the full benefit of the page you are viewing, then follow the instructions and download it (only if you trust the source, of course). Or find your browser’s online store at iegallery.com, chrome.google.com, addons.mozilla.org, and extensions.apple.com, and see what is available. But don’t install add-ons unless you need them—they take up memory on your computer and may make your Internet experience slower.

Downloading, saving, and printing

What is downloading?

Downloading means copying a file from the Internet onto your computer. The process is easy:

1. Find the file you want—it may be on an official website that you trust or in your browser’s online store.

2. Click on the Download button.

3. Wait for the transfer to complete (you may be asked where you want to save the file first).

4. Find the file on your computer and double-click to open it.

5. When it opens, follow any set-up instructions.

If you are worried whether the add-on is safe to download, remember that up-to-date antivirus software will warn you not to download anything that is suspicious.

How do I save a web page?

In the same way as you save any document. Go to the File menu, and select Save As (or Save Page As on some browsers), then choose a location on your computer to save it to.

Can I save just the text?

Yes, you can. Some browsers allow you to save a text-only version when you do Save As. Alternatively, select the text you want to copy by using your mouse to highlight it. Then press Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy the text. Open word-processing software such as Microsoft Word, and press Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste the text into a new document. Then save that document wherever you want on your computer. You will probably need to change the font and size. Any links in the text will be preserved (so long as your word-processing software supports this)—if you click on them later, you’ll be taken straight to the relevant website. Saving just the text will be easier if you are viewing the page in Reader or Readability.

You can keep images on your computer, but remember that most are subject to copyright and can’t be used for professional or commercial purposes.

What about pictures—can I save those?

Yes, of course. If you are on a PC, you simply right-click on the image you want and select Save image as (or Save picture as). A window will then open; within this you can choose which existing folder you want to store the image in—or you can create a new folder to put it in. Give the image a name and click on Save. If you are on a Mac, simply click on the image and drag it onto your desktop. You can keep images on your computer, but remember that most are subject to copyright and can’t be used for professional or commercial purposes.

I want to print a web page. How do I do that?

A quick way to print a page in all browsers is to press Ctrl/Cmd+P. Alternatively, in Safari choose File then Print. In Chrome, click the three-lines icon and select Print. In Internet Explorer, click the gear icon and select Print, then click Print again on the new menu that opens. In Firefox, click the File menu and select Print.

Up pops a print box with a menu of print options that you can adjust. Once you’re happy with the options, make sure your printer is connected and switched on and click Print or OK. To close the print box, if you change your mind, click Cancel.

Sometimes a website will have a print button on the page, perhaps as an image of a page or a printer. If you click on this, a printer-friendly version of the page will load, so you’ll have a better result when you print, with the text aligned properly and no spurious items such as menu lists and advertisements.

SAFE BROWSING

Why do some websites ask me to create a username and password?

Shopping, email, and banking websites are among the sites that require you to have a personal account. This is so that you alone can view your own information and spend your money. Other sites, such as social networks, also need to know that you are who you claim to be.

What happens if I forget my password?

Don’t worry if the “memorable” password you chose does slip your mind. As well as setting a password, you may be asked to provide answers to some personal questions that enable the account to verify your identity if you forget your password. Answering a series of simple questions correctly, such as the name of your first pet, will allow your account access to be restored. (For extra security, it is a good idea to choose answers that aren’t actually true—perhaps use the name of a friend’s pet instead of your own if you think you can remember it.) After establishing that you are who you claim to be, some email providers may ask you to reset your password. Others may send you a verification code by text message on the contact number you provided when first setting up your account—you will be asked to enter it on-screen before your account access is restored.

I heard pop-ups can be dangerous, but I am not sure what they are.

A pop-up is, as the name suggests, a window that pops up unbidden on your screen. It’s okay if you know it’s a safe pop-up—for example, a download you have requested from a reliable website. However, there are other pop-ups that open up when you visit certain websites, without you requesting them to do so. These are usually advertisements and could be from safe or suspicious sources. The pop-ups themselves are safe; it’s the content in them that, if clicked, may not be. But they are annoying because they clutter up your screen and stop you viewing the website you are on.

Password protected

It is not safe to use the same password for different accounts. You need to create lots of strong passwords, and to change them often. Here are some key pointers.

