Canalside Websites
Website design and maintenance
bringing the web to life
Canalside Websites is now open for business and will formally launch
later in the year
Canal and Riverside Pub Guide
Canalside Websites - Internet and Computer Glossary
ACCESSIBILITY - refers to how easy it is for computer users to use your website, including people who are visually impaired.
ADDRESSES - a location of data usually on the main memory or on a disk.
ADDRESS BAR - the white bar at the top computer screen which shows the address of the website required. Normally starts with a ‘http://www’.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) – is a form of data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone wires. It does this by utilising frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call. ADSL can generally only be used over short distances with speeds reducing to the computer as the distance from the telephone exchange increases.
ADSL+2 - a progression from ADSL broadband technology that improves download speeds to users
ALTERNATIVE INPUT DEVICE - whereas a keyboard cab be seen as a direct input device, alternative devices are such tools as mice, trackballs and light pens
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) - English characters ranging from 0 to 127 represented as code used by computers for transferring data.
ATTACHMENT - an expression used when attaching a file to an e-mail.
AUDIT TRAIL - a record showing who has accessed a computer system and what operations they have performed during a given period of time.
BACKLINKS - links made from websites to yours. These help to increase a site's ranking with search engines.
BANDWIDTH – the ability to handle traffic. The greater the bandwidth, the greater amount of traffic the website can handle.
BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) – used in e-mails. An address shown in the bcc will not be shown to the other recipients of the e-mail.
BETA – a version of the website being tested in a live environment. Will appear for use on the Internet but may have development glitches.
BINARY – everything that is typed into a computer is converted into a unique combination of 0 and 1. Computer screens show what you have inputted but behind this is a binary code.
BLACKBERRY - a name given to products which receive e-mails and other applications electronically. Said to have an easy interface and keyboard for users.
BLACK HAT SEO - activites that focus on non human actions, usually the search engine.
BLOG - an online capture of thought sharing with the Internet community.
BOUNCE – when post is endorsed ‘return to sender’, this is the Internet equivalent. For a variety of reasons, e-mails will be returned if they are unable to be delivered to their destination.
BRAND - products or services that are identified by the name of the company who manufacturers the products and services.
BROADBAND – a connection that provides greater speed than a dial up connection. Can either be ADSL (still utilising the copper telephone wire), fibre optic cable or by radio connection.
BROWSER – computers hold everything in code and use browser software to convert it into what you are seeing on the screen.
BROWSING – looking around the Internet like going shopping
BURP - the resetting of any computer equipment.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE - represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of a business.
CACHE – every time you do anything on your computer, it stores this in its memory so that if you do the same again, it takes the memory of the activity and uses this rather than develop a new item.
CATCHALL - refers to a place in your e-mail account that will catch all variations of e-mails sent to that domain. Therefore, if someone misspells an e-mail address but the domain remains correct, the email will be captured rather than be returned or bounced.
CERTIFICATION AUTHORITY - a third party or company that issues digital certificates.
CC - an email feature than sends a copy of an e-mail to one or more people at the same time as the addressee.
CHAT – allows any Internet user anywhere in the world to chat in real time with any other Internet user anywhere in the world. Users normally have to load software onto their computers to achieve this. If more than two people are involved, this is generally known as a ‘chat room’.
CHAT ROOM - a virtual room where a chat session takes place
CHURN - an expression used in e-mail marketing to measure how many subscribers leave over a time.
CLOUD COMPUTING - a type of computing that relies on sharing computer resources
CODE – there are many different types of coding languages that computers use. Code also converts this language into a form that we understand. Used in all computer programmes and software.
CONNECTION – everyone needs a connection from their computer to use the Internet. Many elements influence the speed of the connection such as the number of users using it or the strength of the signal if a wireless connection is used.
CONVERSION – a term used for websites who are selling items and how successful they are. A high conversion factor (number of people visiting the website against how many buy items) is desirable.
COOKIE – a piece of information that some websites store on your computer when you visit them. Used for various reasons but simply so the website visited recognises your computer and so can use the information for such things as last visit to the site.
CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT) - the brains of the computer and also known as the processor. This is where all the calculations happen.
DIAL UP CONNECTION – early connections to the Internet from residential properties were made by dialling a number in the same way as making a telephone call.
DATA COMPRESSION - is particularly useful in communications as the size of the data is reduced so as to take up lees space and hence easier to send.
