BANDWIDTH
This is how much information can be carried by the wires and channels that connect everyone to the Internet. There's a limit to the amount of data that any piece of wiring can carry at any time.

BROWSER
This is the software product that lets you find, see, and hear material on the World Wide Web, including text, pictures, sound and video. Popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

CD-ROMs
A computer disk that can store large amounts of information; generally used on computers with CD-ROM drives. CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk Read Only Memory. This means it can only play back information, not record or save material.

CHAT ROOMS
They allow users to communicate with each other in real time (or live), as opposed to the delayed time you get with e-mail. A user enters a chat room, types a message into the computer and sends it. It is instantly displayed on the screens of the other users in the chat room. You never know who is going to be reading your messages or responding to them, so it is best to be cautious.

COMMERCIAL SERVICE
This is a general term for a large online service (e.g., America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network, etc). These services are like special clubs that require membership fees. Besides providing access to the Internet, commercial services have lots of content, games and chat rooms that are available to members only.

CYBERSPACE
This is the general term used to refer to the electronic areas and communities existing on the Internet and other computer networks, as well as to the culture that is developing around them.

DISCUSSION GROUPS
This is an area online focused on a specific topic where users can read and add comments. You can find discussion groups for almost any topic!

E-MAIL
This stands for electronic mail, it is a way of sending messages electronically from one computer user to another. You need to have a modem, a telephone line connected to your computer and an e-mail address (recognizable because of the @ symbol, such as maria@gamesdomain.com

EMOTICONS
These are symbols that people sometimes use in e-mails and chat rooms to show what mood a person is in. For example :-) means 'I am happy' so therefore :-( means 'I am sad'. There are hundreds of these symbols used online and the more you use the Internet, the more emoticons you will see.

FAQ
This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about a specific Web site, mailing list, product or game. Reading the FAQ is a great idea when you are new to a site, mailing list, or product.

FLAMING
On the Internet, flaming is giving someone a telling off in public. Often this is on a newsgroup but it could be on a Web forum or perhaps even as e-mail with copies sent to a list of people.

FREE-NET/COMMUNITY NETWORK
A community network that provides free or reduced Internet access, usually to local residents. Free-nets originally focused on providing text-based access to local information and discussions; now more are providing additional services, such as full access to the Internet.

HARDWARE
The nuts, bolts, and wires. The actual computer and related machines such as scanners and printers.

HOME PAGE
The site that is the starting point on the World Wide Web for a particular group or organization. This is also used to refer to the front page for your own browser.

HTML
This stands for Hypertext Markup Language. A document format used on the Web. Text documents must be converted to HTML in order for you to read them on the Web.

HYPERLINK
An easy method of retrieving information by choosing highlighted and underlined words in text on the screen. The words link to other documents with related subject matter.

INFORMATION LITERACY
The ability to find and understand the information people need to use in the Information Age. As information is increasingly stored and sent electronically, information technology skills are becoming more important.

INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY (ISH)
The information superhighway is seen as a global high-speed network of computers that serve thousands of users at the same time transmitting e-mail, multimedia files, voice, and video. The system links homes, offices, schools, libraries and medical centers, so that textual and audio-visual information can be instantly accessed and transmitted from one computer screen to another.

INTERNET
The largest system of linked computers in the world.

ISP
This stands for Internet Service Provider. A term for any company that can connect you directly to the Internet usually for about $20 - $30 per month.

MODEM
A device that allows computers to communicate with each other over telephone lines. Modems change digital signals to telephone signals for transmission and then back to digital signals. Modems come in different speeds: the higher the speed, the faster the information is sent and received.

MOUSE
A small device attached to your computer by a cord which lets you give commands to the computer.

MULTIMEDIA
A combination of two or more types of information such as text, audio, video and images.

NET, THE
A term that is often used to refer to the whole of cyberspace (the Internet, commercial services, etc.).

NETIQUETTE
The rules of cyberspace manners. Usually applied to the Internet, where fellow users enforce these rules.

NEWBIE
A newbie (pronounced NOO-bee) is any new user of a technology. The term is commonly applied to new users of personal computers and to new users of the Internet.

ONLINE COMMUNICATION
Communicating over the Internet or through a commercial network.

POSTING
The sending of a message to a discussion group or other public message area. The message itself is called a post.

SEARCH ENGINE
A program found on certain sites that can perform searches for information on the Internet based on the words or phrases you supply. Some sites have search engines that only search within their site.

SERVER
A host computer that stores information and/or software programs and makes them available to users of other computers.

SOFTWARE
A computer program; loosely defined, a set of instructions to be used on your hardware. There is system software that operates the machine itself (such as Windows and Mac OS), and there is application software for specific uses e.g., word processing, playing games, managing your money.

SPAM
Spam is unwanted e-mail on the Internet. In general, it's not considered good netiquette to send spam. It's generally equivalent to unsolicited telemarketing calls except that the user pays for part of the message since everyone shares the cost of maintaining the Internet.

URL
Uniform Resources Locator. The World Wide Web address of a site on the Internet.

USENET
This is the world's largest bulletin board service. USENET consists of thousands of "news groups" that are dedicated to the discussion of a particular topic. USENET is a place to ask questions, state opinions, provide information, and meet other people with similar interests on a worldwide basis.

USERID (or User ID)
The unique name given to (or chosen by) a user on some Web sites and commercial systems. The User ID and sometimes a password is used by the service to allow access to the system.

WEB SITES
A location on the World Wide Web that may incorporate graphics, sounds, and links to other sites. Web sites are identified by an online address that starts with "http://" (e.g., http://www.pta.org).

WORLD WIDE WEB
Hypertext-based navigation system on the Internet that lets you browse through a variety of linked resources. Also known as WWW and the Web