• accessibility 

  Refers to a web page or web site that people interacting with different kinds of disabilities, the difficulty they can experience due to physical and or technological barriers.  A web page or site that addresses these users' limitations is said to be accessible.
  
  

• Acrobat 

  One of a suite of applications developed by Adobe to create and view *.PDF files.  Acrobat is used to create the PDF files, and the freeware Acrobat Reader is used to read *.PDF files.
  
  

• ALT-attribute 

  Part of the HTML image tag.   A good web designer will always include text in all of your image sources for two reasons: (1) if any of your visitors choose not to view graphic images on your web pages, the alternative text will be shown; and (2) if your visitors use Internet Explorer as their browser and they leave the mouse over any graphic image, they will view the text in your ALT-attribute.
  
  

• animated GIF 

  A *.GIF graphic file, which consists of two or more images shown in a timed sequence to give the effect of motion.
  
  

• animation 

  The creation of a timed sequence or series of graphic images or frames together to give the appearance of continuous movement.
  
  

• anti-aliasing 

  Smoothing or blending the transition of pixels in an image.  Anti-aliasing the edges on a graphic image makes the edges appear smooth, not jagged.
  
  

• applet 

  A small program designed to run within another application.   Java is one of the major languages used for creating Web-based applets.
  
  

• ASP or Active Server Page(s) 

  Dynamically generated web pages, using scripting to generate the page.  When a browser or a search engine spider requests an ASP page from a server, the server generates the web page with HTML code and gives it to the browser or spider.  Mostly used on Windows platforms.
  
  

• autoresponder 

  An application that is triggered when a user sends an email or submits a form via a website.  Usually these automated responses simply acknowledge the inquiry; however more sophisticated autoresponders can be configured to send follow-up correspondence.

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• backup 

  The practice of copying data to another location for the purpose of maintaining a reliable and secure record which can be restored in the event of data loss.
  
  

• bandwidth 

  The amount of data that can be transferred over a network in a fixed amount of time. On the Internet, broadband is usually expressed in megabits per second (mps) and dialup in kilobits per second (kps).   A host may allocate your site a specified bandwidth.   This refers to the maximum amount of information transferred to users from your website in a given period of time.
  
  

• banner or banner ad 

  A graphic image (static or animated) that is placed on a web site as an advertisement.
  
  

• bitmap or *.BMP 

  An image file format usually associated with Windows OS.  On the web bitmap images are being depreciated in favour of *.GIF, *.JPG and increasingly *.PNG image file formats.
  
  

• blog, blogger, blogging 

  Blog: a contraction of "web" and "log", describes a website comprising of date-related entries (or posts).   Blogs are typically of a personal nature, although their use by companies as a marketing tool is increasing.  A blogger is a person authoring a blog and blogging is the process.
  
  

• bookmark 

  The means by which users can "tag" a website so it can be easily returned to.  Browsers usually have a list of bookmarked sites known as "Favourites".
  
  

• browser or web browser 

  Software application used to interpret markup commands and display page content.  The two most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox.

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• cascading style sheets (CSS) 

  A mechanism for adding styling elements to web documents (e.g. fonts, colours, spacing, etc...,).   Not all browsers implement the full specification of CSS.  CSS standards are governed by the WC3 consortium.
  
  

• Common Gateway Interface (CGI) 

  A standard that allows a webpage to communicate to its host server & activate a script (such as an email feedback form).
  
  

• cgi-bin 

  This is a directory on the server where CGI scripts (binaries) are stored.  Scripts stored in this directory are able to run processes on the server.
  
  

• cookie 

  A cookie is a message given to a web browser (such as Netscape or Explorer) by a web server.  The cookie is then stored on the users computer.  The purpose of cookies is to identify web site users/visitors and possibly prepare customized web pages on their return to the site.  Unscrupulous use of cookies has corrupted their intent and curtailed their use.
  
