Glossary

[Alakazam]

Affiliates: An affiliate is a site that you display text or buttons linking to each other's site. The whole point of affiliation is to help your site and your affiliates' site get visitors. The best way to get affiliates is to have a nice, organized, professional site with lots of information and a nice layout. To affiliate with someone, look for an affiliation link or email them if you can't find one.


ASCII: ASCII or American Standard Code for Information Interchange is the defacto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through 1111111.


Bandwidth: Bandwidth is just as important, maybe even more important when you're looking for a good web host. Every time your page loads in someone's browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, ect), a certain amount of bandwidth is used up. The more images, downloads (.zip, videos, music) and content your site has, the more bandwidth it will use up. If you get a lot of visitors then you're going to use a lot of bandwidth. Generally, I recommend for 100MB of space, at least 15GB of bandwidth. Bandwidth didn't use to be an issue with free hosts, but now that it is make sure that you have enough so that your site doesn't go down if you run out.


Binary: Information consisting entirely of ones and zeros. Also, commonly used to refer to files that are not simply text files, e.g. images.


Blogs: A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.


Browsers: A Client program (software) that is used to look at various kinds of Internet resources. Examples would be Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.


CGI: CGI or Common Gateway Interface is basically a scripting language that runs in your browser window. Examples of CGI scripts are message boards, guestbooks and button exchanges. To help distinguish CGI from HTML, any file that uses CGI ends with a .cgi extension. If a host has CGI, there will be a directory named cgi-bin where you can upload your scripts.


CHMOD: CHMOD or Change Mode allows you to change the access permissions of a named file (CGI, PHP, ect.). Each file (directory, device, etc.) has nine kinds of access which can be allowed or denied. Different permissions apply to the owner of the file, the members of the group the file belongs to, and all users. Each of these classes of user (owner, group and other) can have permission to read, write or execute the file.


CPM: CPM or cost per thousand is usually in reference to pop ups. For example, if an advertising company will pay $3 CPM for every pop up, this means that you will get $3 for every 1000 times your pop up is fully loaded. The only problem with pop ups is that most people close them before they fully load, meaning you don't get paid, plus they are really annoying.


Counters: A counter is used to keep track of how many people view your web site. You can get a free counter that is hosted on another server or you can upload your own.


CSS: An extension to HTML to allow styles, e.g. colour, font, size to be specified for certain elements of a hypertext document. Style information can be included in-line in the HTML file or in a separate CSS file (which can then be easily shared by multiple HTML files). Multiple levels of CSS can be used to allow selective overriding of styles.


Copyright: Just because anyone can publish something on the web, doesn't mean you can go and steal whatever you want from any web page. These people have rights and if you want to use something from someone's site, you should email them and get permission. Stealing from someone's web page is like handing in an essay that someone else wrote; it's wrong and you shouldn't do it unless you have permission from the owner of the site.


Credit: If you get permission to use some text or image from another site, you will usually have to display a link to the site that let you use the information. It's only fair, since they did all the hard work.


Direct Linking: When you to a file, such as an image on another person's site without uploading it to your own server. Most sites don't allow direct linking since it uses up all their bandwidth.


Domain Names: A domain name is simply the address to your web site. For example the domain name for this site is pokezam.com. Domain names usually end in .com, .net, .org, plus there are domain names for countries: .ca (Canada), .co.uk (United Kingdom), .co.jp (Japan), ect.. If you want to buy your own domain name, you can go to a site like Go Daddy (http://godaddy.com/) where you can find out if the one you want is available.


Domain Name System: If you own your own domain name and you want to get your site hosted by someone, you have to login to the domain name manager and change the DNS to your host's DNS. For example if you were hosted by PokeZam.com and you had a domain name, your DNS would be ns1.pokezam.com and ns2.pokezam.com. By changing the DNS, it points your domain to your host, which in turn makes your site work.


Download: To transfer (data or programs) from a server or host computer to one's own computer or device.


Downtime: A period of time during which a server is not operational, due to a malfunction or maintenance. When your site goes down, visitors won't be able to view your page when they go to it, therefore you will lose hits. Every server suffers from downtime, but some more than others. If your host has a lot of downtime, you should probably consider moving hosts.


Forums: A forum is where you can post messages and have people respond to them. Most forums require you to register, but that's just to keep track of your post count and so you can have a signature. You can install your own forum script on your server. The best forums right now are vBulletin, but cost a lot of money. There are free ones like Ikonboard and YaBB or you can even get ones hosted on other servers, but they usually have tons of pop up ads.


FTP: FTP or File Transfer Protocol allows you to upload files on the server or download files from the server. If your host supports FTP, then you'll need an FTP Client like WS_FTP or Cute FTP. You also need the FTP address of your host; if the PokeZam.com was your host it would be ftp.pokezam.com, and you'll need a username and password. Besides uploading files, you can create directories and CHMOD files.


Gigabytes: Gigabytes or GB are used to show how much space is being used on a computer. In terms of web hosting, Gigabytes are usually used for how much web space and bandwidth you have. One gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes, which is 1,000,000 kilobytes.


Hosting: If you're interested in making your own site, you'll need to find a host to upload all your files to their server. If you're just opening a site, most free hosts like Angelfire or Tripod will be good, but if your site requires lots of space and bandwidth, you'll probably have to pay for a host.


HTML: HTML or Hypertext Markup Language is the computer language that your browser recognizes and displays the code as a web page. HTML is a very complicated language because there are tons of takes to learn. Some hosts like Angelfire offer free site builders that require you to know no HTML at all, but if you want to make more than a basic site, you'll need to learn HTML. The best way to do it is read our HTML Help page and to visit online tutorials like Webmonkey (http://webmonkey.com/). You can also go to any web page and look at the source code (in Internet Explorer, go to View and then Source) and study the code and test it to see what everything does. You can create HTML files in programs like Notepad, but for a beginner I recommend Cute HTML, since it gives you all the options for each kind of HTML tag (image, font, ect..)

