Backup - Duplicate of essential computer information, usually held on CD or tape, that can be used to restore lost or corrupted records or programs.

Bandwidth - A measure of the speed with which information can travel through an area of a network.

Domain Name - The unique name for a website.  For example, yourcompany.co.uk or yourcompany.com

E-mail - Messages and documents sent between computers on the Internet.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol.  A common way of transferring files between computers.

Hard Disk - The part of a computer that stores files and programs, even when that computer is powered off.

HTML - One of the computer languages used for building websites.

Hyperlink - An area on a web page that allows you to jump to another specific web page (usually by pointing then clicking with the mouse).

Internet - The worldwide set of computer networks through which traffic for email and website information travels.

ISP - Internet Service Provider, that is, a company that provides connection to the Internet.  ISPs usually also provide other services such as email.

LAN - Local Area Network.  A way of linking a community of computers to share resources such as stored information and printers.

Modem - A device that enables computers to communicate with each other over a telephone network.

Offline - Operating without a current connection to the Internet.

Online - Operating with a current connection to the Internet.

PDF - Portable Document Format.  A type of file that can be read on virtually all types of computers.  Documents held in PDF format are commonly available for download from a variety of websites.

SSL - Secure Sockets Layer.  A standard method of communication between a website and your browsers that provides security through encrypted traffic.

Search Engines - Various websites, such as Yahoo! and Google, that permit you to locate specific information held on other websites through keyword searches.

Surfing - Moving from website to website using a browser.

World Wide Web (WWW) - The collection of websites across the world accessed via the Internet through a web browser.

Web Hosting - A service that provides an area on the Internet to store one or more websites.

Website - A collection of web pages with a common domain name.