“I need to change the address of my manager in my CONTACT page. His address is www.managername@aol.com.”
The quote above is an excerpt from an e-mail I received from a client about changing some information on the CONTACT page of the website. If you look at the quote carefully, you can see why I was confused as to whether the client meant a URL (web address) or an e-mail address.
For this week’s tip, I’m combining a glossary of commonly used internet and web jargon from NetLingo.com, GetNetWise (http://www.getnetwise.org), and my own input. Here it is…
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Back / Forward – Buttons in most browsers’ Tool Button Bar, upper left. BACK returns you to the page previously viewed. FORWARD goes to the next page, after you go BACK.
If it seems like the BACK button does not work, check whether you are in a new browser window; some links are programmed to open a new window. Each window has its own short-term search HISTORY. If this does not work, right click on the BACK button to select the page you want (some Web pages are programmed to disable BACK).
Bandwidth – The rate at which information travels through a network connection, usually measured in bits per second, kilobits (thousand bits) per second, or megabits (million bits) per second.
Bit – The smallest element of computerized data.
Blog – Short for Web log. A blog is a Web site to which one or more people post their personal observations on particular subjects. Postings to blogs typically are frequent and consistent. Much of the power of blogs stems from automated templates that allow users to post news, information, links, images, or other media to an existing blog.
Bookmark – A file within a browser in which an Internet user can save the addresses of interesting or frequently used Web sites, so that they are readily available for re-use.
Broadband – Telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information, which means a much faster transmission than a dial-up connection.
Browser – A program that allows a user to find, view, hear, and interact with material on the World Wide Web. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome are examples of popular browsers. (AOL’s browser is a browser, but does not adhere to many web standards.)
Bulletin board – Also called a forum, an area of a Web site where users can post messages for other users to read. In most cases, readers can contact the author of a bulletin board message by e-mail. (See also “Discussion Group”)
Byte – The fundamental data unit of personal computers, a byte is eight contiguous bits. The byte is also the basic unit of measurement for computer storage, storing the equivalent of one character.
- kilobyte (K or KB) – 1000 bytes
- megabyte (MB) – 1000 kilobytes
- terabyte (T) – 1000 megabytes
Cache – (pronounced “cash”) A file on the hard drive in which a Web browser stores information such as addresses, text, and graphics from recently visited Web sites, making it easier and faster for the user to revisit a site.
CD-ROM (Compact Disk – Read Only Memory) – A computer storage medium which can store large amounts of information; generally used to distribute software or multi-media for use on computers with CD-ROM drives. CD-ROM disks look just like music CDs, and cannot be altered by a user.
Chat – A feature offered by many online services or Web sites that allows participants to “chat” by typing messages which are displayed almost instantly on the screens of other participants who are using the chat room. Chatting is one of the most popular uses of the Internet. Participants can remain anonymous, using nicknames or pseudonyms to identify themselves online.
Content – The actual text of a communication or information sent. Includes text of e-mails, bulletin board postings, chat room communications, files and graphics.
Cookie – A piece of information sent by a Web server to a user’s browser. (A Web server is the computer that “hosts” a Web site, and responds to requests from a user’s browser.) Cookies may include information such as login or registration identification, user preferences, online “shopping cart” information, etc. The browser saves the information, and sends it back to the Web server whenever the browser returns to the Web site. The Web server may use the cookie to customize the display it sends to the user, or it may keep track of the different pages within the site that the user accesses. Browsers may be configured to alert the user when a cookie is being sent, or to refuse to accept cookies. Some sites, however, cannot be accessed unless the browser accepts cookies.
Default – A setting automatically chosen by a program or machine that remains until the user specifies another setting.
Directory – A term often interchangeable with “folder.”
Discussion group – Online area, like an electronic bulletin board or forum, where users can read and add or “post” comments about a specific topic. Users can find discussion groups, also referred to as “discussion boards,” for almost any topic.
Domain name – Domain names are the alphabetic names used to refer to computers on the Internet. A Web site address, including a suffix such as .com, .org, .gov, or .edu. The suffix indicates what type of organization is hosting the site.
