A DICTIONARY OF WEB TERMINOLOGY
The following webopedia defines the most common terms and abbreviations for the web.
| Accessibility | Defines is the degree to which a web site can be used by people with disabilities. |
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| Animation | A series of images are displayed sequentially to give the illusion of movement or change. |
| Banner Ad | An advertisement on a web page with a hyperlink to the advertiser's web site. |
| Bandwidth | Measurement of the speed of data you can send through an Internet connection. The larger the bandwidth, the faster the connection. |
| Bit | The basic unit of information in a binary numbering system. |
| BPS (Bits Per Second) |
Term to describe the transmission speed for data over the web. |
| Browse | Visiting various places on the web. | Browser | See Web Browser. |
| CMS (Content Management System) |
A CMS enables the end user to manage and modify the content of his web site himself. |
| Cookie | The information from a web server that is stored on a computer by a web browser. |
| ColdFusion | A web development software. |
| CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) |
CSS is a set of tags that are used to define the styling and layout of a web document. CSS separates the content and style of a web document and enables easy style changes. |
| CSS 3 |
The currently latest CSS version. CSS 3 is not yet supported by all browsers. |
| Database | An collection of information organized by an electronic filing system. |
| DNS (Domain Name Service) |
Translates domain names into IP addresses. |
| Domain Name | The name that identifies a web site. |
| Download | Transferring files from a remote computer to your computer. |
| E-mail Server | A web server which sends and delivers e-mail. |
| Ecommerce (E-commerce, EC) |
Ecommerce is the selling and buying of goods and services on the Internet. |
| Encryption | Data encoding to ensure it is accessible only by the intended recipient. |
| Flash | A vector-based, bandwith friendly animation technology developed by Adobe for use on the web. |
| Form | See HTML Form. |
| FTP (File Transfer Protocol) |
A protocol that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another. |
| FTP Server | A web server which allows you to log on and transfer files. |
| GB (Gigabyte) |
1024 megabytes. |
| Graphics | Graphics defines pictures to differentiate from text. |
| Hit | Requesting a web document on a server. |
| Home Page | The main page of a web site. |
| Host | See Web Host. |
| HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) |
The main language of the web. |
| HTML 5 |
The currently latest HTML version. HTML 5 is not yet supported by all browsers. |
| HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) |
A web standard for browsers and servers to communicate. |
| Hyperlink (Hotlink, Link) |
Transfers the user to to another web page or document. |
| IE (Internet Explorer) |
A web browser developed by Microsoft. |
| IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) |
The number assigned to any Internet-connected computer. |
| Internet | A worldwide system of linked computer networks that facilitates datatransfer and communication services, such as file transfer (FTP, E-mail and the World Wide Web). |
| Java | A programming language invented at Sun Computers. |
| JavaScript | A scripting language that enables the design of interactive sites. |
| KB (Kilobyte) |
1024 kilobytes. |
| Keywords | Hidden words on web sites which help search engines to identify and better index a web site (See Meta Tags). |
| Link | Synonimous to hyperlink. |
| MB (Megabyte) | 1024 kilobytes. |
| Meta Tags | Hidden data inserted into documents to describe the document for search engines. (Eg Keywords) |
| MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) |
A connectivity standard that enables a user to connect computers and digital music processors to produce digital sound. |
| Modem | Hardware equipment to connect a computer through a telephone network to the internet. |
| MOV | A Macintosh platform based audio/video file. |
| MP3 (MPEG Third Layer) |
An audio compression format for storing and transmitting music in digital form. |
| MP4 (MPEG 4) |
A type of audio and video coding format. |
| MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) |
A type of audio and video coding format. |
| MySQL | An open source database management system. |
| Multimedia | A presentation which combines multiple media (text, pictures, video, sound). |
| Navigate | Visiting various places in a web site. |
| Navigation | The system which allows the visitor to see where he is and to navigate to other places in a web site. |
| Open Source | Generally for computer programs available to the public at no cost. |
| OS (Operating System) |
The basic software of a computer system which runs and controlls the installed applications on a computer. (Eg. Windows, Mac OS, Linux) |
| PDF (Portable Document Format) |
A versatile file format for text and graphics developed by Adobe. |
| PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) | A technology allowing the insertion of server executable scripts in web pages. |
| Platform | Synonimous to Operating System. |
| Plug-In | A small application that adds new functionality, multimedia, or audio-video capability to a web site or software. |
| PNG (Portable Network Graphics) |
A graphics format. |
| Progressive Download | Using a standard web server to transmit a media file to the internet. (vs. Streaming) |
| Port | A number that identifies a computer 's input and output channel. |
| QuickTime | A digital video standard developed by Apple. |
| Redirect | Forwarding a web page automatically to another web page. |
| Robot | Synonimous to Web Spider. |
| Search Engine | A program that searches web documents for specified keywords and publishes a list of these documents on the web. (Eg Google, Yahoo, Bing) |
| SEO (Search Engine Optimization) |
The process of selecting targeted keywords that reflect the content of a Web site, placing them within the meta tags, creating a doorway page for each search engine, and testing the search engine results to make sure the site is well placed based on the keywords you selected. |
| SEM (Search Engine Marketing) |
A form of Internet marketing which promotes websites by increasing their visibility on search engines through the use of search engine optimization, paid placement, advertising, and pay per click ads. |
| Server | Synonimous to Web Server. |
| Shareware | Copyrighted software that is available for free. |
| SMM (Social Media Marketing) |
Reaching people for promotional purposes by becoming an active participant in relevant social web communities and conversations. |
| Spider | Synonimous to Web Spider. |
| Spyware | Hidden software which collects information about the use of the computer. |
| Streaming | Transmitting a media file (audio or video) over a dedicated web server in order to play back as quickly as possible. (vs. Progressive Download) |
| Upload | Transferring files from your computer to a remote computer. |
| URL (Uniform Resource Locator) |
The addressing system used in the World Wide Web. |
| Visitor | A person visiting a web site. |
| Web 2.0 | Social Media such as Facebook or Twitter |
| Web Browser | Software which displays web pages. (eg Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome) |
| Web Document | Synonimous for Web Page. |
| Web Host | A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server space to host web sites. |
| Web Page | A document that can be viewed on the Web. |
| Web Robot | Synonimous to Web Spider. |
| Web Server | Computer hardware which stores and distributes web pages on the internet. |
| Web Spider | A software that searches the Internet for web pages. Usually used by search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing to index the web. |
| WWW (World Wide Web, the Web) |
A global system of serverss using the internet to distribute web documents. |
| WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) |
To display a document being edited exactly the same way it will be displayed on the web or in print. |
| XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) |
Synonimous to XML. |
| XML (EXtensible Markup Language) |
XML is the latest version of HTML supported by browsers. |
| ZIP | A Windows-based compressed file. ZIP is the industry standard for data compression technology, |