Computers Made Easy-Those confusing Words!
So many words that just make your head spin and wonder if you will
ever figure it out!
Well lets see if we can take the monster of words and terms and whittle
them down to where even us gray haired grandma's can understand them. :o)
Cache
(No it's not that money you have hidden in the cookie jar :o)
It's where you store on your computer's hard disk a local copy of a web page
that you have accessed via the Internet. Your browser compares the cached
copy of the page to the original, and if there have been no changes, the browser
will use the "cached" (saved) copy rather than reloading the page onto the client,
saving download time.
Cookie
( peanut butter is the best, but darn it's not that kind of cookie! )
It's a string of letters and numbers that the web server stores in a
file on your hard drive. Web designers, site owners, and companys use this
to track visitors to a web site so the visitors do not have to enter the same
information every time they go to a new page or revisit a site.
One way that
it is used, an e-commerce site will use cookies to keep track of purchases
a visitor makes while shopping through their web catalog. Cookies
hold a lot of information about you and your computer. It's like following a trail
of cookie crumbs from the living room to the bedroom and finding your hubby
in bed eating all the oreo's :o)
Download
To receive a copy of a file saved on one computer or web site using a
modem. Ok, you see that neat poem and want a copy to place on the
desktop of your computer (don't forget to check copywrite here. So you
right click on your mouse and save as, your modem will now copy and store
it on your computer....."download"
e-commerce (Electronic Commerce)
Shopping online (yea!), display of products, online ordering. Bottom line
its like the mall down the road from your house, but all handled on the web..
Great idea huh!
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A standard that allows users to transfer files from one computer to
another using a modem and telephone lines. Like the HTTP coding
to a web page, a protocol. It provides a way of uploading and downloading
files, including graphics (gif, jpg) of those family pictures you want to show off.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTML is the code that tells browsers how to display a page on your screen.
Computers have a language all their own and for the text and graphics to show.
A "tag" is a command in computer language that says, "display the graphic" or
"make the text a certian size"
Have you ever used a screen or the closet to hide
the mess you just didn't have time to clean up? Well the html code is sorta
hidden behind what you are seeing right now on your computer screen.
Want to take a peek? Take a look at this page...
Here is how you do it. On your browser you will see a button that says "View",
now move your mouse down to "Page Source". Wow!! Looks scary don't it?
Well its not as bad as you think! Each little symbol you see is a command and its
just a matter of learning how they work. Coming soon will be a page showing what
and how the commands work, so check back soon.
Hyperlink
An area found on web pages and other electronic documents that, when
clicked with a mouse automatically opens a file or web page in your web
browser.
A hyperlink may be a word, button, or graphic. When a hyperlink
is text, it typically displays in a different color and may also be
underlined. A text hyperlink that has already been visited is usually
displayed in a different color.
Now that was the formal explanation, now lets make it simple!
When you visit a page you will see words, a button or even a graphic that when
you move your mouse over them will allow you to "Jump" to another page or site
on the net. Below is a hyperlink to one of my sites...before you click on it and
I do invite you to do so, you might want to finish reading this page.
Touch Of Love
The Internet
That is the "information superhighway", and your on it now surfing around and
learning.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)
I have had some strange answers to this term when I ask what is your ISP.
One person told me they were plugged into a 110 outlet, was that their ISP?
The answer is no but I'm real glad they didn't plug in to a 220 outlet! :o)
Your ISP is who you pay your bucks to each month to connect to the internet.
Using phone lines or cable it allows your computer's modem to "talk" that ol' computer
language and connect you to the internet. You may be using a home town local server or
one of the big guys like "AOL" to be your ISP Server.
META Tags
META tags always go in the (TOP OF THE PAGE) section of the document.
META NAME tags include descriptions and keywords. This HTML code helps
some search engines classify and rank a web page.
META HTTP-EQUIV tags can indicate
to the web browser how to display the page.
Personal Note:
I hate writing META tags because its an on going task to find the right words the search engines
are looking for this month or the next. It changes from month to month. And by the way no company
can guarantee a high ranking on a search engine. What they can do is have the skill, time and ability
to write great META TAGS that give you a better chance. But you can learn to do this yourself!
Modem
A modulator demodulator, or device that allows a computer to receive and
transmit data over standard telephone lines, or the new internet cable.
A modem takes digital information and converts it to analog data, and the modem
at the other end takes the analog data and converts it back to digital.
Now that was the formal explanation, now lets make it simple!
The modem sits in your computer (sometimes on top of it) and talks
to the internet. That information (data) then allows you to connect and surf
the net. Not as hard as we thought, and if your like me thats all we need to know
unless you plan on being a computer whiz and learn the inner works of computers
and the net.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version 3)
A POP3 server acts as your email Post Office. You use an email client,
like Eudora or those built-in to Netscape Navigator and Microsoft
Internet Explorer, to retrieve your mail to your local drive using the
POP3 protocol.
