Test Yourself: Net Trivia

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How much do you know about the creation of the Internet? Put your Net-knowledge to the test with our Net Trivia quiz. This quiz will test how well you have learned the information on Learn the Net, your knowledge of articles and resources we’ve linked to, and your general ability to search out information on the World Wide Web.

How many questions can you answer correctly in five minutes?

How Did You Do?

If you struggled with these questions, don’t feel discouraged. We pulled information from all over the Internet, to test your knowledge of Web history. You can learn more about the early days of the World Wide Web and find links to more great resources in our Birth of the Net article.

If you aced this, congratulations! There’s plenty of fascination information online, and it looks like you’ve already discovered a lot of it. Now that you know what’s happened in the past, broaden your understanding of the Web by learning about Net Anatomy or finding out what the future may hold for the Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

I had a hard time finding answers. What should I do?

The easiest way to find answers online is using a web search, but specific answers often require specific search strategies. Remember, there’s a ton information out there, so you need to know some good techniques for narrowing your results. Our Searching the Web guide is a great place to start. Once you feel comfortable with those concepts, move on to Advanced Web Search to learn how to perform more focused web queries. Once you feel like you’ve mastered all of these techniques, test your new-found knowledge with our Net Hunt 1.0 quiz.

Where can I find a good guide to emoticons?

Every application has their own take on emoticons, and many programs now feature specialized emoticons that you can select from a list, rather than having to know a specific combination of characters. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know some of the old combinations, because they still work! Our Smileys tutorial includes a list of the most commonly used emoticons, as well as popular abbreviations, so you can finally figure out what all these kids are trying to say.

How can I protect myself from those people who “lurk” online?

One of the great things about the Internet is that it provides an open community where anyone can contribute or participate. Unfortunately, that kind of freedom can be misused. When you meet someone online, there’s no way to be certain they are who they claim to be, or that their intentions are benign. Never give out your personal information over the Internet. If you decide to meet someone you met online, take a friend along and meet in a public place. If you’re a parent, it’s important to keep an eye on what your kids are doing online. Our Safety Tips for Parents can help.

How old is the Internet?

Believe it or not, the origins of the Internet go back to the early 1960s, but back then no one was googling for funny cat videos or blogging about the latest episode of Real Housewives. It wasn’t until 1990 that the modern World Wide Web was born, and even then it’s taken several years to get where we are today. To learn more about the history of the Internet, check out our article, How the Web was Born.

Can I use abbreviations in any online communication?

You can, but you probably shouldn’t. Some people make the mistake of thinking that because communicating on the Internet is so quick and easy, it does not require the same level of professionalism as communicating through more traditional means. This mistake can not only lead you to look foolish, but could also harm your career. For instance, if your boss is considering you for a promotion, she may think twice about giving you additional responsibility if every email you send includes LOL, ROTFL, and other too-casual abbreviations. While abbreviations are fine in some contexts, such as when chatting with friends or sending a personal tweet, professional communications should always remain professional. Learn more about professional online communications in our guides to Netiquette and E-mail Etiquette.

Do I really need to know the history of the Internet?

No, but the Internet is full of things you don’t need to know. Rather than wasting time taking celebrity quizzes or finding out which character from Star Trek you most resemble, why not quiz yourself and find out how much you know about the technology that makes all of those things possible? And then you take the Star Trek quiz.

Where can I find out more about Learn the Net?

You can learn quite a bit about Learn the Net and our history on our About Us page. And don’t forget, the Internet is always changing, and so are we. Make sure to visit us often to keep your Internet knowledge up-to-date.