INTERNET and TECHNOLOGY TERMS:

Courtesy of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (www.NWEN.org)

Ad Click Rate or Click Through - The percentage of ad views that result in users clicking on an ad banner.

Ad View or Ad Impression - A single ad that appears on a Web page.

Affiliate Marketing - Used by a Web site to sell its products through other Web sites by rewarding referrals or visitors sent by its affiliates.

Backbone - On the Internet, the backbone refers to the set of paths that local or regional networks connect for long-distance interconnection.

Bandwidth - A measure of data sent through a connection. In digital systems, it is measured in bits per second (bps). A 57.6 Kbps modem has twice the bandwidth of a 28.8 Kbps modem.

Cable Modem - Allows a PC to be connected to a local cable TV line and to receive data at about 1.5 Mbps.

Caching - Browsers store recently visited Web pages or files on the computer and display them from the disk instead of requesting them from the server.

Chatting - The exchange of type-in messages or "talking" by people using the Internet at the same time.

Cookie - A file inserted on a Web user's computer that is used by Web sites to record data about the user.

CPM - Cost per thousand ad impressions.

Cybersquatting - Reserving a domain name with the intent of selling it later to a company that wants to use it.

Data Packets - Data on the Internet travel separately through different routes in small pieces or packets, and then reassembled upon arrival at their destination.

Dedicated Access - The connection between the user and the phone company or ISP is available 24 hours a day.

Digital Certificate - An electronic credential issued by a certification authority to establish the identity of an organization when doing business on the Internet.

Digital Signature - An electronic signature that can be used by someone to authenticate the identity of the sender.

DHTML (Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language) - A technology that allows Web pages to be more animated and more responsive to user interaction.

DNS (Domain Name System) - A system in which domain names are located and translated into IP addresses.

Domain Name - A unique name that locates a given organization or entity on the Internet.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) - A family of technologies that provides high speed transmission over regular telephone lines. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) refers to lines that provide faster transmission rates downstream than upstream. To obtain DSL service, you need a phone line that qualifies for high speed transmission, DSL service provided by the phone company, and ISP service.

E-Business - The use of Internet technologies to conduct business, service customers, streamline business processes, and collaborate with business partners.

E-Commerce - Buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet.

E-Tailing - Selling of retail goods on the Internet.

Encryption and Decryption - The conversion of data into a form that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people, and the conversion of encrypted data back into its original form.

Ethernet - A local area network technology. A 10BASE-T system provides transmission speeds up to 10Mbps; a 100BASE-T system provides transmission speeds up to 100Mbps.

Extranet - A private network that uses the Internet protocols to share information with suppliers, partners, customers, and other users outside the company.

Firewall - Hardware or software that protects the information and resources of a computer from outside users not authorized to access the resources.

Freeware - Copyrighted programming that is offered at no cost by the author.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - A standard Internet protocol for downloading and uploading files to and from an Internet site.

Hit - The sending of a single file whether an HTML file, an image, or other file type.

Host - A computer that has full two-way access to other computers on the Internet.

HTML (Hypertext Mark-up Language) - A standard formatting language that tells the Web browser how to display a document.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) - A private nonprofit organization with responsibility for Internet address space allocation, and domain name system management.

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) - A 32-bit number that identifies an Internet host.

ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - A set of standards for digital transmission of voice, data, video, imaging, and fax over ordinary telephone copper wire.

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - A system of rules, conventions and software that allows people to chat with one another online in real time.

Java - A programming language that provides interactivities by using small application modules or applets as part of a Web page.

LAN (Local Area Network) - A network of interconnected workstations sharing the resources of a single server typically within an office building.

Listserv - A program that automatically redistributes Email messages to subscribers or names on a mailing list.

Mbps - One million bytes per second.

Mirror Site - A Web site or set of files on a computer server that has been duplicated to another server in order to reduce network traffic to a popular site.

Newsgroup - An online discussion about a specific topic using a worldwide network of news discussion groups called Usenet.

Opt-in Email - Email containing information or advertising that users have agreed to receiving.

Page Views - Number of times a user requests a Web page or a page that contains a particular ad.

POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) - A standard client/server protocol for receiving Email in which Email is received and held for you by the mail server.

Real Time - A level of computer responsiveness to external process so a user senses it as sufficiently immediate.

Router - A device or software in computer that handles the flow of traffic over the Internet.

Search Engine - A system that uses a spider to collect information from Web sites, catalogs the information, and retrieves the information upon search requests.

Server - A program or a computer that provides services to other computer programs. A Web server is the computer program that serves requested HTML pages or files.

Shareware - Software distributed on a free trial basis.

Spam - Unsolicited or junk Email on the Internet.

Streaming - A method that allows the media to be sent in a continuous stream and is played as it arrives.

T-1 Line - A high-speed copper connection that allows for transmission rate of up to 1.544 Mbps. A T-3 line allows for transmission speed of 44.736 Mbps.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A basic communication language of the Internet. It is also used as a communications protocol in intranets and extranets.

Telnet - Log on to a remote host computer as a user to use specific applications and data on that computer.

Unique Visitor - A user with a unique address who is entering a Web site for the first time that day or during the specified time period.

UNIX - An open or standard operating system with built-in support for TPC/IP. Most servers on the Internet use UNIX.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - The address of a file accessible on the Internet. It identifies the Internet application protocol, the host, path and filename of the resource.

Virus - A piece of programming code inserted into other programming to infect the program of the victim's computer. Viruses can be attached to program files, usually selected .com or .exe files, or found on a disk.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) - A private data network that makes use of a service provider's shared infrastructure, maintaining privacy through a tunneling protocol and security procedures.

XML (Extensible Markup Language) - A standard way of describing data that allow individuals or companies to share information in a consistent way on the Web or intranets.