  

• compression 

  A method of packing data in order to save disk storage space or download time.  Images are typically compressed and their file format is the type of compression used (*.BMP, *.GIF, *.JPG/JPEG *.PNG to name a few).  Compression is a technique to make a file or a data stream smaller for faster transmission or to take up less storage space.
  
  

• content 

  The material that actually makes up a web site.   This could be words, pictures, images or sounds.  In essence however, when we talk about web content, we are essentially referring to content in a textual nature.  Content therefore is usually the information in text form that a web site provides.
  
  

• CSS see Cascading Style Sheets 

  
  
  

• crawler (robot or spider) 

  A crawler is a program run by a search engine to build a summary of a websites content.  It creates a text-based summary of content and an address (URL) for each webpage.   These results become the method for which the search engine retrieves data for searches.
  
  

• cross-browser compatibility 

  The styling and content of a web page written in such a way as to appear similar in different browsers.   Compatibility has become an issue due to the differing ways in which browsers interpret markup and CSS elements.
  
  

• cyber squatter 

  A person or company who registers a domain name (or a series of domain names) in order to resell them for profit.

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• default 

  The factory setting or state.
  
  

• deprecated 

  Refers to the lower status of a device, method or term because an improved alternative has been generally accepted.   Markup terms often become depreciated as new terms are adopted.   Use of a depreciated item should generally be avoided.
  
  

• document type declaration (doctype) 

  The specification at the top of a webpage document where the DTD is stated.
  
  

• document type definition (DTD) 

  The validation standard to which a webpage has been written.  The DTD is used by a browsing device when it displays a webpage.  The definition specifies the code base used (language) by the webpage (and consequently the elements that are permitted or invalid).
  
  

• domain name 

  A unique name that identifies one or more IP addresses in a format that is easily readable by web users.  In computer communications, these domain names are mapped by the DNS to a unique IP address.   Domain names are alphabetic so they're easier to remember than the numerical IP address.  http://www.scriptus.co.nz is a domain name while http://xxx.yyy.zzz.k is an IP address.
  
  

• Domain Name System (DNS) 

  An Internet system/service that translates domain names into IP addresses.  The Internet is based on IP addresses, but the alphabetical domain name is easier to remember.   Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address.
  
  

• download 

  To transfer data from the internet to your computer.  Downloading includes the transfer of web page content as well as other external files.

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• e-commerce or electronic commerce 

  Performing business transactions via the web.
  
  

• email 

  electronic mail.

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• favicon 

  a small icon which is placed next to a website name when it is bookmarked.
  
  

• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) 

  Transmission system for files.
  
  

• FTP client 

  software use to perform File Transfer Protocol transfers.
  
  

• Flash 

  refers to Macromedia's Web animation technology.   Flash allows Web developers to incorporate colourful animations with text, shapes, and images into their Web pages.  To view Flash content in your Web browser, you need to have the Flash plug-in installed.
  
  

• font 

  The typeface(s) used in a document.
  
  

• footer 

  navigation links placed at the bottom of a webpage to facilitate point-and-click navigation without returning to the top of the screen.  These are usually plain text links.
  
  

• form 

  a pre styled input tool allowing users to fill in fields for information exchange.
  
  

• frame, frameset HTML element(s) 

  Frames are a depreciated technique for combining two or more separate HTML documents within a single web browser screen.
  
  

• freeware 

  software which can be downloaded and used for free.  Many freeware programmers ask users for donations to assist with further product development.

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• Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) 

  Image file format.   GIF's are well supported by browsers and used frequently on the web due to the small file size and the ability to have parts of the image set to transparent (so the background shows through).  Files can be identified by the *.GIF extension.

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• hexadecimal colours 

  Colour system where the colour channels Red Green & Blue are specified with hexadecimal (base 16) numbers.   Usually denoted with a # hash symbol.  #ff6600 represents a colour with maximum (255/255=100%) red, 102/255 (around 40%) green and 0 blue.
  
