Internet and Technology

We all know that due to inflation and the rising prices of the commodities we can save very little for us. At the end of the month when we calculate, the expense figure is incredible whereas there is hardly left for us to save. In this situation if you get quality, reasonable, reliable and outstanding service, won’t it be a blessing for you? I hope everyone one of us will agree on this point. So, while talking about your internet connection, let me advice you to take the best out of the lot.
Importance of Broadband Connection
Nowadays in the UK having a fast and speedy internet connection is a must in every organization, house, offices, shopping malls, cafes and others. Whether it is official work or any pass time or any other interesting things, everywhere internet is required. Computer and internet connection have become a part and parcel of our life, today more and more people are learning how to use computers so the need for faster speeds is growing. Even regular post is slowly getting replaced by quicker means of communication. Regular phones are also been replaced by a skype which is a cheaper way to communicate with people on the other side of the world. At this point of time if you see your internet connection working in a snail speed, won’t you feel irritated? To avoid this irritation of yours use Broadband internet connection. There are plenty of service providers with broadband offering you deals and packages all the time so it is worthwhile looking about before signing up. This is the high data speed internet connection that will match your speed of imagination.
How does broadband work
Before using this internet connection and decide whether the service will be right for you or not, it is very important to know how it works. Here below are some of the important points to learn from:-
• Broadband internet connection is a type of network which supports an extensive array of frequencies, usually from video to audio frequencies. Any broadband channel is able to carry several signals by separating the total capacity into independent, multiple bandwidth channels.
• The broadband connection uses the optical fiber to transmit the signals. This accounts for the higher connectivity, speed and retention capacity. Due to the higher speed, it takes just seconds to open a web page. Compared to other internet communication network, the broadband connection uses megabytes per second to transmit the signals.
• In some of the advanced broadband networks, the connectivity is done through the satellite. This increases the speed by a greater extent.
• The main part of the broadband connection is the router. The router is a special type of network device which catches the signals and sends it back to the computer. The router, on the other hand is connected to the telephone wire from where the main signal is transferred.
Once you come to understand the basic operation of the broadband connectivity, you can easily use it to stay connected every time.

One of the biggest reasons why many organizations are not doing even simple things to help people find their websites in search engines is they simply don’t understand how search engines work. This article is intended to explain the basics of how search engines work and in the course of doing so shatter some search engine myths and help you understand what you can do to help people find your website in search engines.What is a search engine?The first to step to understanding how search engines work is to understand what a search engine is. The simplest explanation is that search engine is a tool for finding things online. There are many different types of search engines but they can be put into two major categories…Human-Powered DirectoriesThe first “search engines” were not actually search engines as we think of them today, but searchable directories of websites organized by hierarchical categories. A site is added to a directory when the website owner fills out a submission form on the directory’s website requesting their site be included in the directory and include their website’s title, description, URL (web address), and category. A moderator later reviews the site and if it meets the directory’s criteria a listing for that site is added or activated. The original Yahoo was originally a human-powered directory, and directories like Open Directory Project continue on today. The downside of the human-powered search engine is that it only includes websites that have been submitted to it, which means you may not find what you’re looking for especially if it’s a new web page. The other downside from the directories’ point of view is that reviewing every site submitted is very labor-intensive and costly. I know because my company’s “search engine”, OurChurch.Com’s Directory of Christian Websites, like almost all church/Christian “search engines”, is a human-powered directory.Crawler/Spider-Powered Search EnginesThe next generation of search engines has programs which actively seek out new sites and read them into their indexes. These programs are called crawlers, spiders, robots, or bots. All of largest and most popular search engines today are of this type, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.The rest of this article is focused on how these crawler/spider-powered search engines work because more than 99% of searches are done on this type of search engine.The CrawlerAs mentioned above, the first part of a search engine is the crawler (AKA spider, robot, and bot). The crawler reads pages into the search engine raw database of every page the search engine crawler has read. Some important things to know about crawlers…1) Search bots periodically reread every web page in their database. Why does this matter?