- com – Originally stood for “commercial,” to indicate a site that could be used for private, commercial purposes, but now the best well known top level domain, and used for a wide variety of sites
- net – Originally intended for site related to the Internet itself, but now used for a wide variety of sites
- edu – Use for educational institutions like universities
- org – Originally intended for non-commercial “organizations,” but organizations now used for a wide variety of sites
- gov – Used for US Government sites
- mil – Used for US Military sites
- int – Used by “International” sites, usually NATO sites
- (See also URL)
Download – to transfer (copy) files from one computer to another. “Download” can also mean viewing a Web site, or material on a Web server, with a Web browser. (See also Upload)
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – A means of accessing the Internet at very high speed using standard phone lines.
E-mail (Electronic Mail) – Messages sent through an electronic (computer) network to specific groups or individuals. Though e-mail is generally text, users can attach files that include graphics, sound, and video. E-mailing requires a modem to connect the telephone line to the computer, and an e-mail address. E-mail addresses include the @ symbol, such as president@whitehouse.gov.
E-mail Header – Information that identifies the sender and recipient of a message, information about how the message was routed through the network, the date and time at which the message was sent, and the subject of the message.
Encryption – A means of making data unreadable to everyone except the recipient of a message. Encryption is often used to make the transmission of credit card numbers secure for those who are shopping on the Internet.
Ethernet – The most common technology for connecting computers together in a network. Ethernet is also used for broadband connection to the internet.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) – Pages which list and answer the questions most often asked about a Web site, newsgroup, etc. The FAQ page often provides useful information for a new user of a Web site, mailing list, discussion group, or product.
Firewall – Hardware or software that secures computer files by blocking unauthorized access. Many computers already have them, but they must be activated by the user.
Forum – Also called a bulletin board, an area of a Web site where users can post messages for other users to read. In most cases, readers can contact the author of a bulletin board message by e-mail. (See also “Discussion Group”)
FTP – (File Transfer Protocol) – A way of transferring files over the Internet from one computer to another. This is the method I use to upload/download websites and their components.
Gateway – A computer system for exchanging information across incompatible networks by translating between two dissimilar protocols. May also describe any mechanism that gives access to another, such as an ISP which acts as a gateway to the Internet. PayPal, for example, is a “payment gateway.”
Hardware – The mechanical devices that comprise a computer system, such as the central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, as well as other equipment like printers and speakers.
Home page – The first page on a Web site, which introduces the site and provides the means of navigation, i.e. menu.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – The coded format language used for creating Web pages on the World Wide Web and controlling how Web pages appear.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) – The standard language that computers connected to the internet use to communicate with each other. Web addresses (or “URLs”) start with HTTP, like http://www.ghxinternational.com.
Hyperlink – An image or portion of text on a Web page or in an e-mail message that is linked to another Web page, either on the same site or in another Web site. Clicking on the link will take the user to another Web page, or to another place on the same page. Words or phrases which serve as links are often underlined, or appear in a different color, or both. Images that serve as links sometimes have a border around them, or they change the cursor to a little hand as it passes over them. (See also Links)
IM (Instant Message) – Technology similar to that of chat rooms, which notifies a user when a friend is online, allowing them to “converse” by exchanging text messages.
IP Address (or IP number) – A set of four numbers, each between zero and 255, separated by periods (eg: 192.168.0.5). The IP address uniquely identifies a computer or other hardware device (such as a printer) on the Internet. The computer you’re on right now has a unique IP Address.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) – A company that sells direct access to the Internet, like Time Warner, Verizon or RCN. Unlike some online services, ISPs provide little or no proprietary content or online services.
Keyword – A word that is entered into the search form or search “window” of an Internet search engine to search the Web for pages or sites about or including the keyword and information related to it. Because of “keyword abuse,” search engines like Google do not regard keywords with the relevance it once did.
