Accessibility
Accessibility is about ensuring access for ALL Internet users, regardless of their physical means or use of technology (disabilities relating to vision, hearing, learning, movement, technical platform used, and so on). In many countries the accessibility of websites is a legal requirement. This can affect the way fonts, tables, page layouts, images, data and other website elements are coded or presented. The cazazz website is validated against W3C standards (check this page ). For info on accessibility standards and guidelines, see the W3C website (see also usability and W3C).
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Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a measure of how much data can be sent through a network or modem connection. It is usually measured in bits per second (bps). A higher bandwidth means more information can be transferred within a given amount of time, and more users can access it simultaneously. If you're arranging hosting for a website that expects to have lots of people visiting it at the same time, make sure the bandwidth is suitable and the data transfer allowance is high enough.
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CMS
An abbreviation for Content Management System, which (as the name suggests) is a system for managing content on websites, intranets and web applications. It is usually an online system that you can access from any web browser, so you don't need special software or programming knowledge. A CMS lets you add/edit pages, upload files and images, control data, manage user responses, and so on. For an overview of the Cazazz Content Manager, see our info on website maintenance and updates.
CSS
An abbreviation for Cascading Style Sheet, which is used to define the style and layout of web pages. This allows for consistency of fonts, colours and styles across a website. If coded and applied well, CSS layouts can allow the look and feel of a website to be changed relatively easily, without needing to change any of the content.
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Domain Name
The Domain Name System (DNS) helps people find their way around the Internet. Instead of typing a string of numbers to identify a website (see IP address), we use a more memorable set of letters, such as www.cazazz.com. Domain names are also used for reaching e-mail addresses and other Internet applications. The domain name suffix helps identify country of origin and type of organisation (eg .com.au for an Australian business, .org.au for an Australian non-profit organisation, .co.uk for a UK business, etc). Globally, domain names are coordinated by ICANN and Australian domain names are administered by AUDA .
If you're setting up a website, you will need to register a domain name and renew it annually or biannually. Cazazz can do this for you (as part of a web design project), or can set up your existing name/s to point to your new website.
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GIF
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, which is a way of compressing image files. A "gif" is a compressed file, often used for web page graphics. Files end with the suffix .gif and are based on a limited palette of indexed colours (256), so are more suitable for small icons, graphics with flat areas of colour and simple animations (see also jpeg).
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Hosting
Web pages and data are stored (hosted) on a server, which is a computer connected to the Internet, usually via a high bandwidth connection. Website owners pay a monthly/annual fee for hosting, to cover rental of the disk space, data transfer to/from your website and maintenance of the server, network and software. The level and type of hosting you need depends on things like how much web traffic you expect, whether your site requires a database and application, whether you need e-commerce facilities or user security, and various other factors.
There are three main types of hosting:
- Shared hosting: Your website is hosted on the same server as other websites. The server is managed by a hosting company. This is the most cost effective solution for most small to medium businesses.
- Dedicated hosting: You buy or rent a server for your use only. You can install whatever applications and security you want and put more than one website on it. The server can be managed by yourself (with technical knowledge and a suitable data line), but it is usually better for a hosting company to maintain it.
- Virtual Private Server (VPS): This is like a cross between shared and dedicated hosting. You have dedicated disk space on a server and can set it up how you like, but the server also hosts other VPS customer websites.
HTML
An abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language, html is a set of standards that is the standard protocol for formatting and displaying documents on the World Wide Web.
HTTP
An abbreviation of Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, which is a set of rules used to format and transmit data over the Web. The letters "http://" appear at the front of web addresses (see also URL).
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IP address
Every computer and website on the Internet has a unique address, which is a complicated string of numbers (eg 202.124.241.194). This is called the "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). To access websites, users type in a domain name instead of the IP address of the computer hosting the website.
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JPEG
A digital image that has been compressed to make files smaller and easier to transmit and store, using a standard algorithm for the compression of digital images. The acronym is an abbreviation of Joint Photographic Experts Group, and files that have been saved in this format usually end with the suffix .jpg.
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PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a document format developed by Adobe that preserves the fonts, layout, images and links within a document, regardless of the application or platform used to create or view it. To view a PDF file all you need is the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, which is standard with most web browsers and available free of charge from Adobe .
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SEM
An abbreviation for Search Engine Marketing, SEM covers the process of promoting your website on search engines, using methods such as sponsored keywords, premium listings and other techniques. It's not quite the same as SEO (see below).
SEO
An abbreviation for Search Engine Optimisation, SEO is all about optimising your website for best results on Google and other search engines. This usually entails making sure your website content includes relevant keywords, adjusting certain aspects of the site coding, setting up targeted landing pages, building external links to your website, and other techniques to drive traffic to your site.
Server
A computer connected to the Internet that stores data and "serves" files/pages to another computer when requests are sent/received via the Internet (for example when someone clicks on a web page link). Websites are hosted on a server (see Hosting).
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URL
Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a web address that defines the exact location of a file on the Internet. For example, the URL of this web page is http://www.cazazz.com/resources/Glossary.aspx. The first part of the address (http://) shows that it is a web page (see http). The next part (www.cazazz.com) is the domain name. The last part (/resources/Glossary.aspx) defines the folder and filename of this page.
Usability
Often confused with accessibility, usability is a measure of how easy a website (or any other system) is to USE. Usability reviews look at ease of learning, speed of achieving tasks, how many errors are generated, user satisfaction ratings, ergonomics of mouse/eye movements, typical user journeys and conversion results for sales and enquiries. User testing and usability reviews take time and money but are a sound investment, nearly always resulting in measurably better performance.
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W3C
World Wide Web Consortium, the main international organisation responsible for setting web standards. See the W3C website
WYSIWYG
An abbreviation for "What You See Is What You Get" (pronounced "wiz-e-wig"). Usually refers to a program that provides an accurate representation of the final screen output while the content is being created. For example, a WYSIWYG text editor lets you see font sizes, colours and layout while you're editing the text.
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XML
XML is an abbreviation of eXtensible Markup Language. It is an open standard for exchanging structured documents and data, introduced by the W3C. XML is used by web developers to tag data so it can be interpreted by different programs, effectively separating the data from the way it is formatted.
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