Techno-Terminology Used by Web Geeks

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Blog

A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumbs typically appear horizontally across the top of a page. They provide links back to each previous page that the user navigated through in order to get to the current page. Breadcrumbs provide a "trail" for the user to follow back to the starting/entry point of a web site.

CMS - Content Management System

A content management system (CMS or Web CMS) is content management system (CMS) for creating and maintaining Website content. It is used to manage and a collection of Web-based materials (i.e., HTML pages, images, calendars, lists, articles, etc.). A CMS facilitates site content creation, editing, and other important site management functions.

CSS - Cascading Style Sheets

CSS is used to define colors, fonts, layout, and other aspects of Web document presentation. It is designed primarily to enable the separation of page content (written in HTML or a XHTML) from document presentation (written in CSS). This separation can improve content accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentation characteristics, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content. Example of CSS code view:

.smallwhite { font-size : 8pt; color : #ffffff; line-height : 1.2em; font-family : Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; }
.rightnav { font-family : Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size : 8pt; font-weight : bold; color : #ffffff; }
.rightnav A:link { color : #008080; }

RSS - Really Simple Syndication

An RSS document (called a "feed" or "web feed") contains either a summary of content from a web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for users to keep current with web sites in an automated manner that can be imported into programs or filtered displays.

SEO-Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "organic" search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the higher a web site "ranks", the more users will find and visit the site. SEO can also target different kinds of search tools, including image search, local search, and industry-specific search engines.

Sitemap

A sitemap is a representation or map of the architecture of a web site.  It is usually a web page that lists and links to all the pages of a web site. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.  In many cases, a link to a sitemap appears on every page.

Social Bookmarks

Social bookmarking is a method for Web users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks (favorites) of web pages on the Internet. Users save links to pages that they want to remember or share. These bookmarks can be saved privately or shared publicly with defined people or groups. People can view these saved bookmarks chronologically, by category, by meta tags, or via a search engine.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a buzz word describing the new use of Web technology and design to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and, collaboration among users. With these advanced capabilities, a second generation of web-based communities and hosted services, (social-networking sites, wikis, and blogs) and are evolving.

Web Usability

Web usability is about smooth interaction of end-users with online (and offline) software. Web sites should be designed to facilitate and encourage efficient human-computer interaction. Users make the best use of Web sites when content is displayed in a clear and usable format. Information and organization should be highly intuitive.

XHTML

XHTML is a stricter, cleaner version of HTML. Pages written in XHTML display more predictably in most browsers.