When your business relies on computers and the Internet, it's all too easy to feel as if you're drowning in a sea of nonsense. Computer-related topics tend to have their own language, and while you don't need to know it all, there are numerous perplexing terms and phrases that you're bound to encounter sooner or later. Here is a brief overview.
Bandwidth. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that your website can send and receive each second. If either of them lacks sufficient bandwidth, the website will load slowly. As a result, you should choose a host with plenty of bandwidth and test that your site does not take an excessive amount of time to download on slow connections.
Browser. A browser is the software that visitors to your website use to view it (see below). The most widely used browser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which comes pre-installed on most computers.
Cookie. Cookies are small data files that a website can save on the computer of a visitor in order to remember who they are when they return. You will almost always find that issues with ordering from you are related to cookies — they must be enabled.
Download. Data transmission from a website to a computer.
Favourite. A favorite website is one that a user has saved for future reference by selecting 'Add to Favorites' from their browser's menu.
FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is a common method of uploading files to your website (see below).
Javascript. A widely used programming language for creating'scripts' on websites, which are small programs that enhance the site's interactive capabilities. Another frequent source of difficulty for visitors.
JPEG. Group of Photographic Experts in Conjunction. This is the name of the most widely used picture format on the web, named after the group that invented it. If you wish to include images on your website, they should be saved as JPEGs.
Hardware. Hardware is the physical components of a computer. It is the polar opposite of computer software.
Hosting. If you have a website on the Internet, you will have to pay for hosting. It is the service of making your website visible to the public.
HTML. HTML is an abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language. A type of code that specifies how web pages should be displayed through the use of a system of small 'tags'. For example, the 'b' tag causes text to appear bold, while the 'img' tag displays an image.
Hyperlink. When a piece of text on a website can be clicked to take you to another site or page on the same site, this is referred to as a hyperlink. For instance, if someone can email you by clicking on your email address on your website, then your email address is a hyperlink.
Programming. This is when the computer is instructed to perform a task using one of the numerous 'programming languages'. PHP and Perl are two web programming languages.
Server. The server is the location of your website, and it is the server to which visitors connect when they visit. If someone informs you that your server is 'down,' for example, this means that your website is inaccessible. Take note that the term "server" refers to both the hardware and software components of this system.
Software. Programs that run on a computer or that enable your website to function properly. For instance, Microsoft Word is software, as is Apache (the most popular web server software). In opposition to hardware.
Spider. Fear not if a spider pays a visit to your website! Spiders are simply programs that search engines use to crawl your site and determine where it should appear in search results. It is beneficial to be visited by spiders, as this indicates that you will soon begin to appear in search engines.
Upload. Uploading is the process by which data is transferred from your computer to your website. For instance, you could upload your logo or a piece of writing. The polar opposite of download.
URL. URI stands for Uniform Resource Locator. This is a colloquial term for 'web address,' which refers to the address you must type in to access your website. Occasionally pronounced as 'Earl'.
