The A to Z Guide to the Internet

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Search Engines- A search engine is a website that acts similar to a card catalog for the Internet. Search engines use spider programs to index and locate desired information. The search engine program will find information on the Internet based on the keywords that are entered by the user.

For example, if you type “apple pie recipe” into a search engine it will look to its index of information available on the Internet that most closely relates to “apple pie recipe.” Any site that uses apple pie as one of the keywords will be in the search engine’s index.

Some popular search engines include: www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.ask.com, www.msn.com, www.altavista.com and www.lycos.com.

SEO- An anagram for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of using targeted keywords in the content, tags and meta-tags of a website in order to gain traffic through search engines. SEO techniques also include testing the search engine results to make sure that the site is well placed in the keyword results.

For example, if you run a website that sells dog bones, you can use SEO to increase your chances of appearing under the keywords “dog bones.” You can add the word dog bones to your website content, and in the tags and meta tags of each page of your website. The better the SEO, the higher your web page will appear in the search engine results for that keyword.

SEO is a constantly evolving portion of the Internet. The process is a combination of art and science, and there are firms that are now dedicated to providing specialized SEO services.

Signature file- Sometimes referred to as a “sig file,” a signature is a short statement at the end of an e-mail message. It can be used to identify the sender and provide additional information. Often times, sig files include a link to a website or lists an address and phone number. Sig files can also be used creatively to display a small picture file or include a personal quote. Signature files are one way of establishing a unique identity on the Internet.

Site/Website- A place on the Internet or the World Wide Web. The term site refers to the body of information as a whole for a domain name. A web site is a collection of Web pages. The pages can contain text, graphics, audio or video content.

Site can also refer to an FTP site or archive site. These types of sites are directories that store files for downloading and uploading.

Spam- E-mail messages that are sent to a number of people without their consent. Spam is also known as “Unsolicited Commercial E-mail” or junk e-mail. It is normally sent to promote a product or service. Spam can also be found in newsgroups and forums when users post information that is not relevant to the pertinent topic.

Spam is characterized by its large volume. Spammers (who are people who spam) follow the direct-marketing technique of saturating the intended audience. They hope for a tiny return from their efforts (normally less that 5 percent).  Spammers don’t really care if they offend large number of people, because there always seems to be those few people that respond to the unsolicited advertisement.

The most common forms of spam that reach inboxes everyday are:

·        Chain letters

·        Pyramid schemes (fake job opportunities)

·        “Get Rich Quick” and “Make Money Fast” schemes

·        Offers for adult websites and services

·        Offers of software that collect e-mail addresses and send spam

·        Offers for bulk e-mailing services

·        Stock offerings in unknown start-up corporations

·        Fake health products and remedies

Spam is not protected by the national Free Speech laws, which is contrary to popular belief. Therefore, anti-spam techniques are not a form of censorship.

Spam blockers- Also referred to a spam filter. A spam blocker program is used to detect any unsolicited or unwanted e-mail in your mail program’s inbox. This prevents spam messages from getting into your inbox. A spam blocker will filter through messages based on a certain criteria.

Spam blocker programs are normally available through an Internet Service Provider or through a third party program that is downloadable from the Internet. 

Spiders- Another term for Crawler. Spider software is used by search engines to search the Internet for new content to display in the search results.

Spyware-This type of software is similar to viruses, in that it is “contracted” from using the Internet. Spyware, however, gathers information about the web sites that you visit in order to build a “profile” of your preferences for the purpose of marketing. Spyware is often included in free downloads that you get from websites. The license agreement for these free programs may mention the use of spyware, but very few people actually read the details of these agreements. As a result spyware often gets onto a computer without the user’s knowledge.

The result of having spyware on your computer can vary. Sometimes the presence of the programs can result in slower Internet speed and hard drive processing. The more aggressive programs will cause unwanted pop up ads and other marketing devices. More malicious spyware will steal personal information (such as credit cards).

The use of spyware is one of the most important issues today regarding privacy on the Internet. There are many programs available that will find and remove spyware programs from your computer. Some of the more popular are Ad-Aware and Spybot. An Internet search for these terms will lead you to sites where you can download these helpful programs. After doing a spyware search on your computer, you will be surprised by the number of spyware programs that exist on your system. The anti-spyware programs will allow you to delete the spyware from your computer. Generally, this will increase the storage space and speed of your hard drive.

Social networking- The process of meeting and networking with people through the use of specific Internet technology. The largest social networking site on the Internet today is MySpace (www.myspace.com). In these communities, initial sets of founders send out messages inviting people in their own personal networks to join the site. The process repeats, and the total number of members grows. The process is also called “viral marketing.”

Social networking sites offer several things to their members, including the opportunity to meet members that share similar interests.

Software-A set of instructions that tell a computer how to execute functions and tasks. Software code is written in a programming language that makes computer systems and hardware work. Some programs contain millions of lines of code.

The two basic software categories are system software (which makes the computer run properly) and application software (which includes programs). Generally, software programs are purchased as CDs that are installed into the computer. However, there is also software that is available for download from the Internet.

Source code – The format in which a computer program or Web site is written. Online, the source code for a web page is normally in HTML, but can also be written in another computer “language.” To find the source code of a web page, select “View” from the top of the Internet Browser. In the “View” menu, there should be an option that says “View Source” or similar language. The source code will appear in a pop-up window.

Sub-domain name- A domain name that is part of a larger domain. If you’ve ever seen a web address that doesn’t start with the letters “www” then you’ve encountered a sub-domain.

Sub-domains are like secondary sites within the larger domain. If you think of the larger domain as a file cabinet, the sub domain would be the folders. Some examples of sub-domains are “news.google.com” or “mail.yahoo.com.”