This month we've gone all Internetty enjoy. DOMAIN NAME This is an Internet addressing system which identifies a specific organization connected to the Internet. It is regulated by a company called InterNIC. For example, ATT.com, MICROSOFT.com, WBRI.com. E-MAIL Electronic Mail is comprised of messages delivered via networks, to a specific person or mail box. You can send not only messages, but files, artwork or spreadsheets. E-mail is used both as a noun and as a verb. (i.e. I received her e-mail two days after I e-mailed her.) HOME PAGE This is the first page or welcome page of any web site. It introduces the person or organisation to anyone on the Web. It provides links to other pages at the site. HTML This stands for HyperText Mark-up Language. This comprises of the standardised set of commands that allows us to format and link documents, graphics etc. on the World Wide Web. Web browsers read this language and displays it as like a GUI so we can view documents and surf the net. HTTP This stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is a set of rules that transfers and processes HTML (hypertext mark-up language) onto networks. It is what makes the World Wide Web work. HYPERTEXT This is specifically text that is encoded enabling us to link to other documents. Often, hypertext words are highlighted, underlined or in italics. Since they represent links to other documents, you just click on them to retrieve the new information. Jumping from one document to the next is often called "surfing" the net. INTERNET An aggregation of high-speed networks connected to one another, throughout the world. It uses a standardised protocol called TCP/IP to transfer data from one network to another. SEARCH ENGINES Search engines are tools which enables you to research a topic, in an organised and methodical way on the Internet. Examples of common search engines are Yahoo, AltaVista and Excite. URL This stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is a standardised addressing system used on the Internet. The URL describes everything that is necessary for a Web Browser to locate your request. The URL defines the name of the computer that the site is housed on, the path and the file name. WEB BROWSER Software that allows you to retrieve and view hypertext documents, linked graphics, video or audio, from the Web. The browser interprets the hypertext language in order to properly display the document. Examples of common browsers are Netscape, WebCrawler and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. WEB SERVER This is the host computer that houses your home page and web site. It "serves" many functions allowing full time access to your site. For example, it houses software to facilitate CGI forms, E-Mail, and domain names. WORLD WIDE WEB The World Wide Web is a collection of text documents, graphics, video and audio housed on computer networks all over the world. The documents are written with hypertext, a special code allowing you to link from one web document to another. This information is accessed via the Internet, through Web browsers. 