1. Avoid the obvious, such as the word “password,” number sequences such as 123456, family or pet names, birthdays or anniversaries, and your phone number. Avoid words that can be found in the dictionary, which hackers can easily guess.

2. Longer is stronger, so make your password eight characters or more.

3. Use a collection of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks or symbols—if you want to use pandabear56, for example, try pañdåbr56. Include upper- and lowercase letters if the site allows this.

4. Better still, use poetry. It’s easier to remember a phrase than a random assemblage of characters. Take the first letter of each word from the lines of a favorite song or poem—for example, “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge starts: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/A stately pleasure-dome decree. This produces an unguessable password that reads IXdKKAsp-dd. Change your poem often.

5. Use different passwords for important accounts (such as your bank or online stores). For less important accounts, you could append a suffix—such as fb (for Facebook) or tw (for Twitter)—to the same “poetry” password.

6. If you can’t remember your passwords, write them down using some kind of code. (Try meaningful word associations that only you will understand.) Don’t make a file labeled “Passwords” on your computer!

7. Use an online password manager to generate passwords and keep them safe for you. Try LastPass (lastpass.com), RoboForm (roboform.com), or KeePass (keepass.info). Then all you need to do is remember one master password for the site.

What can I do to stop pop-ups?

Most browsers have a pop-up blocker that’s turned on automatically and stops all pop-ups from opening. If you’re unsure, you can check the settings. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, then select Pop-up Blocker and make sure it is turned on. In Chrome, load the Settings menu via the three-lines icon, and click on Show advanced settings. Under Privacy, click on Content Settings and scroll down to find the pop-ups section and alter the settings. In Firefox, click the Firefox button, then Preferences. Under Content, check that there’s a tick next to Block pop-up windows. In Safari, under Safari, click Block Pop-Up Windows.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of when browsing?

If you’re visiting European websites, you’re likely to come across a banner message (across the top or bottom of the screen) about cookies when you visit new sites. This informs you that the site uses cookies and asks for your consent for cookies to be used (or not) while you browse.

Most browsers have a pop-up blocker that’s turned on automatically and stops all pop-ups from opening.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files that websites install on your computer—generally for legitimate reasons. It is thanks to cookies that online shops recognize you when you visit (“Hello David, welcome back!”), saving you the trouble of logging on every time. In other words, websites use cookies to track your activity. When you load a site, your computer checks whether you have been there before and sends the cookie information to the site. The site may change the information it displays to you, so that you see something new. Some cookies track the time you spend on web pages, what you put in your shopping cart, and more. All of this can contribute to a more tailored experience.

Is it okay to have cookies on my computer, then?

Usually, they are a convenience to you and will enhance your experience of any website where you spend money, share personal information (such as social networks), or otherwise have customized the page to suit your needs. So, it’s not advisable to delete your cookies.

It is thanks to cookies that online shops recognize you when you visit, saving you the trouble of logging on every time.

I have noticed that I often see ads for things I have searched for online—is this connected to cookies?

This is called targeted advertising. Cookies can be used to build up a profile of you—based on what you do online. This information may then trigger personalized advertisements. It can be disconcerting to search for a watch, say, and then find an ad for this on your screen. But in a sense it is no different from what a supermarket does when you use a loyalty card.

I don’t like it. How can I stop it?

Here are two things you can do to help stop targeted advertising.

• Browsers can send a “Do not track” request to the websites that you visit. You will need to turn on this option in your browser settings. Be aware, however, that this is a request for websites not to track your browsing, rather than a guarantee that they won’t.

• It’s more effective to install an add-on that blocks advertising—the most popular is Adblock, which you can install from your browser’s extensions store, or from adblockplus.org. This will stop targeted and other ads from being displayed on the websites you visit.

What about deleting the cookies?

You can certainly delete cookies if you think the downsides outweigh the benefits. To do this:

• In Chrome, click on the three-lines icon, then Settings, then Show advanced settings. Under Privacy, click Clear browsing data, select the option of Cookies and other site and plug-in data, and click Clear browsing data.

• To remove cookies in Firefox, click on History, then Clear Recent History. From here you can set the time range and tick Cookies on the list (and nothing else), then click on Clear Now.