Link – A word, phrase, or image in a website, e-mail message, or hypertext document to act as a navigation aid to related information. Links may be indicated with an underline, a color contrast, or a border. Basically, the same think as a hyperlink.
Mailing list – An E-mail-based discussion forum dedicated to a topic of interest. An interested Internet user can subscribe to a mailing list by completing an online form or by sending an e-mail message that contains appropriate instructions to a specific e-mail address. The computer that houses the mailing list program maintains a list of subscribers and routes all posted messages to subscribers’ e-mail addresses. Mailing lists are either publicly and privately maintained, and can either be moderated or unmoderated.
Modem – A hardware device that allows computers to communicate with each other by transmitting signals over cable lines (broadband) or telephone lines (dial-up). Modems come in different speeds. The higher the speed, the faster the data are transmitted. Typically, this is the device provided to you by your ISP (Time Warner Cable, RCN, Verizon, et al).
Mouse – A palm-size device attached to a computer by a cord or wireless connection, which allows the user to select items displayed on the screen by controlling the cursor, and to give commands by clicking the device’s buttons.
Multimedia – Information presented in more than one format, such as text, audio, video, graphics, and images.
Navigation – A system of linked paths set up on a Web page to enable visitors to find their way around the site. I usually refer to this as a website’s “menu.”
Operating System – The main program that runs on a computer. An operating system allows other software to run and prevents unauthorized users from accessing the system. Major operating system include UNIX, Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Plug-in – A small piece of software that enriches a larger piece of software by adding features or functions. Plug-ins (like Quicktime or Flash) enable browsers to play audio and video.
Pop-up (or pop-ups) – Term for web pages that appear in their own browser window. Most browsers feature pop-up blockers.
Posting – Sending a message to a blog, discussion group or other public message area on the Internet. The message itself is called a “post.”
Privacy Policy – The policy under which the company or organization operating a Web site handles the personal information collected about visitors to the site. Many Web site operators publish their privacy policy on their Web site. The policy usually includes a description of the personal information which is collected by the site, how the information will be used, with whom it will be shared, and whether the visitors have the option to exercise control over how their information will be used. All TRUSTe Web site licensees are required to post privacy statements.
Search engine – A tool that enables users to locate information on the World Wide Web. Search engines use keywords entered by users to find Web sites which contain the information sought. Some search engines are specifically designed to find Web sites intended for children.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) – A secure socket layer is a protocol used to transmit sensitive data securely via the Internet. SSL uses a two key encryption system to secure data, a public key and a private key known only by the recipient of the message. Many Web sites use SSL when collecting information for transactions, generally these URLs will begin with https: instead of http:. My download store (https://www.ghxport.com) uses an SSL.
Server – A special computer connected to a network that provides (serves up) data. A Web server transmits Web pages over the Internet when it receives a Web browser’s request for a page. A server can also be called a host.
Software – A computer program, which provides the instructions which enable the computer hardware to work. System software, such as Windows or MacOS, operate the machine itself, and applications software, such as spreadsheet or word processing programs, provide specific functionality.
Spider – A software program that “crawls” the Web, searching and indexing Web pages to create a database that can be easily searched by a search engine. Google does this.
Surf – To search for information on the Web in a random, non-linear way.
Uninstall – The process of removing a program from a computer. Some applications must be removed with an uninstall program, which removes all files that were installed with the program and restores any modifications made to system files.
Upload – Copying or sending files or data from one computer to another. A Web developer, for example, could upload a document to a Web server.
URL – (Uniform Resource Locator) – The web address of a site on the Internet. The URL for The New York Times, for example, is http://www.nytimes.com.
Web-based e-mail – A technology that allows users to send and receive e-mail using only a browser (like Hotmail or Yahoo), rather than using an e-mail program to in your computer (such as Entourage) to send and receive e-mail.
Webmaster – The person responsible for administering a Web site, i.e. me.
Window – Enclosed rectangular space on a computer screen, often used to refer to the browser window for the display of a website.
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If you come across another term that you’re not sure about, leave a comment here and I’ll post a revision.
Hope this was helpful!
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