Jargon buster

Some of the terms and phrases it may be helpful to know:

ASP - an application service provider is a site that carries software on the Internet.

Attachment - any text or picture file sent with an e-mail, such as a CV.

Bookmark - stored Internet address file, also known as a favourite or as part of a hotlist.

Browser - software that enables you to view documents on the World Wide Web.

Clicks and mortar - businesses that use both the Internet (clicks) and traditional (mortar) elements such as warehouse and distribution.

Download - transfer information from the Internet to your own computer.

E-business - an Internet-based commercial venture.

E-commerce - business transactions conducted over the Internet.

Encryption - writing messages in coded form to ensure that they can only be read by recipients who hold the key to that code.

E-tail - shopping on the net. An e-tailer is an outlet that trades only over the Internet.

E-zine - online magazine.

E-learning - training or learning that takes place via the web. Training programmes can be conducted partially or fully using the Internet.

Extranet - an external communication system typically used to connect business partners. It often incorporates sections of a company's intranet.

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - the computer language in which web pages are written.

Intranet - effectively an internal Internet, with relevant but limited web site access.

ISDN - fast-access service to the Internet that most small and medium-sized businesses are likely to use.

ISP - An Internet service provider, such as Wanadoo or AOL, provides you with access to the Internet.

Netiquette - Unofficial codes of behaviour for the Internet.

Newsgroup - Internet discussion group.

Plug-ins - software that allows your computer to perform extra functions.

SMS - Short Messaging Service, a protocal which allows text messaging via mobile phones.

Unique User - according to IFABC Global Web Standards a Unique User is "An IP address plus a further identifier. Sites may use User Agent, Cookie and/or Registration ID." Note that where users are allocated IP addresses dynamically (for example by dial-up Internet Service Providers), this definition may overstate or understate the real number of individual Users concerned. A Unique User is at a minimum an IP address + the Browser ID with a unique address entering a Web site by any page and is counted once for the given period (the minimum audit period is one calendar month). The number of Unique Users is an indicator of the sites audience or reach.

Virus - software that has been designed to damage the workings of a computer. Viruses can be transferred from one computer to another via e-mail attachments or web download connections.

Visit - sometimes known as a User session. According to IFABC Global Web Standards a Visit is "A series of one or more Page Impressions, served to one User, which ends when there is a gap of 30 minutes or more between successive Page Impressions for that User." A Visit is effectively a near-continuous burst of activity by a valid User. A Visit is determined when a unique user enters or re-enters a Web site during a specified period. A Visit is determined by counting bursts of activity (Page Impressions) made by valid unique users that have not re-entered the site within the past 30 minutes. Visits are a 'better' indicator of total site activity than "unique users" since they indicate frequency of use.

WAP - wireless application protocol that allows mobile phone users to browse the Internet, including email, the web, newsgroups and Internet Relay Chat (IRC). While Internet access has been possible in the past, different manufacturers have used different technologies.

WASP - wireless application service provider is part of a growing industry sector resulting from the convergence of two trends: wireless communications and the outsourcing of services. A WASP performs the same service for wireless clients as a regular application service provider (ASP) does for wired clients: it provides Web-based access to applications and services that would otherwise have to be stored locally. The main difference with WASP is that it enables customers to access the service from a variety of wireless devices, such as the smartphone and the personal digital assistant (PDA).

Web mail - email stored on the web, rather than with your ISP, at sites such as Hotmail.

Wireless - refers to telecommunication in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. Some monitoring devices, such as intrusion alarms, employ acoustic waves at frequencies above the range of human hearing; these are also sometimes classified as wireless. Common examples of wireless equipment in use today include:Cellular phones and pagers, Global Positioning System (GPS), cordless computer peripherals, satellite television and wireless LANs (Local Area Networks).

World Wide Web - a technical definition of the World Wide Web is: all the resources and users on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).