Following are definitions of terms related to the Internet and Web design. If some of the terms have several meanings, we are providing the meaning that is related to designing, navigating, and promoting Web sites.
Auto Responder/Mailbot
An autoresponder is an email address programmed to automatically send a pre-composed email message back to the sender when receiving email
Bookmark
A feature in some browsers that allows the browser to remember a Web address you visited and makes it easy to return to the bookmarked Web page later.
Browser/Web Browser
Software to view and navigate Web pages. The current popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape.
CGI/Common Gateway Interface
A service that provides functionality to Web sites by using scripts or programs that are executed on the server.
Domain Name
The name that identifies an Internet site i.e.www.fivestarwebdesign.com. The three digit suffix of a domain identifies the type of organization. A domain name ending with .com refers to a commercial web site. Domain names can also end with .net (network), .org (organization or non-profit), edu (educational), gov (government), .mil (military), .int (international), cc, and others suffixes.
FAA/Free-For-All Links Pages
Pages where you can put up free links to your Web site.
FTP/File Transfer Protocol
A method to upload and download files over the Internet. You use FTP to upload your Web pages from your computer to your hosting company’s computer (the server).
GIF/Graphic Interchange Format and JPG/JPEG
Image formats used in Web pages.
Home Page
The main page of a Web site. The home page usually provides links to other Web pages on the site.
Host
A computer on a network that provides services to other computers on the network.. Unless you have your own server, you need a hosting company who provides a server or computer that is connected to the Internet and makes your Web pages available on the Internet.
HTML/Hyper Text Markup Language
The coding language that makes it possible to view Web pages with Web browsers such as Explorer or Netscape and allows to link text, words, and images to other pages.
HTTP/Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
A standard method of transferring data between a Web server and Web browser.
Hyperlinks/Links
Words or blocks of text or images on Web pages that take you to another page when you click on them. Internal links take you to a different page on the same Web site. External links take you to a different Web site.
Internet
A network of computers that is inter-connected around the world.
Internic
The primary registration service and directory for the American part of the Internet.
IP Number/Internet Protocol Number
Every computer that is on the Internet has a unique IP number. The number consists of four parts separated by dots, e.g.209.219.128.158. Most computers also have one or more domain names that are easier to remember. Your Internet provider will tell you what number represents your Web site.
ISP/Internet Service Provider/Internet Access Provider/Dial-up Provider
A company that provide Internet access.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are parts of your HTML code. They tell search engines what your Web site is about and help index your site.
Search Engines
Search engines are databases that catalog Web pages and lets you search for Web pages. Popular search engines include Yahoo, Infoseek, Lycos, Alta Vista, Excite, and Hotbot.
Secure Web Site
A Web site that uses encryption to scramble sensitive information submitted online like credit-card numbers, and prevent unauthorized people to read it.
Server
The computer that contains your Web pages and makes them available on the Internet. The term can also refer to software, such as a Web server or the machine the software is running on.
Spamming (Also called spamdexing)
Search engine spamming is trying to fool search engines to get a higher ranking. Examples of spamming include repeating words excessively, using keywords that are unrelated to the contents of the site, and hiding text by using the same color as the background or making the text very small. Most search engines will penalize pages that use spamming.
Spider
An automated program that searches the Internet.
SSL/Secure Socket Layer
Secure Socket Layer uses encryption to make the sensitive information you are sending readable only by the merchant you are doing business with. You usually get a message that pops up when you are entering the secure mode, and another message when going back to a non-secure mode.
Surfing the Net
Exploring the Internet with a Web browser.
URL/Uniform Resource Locator
A URL is the address of your Web page you enter into a browser such as Explorer to get to a Web page. The URL identifies a location on the Internet and looks like http://www.yourname.com or http://www.fivestarwebdesign.com/samples.htm.
WWW/World Wide Web
The graphical part of the Internet that makes it possible to view Web pages with text, graphics, sound files, and other features with a browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape.
For additional listings of Internet glossaries, visit:
Internet Terminology and Definitions by Steven Perkins
Internet Dictionary by Kevin Kadow
Glossary of Internet Terms by Matisse Enzer
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