COMPUTER TERMS PART 3

AVATAR An avatar is the embodiment of a person or idea. However, in the computer world, an avatar specifically refers to a character that represents an online user. Avatars are commonly used in multiplayer gaming, online communities, and Web forums.

INTERNET Believe it or not, the Internet was created way back in 1969, during the Cold War, by the United States military. It was meant to be a "nuke-proof" communications network. Today, the Internet spreads across the globe and consists of countless networks and computers, allowing millions of people to share information. Data that travels long distances on the Internet is transferred on huge lines known collectively as the Internet backbone. The Internet is now maintained by the major Internet service providers such as MCI, Worldcom, Sprint, GTE, ANS, and UUNET. Because these providers make huge amounts of revenue off the Internet, they are motivated to maintain consistent and fast connections which benefits everyday Internet users like you and me.

INTRANET Contrary to popular belief, this is not a misspelling of "Internet." "Intra" means "internal" or "within," so an Intranet is an internal or private network that can only be accessed within the confines of a company, university, or organization. "Inter" means "between or among," hence the difference between the Internet and an Intranet.

BCC/CC "Blind Carbon Copy." When you send an to only one person, you type the recipient's address in the "To:" field. When you send a message to more than one person, you have the option to enter addresses in the "Cc:" and "Bcc:" fields. "Cc" stands for "Carbon Copy," while "Bcc" stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." A carbon copy, message is an that is copied to one or more recipients. Both the main recipient and the Cc'd recipients can see all the addresses the message was sent to. When a message is blind carbon copied, neither the main recipient nor the Bcc'd recipients can see the addresses in the "Bcc:" field.

BLOG Short for "Web Log," this term refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. Anybody who knows how to create and publish a Web page can publish their own blog. Some Web hosts have made it even easier by creating an interface where users can simply type a text entry and hit "publish" to publish their blog. Because of the simplicity of creating a blog, many people (often young kids and adults) have found a new presence on the Web. Instead of writing confidential entries in a book that no one is supposed to see, people now can share their personal feelings and experiences with thousands of people around the world.

BROADBAND This refers to high-speed data transmission in which a single cable can carry a large amount of data at once. The most common types of Internet broadband connections are cable modems (which use the same connection as cable TV) and DSL modems (which use your existing phone line). Because of its multiple channel capacity, broadband has started to replace baseband, the single- channel technology originally used in most computer networks. So now when you see companies like AT&T and SBC pushing those fancy "broadband" ads in your face, you'll at least know what they are talking about.

CAPTCHA A captcha is program used to verify that a human, rather than a computer, is entering data. Captchas are commonly seen at the end of online forms and ask the user to enter text from a distorted image. The text in the image may be wavy, have lines through it, or may be highly irregular, making it nearly impossible for an automated program to recognize it. By requiring a captcha response, webmasters can prevent automated programs, or "bots," from filling out forms online. This prevents spam from being sent through website forms and ensures that wikis, such as Wikipedia, are only edited by humans.

CLIENT In the real world, businesses have clients. In the computer world, servers have clients. The "client-server" architecture is common in both local and wide area networks. For example, if an office has a server that stores the company's database on it, the other computers in the office that can access the database are "clients" of the server. On a larger scale, when you access your e- mail from a mail server on the Internet, your computer acts as the client that connects to the mail server.

CLOUD Cloud computing refers to applications and services offered over the Internet. These services are offered from data centers all over the world, which collectively are referred to as the "cloud." This metaphor represents the intangible, yet universal nature of the Internet. The idea of the "cloud" simplifies the many network connections and computer systems involved in online services. Many network diagrams use the image of a cloud to represent the Internet. This symbolizes the Internet's broad reach, while simplifying its complexity.

DIAL-UP Dial-up refers to an Internet connection that is established using a modem. The modem connects the computer to standard phone lines, which serve as the data transfer medium. When a user initiates a dial-up connection, the modem dials a phone number of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is designated to receive dial-up calls. The ISP then establishes the connection, which usually takes about ten seconds and is accompanied by several beeping an buzzing sounds.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT A digital footprint is a trail of data you create while using the Internet. In includes the websites you visit, s you send, and information you submit to online services. A "passive digital footprint" is a data trail you unintentionally leave online. Like, when you visit a website, the web server may log your IP address, which identifies your Internet service provider and your location. While your IP address may change and does not include any personal information, it is still considered part of your digital footprint. A more personal aspect of your passive digital footprint is your search history, which is saved by some search engines while you are logged in. An "active digital footprint" includes data that you intentionally submit online. Sending an is an active digital footprint, since you expect the data to be seen and/or saved by another person.

E-COMMERCE E-commerce (electronic-commerce) refers to business over the Internet. Web sites such as Amazon.com, Buy.com, and eBay are all e- commerce sites. The two major forms of e-commerce are Business-to- Consumer (B2C) and Business-to- Business (B2B). While companies like Amazon.com cater mostly to consumers, other companies provide goods and services exclusively to other businesses. The terms "e- business" and "e-tailing" are often used synonymously with e-commerce.

EMOTICON These are the little text-based faces and objects that you often see in and online chat. They help give the reader a sense of the writer's feelings behind the text. For example, the classic =) face shows that the writer is happy about something or that his message in good humor

THE END! Test your knowledge on the weekly Edmodo Quiz! Due Friday!