Glossary of Internet Terms

Here is a short list of terms that you might encounter in discussions about the Internet:

Bandwidth - The amount of data that can be transferred in a given amount of time. Generally the larger your bandwidth the faster your access to the Internet.

Blog - Short for Weblog. A journal or diary that is available on the World Wide Web.

Browser - Software used to download and read Web pages from the Internet. Two of the most popular browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

Chat - A realtime online discussion between two computer users over the Internet.

Cookie - A piece of information sent by a Web server to an individual computer's Web browser. The main purpose of cookies is to identify returning users and prepare customized Web pages for them.

Database – A collection of information that can be searched electronically, like a file cabinet in your computer. A periodical index (citations to magazine and journal articles, and possibly the articles themselves) is an example of a database.

Download - Usually used to describe the process of copying a file from the Internet onto your own computer.

Email – Short for Electronic Mail. Messages transmitted over the Internet.

Filter – A software application designed to block certain Web pages or entire Web sites from being accessed.

FTP - Short for File Transfer Protocol, it is a protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. You need to know about FTP if, for example, you are creating and hosting a Web site.

Home page - The main page of a Web site. For instance the BPL home page is http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Hyperlink – A word or image that references the URL of another Web page. To follow a hyperlink, you click once with your mouse.

Internet – A large, decentralized network of individual computers that allows information to be shared among the computer users. Components of the Internet include email and the World Wide Web.

Link – See Hyperlink.

Search directory – A collection of links to Web pages organized into subject categories. Examples of directories are Yahoo, About, the Open Directory Project, and the Librarians’ Index to the Internet.

Search engine – A program that allows for searching of Web pages by keyword. Examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo, and AltaVista.

Server - A computer on a network that processes requests for Internet files and sends them to your computer.

Spam - Electronic junk mail. Messages, often from unknown senders and generally intended as advertisements, that may get sent to your email account.

URL – Short for Uniform Resource Locator. The unique address of a Web page.

Wi-Fi - Short for Wireless Fidelity, WiFi is technology that allows you to get online without a telephone wire, cable or other physical connecting device.

Web page – A document on the World Wide Web. Can contain text, graphics, animation, audio, and video elements.

Web site – A group of Web pages created by a single individual, business, organization, or government.

World Wide Web - A collection of linked documents accessible via the Internet. Documents – Web pages – are connected by hyperlinks and can be accessed in no particular order, explaining why this collection is referred to as a “Web".