Here are a few useful definitions for the words
you will see and hear as you delve into the process
of getting your business up on the web.
Auto-responder:
automated response to a customer e-mail inquiry.
Back end e-commerce: an
ordering system tied directly to your inventory with real time adjustments
for sales.
Brick and Mortar store: business location or store front in the
"real" world.
Data Base development: Creating files on
your site for dynamic data - information that changes frequently in response
to user input. (i.e. password accounts, order forms connected to inventory
etc.) Sometimes requires custom programming such as Active Server Scripts,
CGI, PHP or Java Scripts. However, the desired data should be served to your
visitors seamlessly, on demand.
Domain name:
a unique name assigned
to a numerical address that identifies your site on the World Wide Web.
E-commerce: the order processing programming, software
and/or standards that enables one to accept and process product orders over the Internet.
FTP ( File transfer protocol) or Telnet:
process used to
upload or download files to be stored on a server.
GIF: web format for graphics.
JPEG, JPG:
web format for
photographs.
Interactivity: programming
elements on your site that personalize it, help your visitors to interact
with the information on your site or interface directly with you. Examples:
forms for feedback, guest books, a script that calculates interest rates or
inserts a customers' name, ICQ or Human Click, etc.
Internet
Marketing: promotion of your
website to draw traffic that will increase sales of your product via the
Web.
Real Audio/Video: software that creates
and plays audio, video files over the Internet.
Real time processing:
submit a credit
card/check/debit card sale to the processor, card is processed, amount
is charged, buyer and seller notified, proceeds added to your account with no manual intervention.
Search Engines: computers programmed
with software to categorize websites and provide links. Some patrol the
web looking for new sites (example: WebCrawler). Others register only what is submitted to
them (ex: AltaVista, Excite, Lycos).
Search Engine Directories: same as
above, except the review process is done by a person. A reviewer visits
each site and decides whether or not it should be admitted to the Directory.
(example: Yahoo, About.com, Open Directory)
Secure SSL: a process of encrypting your
sensitive information so that it is scrambled before sent over the
Internet.
URL, Universal Resources Locator: begins
with "http://" the standard protocol for classifying and locating
the numerical address assigned to a domain name.
Virtual store: another term to describe
your invisible storefront location on the World Wide Web of the Internet (vs.
brick and mortar store above.)
Web Host/Server:
computer connected to the Internet
"24 hours a day/7 days a week", that stores your site files and delivers (serves) them to a
browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera etc.) on demand.