[Alakazam]

Hits: A hit is whenever someone views your web site. When they click on a link and go to another page, another hit is counted. To keep track of hits, most web hosts have a stats program that can use to see how many hits you get or can you use a counter.


IP Numbers: An IP number is what identifies your on the internet from any other user. Your IP number depends on which ISP (AOL, Rogers, ect.) you use. Some ISP (Internet Service Providers) allow you to hide your IP number from other people. If you have dial-up Internet, everytime you log on your IP number will change. If you have Internet on Cable, your IP number will stay the same everytime you logon. Your IP number can also be used to ban you from web pages you break the rules, so be careful and don't be disruptive.


IRC: IRC or Internet Relay Chat is basically a huge multi-user live chat facility. There are a number of major IRC servers around the world which are linked to each other. Anyone can create a channel and anything that anyone types in a given channel is seen by all others in the channel. Private channels can (and are) created for multi-person conference calls.


javascript: JavaScript is a programming language that is mostly used in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more interactive. When JavaScript is included in an HTML file it relies upon the browser to interpret the JavaScript. When JavaScript is combined with Cascading Style Sheets(CSS), and later versions of HTML (4.0 and later) the result is often called DHTML.


Kilobytes: Kilobytes or KB is a measurement of file space. A Kilobyte isn't very big; only 1,000 Bytes. Larger a file (such as an image) is, the longer it will take for your browser to load it.


Links: A segment of text or a graphical item that serves as a cross-reference between parts of a hypertext document or between files or hypertext documents. Also called hotlink, hyperlink.


Mailing List: A (usually automated) system that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other subscribers to the maillist. In this way, people who have many different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions together.


Media: Music, videos and images; anything that enhances a web site that isn't text.


Meta Tags: A specific kind of HTML tag that contains information not normally displayed to the user. Meta tags contan information about the page itself, hence the name ("meta" means "about this subject.") Typical uses of Meta tags are to include information for search engines to help them better categorize a page. You can see the Meta tags in a page if you view the pages' source code.


Microsoft FrontPage: A web editor that allows you to create web pages without learning HTML. Before you can use it though, you have to make sure that your web host supports it or your web page won't work properly.


Mirror: Web sites, or FTP sites that maintain copies of material originated at another location, usually in order to provide more widespread access to the resource. For example, one site might create a library of software, and 5 other sites might maintain mirrors of that library.


Moderators: A moderator can be found in almost any interactive place, such as a message board or chat room. Moderators have the power to edit or censor things and they can also ban users who break the rules.


Oekakis: Oekaki is a japanese word, which basically means drawing board. A typical Oekaki lets you sign up and then post your own artwork, which you draw using the program on the site and then people can comment on your work and you can comment on other artwork.


PNG: PNG or Portable Network Graphics is a graphics format specifically designed for use on the World Wide Web. PNG enable compression of images without any loss of quality, including high-resolution images. Another important feature of PNG is that anyone may create software that works with PNG images without paying any fees - the PNG standard is free of any licensing costs.


RSS: RSS or Rich Site Summary or RDF Site Summary is an XML-based summary of a web site, used for syndication, etc.


Scrollbars: The bars usually at the right side or the bottom of a page that you use to view the other parts of the page.


Search Engines: Type in what you're looking for and most likely a serach engine will find it. You can even get your own.


Servers: A server is a computer that can display or save files to another computer. The computer that receives the files is called a client. When your web page is hosted by a web host like Angelfire, when you upload your files, your files are upload to another computer, which in turn then displays your web page. Most web hosts use at least a T1 Internet connection, which is a lot more powerful than cable, so if you want to host your own site, you'll have to have a really fast Internet connection or it will take your visitors a long time to load your page.


Site Builders: Free hosts like Angelfire have these programs that allow you to build a web site with little or no HTML knowledge.


Spam: Advertising or unwanted junk email.


SQL: A specialized language for sending queries to databases. Most industrial-strength and many smaller database applications can be addressed using SQL. Each specific application will have its own slightly different version of SQL implementing features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable databases support a common subset of SQL.


SSI: SSI or Server Side Includes is used to be able to use the same thing over and over again without having to do the same thing over and over again. For example, lets say you have a layout, but you want it to be the same on everypage. Well instead of pasting the same HTML for the layout on everypage and then having to go and edit everypage individually, you can simply change the SSI file and all the pages calling it will be updated automatically.


Topsites: A topsite is basically a script that you sign up for and then you are ranked based on how many visitors you get. The more visitors, the higher you move up on the list.


Unix: A computer operating system (the basic software running on a computer, underneath things like word processors and spreadsheets). Unix is designed to be used by many people at the same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in. It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.


Upload: To transfer (data or programs), usually from a peripheral computer or device to a central, often remote computer. This is done usally by FTP or other ways.


URL: URL or Uniform Resource Locator is an Internet address (for example, http://www.pokezam.com), usually consisting of the access protocol (http) and the domain name (www.pokezam.com).


Visitors: A visitor or a unique visitor is someone who visits your web site. If the visitor goes to another page however, another visitor is not counted. So the difference between a hit and a visitor is a hit is everytime your page is loaded, but a hit is everytime a computer visitors your site.


WAP: WAP or Wireless Application Protocol is a simple version of a web site that can be viewed with a cellphone. It isn't used that much, since it costs money depending on how long you view the page.


XHTML: A reformulation of HTML 4.01 in XML. Being XML means that XHTML can be viewed, edited, and validated with standard XML tools. At the same time, it operates as well as or better than HTML 4 in existing HTML 4 conforming user agents.