Search Engine
A web-based program that allows users to search and retrieve specific
information from the World Wide Web. The search engine may search the
full text of web documents or a list of keywords, or use librarians who
review web documents and index them manually for retrieval.
In other words
when you type in a word like poetry, it looks for that keyword (remember the
meta tag above?), then shows a list of sites you can find poetry on. Neat huh?
SPAM
No we aren't talking about the stuff you buy in a can. We are refering to
unsolicited e-mail. Unsolicited e-mail is any email message
received where the recipient did not specifically ask for it.
Here's is where you can find information on unsolicited e-mail try the
Network Abuse Clearinghouse
or
Spamcop
Upload
To send a copy of a file from a client to a server using a modem. Remember "download"?
Well its just thr reverse of upload. :o)
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A World Wide Web address. Every page on every web site on every web
server has a unique URL. You can see the URL of a web page in the
address or location field in your browser. This term has recently been
superseded by URI, or Uniform Resource Identifier. Also known as an
Internet address or web address.
Web Host
A company that allows individuals or other companies to use their server
space to host web sites.
Now that was a semi- formal explanation, now lets make it simple!
Ok lets explain it this way...You want to rent an apartment to live in and store your
household items. You go looking for a nice location, that offers you all the amenities
you want. Web Hosting sites are the same as the owner of that apartment your looking at.
Some companys on the net will host you for free but in return you must accept ads that
stay on your page (site) or pop-up from time to time. You have no control over what the content
may be. All offer an amount of space and that can very from host to host. It's like looking for a
1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. The more space you have the more you can get into your apartment.
Some host charge for space and what they offer in exchange varies from host to host. When your
ready for your own site, do your home work, just like you would in hunting for an apartment. Free
always seems great, but if you can't figure out how to work a page, load it or don't want ads
popping up all over your pages then free isn't so great.
Webmaster
The person in charge of implementing and modifying a web site. You become a webmaster
once you build a site, but as we all know that won't make you a "Master at it, yet" :o)
Web Page
A single document on the World Wide Web that is specified by a unique
address or URL and that contains text, hyperlinks, and graphics.
Web Server
Computer hardware where web pages are stored and accessed by others
using web client software, or the computer software that allows the user
to access the web pages.
Lets make it simple again!
Remember that apartment you was looking at above, ( "Web Host" )? Well someone
owns that apartment complex and they have to buy or lease the ground it sets on. Well
on the net we call that the "Web Server". You can get free or paid for space to build a site
on from a landlord (web host). The Web Host then has to buy space to hold all his/her clients.
Using me as an example, here is how my site became what it is today.
1. Bought a computer and cried for a week trying to figure it out.
2. Visited (surfed) and decided I wanted my own site to show off my poetry.
3. Went looking and got free space to "build" my own site.
4. Cried for another month trying to figure how to write the html code.
5. Got my first page up! I wanted everyone to see it!
Everyone was so nice and said what a great job I had done. The truth was the page
was awful, took forever to load. Plain and simple it stunk but I was proud of it!
6. Building pages left and right and ran out of room. It was still awful and
I had added every gaget known to man on it. It flashed, it blinked and every
color of the rainbow was on it.
7. Went looking for another apartment (Host), moved my whole site. Lost a bunch
of my pages durning the move and had to build them again. I still think thoses
pages are floating in cyper space somewhere.
8. I think over time I moved about a 1,000 times, losing pages, building new ones,
and each time learning more and getting a wee bit better at this Webmaster stuff.
9.
(A) Made the decison to "Buy" my own domain and move everything one more time.
(B) Making my own graphics by now and started offering them for free
(C) Had all this extra room at my domain so I started renting out space at my domain
(D) Started offering to do free web page designs for friends.
(E) Started my own Web Design Business.
(D) And now you ask, are you a webmaster yet?
The answer I give you is no, because I feel there is so much yet to learn, so much I don't
know how to do, and so much further I can go.
Will I ever feel as if I have mastered it all? I don't think so, but I accept the term "Webmaster"
with pride when I think back how far this ol' Grandma has come.
The point to all of this is you can do it to! That is a promise I make to you. If you don't give up, keep
trying over and over. Be willing to learn, accept help and always remember to help someone else
along the way as you learn. You will find the internet can be a wonderful place and not half as scary as you thought.
One last comment I need to make, please ask for help and when you do listen. I know you worked
so hard on that page and your so proud of it, but no one can ever learn if they do not master
the skill of listening.
But don't forget if your giving the suggestions to do it with gentle words, and
remember how you felt when you started out. Don't hurt but encourage.
Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that
never tires, and a touch that never hurts.
Charles Dickens
Have fun and great surfing!
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