Bandwidth
A term used to describe the amount of data that can travel in a given time- usually one second- across a network or a connection to a network, such as a modern. When you send a message across the Internet, you are using part of its bandwidth, just as your car takes up space on the freeway.
Bits Per Second (BPS)
The data transfer rate that specifies the number of bits that a computer system can transmit per second. The latest computer modems are designed to allow transfer rates up to 56 thousand bits per second. Cable modems, DSL and network connections provide much higher transfer speeds than computer modems.
Blog
A ‘blog’ is short for a web log, or a live Internet journal. Blogs oftern focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
Blogs are a relatively new phenomenon on the web. However, the concept of blogging has expanded to include every topic under the sun, from video games to business. Blogging started as a one-way soapbox with the blogger providing all the content for the site. However, many blogs have started to provide a mechanism for readers to post commects, making them into a sort of hybrid message board where the blogger has the most prominent voice and sets the discussion agenda, but where readers also have a voice.
Cyberspace
A popular term (first used by author William Gibson) for the space that seems to exist within computers and computer networks.
Dial-Up
An Internet connection that uses traditional phone lines. Dial-up connections have a slow data transfer rate due to their low bandwidth, leading to longer download times. This is especially true for highmemory content such as images and videos. While a Dial-up connection is using the phone line, incoming or outgoing voice call will not be able to access the phone line.
Domain Name
A Domain Name is ausually a customized, unique, and easier-to-remember Internet address. This Internet address (e.g. ivdomain.com) is entered into a computer and then looked up in the global domain name system (DNS) database. Internet users access your website using your domain name.
Download
The process of copying a file (e.g text or graphics) from a remote computer to your computer. There are a few methods of doing this on the Interenet. HTTP, FTP and email attachments are the most common ones.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
A public network that delivers high bandwidth over conventional copper wiring (such as telephone lines) at limited distances. DSL can allow voice and hight speed data to be sent simultaneously over the same line.
ECommerce (Electronic Commerce)
The conducting of business communication and transactions over networks and through computers. Specially, ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services , and the trasfer of funds through digital communications.
Email (Electronic Mail)
Refers to messages sent from one person to one or more other persons over the Internet or a private electronic messages to one another across the world, or across the street, It is fast, efficient, and best of all, it’s free. E-mail is what you will use to keep in touch with your customers, and it is probably the way most of your customers will place orders with you.
Email Address
An electronic location for sending and receiving e-mail. The email address contains your username, the @ symbol, and the domain name (e.g. help@ivdomain.com).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
FAQs are grouped together and are posted (along with their answers) to help newcomers become informed about a specific subject such as a blog, forum, or website.
Flame
A nasty, mean-spirited message, usually sent through e-mail or posted on a forum. Flame wars occur when a series of flames are sent back and forth between two or more people.
File Trasfer Protocal(FTP)
A system for moving or copying files, such as programs, text or graphics, from a remote computer, called an FTP site, to another computer via the Internet.
Hit
A “hit” is a casual term indicating some measure of traffic to a website. The problem with the term is that it can mean different things to different people under different circumstances. The most common use for the term “hit” means “visitor,” or an actual person accessing a website. In almost every case, the term “visitor” is preferable to the term “hit”. Most sophisticated web marketers don’t use the term “hit” because of its imprecision.
Home page
The page designated as the main point of entry of a website (or main page) or the starting point when a browser first connects to the Internet. Typically, it welcomes you and introduces the purpose of the site, or the organization sponsoring it, and then provides links to the lower-level pages of the site. In business terms, it’s the grabber. If your home page downloads too slowly, or it’s unclear or uninteresting, you will probably lose a customer.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
A language designed for the creation of web pages and other information viewable in a browser. HTML is used to structure information — denoting certain text as headings, paragraphs, lists and so on — and can be used to define the semantics of a document..
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The set of rules for transferring files on the World Wide Web. HTTP allows people to navigate among documents or pages linked by hypertext and download pages from the World Wide Web. An http:// precedes every website address.
Hypertext
Highlighted words on World Wide Web pages that enable you to jump from one page to another without typing commands.
Internet
A dynamic, global network of computer networks that allows people to send e-mail messages, participate in discussions and access information without a central authority. The term is often used to describe the total body of interconnected computer networks.
Internet
A private network within an organization or company that allows its users to connect to the Internet, but limits outside access from the Internet. Many organizations, such as universities and private companies,have their own intranet.