• You don’t have to do anything when you change your site. If your site is already listed in a search engine and you make changes to your website, search engines will eventually update their information. • You do have to be patient. The frequency of re-crawling varies depending on the search engine, the importance of your site (as determined by the search engines), and how often you update it. It could take a day or it could take more than a week. 2) Search bots follow links on the pages that have already been crawled in order to find new pages. Why does this matter?• If you add a new page to your website or create a new website, it’s important to add a link to it on a web page that is already in the search engines. • If a web page that is already in the search engines has a link to your new page or new website, you do not need to submit a request to the search engines to crawl the new page or website, though it may still be worth doing just to be sure your website will be found quickly.3) Some search engines have forms you can submit to request a website be crawled. Why does this matter?• If you have a new website and no sites link to it, search bots will not be able to find it. In this case, submitting a form to the search engine requesting your site be listed or indexed can get it into search engines. • Because human-powered directories do not have search bots/crawlers, to be listed in them you must submit a request form. The Ranking AlgorithmSome time after a web page has been crawled by the search bot or crawler, the search engine then processes or indexes the page to determine what search words and phrases the page is relevant to as well as how relevant that page is compared with other web pages for those phrases. During this processing the search engine looks at many different factors including how many times each word and phrase occurs on the page, which words are in headings or bold, the domain name of the site, filename of the page, the pages that link to the page, and many more.Exactly which factors a search engine looks at and how they’re weighted is called the search engine’s search ranking algorithm. It’s like the search engine’s “secret sauce.” Each search engine’s algorithm is different and each is a heavily guarded secret.Why does this matter?• There is time between when your site is crawled (or recrawled) and when it is processed or indexed. So, it can take as little as a few hours to many days or weeks before changes to your website may produce changes in its search rankings. • Because each search engine’s ranking algorithm is different, a web page can be #1 in Google but #20 in Yahoo for a particular phrase. • Because each search algorithm is a heavily guarded secret nobody outside of a few select engineers at each search engine knows exactly how much each particular factor weighs into the rankings of each search engine. But, people who spend their professional lives helping sites rank better in search engines have gained very good idea as to what factors matter most. • Because the search ranking algorithms look at text, headings, and other elements on a web page, changing things on the web page can change where that web page appears in the search results. • Search ranking algorithms look at factors outside of a web page, such as the age of a website and links to the web page. So, there are other factors which you may have less influence over. The goal of every search engine is to display to the user the information or websites the user is looking for. In other words every search engine wants to provide the best, most relevant results. As a result, search engines are constantly improving their algorithms and including new factors which they think will produce better search results. Why does this matter? As search algorithms change, so will your website’s search engine rankings.The Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)The crawling of websites and indexing of web pages are constantly going on even when no one is searching. The last part in the search process is part that you’re probably most familiar with – the actual search. You type in a word, short phrase, or question, and the search engine displays a list of websites.That list of websites is called the search engine results page and sometimes referred to as the SERPs.If you do a search and look at the SERP, you’ll notice two columns. Above the right column it says “Sponsored Links.” These are paid advertisements. The companies and organizations listed here pay a fee to Google for each person who clicks their ad, so they’re often referred to as Pay-Per-Click or PPC ads.In the left column are the unpaid search results also sometimes called the organic results or natural results. These are the websites the search engine believes are most relevant to the search phrase that was queried. Sometimes search engines also display sponsored links in the left column above the natural results or will even place a block of pay-per-click ads in the middle of the natural results. Sponsored links are always labeled, though not always very clearly.Why does this matter?From the searcher’s perspective, there is nothing wrong with clicking on a paid link. You may find what you’re looking for there. But it’s important to be aware of which websites paid to be in the results and which are there naturally.From the web administrator’s perspective, it’s important to understand there are two opportunities to get to the top of the search engine rankings, through natural results and by purchasing pay-per-click advertising.Help the Search EnginesWith a better understanding how search engines work, you can make better decisions about the marketing of your website though search engines. Search engines need your help to find your website and to know what words and phrases it’s relevant for. Give them the help they need. That’s where search engine optimization comes in, but I’ll get to that on another day.