  

• hits 

  The number of independent visits to a site.   More accurately it is the number of individual requests a server answers in order to render a single Web page completely.  Also known as traffic.
  
  

• Home Page 

  The first page (also known as opening page, start page or main page) of a Web site.  This would technically be your index page or default page of your directory.
  
  

• host 

  The person/company who owns a server on which webpages are loaded to be made available to web viewers.  Also used to refer to the server itself.
  
  

• hosting 

  The process of making webpages available on a server connected to the internet.
  
  

• HTML (HyperText Markup Language) 

  Formal language for website content.  Increasingly the styling elements of HTML are being depreciated in favour of CSS elements.
  
  

• HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) 

  The set of rules for transferring files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web.
  
  

• hyperlink 

  A link which transfers the browser focus to another location.  The new location can be elsewhere on the same page, a new page or a different website altogether.
  
  

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• image 

  Block of graphical data.
  
  

• interactive (~ivity) 

  A Web page is interactive when it prompts a response from the user or in some way can interact with the user dynamically (e.g. filling out a form or a poll etc).
  
  

• internet 

  A global network connecting millions of computers.   Each Internet computer, called a host, is independent.   The Internet is not synonymous with World Wide Web.  The Internet and the Web are two related but separate things.
  
  

• IP (Internet Protocol) 

  Method or protocol by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet.  Each computer (known as a host) on the Internet has at least one IP address that uniquely identifies it from all other computers on the Internet.
  
  

• ISP (Internet Service Provider) 

  A company that provides access to the internet.
  
  

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• JavaScript 

  JavaScript is a client-side scripting language developed by Netscape.  Embedded in the head section of a web document or housed in a separate file, JavaScript can introduce dynamic interactivity to a web page.  As with virtually all scripting languages, JavaScript has had some security problems and has been used for sinister purposes, hence some users disable JavaScript for security reasons.
  
  

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• Link 

  See hyperlink.
  
  

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• markup 

  A webpage consists of content that has been marked-up.   Markup provides instructions to the browsing software to determine how the web page is presented.  HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and XHTML are the most commonly used systems for marking up content.
  
  

• meta tag 

  An electronic "tag" which resides in the header section of a web page.  Meta tags allow programs (crawlers, spiders or robots) to correctly index a page.
  
  

• mouseover 

  A web page element that triggers a change on an item (typically a graphic change, such as making an image or hyperlink appear) when the mouse pointer hovers over it.
  
  

• MP3 

  Audio file compression format.  Files can be recognized by their extension *.mp3.
  
  

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• navigation 

  The method of moving from one resource to another.  On webpages the most common system is point-and-click.
  
  

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• optimize, optimization 

  The tuning of a website (or application) to improve the speed at which it can be accessed.  Images, applications and markup can and should be optimized for use on the web.  Webpages can also be optimized for search engines in order to improve the ranking in subsequent searches (search engine optimization).
  
  

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• PDF (Portable Document Format) 

  A file format for documents which ensures the document is displayed exactly as the author intended.   The PDF specification was developed by Adobe Systems and has been widely accepted over the internet due to the freely downloadable Adobe Acrobat reader.   PDF files have the extension *.PDF.
  
  

• pixel 

  Smallest individual unit on a screen.  A screen with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels is capable of displaying 640 distinct dots on each of its 480 lines, or about 300,000 pixels.
  
  

• Portable Network Graphic (PNG) 

  Image file format endorsed by the World Wide Web Consortium.  It is expected to eventually replace the GIF format, because of the improved graphics features and high compression.
  
  

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• resolution 

  Describes how many dots make up an image.   The more dots, the higher the resolution.  When displayed on a monitor, the dots are called pixels.
  
  

• robot (crawler or spider) 

  A robot is an automated program run by a search engine to build a summary of a websites content.   It creates a text-based summary of content and an address (URL) for each webpage.  These results become the method for which the search engine retrieves data for searches.
  
