Introduction
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. When you search, it is up to you to have some idea of 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.
Secure server
A secure server is a web server that encrypts all the information being sent between your PC’s web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) and the server itself. The encryption process means that sensitive information, such as credit card details, cannot be ‘eavesdropped upon’ or monitored by third parties who might use it illegally. Secure servers use URLs (Web addresses) that start with ‘https//’ instead of ‘http//’; they also show a security symbol such as a padlock in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window.
Signing in/Registration
Signing in (or logging in), involves typing inyour name and your password. Then, theonline shop ‘knows’ who you are and canautomatically fill out forms, etc. for you.Usually done the first time that you shop inthe online shop.
Status bar
The bottom line of a browser window.Usually, this is blank, except for ‘Internet’on the lower right (when you are online)and a small logo at the bottom left. Whenconnected to a secure server, a smallpadlock appears on the lower right.
User account
Each online shop creates a record of yourname, your email, your address, a passwordand (sometimes) the items that you havebought in the past. Creating an account iscalled ‘registration’. These records are called‘user accounts’.
Web browser
A computer program, running on thehuman user’s PC, which gets informationfrom web servers and displays it on thescreen. These instructions are usually in thecomputer language HTML.
