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Access Provider
Also known as Internet Service Provider (ISP) and On-line Service Provider (OSP). Internet users connect to the Internet through these companies, institutions and organizations, usually for a fee.

Application
A collection of computer files that can include several programs. Microsoft Word is an application as are each of the Internet Browsers (e.g. Netscape Navigator).

ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Exchange. The worldwide standard code numbers used by computers to represent all upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, punctuation, etc.

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Bandwidth
The amount of data that can be sent through a particular point in a connection. Generally measured in bits per second (bps).

Body
Contains the text of an email message (the header contains all the technical and general information).

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Case sensitive
This concerns whether to capitalize or not capitalize letters. If something is case sensitive, then a letter mistakenly being capitalized or not will affect the computer's ability to understand the word or phrase.

Cookie
The most common meaning of cookie is a piece of information sent by a Web server to a Web browser on your computer. Your browser is expected to save it and send it back to that server whenever your browser visits that site again or makes additional requests from that server. Cookies may contain information such as login or registration information, online shopping cart information, user preferences, etc. Cookies are usually saved in the browser's memory until the browser is shut down. At that time they may be saved on your hard drive if their "expire time" has not been reached.

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Domain name
This is the unique name that identifies an Internet location. The segments of the domain name are separated by dots (e.g. www.manifestpress.org).

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Email address
The information needed to send email to a user through the Internet. (e.g. lewinsky@whitehouse.org).

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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions. A compilation of oft-requested information.

Fields
Required information in the email header, such as destination for the message.

Flames
If you send an email that upsets a respondent, you can get "flamed," meaning you receive a message in response that is a verbal attack.

FTP
A way of transferring files from one location to another by logging into another site.

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Header
Contains technical and general information of the email message (the body contains the message itself).

Host
Serves as a focal point for WWW, telnet, FTP, and sometimes Gopher information requests from local users. Routes requests to other hosts.

Host name
This can be both the information after the @ in an email address and the address you would need to telnet to a remote location. Example: access.pge.net.

HTML
Hypertext Markup Language. A language code used to create web pages, which can be imported into a graphical email as well.

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Interstitials
General term for click-through interruptive ads, such as a pop-up window when you open AOL that asks you to click "yes" for more information. Like the meaning of the word interstitial, it's an unsolicited ad that occurs "in the space between" what you're already doing online.

IP number
Numeric representation of a host name. Example: 157.198.4.113.

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Login
Entering user ID and password to gain access to a computer system.

Login information
Generally, user ID and at least one password.

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MAILER-DAEMON
A program used to detect mail problems. Provides error messages in the form of email to the sender with information about the problem.

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Remote host
A host you are trying to login to or send mail to.

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Site
Can refer to a web page, a location of information such as a telnet, or FTP.

Smilies
Simple strings of characters interspersed in the email text to convey the writer's emotional cues. The most common example is :-) to designate happiness.

SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Specifies the way email messages are transferred across the Internet.

Spam
Unsolicited email messages sent for marketing purposes (junk email).

System administrator
Usually the person responsible for maintaining the systems used for Internet connectivity.

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Threads
Links between original email messages and responses. Threads are important for following the sequence of messages.

TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The protocol used for communications on the Internet.

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URL
Universal Resource Locator. A standard for locating information on the World Wide Web. Example: http://www.iac.net/~othello.

User name
Often the first part of your email address before the @. The name with which you login to your email or Internet system.

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Virus
An executable file that can replicate itself and attach itself to other executable programs causing damage to your computer. The effects of viruses vary widely; it's wise to purchase anti-virus software to help protect your computer.