  

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• script, scripting 

  A list of executable commands created by a scripting language.  Scripts that are executed on a web server (e.g. Perl, PHP) are said to be server-side scripts.  Scripts that execute on your own home PC (e.g. JavaScript) are said to be client-side scripts.   Scripts can be embedded within HTML to produce a web page with dynamic actions (see mouseover).
  
  

• Scripting Language 

  A scripting language is a simple programming language used to write an executable list of commands (the "script").   JavaScript, Perl, VBscript are examples of scripting languages.
  
  

• search engine 

  A server or collection of servers dedicated to indexing internet web pages.  The indexes are created with automated programs that scour the Internet (crawlers, robots & spiders).   The results are stored a database for quick retrieval when matched to a particular search query.
  
  

• search engine optimization (SEO) 

  Writing the content of a webpage in such a way that a search engine robot can quickly index the content.   Optimization is usually performed using a string of keywords which are linked to the page content.  The exact algorithms used by search engines are closely guarded secrets.  Optimization for keywords generates a higher ranking when those keywords are used in the search query.
  
  

• semantic markup 

  Means using (X)HTML tags for their implied meaning, rather than just using unnecessary div and span tags.  This means that the <h*></h*> tags are used for headers and tags like <b></b> are replaced with <strong>.
  
  

• Serif 

  A style of typeface that has small "feet" at the bottom of the letters.  Common serif typefaces include Times Roman, Garamond, and Palatino.  Sans-serif typefaces have no such "feet".
  
  

• server 

  A computer, program or process which responds to requests for information from a user.  On the internet, all web pages reside on servers (computers).
  
  

• sitemap 

  A text or graphical representation of the way a websites pages are interlinked.
  
  

• spider (robot or crawler) 

  A spider is an automated program run by a search engine to build a summary of a websites content.   It creates a text-based summary of content and an address (URL) for each webpage.  These results become the method for which the search engine retrieves data for searches.
  
  

• splash screen 

  A screen which appears prior to a website or application loading.  Website splash screen usually have an "enter here" button for users to click before they progress to the website proper.
  
  

• standards-compliant 

  Strict adherence to specifications.   Usually used in relation to (X)HTML and CSS and the standards as laid out by the WC3 organization.
  
  

• stylesheet 

  A separate plain text document which specifies how browsers should display markup elements on a website.  Styling may also be included in the header section of the markup or inline with the individual elements (now depreciated).
  
  

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• template 

  Skeletal document (XHTML or CSS) with the main content left out.  Templates are an effective tool for creating many pages with an identical look or structure, but differing content.
  
  

• traffic 

  Measurement of the number of users that visit a website.  Similar in nature to road traffic or foot traffic, hence the term.
  
  

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• uploading 

  Transferring files from a separate computer to a server.
  
  

• URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) 

  String of characters that represents the location or address of a resource on the Internet.   A URL is one kind of URI.
  
  

• URL (Uniform Resource Locator) 

  Each separate page accessible on the Web has a unique address which can by identified by its URL.   The first part of the address (e.g.; http or ftp etc) indicates what protocol to use and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name where the resource is located.
  
  

• usability 

  The level or degree of a page's operating friendliness for the user.
  
  

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• validation 

  The process of making sure that your code is compliant with current specifications.
  
  

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• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) 

  Established in October 1994 to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.
  
  

• WWW (World Wide Web) 

  A way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet.  Browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape are utilized to access the vast collection of interconnected (hyperlinked) documents on the web.
  
  

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• XHTML (eXtensible HTML) 

  A stricter, cleaner version of HTML, intended to replace the HTML 4.01 standard.  XHTML is a hybrid of XML and HTML.  Web pages designed in XHTML should look the same across all platforms.
  
  

• XML (Extensible Markup Language) 

  An ISO compliant subset of SGML & allows for custom tags to be processed.  Custom tags will enable the definition, transmission and interpretation of data structures between organizations.