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Frequently Asked Questions - Glossary

The internet provides a wide array of ways to connect digitally with customers, researchers and other businesses. The information online continues to outpace print and for business, a website can help increase your visibility, credibility, and assist visitors in finding your business and helping themselves 24/7. The terms below are some of the terms to know when contemplating a website.

Broadband—The web user has online access, which method they use determines how quickly websites and content appear on a browser window. Cable, DSL, and wireless technologies are some of the broadband options. Just because more users are utilizing broadband, doesn't mean that your website needs to have large files and content to entertain, unless that is your business.

Content—The text, images, interactions that are included in a website. Important to categorize into related groupings, if there is enough info, divide into pages within those groups. Content can be wide (a variety of topics) or deep (gradually greater detail about more specific groups or items). See Static and Dynamic below for more info.

Domain Name—the word or phrase used to find a website, often ends with .com, .org, .net or a number of new forms recently added. The domain name has no spaces and can use -, _ , or numbers and letters. It is also called: URL, web address, and when it is hosted on services that allow email or webmail, can become me@domainname.com or similar.

Dynamic Content—information that automatically changes (the date on a web page, for instance), or may allow interactions of what you see; interactive content could be in this category (Flash Movie that you can pause, change, play, alter in some way), or forms that take you to database items.

FlashPaper—A Flash File that allows an interactive image of a document to be seen online and gives user the opportunity to zoom or print, and if created from a Word or Excel file can be searchable and text selectable. Flash and FlashPaper may not be visible on some government or corporate computer systems - due to possible perceived security problems - so know whether customers can view FLASH content.

Print Activity—When a web page is printed, there are some ways to control the width and overall look, however, web users use a variety of printers, browsers, and some customize their print settings. Therefore, you have limited control over what will print for everyone. There are two common ways to maintain a "controlled print" — with Acrobat PDF files and FlashPaper files. Both file types are Adobe products and you may download the Acrobat Reader or Flash Player at www.adobe.com.

Secured Server—Required for transactions like E-commerce or protected interactions online that need privacy or encryption. Example of the technology: SSL Certificate.

Static Content—The content does not change unless the actual content is revised by the web designer or client. No interactions are involved, except navigation to other pages or links. Email links may be active but are not like forms.

TWITTER—Social Media allows user to send comments up to 140 characters in length to followers. Important to determine plan for making "Tweets" valuable and of interest to your followers.

Web Design—the "look and feel" of a website. A website's visual identity, branding or layout.
Often begins with a "mockup" or image of what the website (page) might look like and when design is approved, moves to creation of a "live" web page with text and images as determined necessary.

Web hosting—the location that stores your website. A company is leasing space to you for your website. The servers and types of "pipelines" or technology connecting those servers to the internet help determine the speed and availability of your website.

Website—the actual files that contain your content and are located in the space allocated to you by your web host.