2) Glossary - getting past the Jargon

What is the Internet?

The internet is the largest computer system in the world. It consists of thousands of connected networked together around the world. The internet is often called the "net', the "information superhiway" or "cyberspace".

What is a network?

A network is a collection of computers that are connected together to share information. Each government, company and organization is responsible for maintaining their own system.

What is the World Wide Web (WWW) ?

The world wide web is a part of the internet. The WWW consists of a huge collection of information stored on computers around the world.

Does my computer have to be on all the time?

No. You place (or have your web site designer) place your web site pages on your hosts computer banks. The host computer runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Do I have to be connected to the Internet to have a web site?

No. Your web site designer will put your web pages on the host computer. It is preferable that you have an email address for keeping in touch with visitors to your web site although your design company may look after this for you.

How do businesses use the Internet?

A business web site is used to build a company's image, provide customer support, make technical and troubleshooting information available, develop a prospect list, conduct customer surveys, offer products and services for sale, and take orders.

What kind of businesses benefit from the Internet?

Almost every business that sells a product or service would benefit from a web site. As more and more people get access to the internet in their homes and businesses it is becoming more relevant for every business to be represented.

Glossary - Getting past the Jargon

A quick overview of some of the most common terms used:

ISP Internet Service Provider - This is the company that you would contact to connect your computer to the Internet.

Domain Name - A domain name is the www.yourname.com that you see advertised everywhere. This is the name of the file you would type in to reach a specific web site.

Who can get a Domain Name? Any individual can apply for a domain name. If you are wanting a business name you have a couple of choices - you can go with a .com, .net or .org name - these are governed by a group called Internic from the United States or you may choose to go with a Canadian domain name. Canadian domain names on the provincial level would have an address like www.yourname.ab.ca ( for Alberta) or if you are a company with offices in more than one Canadian province you may qualify for a www.yourname.ca address.

HTML - This is the code that web sites are written in. It is a hypertext mark up language that translates all images, forms, text, colors and other elements on your web site into a universal internet language.

Server - A host server is a powerful computer that remains connected to the internet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year usually through a T-1, T-3 or DSL connection. This means that anyone, anywhere in the world can access your web site any time of day. Host servers are routinely "backed up" to preserve and restore data in case of problems.

Browser - This is the program used to view web sites. There are several browsers available, the majority of people use Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer or AOL America On Line.

E-mail - Electronic mail, online communications between computers.

FAQ'S - Frequently Asked Questions - A document that attempts to answer the most often asked questions of a particular subject.

URL - Uniform Resource Locator is the "address" of a particular file on the internet ie www.yourname.com

Netiquette - The rules of etiquette in cyberspace.

Multi Media - Combining the use of text, video, graphics, and audio on a web site.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network