Boolean connectors- words that are used to create a complex search, most commonly AND, OR, and NOT. Some search engines (such as Google) do not recognize Boolean connectors, instead treating all search terms as though there were ANDs between them.
Browser- a computer program which requests files from a web server. Examples of browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Mozilla.
Cookie- a file stored on a computer by a server that is used to identify a user and customize a web page for them. For example, an ecommerce site may save details about things a user has looked at or bought in order to customize a page for the user on his or her next visit.
Crawler- a program that accesses the World Wide Web looking for new web resources, providing information for search engines (also known as a bot or spider)
Directory- search engines which use human indexers rather than a crawler. When a site is submitted to such a search engine it is read by an indexer who decides whether to list it
Internet- a network consisting of a number of connected networks, one of which is the World Wide Web.
Metasearch engine- a web site that transmits search terms to a variety of search engines and displays their results.
Network- a group of connected computers. The Internet is a network, as are all the computers on the UNCG capus.
Search Engine- a searchable index of web sites. Most search engines index an estimated 25 to 35 percent of the World Wide Web.
Skins- a program that allows users to customize the appearance of a website.
Spam- unsolicited commercial email.
URL- or Uniform Resource Locator, an address used by a web browser to locate a resources on the web.
Virus- a computer program that enters a computer, usually through a network, and carries out a malicious act. One example of a virus is a Trojan Horse, which is a virus that appears to be an email from a friend or useful program.
World Wide Web- the collection of web sites which are stored on web servers contained on the Internet.
Definitions adapted from: Ince, D. (2003). A Dictionary of the Internet. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Also available as an e-book (available to UNCG affiliates only).
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