A \ B \ C \ D \ E \ F \ G \ H \ I \ J \ K \ L \ M \ N \ O \ P \ Q \ R \ S \ T \ U \ V \ W \ X \ Y \ Z

[Terms in bold are defined on this page]



B

Blog - Blended word from "Web log", a list of journal entries posted on a web page, often made on the WordPress content-management platform. Blogs can be used in conjunction with your website to promote your business. Your entries on the blog can be about subjects your audience is interested in—ones that will bring them back again for the latest comments, news, or photos.

Branding - Developing an identity for your business based on a unique mark or logo, coordinating stationery, advertising, website, your specialty or niche, and your reputation. Having an identifiable brand can give your company the edge over your competition.


C

Copy editing - Editing text, content, or story line to promote a business in advertisements, especially your website.

Copywriting - Writing text or copy for promotional purposes for a website , ad, or article.


D

Device - Often refers to a mobile computer device, such as a tablet or smartphone. A smartphone is considered "smart" because of its variety of uses in addition to phone services, like accessing websites and text messaging. The operating system on devices can be Android or Apple iOS. Apple brand names are iPhone, iPad, iPod.

DNS - Acronym for Domain Name Server (see below).

Domain Name - A registered name, usually a company or organization or its brief description, that often ends with .com, .net, or .org. It is used on the Internet to access a domain, or website, that is stored or hosted on a web server. Our domain name is ComSpark.com. There are many generic, sponsored, and country code top level domains, such as .edu, .gov, .us, .nz, .cruises, .camera, .voyages, ad infinitum.

Domain Name Registrar - A company that sells, registers, and manages domain names. GoDaddy and NameSecure are two. Check with them under "WHOIS" to see if the domain name you want is available. Or contact us and we will do a complimentary search for you.

Domain Name Server - Abbreviated DNS, the computer that stores and directs domain names to their respective websites, which are stored on web servers (see Hosting).


F

File Transfer Protocol - Abbreviated FTP, the means by which website files are transferred from the web developer's computer to the host web server over the Internet. We use Ipswitch WS-FTP Pro for transferrring files.

FTP - Acronym for File Transfer Protocol (see above).


H

Hosting - Storing a website on a web server so it can be accessed by viewers over the Internet.

HTML - Acronym for Hypertext Markup Language (see below).

HTTP - Acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (see below).

Hypertext Markup Language - Abbreviated HTML, the code used to develop websites and make documents for the Web. It tells the viewer's web browser how to display the text and images. To see what this language looks like, right-click on a web page and choose "View Source Code" or "View Page Source".

Hypertext Transfer Protocol - Abbreviated HTTP, the foundation of communication on the World Wide Web. HTTPS:// is a secure connection, hence the added "s". (Not case sensitive; lower case is fine.)


I

Internet - A network that connects computers in nearly 200 countries around the world. One way we access the Internet is by using the World Wide Web system, which uses HTML and a web browser. We can also access the Internet by using e-mail and instant messaging.

Internet Service Provider - Abbreviated ISP, the company that provides you with a connection to the Internet. Some offer other related services also.

ISP - Acronym for Internet Service Provider (see above).


M

Mac - Short for Macintosh, a computer made by Apple, Inc.


O

Operating System - Abbreviated OS, the basic program that runs a computer or device, on which other programs and applications are run. Some are Google's Android (smartphones, tablets), Apple's iOS (for mobile devices) and OSX (for Mac computers), and Linux and Microsoft Windows family (for smartphones to PC's).

OS - Acronym for Operating System (see above).


P

PC - Stands for Personal Computer, but has become synonymous with a Microsoft Windows computer, as opposed to a Mac.

PDF - Acronym for Portable Document Format (see below).

Portable Document Format - Abbreviated PDF, an electronic format used to make various files sendable online and readable with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Portfolio - A collection of sample work displayed on a website developer's website to show potential customers the quality of work they do. Samples include websites, graphics, logos, photography, and other services offered. It's important that a portfolio is included.


R

Responsive Web Design - The technique of building a website so that it shows well on, or responds to, different sizes of devices, from smart phones to desktop computers. The all-in-one responsive website ends the need to build several different sizes of websites for optimum viewing on various sizes of devices.


S

Search Engine - A program designed to search the Web as a database for documents, websites, and specific information that fit a search query. Google and Bing are two.

Search Engine Optimization - Abbreviated SEO, it refers to methods and tactics used in developing a website to increase its ranking and thus its visibility on search engines.

SEO - Acronym for Search Engine Optimization (see above).

Server (or Web Server) - A specially-designed computer that stores, or hosts, websites so that they can be accessed by the Internet. A server is also used to store and direct domain names to their respective websites (see Domain Name Server above)

Slideshow - A group of photos that show one at a time on a website by means of a special script. It can show automatically or by use of directional arrows or clickable dots. Adobe Flash can also be used to make slideshows. See a word about Flash

Smartphone (or Smart Phone) - A hand-held device that combines mobile (cellular) phone capabilities with computer features, such as storing information, e-mail, text messaging, fax transmittal, and accessing the Internet. Smartphone service includes data package charges.

Social Media - Various websites that are built to allow individuals to post thoughts, photos, video, etc. for viewing by others. Can be used to promote your business. Includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.


T

Tablet (Electronic Tablet, Tablet Computer) - A portable computer that combines a display screen, circuitry, and battery in one hand-held device, using touch-screen technology (finger or stylus) instead of a mouse and cursor. Keyboard operation is replaced with a virtual keyboard that pops up when needed. Tablets are larger than smartphones, the "mini" being about 7" diagonal, and full-size being about 10". Apple's iPad tablet (iOS) is popular, but there are also tablets with Android OS.

Touch-Screen - A screen that operates a computer (smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop) by the user swiping or touching it with a finger or stylus instead of using a mouse-controlled cursor. Some touch screen devices also have a virtual keyboard that pops up on the screen when needed.


U

Uniform Resource Locator - Abbreviated URL, it is also known as a web address. It consists of a domain name preceded by http:// or https://. Our URL is http://comspark.com. Some web servers require that www be added before the domain name, i.e., http://www.domainname.com.

URL - Acronym for Uniform Resource Locator (see above).


W

Web - Abbreviation for World Wide Web (see below).

Web Address - See Uniform Resource Locator above.

Web Browser - A software application that receives code over the Internet from a web server and translates the code into viewable files on your computer so you can see the website. Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are browsers.

Website (or Web Site) - A group of files written in HTML language, stored on web server or computer and accessible to viewers on the Internet (via the World Wide Web) by means of their web browsers (computers or devices). Websites are often used to promote businesses or organizations, but are sometimes personal in nature, such as family or wedding websites.

World Wide Web - Abbreviated WWW or simply the Web, it's the most commonly used system to access the Internet and public websites, using HTML and HTTP.

WWW - Acronym for World Wide Web (see above).

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