The 2014 Guide to the Internet: Round Up of Terms Every Beginner Should Know

You'll be surprised at the different Internet terms that not only beginners are unaware of, but also among those who have been using the Internet for a long time on a daily basis. To address this information gap, we have here a 2014 guide to Internet terms for beginners – and the not-so-beginners alike. 

Internet and the Web: Is there a difference?

The Internet is a system of networks that connects computers from all over the world using a protocol called TCP/IP. What started as a communication experiment for the military, the Internet we know today is a public platform where anyone can freely broadcast want they want to say and share. To access the Internet (and contribute to it), you need to have an Internet connection. This connection can be provided privately by an ISP or publicly from a Wi-Fi network.

The Web is short for World Wide Web. A subset of the Internet, the Web is that portion of the Internet that we are most familiar using. We view the Web using a web browser software. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Mozilla Firefox are examples of popular web browser software that we use.

http: VS https:

HTTP is a an acronym that stands for hypertext transfer protocol. When 2 computers communicate with each other, it follows a certain protocol of communication. HTTP is the default protocol that displays on our web browser when we browse a web page using its URL address.

The only difference between http: and https: is the latter is secure. You will notice https: on your web browser if you are on a website that requires a username and a password. If you need to access your bank account, transfer payment to a merchant or share sensitive information, the web browser should be encrypted with https: for your security and protection.

URLs

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locators. It is the address that you put on your web browser when accessing internet pages and other online media such as images and videos.

There are several parts of a URL address, but let us keep it short and simple here.

Typically, a URL address such as 'http://www.google.com' has 4 parts. 'http://' is the protocol. 'www' is the host name. 'google' is the subdomain name. '.com' is the domain name. Collectively, 'www.google.com' is the resource name.

IP Addresses

IP addresses are like home addresses. It is unique per household. For instance, if you are having pizza delivered, you need to let the delivery guy what your exact address is or else he can just send the pizza to anybody else. 

The Internet works the same way. Without an IP address, information cannot be received. Whether you are accessing the Web using your smart phone, your tablet computer or your laptop, a dedicated IP address (it is formatted in numbers) is assigned to your device.

Blogs

Blog is a contraction for 'web blog'. Blogs these days are like diaries without a lock. It is a highly public way to express your feelings. Both professional writers and amateurs have turned to blogs to share their expertise and ideas on a wide range of topics. Digital marketers have likewise used blogs in advertising their brand.

ISPs

ISP is an acronym for Internet Service Provider. It can be privately owned or a property of the government that allows you to explore the Internet. An ISP can offer you different internet services such as fibre broadband, fixed wireless, ADSL or mobile internet. You can select your preferred monthly data allowance and speed depending on what the ISP offers.