Introduction
Address bar:
The long, narrow window at the top of the browser, which shows the web address (URL) of the site you are currently viewing. In Internet Explorer, the word ‘Address’ appears just to the left of the window. The address bar is automatically filled when you visit a web page. Alternatively, you can type in the address of a web page you wish to visit, and click the ‘Go’ button at the right-hand end of the window, to view that web page.
Bulletin board:
An interactive section found in some websites that permits individuals to post online comments on a topic. Each bulletin board is usually based on a particular theme or topic (e.g. discussion group on a particular author, news story, sport).
Email:
(Electronic mail). Email 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 not asked 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
Internet:
A large collection of computers, connected together to allow them to share information with one another.
Internet connection:
An Internet connection is the means through which you can access the Internet. For a connection, you usually require a computer or laptop, a telephone line, and often a modem.
Link:
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 web page.
Navigation bar:
The navigation bar in a website provides a list of links to the various sections of that particular website.
Online:
A word used as shorthand for ‘on the Internet’ or‘connected to the Internet’.
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.
Search:
Searching is the process of finding a particular word or topic within a website or on the Internet. When you search, you type in one or more words which describe what you are searching for, and a search engine program looks up a database and shows a list of links to pages that may match what you are looking for – you have to type in the words to search for. Searches vary in scope – many websites allow you to search the site and all its pages; bigger search engines such as Google allow you to search the whole Internet. Typing CTRL-F lets you search the web page you are looking at.
Search engine:
A program running on a web server computer that creates and maintains a directory of web pages on the Internet. The engine has a web page with a form; you type in words describing what you are looking for; the engine looks up its directory and sends back a list of web pages that it thinks will fit your search criteria.
URL:
The Uniform Resource Locator, or address, of a web page. Like the phone number of a particular person, this is unique and goes directly to the web page with which it is associated.
Web page:
A web page is a computer file which typically includes text, pictures, links and perhaps forms. The web page also includes instructions to the browser about how the page should look on the screen (colours, layout, etc.).
Website:
A website is a collection of web pages which displays information on a particular topic. Common types of websites include company websites (information about the 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’.
