Boston Newton Web Design :: Mintz Web Design, Art of the Web

Domain: Your domain name, also known as the URL, is your official web name, starting with, http (hypertext transfer protocol) and ending with the appropriate extension; .com, .net, .org, .edu, etc. (.com is for commerce, .net - network, .org - organization...
WWW.: World Wide Web - we're all connected now.
FTP: File transfer protocol - transferring files from your computer to the web. When your site is ready to be online, this is the method by which you get it up there.
Host: You purchase a domain name (like mintzwebdesign.com), but a host is like a landlord. They have the servers that hold your information, and through which you put it online.
HTML: Hypertext markup language - the basic web language. You may be looking at images and text, but the computer is reading html in order to send it to you.
Upload –– Download: Uploading a file is simply putting it online, usually via FTP (file transfer protocol)
Downloading a file (or files) is transferring a file from the internet to your 'local' computer.
Designer –– Developer: Designer
The designer works with you to conceptualize your website, so that it is engaging and truly reflects you and your organization. The designer will also 'build' the site.
Developer
A developer is master of the code, especially when it gets complicated.
Navigation: Navigation is how you get from one place to another. On the web it takes the form of a list of pages with a hierarchy to put it in order.
Wireframe: A drawn out version of your site map. It looks like a family tree, where you decide what goes where, from where.
File extensions – .gif, .jpg, .doc, .xls: A file extension is what comes after the "dot" in the title of a document or image. It may not sound like much, but your document may not open without the proper extension. There are many other image extensions, but .gif, .jpg and sometimes .png are the only ones that go on the web.
.gif and .jpg (and .png): These are the two most commonly used, 'extensions' that are used for images. An image won't get on the web unless it has an appropriate extension.
GIF stands for graphic interface format, but the easiest way to remember is that a gif is usually a simple image, and mostly flat solid tones. )like text)
Photographs are almost always .jpg's. It captures the graduated tones.
Meta Tags: A website is actually written in code, and there are specific parts for specific functions. There are many aspects to SEO (search engine optimization) most of which depend of 'keywords', the words you use, and the order in which they are used. Meta tags are some of the keywords used in the code.
The 2 main ones are: "description", and "keywords". The keywords are the words that you think your user will use to search for you. They should be as specific as possible. 'shoes' is not a good keyword, because it is so unlikely that such a broad category name would lead someone to your boutique.
Search - SEO: Searching is what a viewer does when they want to find something online, by entering words into a search engine like google. When you are searching, you will use the words most likely to find what you are looking for.
Search Engine Optimization is the 'art' of developing a site using the words that will be searched for to find what you have to offer.
Here's the crucial factor in the search conundrum - you don't need to be found by everyone in the world. (most of us don't, anyway) So, we'll show you and make sure that you get found by the people who want to find you, and by those who you are looking to attract.
Social Media/Networking: Creating online networks with people whoo you want to work with, play with, etc. The most popular are twitter, facebook, and linkedIn
Blog, or Web log: Can be an online diary of sorts, it can also be interactive, in that you can write and get responses from your readers. The most popular online programs for this are wordpress and blogspot. Here's mine.