Introduction
Browse:
This is another way to find what you are looking for online. Browsing a website is like browsing in a shop
– you look at what is displayed, and see if it fits your requirements. Browsing does not require that you can describe what you are looking for. Instead, you take advantage of the layout of the website to find what you are looking for. Websites may use categories, headings and site maps to help you to browse successfully.
Copyright:
The legal obligation to obtain permission to reproduce text, music or images.
Disclaimer:
A denial of responsibility for a thing or act. In the context of this document on ‘Family Health’ it means that the text presented on these pages is for information purposes only. It is not to be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without first consulting a doctor or medical professional.
Download:
The process of copying a computer file from the Internet onto your own PC is called downloading. A file such as a music (MP3) file or a document is made available to the Internet by storing it on a server. To download the file, you usually click on a link to it, or else right-click and choose ‘save target as’ (in Internet Explorer) or ‘save link as’ (Mozilla Firefox). A box pops up asking you where on your hard disk you want to store the file. You choose the location for storage, click the button and the file is copied onto your hard disk (or downloaded).
Email:
(Electronic Mail)
Email or electronic mail is a service that sends messages across the Internet from one human user to another. Like a letter, email is person-to-person and it stores messages until they are read.
FAQ:
(Frequently Asked Questions)
A FAQ is a list of questions and their answers, which are commonly asked. These are published on the website of a product or service, so that the same question is notasked of the supplier, over and over again. A good example of a FAQ, which focuses on web security, is at http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html
Hotmail:
A popular e-mail service, which can be accessed from any computer via the web.
Interactive services:
(e.g. Discussion Boards, Nurse 24/7) Services that the user can respond to or change.
Internet:
A large collection of computers, connected together to allow them to share information with one another.
Links:
A link, or hyperlink, is a part of a web page that, if clicked with a mouse, opens a different web page. Links are usually shown in blue and underlined on a webpage.
Localised information:
Information that has been adapted from internationally sourced articles and papers to reflect Irish terminology, demographics, medical practices, trends and views.
Log-in/User name:
A set of letters and symbols that have to be entered to access certain computer or online services. In this case, medical databases, journals, interactive services, etc. It usually requires a password to authenticate your identity.
Mouse:
The small rounded device attached to the side of the computer that, when moved, moves the cursor on the computer screen.
Online:
A word used as shorthand for ‘on the Internet’ or ‘connected to the Internet’.
Password:
The electronic, computer equivalent of, say, your PIN number (for a cash card). Your Internet username will need a password to prevent other people from accessing your email user account.
Register:
To register means to create an identity online. For many services, it is important that the website knows your name, address, phone number, etc. For example, if buying a book in an online bookshop, you need to provide this information. The online bookshop then records your details in a database of customers, which it later uses to post out the book to you. Registration is usually completed by filling in an online form, with fields for name, address and other information.
Scroll:
Scrolling is the process of moving what you see on the screen upwards or downwards. This lets you view a web page, a document or some other computer material which is longer than what can be shown on a single screen-full. Scrolling is achieved using scroll-bars on the right hand side of the window that you are using to view the material. You can also scroll using the up and down arrow keys, the page-up and page-down keys and a mouse with a scroll-wheel.
Warranty:
Written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications.
Website:
A website is a collection of web pages which displays information on a particular topic. Common types of websites include company websites (all about a company), online shops (where you buy goods and services and pay by credit card) and personal websites (where individuals share their interests). A website may consist of just one page of information, but will usually contain several pages, all linked together. All the pages in a website usually share the same ‘domain’ name. For example, all the pages in the large online shop ‘Amazon’ have an address (URL) that starts with ‘www.amazon.com’.
World Wide Web:
Also called the WWW or the Web. A service that sends information over the internet from web server programs to web browser programs. The browser then displays this information to the user on his computer screen.