DATABASE DRIVEN – some websites are made up of a series of pages. These pages do not change except when they are updated. Other types will use a database and draw the information from this many times over in different ways. Updating can therefore be easier.
DHHP (DYNAMIC HOST CONFIGURATION PROTOCOL) - a way of assigning differing IP addresses to computers and other devices as they connect to a network.
DIRECTORY – think of a telephone directory but which stores information about websites.
DIGITAL CERTIFICATE - an attachment to an e-mail that is normally used to identify the sender that they are who they claim to be.
DIGITAL SIGNATURE - a digital code that identifies the sender.
DISA - Digital Interchange Standards Association is an organisation which advances the use of electronic commerce and trade by promoting standards for business to business data exchange.
DOCKING STATION - a connection between a portable computer (Laptop) and peripheral items such as printers and monitors. A full size keyboard can easily be connected to a Notebook computer using a docking station.
DOMAIN – this is a unique space on the Internet.
DOMAIN NAME – the domain is assigned a unique number (IP) to which is attached a name which is easier to remember.
DOMAIN REGISTRATION – domain names need to be registered and in this way are owned by a person or organisation.
DOWNLOAD – information transferred from a website to your computer is called downloading.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE - also known as e-commerce is business that is conducted over the Internet.
EARLY ADOPTER - terminology given to individuals or organisations who tend to buy items as soon as they become available from the manufacturers.
EMAIL - the same as post but in an electronic format.
EMAIL ADDRESS - the same as a postal address but in an electronic format.
EMAIL CLIENT – to be able to send and receive e-mails, software is required e.g. Outlook Express.
ENTERPRISE APPLICATION - applications/software that a large business would use to assist in solving business wide problems.
ESRB - abbreviation for The US Entertainment Software Ratings Board, a self regulating body for interactive entertainment.
E-waste - all waste caused by discarding electronic devices.
FREEWARE – most software is supplied with a charge. This software is provided at no charge but may contain advertising as a revenue provider.
FRONT PAGE OPTIMISATION - is the process of increasing the number of vistors that go on to lok at other pages within the website and to reduce the bounce rate.
FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL) CLIENT – software that allows websites to be loaded onto the server computer connected to the Internet.
GIF – a type of file used for images particularly animated graphics and line-drawn images.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS - a free service provided by Google for website managers to access data about their website, Shows data in graphical form.
Green PC - a computer that is designed to minimise power consumption.
GOOGLE GADGETS - Google Gadgets are miniature objects by Google (such as clocks, calendar) that can be placed on any page of a website.
HOST/HOSTING – for a computer to be able to use an e-mail address or website, another computer, connected to the Internet, has to provide an IP (domain) address, somewhere to store the information and bandwidth that is suitable for the flow of information. It is normal to pay for the provision of these facilities and this is known as your host.
HOTMAIL - Hotmail is one of the most popular free e-mail services provided by Microsoft offering a completely free account accessible from any computer anywhere in the world
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - this is the computer language that is used for creating websites. The look and feel of a website is generally coded in HTML.
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) – this is one of the methods used to transfer information on the Internet.
HYPERLINK – if a link is shown on a website (either by different coloured text, change of text colour when highlighted or underlining when highlighted), if clicked on will take the user to another place on the same or different website. The link contains a code which achieves this. If websites have a link from another website, this allows users of the remote website to easily link to the website.
Id10t ERROR (pronounced eye-dee-ten-tee). Technical support shorthand used to describe a common computer error caused by a user who has "no idea about what they are doing". An id10t error is one that the user usually will not admit responsibility for. For example, if a user calls tech support claiming their password will not work, but they in fact were mistyping the password, the tech support may note the caller's file or log the event as an id10t error
IE (Internet Explorer) - is the normal browser used with Windows although is currently being challenged in the market by free browser software. Users can choose which browser they wish to use.
IM (INSTANT MESSAGING) - a way of communicating with another person by text only in real timer over the Internet
INPUT DEVICE - any machine that feeds data into a computer e.g. a keyboard
INTERNET - a world wide network connecting computers that is unaffected by physical boundaries
ISP (INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER) - a company that provides its customers access to the Internet. Each computer has to have an ISP to be able to make a connection.
IP/IP ADDRESS (Internet Protocol) - as computers work with numbers rather names, this is how addresses are identified. IP numbers can be translated into website addresses that are more commonly used.
