In Part 1 of our series we reviewed some terms and terminology related to Internet connections. Now we'll deal with some terms relating to Internet usage - what people are doing and talking about online. Let's begin.
Blog
A shortened form of the term "Web Log". Essentially it is a website that acts like an online interactive diary. It allows the writer to post information on their website easily and allows other to comment on what's been written. Since they are easy to set-up and manage through free blog networks such as blogger.com, wordpress.com and others, their popularity has skyrocketed. Anyone can set up a blog and have their opinions or thoughts online in minutes. Many companies, celebrities, politicians and news sites have adopted a blog style format in order to more easily communicate and interact with the public. A blogger is someone who owns or writes for a blog. Blogging is the act of posting to your blog.
Usage: "I started my own blog to complain about bloggers and their incessant blogging."
IM
Instant Messaging. Instant messaging programs allow people to communicate instantly by typing messages back and forth online. Unlike like e-mail, where individual messages and replies are sent, IM is more like a phone conversation where the communication is in real time. IM programs also allow the users to share photos, files and even voice-chat using headsets. Popular IM program include AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and ICQ (I seek you).
Usage: "Do you have IM? That's the best way to get a hold of me. "
MMORPG
Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. You won't hear this one, but you may see it written and you're probably familiar with this genre of entertainment. Essentially a MMORPG is a computer game where the characters you interact with are real people - other players from around the world. These games consist of huge feature filled fantasy worlds and the opportunity to "role play" as a game character. Arguably the most popular of these games is "World of Warcraft".
Usage: "I spent my whole weekend playing World of Warcraft."
Facebook, Myspace, Social Networking
Social networking web sites are a new and popular way of keeping on touch with friends and meeting new people. Essentially, you create a personal profile on the the site and can invite others to become your "friend" through the interactive site. You can also join other friend groups and use the site to communicate and network. MySpace and Facebook are among the most popular social networking web sites. Social networking sites have become extremely popular and are now used by politicians, celebrities and marketers to communicate with the public.
Usage: "Are you on Facebook? I'll send you an invite to be my friend."
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the new generation of websites that primarily feature user generated or user contributed content. Blogs, social networking sites and video sharing sites such as YouTube are examples of web 2.0 in use.
Usage: "Web 2.0? What happened to web 1.0? "
Emoticons and Other Smiley Things ;-)
A combination of the words emotion and icon. Internet users realized early on that it was often hard to convey emotion in a brief e-mail or online chat. Emoticons or "smilies" as they are sometimes called are a way of conveying that emotion. The emoticons use standard keyboard characters to create an expressive (sideways) face. Some examples: Happy :-), Really Happy :-D, Wink ;-), Scared :-o, Frown :-(
Usage: "Thanks for that last e-mail. :-)"
Spam
Spam is another word for unsolicited commercial e-mail. First there was junk mail now there is junk e-mail. The term has grown to include all types of unsolicited commercial promotion online, such as advertisements through blog comments or Instant Messaging chats.
Usage: "I get more spam than actual e-mail messages."
Spyware, Trojans and Viruses
Under the category of bad stuff that can cripple your computer you'll find not only viruses, but spyware and trojans too.
A virus is a malicious computer program that can harm your computer. They are called viruses because they are designed to be spread by contact with other infected computers. E-mail is the most popular way of receiving a virus.
A trojan is a malicious program that is disguised as a good program. A trojan could be included, for example, in a game or other file downloaded online. Trojans are often designed to steal personal information from a computer and send it to the Trojan's creator.
Spyware is the term usually used to refer to commercially developed software which includes annoying advertising programs embedded in it. They don't usually steal information or spread like a virus, but they are usually inadvertently downloaded and annoying. For example, you might download a free screensaver without realizing that that it is tracking your online activity and showing you advertisements that it thinks you might be interested in. It might even change your home page or start showing you pop-up advertisements. Since the software records your habits for marketing purposes, it is called spyware. The term spyware has grown to included any software with annoying advertising or weakly disclosed side-effects.
Usage: "I downloaded a free game online and now my computer has been taken over by advertising. Apparently the game contained spyware."
Phishing
Phishing is derived from the word "fishing" and is the act of asking or "fishing" for your personal information by disguising as someone you trust and asking you for some critical personal information. In the early days of computer hacking, phishing was often done by phone. For example, a hacker would phone and ask for a computer password by posing as a fellow employee of a large company. Nowadays this is happening by e-mail for the purposes of identity theft. The perpetrators are often posing as trusted sites or banks looking for your username and password.
Usage: "I received an e-mail from a bank asking for me to login to my account, but I don't even have an account with that bank. It must have been a phishing attack. "
There you have it. A few more terms to digest. By now, you are well on your way to becoming a tech-speak guru. We'll likely be added a few more installments since there were so many terms we had to trim off of this article. Stay tuned and enjoy you're newly enhanced vocabulary.
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