• In Internet Explorer 10, click on the Tools menu and select Delete browsing history. Then tick the box next to Cookies and select Delete.

• In Safari, go to Safari, Preferences, and then select the Privacy tab. Click on Details under Cookies to see a list of all cookies. You can either click Remove All or select individual cookies from the list to delete.

So, as long as I have antivirus software, is it safe to download from the web?

If you try to download anything that could be malicious software, your antivirus will flash up a warning and you should not proceed with the download. Remember, you must keep your antivirus updated to be sure it offers the best protection. But you should always take notice of the source of the download—is it a site you can trust? If not then avoid downloading anything from it. If you didn’t click on anything to make the download box appear, then the site is trying to make you download a file to your computer. This is another clue that it may not be safe or necessary.

What about my children—how can I make sure they are browsing safely?

There is plenty of safe, educational, and fun content available on the Internet for children. But it is essential to take steps to protect your children’s safety when they browse the web. The web is designed for all ages, and there is a lot of inappropriate content that can be viewed, whether intentionally or not. Both Windows PCs and Macs have parental controls that you can use to set time limits on computer use and restrict access to certain types of websites.

How do I set these controls?

In Windows, go to the Control Panel and select User Accounts and Family Safety. Then choose Set Up Parental Controls For Any User. On a Mac, open System Preferences in the Apple menu, select Parental Controls, and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also set parental controls on most browsers to help protect children from offensive language, nudity, sex, and violence.

Where do I find parental controls on my browser?

In Internet Explorer 10, click on the gear icon, then Internet options, then the Content tab. Click on Family Safety and follow the instructions to set up an account for a child and to set the restrictions on what they can and can’t see when browsing. If you use Safari, then you can also create a guest account for your child and enable parental controls. Go to System Preferences in the Apple menu and choose Accounts to do this. Chrome allows you to create a “supervised user” account for your child: You can allow certain websites and block others, as well as check what sites they have visited. Log in to Chrome, click on Settings in the three-lines menu and choose Add person under People. Firefox has something called FoxFilter that you can download from its online add-on store (see here). It allows you to block particular websites as well as any that contain inappropriate keywords. And if your child has a tablet or phone, you can install a parental controls app from the built-in app store.

Is there anything else I should do?

It’s unwise to rely solely on parental controls. The best way to protect your children is to talk to them and make them aware of how to stay safe online. An open conversation with a caring adult is the most effective tool for keeping them safe. It is also important to monitor their browsing: you need to know when they are online and what they are doing. Keep the computer in a living area, and position it so that you can see the screen as you go about your daily business. Make it a rule that mobile devices are not used in bedrooms, out of sight. Use the History function to check what websites your child is using (bearing in mind that this can easily be disabled). And insist that you know the passwords for sites they have joined, so that you can check their activity from time to time.

Six top tips for Internet safety

We have compared the Internet to a big city full of attractions and diversions. But like a big city, the Internet has its dark byways and risky neighborhoods. You need to know how to skirt round them—especially if there are young people in your household.

1. If you use a public computer to log onto email, a shopping site, or any website that requires you to log in, make absolutely certain that you log out again once you have finished; don’t just close the window. Staying logged in is like leaving your front door ajar: someone could happen by and gain access.

2. If, for whatever reason, you stop using an online bank account, or an Internet shop, or a social media site, then close your account. Don’t let it sit there dormant: Though it’s unlikely to happen, someone could get to it and exploit it.

3. If you have teenagers in your house, tell them to be careful about what they post on social networks. Say: Would you be happy for me, or a teacher or your grandmother, to see what you are saying? If not, then don’t post it. The same goes for you: avoid getting into online arguments (flame wars, as they are known) on social media sites.

4. Don’t share identifying information with people that you only know online. And never use your name, hometown, or age in your usernames.

5. Don’t give anyone else access to your online accounts or passwords. Make sure that all your accounts are protected by strong passwords.

6. Impress upon any young people in your household that they should never, ever arrange to meet people that they have only been in contact with on the web. If you or anyone in your household does Internet dating, then use a recommended, well-established company; and when you go on a date, make sure that you meet in a public place and that someone knows when and where it is taking place and the name of the person you are meeting.