Glossary: Access eInternet Guide

Glossary

Browsers:

Bookmark or Favorite: A link to a WWW page that is stored by a browser for later retrieval.
Browser: Client software for viewing accessing webpages.
Cookies: Small data fragments left on a user's computer by a website that can be used to track web sessions. A building block of website personalization.
Personalization: Generating custom content or presentations for web users.
Source: CRSWatch
Plug-ins: Third party software that adds new features to an existing program. A number of plug-ins are available for popular web browsers.
Uniform Resource Locators (URL): Used to identify the location of network resources like webpages. Example: http://www.my_company.com/
World Wide Web (WWW): A hypertext document and network navigation tool.

Ecommerce:

Electronic Commerce: The use of communications technology for business transactions and activities.
Shopping Cart: Software that enables visitors to purchase goods and services online with a credit card.

Email:

Emal: Malicious email
Flame: Insulting another person via email--often on a public or special interest mailing list.
Lists: Email linked special interest groups. Bi-directional lists enable subscribers to discuss various topics via email. Uni-directional lists support mailings to a group of interested subscribers but do not permit the subscribers to send their own messages to the list.
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME): MIME supports the transmission of text and binary data (including sound and graphics) via the Internet.
Netiquette: A code of acceptable behavior on the Internet.
Opt-in or Opt-out: If you choose to receive information by e-mail or direct mail, you opt-in to be included on the mailing list. If you remove yourself from the list, you opt-out.
Spam: Unsolicited and usually unwelcome email
Web Bugs: Web bugs are images used on webpages and email messages to enable marketers to gather data about users.

Internet:

Abandonware: Out-of-print and no longer for sale software especially games.
American Standard for Computer Information Interchange (ASCII): A standard for representing text and punctuation numerically. ASCII is often used to mean plain text as opposed to binary files.
Bandwidth: The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits or bytes per second (bps).
Binary: A number system based on two. Computers are based on the binary system. Binary is also used to describe non-ASCII files. Binary settings are required to download software programs, graphics, spreadsheets and word processor files from the Net.
Broadband: High-speed Internet connections that allow for transfers of information at rates far faster than those of dial-up modems
Client/Server: Software that can operate on multiple platforms or machines. Clients request services from other computers called servers. For example, web browsers request pages from web servers on the Internet.
Cyber Cafe: A public place offering Internet access for a fee.
Cyberchondriacs: Adults who go online to look for health care information
Digital Divide: The gap in opportunities experienced by those with limited accessibility to technology especially, the Internet.
Domain Name Server (DNS): Translates domain names into numeric Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
eGovernment: The use of technology by government to interact with citizens, improve services and streamline operations.
Source: e-Texas
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): The standard Internet protocol for transferring files from one computer to another.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): A set of answers to frequently asked questions.
Host: The computer where an Internet service is physically stored.
Infonesia / Internesia: Infonesia is the inability to remember where you spotted a piece of information (newspaper, e-mail, TV, etc.). Internesia is when you can't remember which Web site the info came from or which bookmark might get you back there.
Source: BuzzWhack
Internet: A global collection of interconnected regional computer networks supporting the exchange of data.
Internet Content: Information that (a) is widely available, (b) can be customized by users, (c) flows between and among many users, (d) allows users to interact, and (e) enables users to become producers of information.
Internet Protocol (IP): The rules governing how computers on the Internet communicate and share information.
Internet Service Provider (ISP or IP): A provider of Internet access
Internet Time: Shorthand for the accelerated pace of business and life brought about by networks and eBusiness.
Source: Jay Cross, Internet Time Group
Intranet: An internal company computer network that uses the same protocols as the Internet but is protected by security firewalls from unauthorized access.
Leet: A type of computer slang where a user replaces regular letters with other keyboard characters to form words phonetically -- very kewl
Source: A parent's primer to computer slang
Link rot: Term used to describe the frustrating and frequent problem caused by the constant changing in URLs.
Source: Glossary of Internet & Web Jargon
Local Area Network (LAN): A linked system of computers, printers, and file servers that serve a company or office at a single location. Wide-Area Networks (WANs) offer data transmission to a number of locations.
Multimedia: Sound and graphic files. Much of the popularity of the World Wide Web is due to the easy integration of text and multimedia.
Netcafe: An establishment that provides a non-library study and play environment with access to computers, internet resources, and food services.
Source: pseudodictionary
Newsgroups: Topical discussion groups that are part of Usenet.
P2P: Peer-to-Peer: Decentralized file sharing, computation, communication, and more.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Decentralized file sharing, computation, communication, and more.
Portal: An electronic gateway or starting point that helps users organize the Web based on their interests. (Usually includes a range of resources and services, such as e-mail, forums, search engines, and online shopping malls.)
Source: e-Texas
Protocol: Rules governing the exchange data between computers and networks.
Real-time: Instantaneous or very rapid response. For example, stockbrokers require real-time market quotes, but casual investors may be satisfied with Yahoo's 15 minute delayed quotes.
Registration: A number of websites require registration. Usually registration is free and involves filling out a form and receiving or selecting a password.
Server: A computer that stores files on a network. Clients can access servers for a variety of types of information, such as, webpages, text, and binary files.
Spim: Unwanted commercial messages sent via instant messaging systems (Spam for SMS)
Teleworking: Using information and communications technologies to perform work away from the traditional office at alternate worksites (Same as telecommuting)
Source: Consumer Electronics Association: About CEA
USENET: A worldwide network of newsgroups (special interest groups) not on the Internet but often available via networked computers.
Vanity domain: An Internet domain created for no other reason than to boost the creator's ego.
Source: Lingowatch
WAP (Wireless Application Protocol): A set of communication protocols for linking wireless devices, such as cellular mobile telephones, PDAs, etc. to the Internet.
Web-Based Tools: Tools on the Internet that allow users to do many things, such as compose a resume from scratch or create an investment plan.
Source: Contentbank.org
WINWINI: Means "what I need when I need it."
Source: Carl Berger