Advantages of wireless internet Wireless internet has many advantages for both the business as well as residential users. Wireless internet provides excellent broadband speeds. Today speeds of over 2 Mbps for commercial use (megabytes per second) are attained using wireless internet. Previously speeds of up to 1 Mbps were acceptable for wireless internet, but with service providers providing speeds of 8 Kbps and above to business and residential customers through cables (fiber optic), expectations through wireless internet too are running high. This could mean just one thing -speeds through wireless internet will sooner or later catch up with speeds offered through fiber optic cables. Wireless internet is more reliable as compared to internet via cable or satellite. Initial costs to the service provider too are reduced as they do not have to lay out expensive cables or pay highly for satellite transmission. All that is required is the setting up of internet towers (very similar to mobile towers). The user will be connected to the internet as long as his laptop / device receives a signal from the nearest tower (again, very similar to using a mobile phone). Comparisons between the workings of a mobile network and wireless internet network can be made to some extent, but the working of a wireless internet network is much more complex in nature. So, how does the wireless internet work? How WiMax works We can single out the WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) technology that is widely used for setting up wireless internet. High speeds can be achieved over a wireless network using this technology. Based on the IEEE 802.16 communications standard, this technology if fast replacing cumbersome cable and expensive satellite networks. The WiMax network consists of base stations (similar to mobile towers) set up by the service provider, and a receiving antenna (similar to a mobile phone antenna) at the user end. The user pays the service provider for wireless internet access, just as they would for a normal internet connection via a cable network. The service provider provides the end user with the software, a login and a password. Most of the laptop manufacturers today equip high-end models with a built in antenna bundled with the required software for the unit to be WiMax compatible. The service provider beams the internet signals from the base station. The antenna at the user end catch the signals, providing uninterrupted internet as long as the signal is available. With a laptop equipped with an antenna you could be connected to the internet wherever the signal is available from the base station. As with mobile phones that catch a signal from the nearest tower of the particular service provider, so is it with new generation WiMax services. One WiMax base station can send signals over distances of several miles depending on the terrain. The more flat the terrain, more the coverage. Once you move from one base station area to another, your laptop receiver will hook up to the other base station (of the same service provider) with a stronger signal. As WiMax service providers spread out their operations, everyone will be connected to really high-speed internet 24X7 wherever they are. Other common uses of wireless internet Wireless internet is not limited to WiMax. Most of us have used some sort of wireless internet some time or the other. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is one such example. When a mobile user subscribed to the GPRS service, the receiving mobile unit could receive voice as well as data signals. In simple terms, the mobile phone could be used as a phone for voice calls and also as a modem to connect to the computer to surf the internet. The only limiting factor here was the speed which was very slow. This technology was gradually replaced by the EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) technology. EDGE was an enhancement over GPRS, able to provide more capacity for voice traffic and at the same time have high-speed data transfer capabilities. EDGE technology has recently been replaced by the 3G (Third Generation) technology. Speeds of over 2Mbps are attained using 3G technology. These speeds will keep on increasing with advancing technology. 4G (Forth Generation) will be the next main change in this domain. 4G research is being carried out, but no frequencies have yet been allocated for this technology. Estimates are that 4G will be implemented around 2010-2012, but with the speed at which technology is advancing, it could happen earlier. Conclusion Mobile phones have passed the stage where they were used to just make and receive calls. Today one can buy mobile phones that do almost everything that your personal computer or laptop can. Operating systems can be loaded onto mobiles, virtually making them one instrument for all your phone and computing needs. This is where wireless internet will play a major role in the future. It will connect you 24X7 with virtually no breakdowns. Cables will still be used for the internet till the time wireless internet can match data transfer speeds of cables. Once this happens, technologies such as WiMax and 3G will help in making this world a 24X7 connected, wire-free world.