ISDN (INTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK) - a way of sending voice and other data over digital telephone lines.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) – to gain a connection to the Internet, everyone needs an ISP. Travellers may use an Internet Café and the owner will pay for an ISP.
JAVASCRIPT – HTML will achieve certain elements of a website although certain functions will additionally need JavaScript.
JPG – a type of file used for photographs and images.
KEYWORD/KEY PHRASE – a key part of website design and website marketing so when using a search engine entering words or phrases, relative websites are displayed.
LAN (Local Area Network) – a network connecting a network of computers to each other. Allows multiple computers to be connected to the same Internet connection.
MAILBOX - a memory where e-mails are stored until read
MALWARE - a description of malicious software designed to damage or disrupt computers
MAILSERVER – a computer that distributes e-mail.
MESSY URL - a tem used to describe a URL that is not easy to read eg one that contains lots of numbers as a description
META TAG – meta tags provide information to search engines such as keywords and information about a webpage.
MICROFILTER - required at the end of a telephone line to separate speech from broadband signals (ADSL)
MODEM - short for modulator-demodulator is a device which enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines or cables and converts digital information into a form that can be sent
MICRO FILTER - a small device that plugs into a BT telephone socket and splits the line into a standard phone socket and an ADSL broadband socket.
MP3 PLAYER - a portable device that stores music in MP3 files. Usually small handheld devices
NAME SERVERS – a computer that implements a name server protocol. On the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) are used to translate domain names into numbers so computers can relate.
OEM (ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURE) - are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and branding.
OPEN SOURCE TOOLS - is a programme that performs a task where the source code is available to all for modification and use free of charge.
OPERATING SYSTEM – all computers need software that makes them work. This is called the operating system. The most widely used is Windows.
OPTIMISE – this relates to how a web page is structured with regard to search engines. Websites that are well optimised are more easily accessed by search engines.
OUTPUT DEVICE - a piece of equipment that outputs something e.g display monitor.
PACKET COLLISION - when to or more computers try to send a packet of data at the same time.
PHISHING - sending an e-mail to a user claiming to be someone else normally to get the user to provide personal information for identity theft.
PHP - a programming language that is Linux based rather than the dominant Windows environment.
PPC (Pay Per Click) – as advertising has grown on the Internet, so have the different channels available have also increased. With Pay Per Click, the owner of the ad pays, normally a small amount, every time someone looks at the advertising. A link takes them to their website.
PRIVATE CLOUD - a computing platform that is within a corporate firewall
PROPAGATION – when an IP address is changed (a website hosting may change to a different computer), the nameservers across the world will need updating. This process is called propagation and can take a couple of days to achieve as nameservers update at different times.
PROTOCOL - an agreed format for transmitting data between two devices.
RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY) - a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly so allowing access to information anywhere in the memory rather than starting at the beginning. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computers.
RANKING – when a search engine is used, it will give a ranking or order to the sites that it has found relative to the words or phrases searched for. The more relevant to site is to the search criteria, the higher the placing will show in the displayed list.
RECIPROCAL LINKS – when two websites intend to provide a link to each other on the condition that a link will be received back, this is called reciprocal linking.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) - is an accounting term used to obtain an actual or perceived future value of an expense or investment.
ROUTER - a device that sends information to the internet and are normally connected where networks meet.
SCRIPT – a piece of code that creates or enables a specific function on a website. There are many different types of scripts that can be used.
SEARCH ENGINE – a programme that is used to search for websites and which shows these as a listing or ranking. It will continually search websites and store information about them ready to produce a ranking against the criteria selected.
SEARCH ENGINE DIRECTORY – there are lists/directories available on the Internet of search engines that specialise in particular fields.
SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY – a web site that search engines can easily read with all the links active.
SEARCH ENGINE LISTING – search engines will list all sites that have been visited.
SEARCH ENGINE RANKING – ranking relates to where on any list a website will appear.
SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSION – search engines will eventually find every website that is published on the Internet. Any new or changed website can be submitted to the search engines so that they are aware of the content.
SEARCH ENGINE RESULT – the result of a search is all the websites that the search engine is aware of in ranking order.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – all websites will want to be at the top of any search engine ranking. Many different aspects contribute to this.