Searching:

Crawler: A software program which visits websites to create indexes for search engines. Also known as spiders, bots, and intelligent agents.
Ego surfing: Looking to see how many places on the Web your name appears
Source: WhatIs.com
Google'em: Using a search engine like Google to find information about someone
Search Engine: A service that provides access to a searchable database of website addresses and descriptions. Example: www.google.com

Security:

Authentication: A process that verifies a user's identity. Examples: digital certificates or passwords.
Decryption: The process of unscrambling a message to make it readable. See also encryption.
Encryption: The process of scrambling a message to prevent unauthorized access. This security measure transforms data into a less easily read code. See also decryption.
Firewall: Computer gateway (including hardware, software and procedures) that protects a company's computer network by filtering connections and transmissions between the local system and the Internet.
Identity theft: Identity theft occurs when an unscrupulous person gathers enough information about you to successfully impersonate you online, by mail, over the telephone, or in person.
Source: Internet Safety Awareness
Password manager: Software for storing passwords, PINs, and other sensitive information securely
Phishing: Using official-looking email to lure individuals to a scam website in order to obtain their banking or credit card information for use in identity theft. Legitimate companies do not send these requests to their customers.
Privacy policy: A statement about what information is being collected; how the information being collected is being used; how an individual can access his/her own data collected; how the individual can opt-out; and what security measures are being taken by the parties collecting the data.
Source: Internet Advertising Bureau
Security: Protection from intended and unintended access to computer systems that could result in the loss or dissemination of data.

Web Design:

Blog: Webpages that are constantly updated with new commentary and links about a particular topic. Often very personal.
Frames: Multiple, independent sections used to create a single Web page. Each frame is built as a separate HTML file but with one "master" file to control the placement of each section.
Source: Internet Advertising Bureau
Graphical user interface (GUI): Invented at Xerox Parc and implemented first by Apple. Expands input from just the keyboard to mouse and touch-screen. Icons, menus, and desktop help the user move about a webpage, screen, application, or computer itself.
Homepage: The top or root page on a website, usually the first page visited.
Hypertext: Text containing internal and external links or pointers to other texts or services.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): A mark-up language for World Wide Web pages. Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) employs public key technology to protect sensitive data.
Portable Document Format (PDF): A translation format developed by Adobe used primarily for distributing files across a network, or on a Web site. Files with a .pdf extension have been created in another application and then translated into .pdf files so they can be viewed by anyone, regardless of platform.
Source: Internet Advertising Bureau
Shelfware: Software that is purchased but never learned or used.
Under Construction: The permanent state of everything on the Web. Or, a lame apology for not having very good pages--an expression of good intentions for the future, with no relevance to your readers today.
Source: Rob Jellinghaus
Web Service: A method of making various applications communicate with each other automatically over the Internet.
Source: Infoworld
Website: A collection of files accessed through a Web address, covering a particular subject and managed by a particular person or organization.
Source: e-Texas