A

analogue:Analogue is an adjective used to describe things that are continuous.Think of the two types of stereo system volume control for comparison.With some, turning to raise or lower volume is smooth. This is analogue.With others, as you turn, the knob clicks between low and high;there's no setting in between the clicks. This is digital. (Thedigital side may offer only 10 choices, say, but is very accurate.)

B

backend: the details and technology that make the websitework—it’s the part of the website that you don’t see.

bandwidth:In practice, it's how you describe how much data can travelover a single connection in a given time. In technical terms, it'sthe difference (measured in Hertz) between the high and low frequenciesof the connection. You usually only hear the word ‘bandwidth’ ifyou don't have enough of it.

banner:a graphic that appears as a border (usually 468w x 60h pixels)at the top or bottom of a webpage. Up tilnow it has been the most common way to advertise or promote productsand services on the Internet. Banners areusually designed to entice users to click on them to link to theadvertiser’s website.

bookmark:sometimes called ‘favourite’—it is a way to store the addressof a frequently visited site. You then click on your bookmark andthe browser goes directly to that site.

browser:is the software that enables you to view pages and sites onthe worldwide web (www).Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are both browsers.

C

clickthrough: when you click on an ad or other feature of a webpageand it takes you to another website.

content:the text, graphics, video and audio materials that appear ina website.

cookies:A cookie is a small piece of information. When visiting someweb sites a small packet of data, or cookie, is stored on your harddisk and accessed by the web server every time you move around thesite. This allows the site to record information about the qualityof navigation as well as user habits and interests.

Anexample of how a cookie works is when you visit a site that youwill purchase from and ‘add items to your shopping cart’ that youplan to purchase. When you head to the checkout desk, the web servercollects the cookie from your browser to see what you're buying.

CPM:Cost Per Mille (from French) cost per thousand banner impressions—itis a unit of measurement for buying online media.

D

digital:Digital signifies something that has only two states—1 and 0.The difference between analog and digital is the difference betweena light bulb controlled by an on/off switch and one controlled bya dimmer. Your computer is digital. It uses digital information,made up of a complex series of ones and zeroes, to get the job done.

domain:a subsection of the Internet (for example,.com, .net, .au, .uk). Just as a PC’s file extension (such as .docfor MS Word files) indicates what kind of file it is, the last partof an Internet site’s domain name tells you what kind of site itis. The most well-known is .com.

domainname: the name for a particular internet server or address.It will typically be in the format wsaonline.com.au—wsaonlineis the name of the organisation, .com denotes a commercialsite and .au is the code for the country of origin. E-mailaddresses associated with this domain would be in the form name@wsaonline.com.au,and the web site address would be www.wsaonline.com.au.

download:to take something from a website and copyit to your computer.

E

ebusiness:in essence, it’s business on the Internet—butit also includes all the processes involved in business.

ecommerce:differs from ebusiness by being solely todo with buying and selling over the Internet (but can be both business-to-businessand business-to-consumer).

email:electronic mail; the most popular way to communicate through(mostly) text messages over the Internet.Attachments—in the form of text and visual information (includingphotographs)—can also be sent with messages.

encryption:A way to provide secure e-commerce or communication links. It involvesencoding data so that only the people that it is intended for canread it.

extranet:a network run by a company to conduct business with employees,customers and suppliers

F

FAQ:frequently asked questions; a common feature of websitesthat documents answers to common questions.

Firewall:the security that protects networks and sites on the Internetfrom unauthorised access. Also, as the name suggests, it protectsfrom accidents or damage.

freeware:software that you can download fromthe Internet without cost.

frontend: the look and feel of a website or any online program.

frequency:The number of times a person will see, say, an ad in a given periodof time.

FTP:File Transfer Protocol. A common method of moving files betweentwo Internet sites or computers. Some browsers support FTP, andspecialised FTP software is also available. FTP sites and filescan be password protected.

G

gateway:an interface that operates between two networks—for example,within an organisation, a gateway would exist between office-onlyemail (intranet) and Internet email.

H

hits:One of the earliest ways of estimating how much ‘traffic’ a websitewas getting. A hit is a request to the Web server to send alonga file. But it’s not very accurate—not only do lots of graphicson a page make counts artificially high, but some of the tricksyour computer does to speed things up (like caching) will make countsartificially low.

homepage:usually the first page visited on a website—often it is the mainindex page. As web site design has become more complex and varied,homepages on some sites have become less clearly defined.

host:Any machine you log in to. Each website has a host, which is a machineconnected to the Internet that stores the site content files forretrieval from the WWW.

HTML:hypertext mark-up language. It is the coding language used tocreate documents for use on the World Wide Web.HTML looks much like old-fashioned typesetting code, where a blockof text is surrounded by codes that indicate how it should appear.HTML uses a series of commands written in ascii text to tell yourbrowser how to display each page, whether it means using a differentsize, or style or to display graphics, and create links.