SERVER – a computer acts as a server and which provides the link to website and e-mails to the Internet. It will also store any e-mails received until downloaded onto a computer. Servers are normally sold by specialist companies
SHAREWARE – where as software programmes are normally charged for, shareware is usually free, at least initially. They can continue working for ever, some are time limited, and other will show less than all the functionality available on a paid for copy.
SHOPPING CART - a shopping cart is a piece of software that displays goods for sale and completes the ordering process for customers by taking payment and advising the retailer that a purchase has been amde.
SITEMAP – this is like a road map. Users of a website need to be able to navigate easily through the site and search engines can be provided with a coded map to assist searching all the information available on the site.
SNS (Social Networking Site) - a website that allows users to have intereaction with other users who access their profile
SPAM – either known as a type of pork luncheon meat or electronic junk mail and originates from a Monty Python sketch with Vikings singing about Spam! Normally send out by ‘spammers’ in bulk with no regard to whether it is wanted or not. Replying to SPAM mailings only encourages more to be sent as confirmation of a read e-mail address has a sellable element.
SSID (SERVICE SET IDENTIFIER) - a unique identfier to packets of information sent over the internet
SSL (SECURE SOCKETS LAYER) - a way of securely transmitting data where only the sender and recipient know the key to access the data
STABLE RELEASE – a stable release is after BETA testing and is considered safe for use.
SUBDOMAIN – a way of having multiple domains utilising one domain name. A normal domain name will be in the form www.domainname.co.uk where a sub domain name will show as www.sub.domain.co.uk.
SURFING – simply means someone who is looking at websites on the Internet (World Wide Web).
TCP/IP - communication protocols that connect the different parts of the Internet
THE NET – an abbreviation of ‘The Internet’ with the same meaning.
TIMEOUT – when trying to connect to a website, sometimes, and for a number of reasons, it is not made, the connection will ‘timeout’. This means that looking for the connection will cease.
TRAFFIC – in the same way in the number of cars along a country lane or a motorway varies considerable, the number of people visiting a website is known as traffic. Your web hosting provider will limit how much traffic or bandwidth.
TROJAN HORSE – as in the same way as the story, something will arrive at your computer looking harmless but contains a virus if activated.
TUNNEL BROKER - a service provided where one companys data is sent via another companys connection
UPLOAD – for a website/file created on your own computer, it will need to be made available on a server for others to see via the Internet. This is called an upload.
URI (Uniform Resource Identfier) - the generic term for all types of names and addresses that refer to objects on the World Wide Web. A URL is one type of URI.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - a URL is a website address described in a uniform manner that directs to a location where a website can be found. As there is normally more than one page to a website, all subsequent pages will reflect this main URL. As an example, the website address may be www.bbc.co.uk whereas the business section maybe at www.bbc.co.uk/business.
VIRUS – rather like a bad cold that normally does not get better. Your computer may not see it coming and once infected may need specialist help to remove it. Computers can be protected by an anti-virus programme but such is the frequency of attack that regular updates are required.
WEBMAIL – e-mail accounts can be set up to download to a computer. This can be quite restrictive for travellers and others so some e-mail providers have access to the account via web mail so that messages can be checked form any computer with an Internet connection.
WEB PAGE/PAGE – as opposed to a website which will have many pages, this is a reference to just one page from that website.
WEBSITE – as people go to your website address, they will view the website that you have uploaded onto the server for viewing on the Internet.
WEBSITE ADDRESS – normally shown in the format www.domainname.co.uk and shows the location on the Internet of your website.
WHITE HAT SEO - refers to SEO actvities that focus on a human audience.
WI-FI DIRECT - a relatively recent advance that connects peripherals by wireless technology as an alternative to Bluetooth
WI-FI (WIRELESS FIDELITY) - networking technology that uses radio waves to connect computers to the Internet.
WINDOWS – An operating system used by the majority of the computers in the world from The Microsoft Corporation.
WORM – another type of virus that grows! It will find ways of getting access to your computer and lands code. It then looks for other computers with the same setup often mutating to different identity to prevent identification.
WWW (World Wide Web) – another name for the Internet.
© Canalside Websites 2010 Part of Bancroft Associates (boatmail.co.uk, canalandriversidepubs.co.uk, waterwaysdirectory.org.uk )
Home l Contact l Steps l Fees l Portfolio l Internet Glossary
Home l Contact l Steps l Fees l Portfolio l Internet Glossary