IP address
A unique Internet Protocol address assigned to a specific computer connected to the Internet. An IP address can be compared to the physical address of a house or business. A letter sent from one address to another will usually include the address of the sender and the address of the recipient. Likewise, when a computer on the Internet sends a request for information from another computer, the request is sent with both the senders IP address and the recipients IP address. The receiving computer responds by sending the requested information back to the IP address of the computer that made the request.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
A company that maintains a constant connection to the Internet and sells Internet access to individuals and/or businesses. The term is also synonymous with Internet Access Provider, Access Provider and Access Service Provider.
Lead
Some online merchants don’t offer anything for direct sale on their websites. Instead, they use their sites as a primary point of contact. Merchants who promote services, high dollar items, or products that require long or complicated sales cycles, often employ a website to generate qualified leads as opposed to actual orders. In these cases, merchants drive traffic to their website in an attempt to get interested visitors to somehow contact the company. Visitors either call or email the company directly, or they fill out some type of form. The merchant follows up with the lead and continues the sales cycle in a traditional manner. The goal is that the lead will later become an order with services and payment changing hands outside the Internet in normal business fashion.
Link
A connection from one word, picture, or information object to another that can be selected with the click of a mouse. A link most commonly appears as highlighted, underlined text.
Listserv
A program that automatically redistributes email to all addresses on a mailing list. When people want to join a mailing list, they email the list a note and are automatically added by the listserv.
Lurking
In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, chatroom or other interactive system, but does not participate.
Mailing list
Some mailing lists are like newsgroups, in that they allow people to discuss common interests by posting messages that are received by everyone in the group. However, unlike newsgroups, people must subscribe to a mailing list to post and receive messages. Mailing lists are not always so discussion oriented. Online merchants often use mailing lists to send things like newsletters, sales promotions, or other announcements to consenting customers.
Modem
Short for modulator/demodulator. A communications device that converts one form of a signal to another that is suitable for transmission over communication circuits, typically from digital to analog and then from analog to digital. While many computer owners still use telephone modems, or “dial-up”, high-speed connections such as DSL and cable Internet are more popular. The modem converts computer language to a language that can be transmitted over ordinary telephone lines. It also decodes the language back to computer language when the message arrives.
Mouse
Refers to a device that allows the computer operator to move a cursor on the computer screen to a specific location on the screen. By pushing a button on the mouse (called a “click”), the computer
performs a desired function. For example, if a computer user wanted to print a document, he or she would simply move the cursor to the “Print” icon and click on it to begin the printing process.
Netiquette
A term used to describe Internet etiquette. Basically, netiquette is a set of courtesy rules for online conversations.
Network
Two or more computers that are connected together to share resources such as hardware, data, and software. Most common are the local area network (LAN) and the wide area network (WAN)
Newsgroup
One of thousands of discussion groups on the Internet where people with similar interests can post messages. Newsgroups are also called Usenet groups.
Online
Technically describes ones computer being connected to one or more other computers. Regarding the Internet, online means a computer is connected to the Internet.
Online service
A service such as American Online, CompuServe, the Microsoft Network or Prodigy, which provides its members specific services. Originally, these online services provided e-mail, discussion groups and proprietary information. Many people confuse these services as being the Internet.
Page View
Most often used as a term of measurement, a “page view” occurs when a page on a website is accessed by a visitor (person). A website is often made up of several web pages. A visitor to a site can access one or many pages on the site. For example, one visitor may generate four page views by looking at four different pages on the site.
Podcast
A digital media file, such as an audio or video file, that is distributed over the Internet through syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. When users subscribe to a Podcast feed, new “episodes” are automatically downloaded to that user s computer. Podcasts differ from live broadcasts in that users can view the material at any time after download.
Router
A small machine that takes information from any computer and transfers the data between two networks that use the same protocols. In essence, it allows different networks to communicate, thus creating a huge network made up of small networks.
Search Engines
World Wide Web sites that allow users to search for specific websites of interest by typing key words or phrases. Popular search sites include Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and many others.
Storefront
A term for an eCommerce-enabled website on the Internet. Storefront is often synonymous with terms
like website, home page, etc.
Server
A computer on the Internet that serves up files and information to Internet users (also called clients). Most people dial into a server that provides access to the Internet via a modem or over a network.
Secured server
A server using software that protects the privacy of electronic transactions conducted over the Internet.
