20 WebsiteCompass LOCAL SHARED OBJECT - Also known as a “Flash cookie,” it’s placed on your computer by a Flash plug-in and stores data. MAIL SERVER - A computer or application that stores, sends, and receives email over a network. MAILING LIST - A special type of email address that remails all incoming mail to a list of subscribers. Mailing lists specialize in specific topics so internet users can subscribe to the ones that interest them. MEGABYTE - A measure of a quantity of data. (A million bytes or, technically, 1024 kilobytes.) A megabyte is large when referring to files containing only simple text messages. A megabyte may not be much when referring to files containing complex color photographs. MODEM - (MOdulator, DEModulator) A device that connects a computer to a phone line and allows the computer to talk to other computers through the phone system. MPEG - (short for Motion Picture Experts Group) A file format that uses compression for sending and viewing audio/video files. NET - These letters that appear as the last part of a Web address originally indicated that the host computer was run by a networking company, usually an ISP in the United States. Today “.net” is commonly used since there are no restrictions on who can register for a “.net” domain name. Net can also refer to a network or, when capitalized, the internet itself. NETIQUETTE – Also called digital etiquette, it’s a set of guidelines for how to behave appropriately online. NETWORK - The connection of two or more computers together so that they can share resources results in a computer network. Connect two or more networks together and you have an internet. NEWSGROUP - A discussion group for sharing information on an area of interest. OMNIBOX - Similar to the traditional web browser address bar, it can also be used like a search engine. PASSWORD - A combination of letters and numbers a person chooses and then is required to use when logging in to a computer program or system. PDF - (Portable Document Format) A file format developed by Adobe that allows system-independent documents to be created and distributed across multiple computer systems and have them appear as they were intended. PHISHING - Attempting to acquire personal or financial information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. PHOTO FILTER - Feature that allows social media users to modify the appearance of an image. PINBOARD - Virtual bullletin board on Pinterest used to collect images. PLUG-IN - A piece of software that extends or enhances the capabilities of another program. Browser plug-ins commonly add features such as audio, video, animation, etc. One of the most popular plug-ins is Flash Player. PODCAST - From “iPod” and “broadcast,” an audio program you can listen to any time. POP - (Post Office Protocol) A protocol by which a mail server lets you retrieve your email and download it to your computer. A POP server uses this protocol to enable users to download email. PPP - (Point-to-Point Protocol) A communication protocol for connecting a computer to the internet through a phone line. PROTOCOL - An agreed-on set of rules that define how computers “talk” to each other over a network. QUICKTIME - A multi-platform software format and program developed by Apple for viewing video or listening to audio. It supports over 200 kinds of digital media. REFRESH - (also Reload) A feature in Web browsers that lets you load webpages again to see if the content has been updated or changed. ROUTER - An electronic device that connects two or more networks. RSS - (short for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) An XMLbased format for syndicating internet content. RSS “feeds” are gathered and read using an RSS reader commonly referred to as an aggregator. SCAREWARE - Bogus software that masquerades as legitimate security programs. SEARCH ENGINE - An automated program (also called a spider, crawler, robot, or bot) that indexes millions of website addresses. Special software within the search engine then sorts and ranks these sites based on a variety of criteria relevant to keywords someone uses in a search. SECURE SERVER - A Web server which uses encryption to prevent others from reading data sent to or from your browser. Online shopping sites normally use secure servers so that others cannot intercept credit card ordering information. You can usually tell if you are on a secure server if the “http” section of the domain name is followed by an “s.” Example: “https://www.websitecompass.com.” SERVER - A computer, or software package, that provides a specific service to another computer, known as a client, over a network. The term can refer to a particular piece of software or to the machine on which the software is running. A single server machine could have several different server software packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to clients on the network. SHAREWARE - Software that is freely distributed but for which the author expects payment from people who decide to keep the software and use it. SHARENTING - Term used to describe parents over-sharing about their children on social media channels. SHRED – To make a computer file unusable by replacing the data with random binary code. SHELFIE – A type of selfie featuring your bookshelf. SMTP - (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The method by which internet mail is delivered from one computer to another. An SMTP server is the computer to which you send outgoing email. SOCIAL GIFTING – Consumer’s ability to send gifts using automatic information and connections to social media friends. SPYWARE - (also referred to as Adware) Software that secretly gathers user information and then transmits it to a third party via the internet. It is typically bundled as a hidden component of certain freeware or shareware programs downloaded from the internet. SSL - (Secured Sockets Layer) A protocol that transmits internet communications in encrypted form. Information can be sent between your computer and a server privately and unaltered. STREAMING - A technique where audio or video transferred over a network immediately begins to play while the rest of the file is still downloading. Streaming was developed so users wouldn’t have to wait on lengthy download times to view or listen to larger files. SUBREDDIT - A forum dedicated to a specific topic on the website Reddit. SUPERZOOM - Instagram feature that creates a funny, overly dramatic zoom-in. SYMMETRICAL - Type of internet plan that offers the same download and upload speeds. T-1 - A connection capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bits-per-second. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. TABBED BROWSING - A new feature available on major browsers that allows multiple webpages to be open in one browser window. TASKBAR - A bar at the edge of a graphical user inter face’s display that allows quick access to current or favorite applications. THREAD - A series of replies to a particular subject. Threads are commonly found in forums, newsgroups, and email programs. TUMBLOGS - Name for the blogs posted on Tumblr. USB - (Universal Serial Bus) USB is designed for low- to mid-speed peripheral devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, joysticks, and modems. It supports up to 127 devices connected in a “chain” to your computer. These devices are automatically recognized as they are plugged into the chain. A newer version, USB 2.0, allows peripherals to communicate with your computer up to 40 times faster than the original version of USB. VAGUEBOOKING - An incomplete, cryptic, and confusing Facebook status. VCARDS - Digital “business cards” that can be attached to email messages. They usually contain information such as contact and business names, phone numbers, and website addresses. vCards appear as attachments to email messages with a .vcf file extension name. WEB 2.0 - Technology that allows website visitors to not only read information, but also to contribute to it or use it to collaborate with others. WEBCAM - (or Cam) A camera that sends live or recorded video or a series of still pictures over the internet. WEBMAIL - A system where a user can access email through a webpage using an internet browser. Webmail can be easily sent, read, and organized from any computer with an internet connection. WIRELESS NETWORK - A network that allows devices to communicate using radio or light transmissions instead of wires. XML - (eXtensible Markup Language) Similar to HTML, XML is a programming language that enables Web developers to create their own customized tags. XML enables the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations. ZIP - A format for data compression. (Not to be confused with a Zip Disk, a name used by Iomega for a removable storage device that typically holds 100-250 MB.) ZOMBIE - A computer attached to the internet that has been compromised by a computer virus or Trojan horse and is being controlled by a hacker. ZONE - The last part of an internet domain name. If the zone is three letters long, it’s a code indicating the type of organization that owns the domain. If the zone is two letters, it’s usually the country code in which the organization that owns the computer is located. Some common zones are: .com, . net, .edu, .gov, and .org. GRANFLUENCER A grandparent (or other older individual) with a significant following on social media.
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