Internet 101
What is the Internet?
The Internet today
In the early days, most people just used the Internet to search for information. Today's Internet is a constantly evolving tool that not only contains an amazing variety of information but that also provides new ways of accessing, interacting, and connecting with people and content. As a result, new terms are constantly appearing.
Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about a few common terms you might encounter online.
Podcast
With a podcast, you can subscribe to a series of audio or video files that will automatically be downloaded to your computer. The files can then be played on the computer or an mp3 player. A podcast is basically a web feed for media. Unlike internet radio, podcasts are not streaming, so the media has to download fully before it can be played.
Social bookmarking
Social bookmarking allows users all over the internet to save and share interesting sites. Examples include Reddit and Delicious.
Some social bookmarking sites are mainly used to share photos that people have found around the web. Pinterest (shown below) is an example of this type of site.
Social networking
Social networking refers to online services that allow people to interact with each other and stay connected with friends, family, and people around the world. Examples include Facebook and Twitter. Some social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, focus on career networking.
Online chat
Online chat is a system that allows users to communicate in real time. Unlike e-mail, all messages show up immediately in the same window, which makes conversations quicker and easier. Instant messaging is a type of chat where you communicate with a specific person instead of an entire chat room.
Wiki
A wiki is a type of website that allows content to be edited or created by anyone. This allows content to stay up to date and (ideally) allows for errors to be found and corrected. Examples include Wikipedia, which is an encyclopedia, and wikiHow, which is a collection of how-to guides.
Streaming
If you watch a movie online or listen to iTunes radio, it's called streaming media, which means it plays while downloading so you don't have to wait for it to download first. The media starts downloading a little bit before it starts playing (called "buffering") so that it can play more smoothly.
Web feed
A web feed, also known as a news feed, is a way to receive updates from your favorite web sites and blogs. Instead of visiting many different sites to check for updates, you can read their feeds on a feed reader. Two common feed formats are RSS and Atom.
Sites that have web feeds will usually include the feed icon, shown below.
Blog
"Blog" is short for "web log." It's a type of web site that is usually updated frequently, often with news articles or random thoughts. Some sites, such as blogger.com, allow you to create and edit your own blog for free.
Email (short for "electronic mail") is a system for sending and receiving messages online. Many email services include extra features such as calendars, task lists, instant messaging, web feeds, and news headlines.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as internet telephone, allows a user to have telephone service through an internet connection. Some people find that they can save money by using VoIP instead of purchasing a separate telephone service. One example is Skype.