(Tosee the HTML behind a web page, click View/Source.)

http://hypertext transfer protocol. It tells your Web browser that thisis a Web document and that it should use the hypertext transferprotocol to access the information.

hyperlink:Any link on a web page (including an image or text link) which allowsyou to jump to another linked document (or another point on thesame document). Hyperlinks form the basis of WWW navigation. Hyperlinkedtext is usually underlined and in a different colour to surroundingtext.

hypertext:Hypertext is the system of linking text and documents usinghyperlinks. HTML is a standard hypertext format.

helperapplication: any program that lets you make use of files thatyour browser doesn’t recognise on its own (such as animation). Ifyour browser can’t find a helper application, it will ask you toeither pick an application or specify where to save the file onyour hard disk.

Helperapplications are similar to plug-ins. Plug-inswork within your browser, which means they display the informationdirectly in your browser window; helper applications make theirown window.

I

interface:The interface is what you see when you look at your monitor—thecollection of words, pictures, buttons and menus that lets you dothings. Every computer program you use has an interface; some arebetter than others (easier to use, more attractive).

(the)Internet: The largest distributed network of computers thatare hooked up to one another so they can exchange information. Todo this they use protocols such as FTP, Gopher, and Hypertext TransportProtocol (http).

ISP:Internet Service Provider—such as Telstra Bigpond, Ozemail, AOL.You dial into an ISP to connect to the Internet.

Intranet:An intranet is a private online communications network limited toa specific group of users (for example, a company or office department).Many intranets use html, and operate ina similar way to the WWW.

J

Java:a computer language that lets programmers make software thatworks on any kind of computer—PC or Mac. If you use Netscapeor Internet Explorer 3.0, your browser can automatically runprograms written in Java. (Some designers stay away from Java becauseit’s not very kind to slower modems or older browsers.)

jumpsite: A web page linked to a bannerdesigned for a specific campaign or promotion. When the user clickson the banner they ‘jump’ to the site that provides, for example,campaign information or a form for collecting details or competitionentries.

L

Link:the connections between hypertext pages.Every time you click on highlighted text to go to another page onthe Web, you're following a link.

M

modem:a piece of equipment that enables you to connect to the Internet.Modems can be a slow way to connect (although extremely popular).It is possible to have a direct network connection (more commonwithin companies).

multimedia:the combined use of text, graphics, sound and video.

mailserver: part of your ISP’s server that handles incoming andoutgoing (e)mail. Every piece of (e)mail you get and send is eitherfielded or sent on its way by the mail server.

N

navigation:The path that users follows to work their way around a website.

netiquette:‘network’ and ‘etiquette’. This informal code of manners governsonline conduct. For example, writing email messages in uppercaseconveys the impression that you are SHOUTING!

network:any connection of two or more computers made for the purpose ofsharing resources (such as information, software or equipment).

O

offline:not connected to the Internet or a network. It can even mean‘not electronic’ (ie hard copy).

online:being connected to another computer, presumably via phone line.When you log onto your ISP for Internet access, you are online.A computer that is active on a network can also be said to be online.A printer can also be online; in this instance, it will accept datafrom its host computer.

onlinebrochure: a website that displays information in much the sameway as you would expect to read in a printed brochure.

P

pagerequests: the number of times a web page is requested. Thisis the most effective means of measuring traffic to a site.

pageview: each time a web page is downloaded by a user.

plug-in:a feature that allows you to hear audio, see video and experienceother multimedia (for example, RealAudio and QuickTime). Most sitesthat require this offer a link to download the plug-in at no cost.

portal:often referred to as ‘gateways’ or ‘hubs’ to the World Wide Web.It is a site that has the primary function of providing links toother content on the WWW.

PPP:Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol for communication between twocomputers using a dial-up connection to a server. It loads on topof other software called a TCP/IP stack and lets you use your browserto gain access to the Internet.

protocol:a set of standard rules that perform a particular function.

S

searchengine: A site that finds content on the Internet based on keywordstyped by the user (eg Excite, LookSmart).

server:A computer on a network that holds data and makes it available toother computers.

splashpage: an extra front page on a website. Most require you toclick on a logo to officially enter the site.

streamingaudio/video: an audio or video file that can begin playing onthe browser while it is being downloaded (instead of waiting untilthe file is downloaded).

T

TCP/IP:Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It’s the basiclanguage (or set of rules) that all Internet computers use to talkto each other.

traffic:The number and type of people who come to a site.

U

Upload:the process of loading files from your computer onto the Internet(or any larger system). Opposite of download.

User:Anyone who visits a web site at least once. Sometimes web sitesask for registration to gather information on each user.

W

www/theWeb/worldwide web: it is the whole network of hypertext serversthat lets HTML programmers present virtual, on-screen pages thatcombine text, graphics, audio and other file types—and links toother pages. Users point and click to access World Wide Web pagesusing browser software, such as Netscape Navigator.

EveryWeb page that lets you click to go to another Web page—and everypage that includes a graphic or piece of animation—is hypertext.That means that though it appears to you as just one Web page, it’sreally made up of several pieces that can be scattered all acrossthe Web. Hypertext—that is, the connections that bring various bitstogether to make web pages—is how the Web got its name!

webpage:an HTML file that can be ‘read’ by your browser. It also refersto any section of a site that appears in a window at any time.

website:a group of HTML files on the worldwide web.

Y

Yield:The percentage of click-throughs vs impressions of an ad withina specific page, expressed as a percentage of total impressionsdelivered.