When dealing with a mechanic it's a good idea to know some of the terminology so you know what they are saying to you, and you know what you really need and what you don't. Well dealing with a web developer is no different. Knowing what you really need right up front will help you start your project with a running start. Below are some common terms you will hear often while involved in a web project.

.bot - Short for robot. (See spider)

.browser - Software used to view web pages. (e.g. MS Explorer, Firefox, Netscape)

.checkbox - A form control with two possible states, checked or not checked. Unless otherwise programmed, a checkbox’s state does not affect the state of any other control.

.comp - (composite) A composite is a design that is sent to a client for approval. Often times the composite is more of an unfinished layout of an idea rather than a finished product.

.crawler - (see spider)

.database - Software that stores data into specifically defined categories. The data can be sorted and viewed in many different ways, making for powerful analytical capabilities.

.directory - An online listing of web sites, often categorized by topic, with which people search for relevant web site content. ( Ex. Google ) Entries are entered into directories by people, in contrast to search engines, which use a program (specifically, a spider, crawler, or bot) that searches the Internet and indexes web pages.

.drop-down menu - A form input mechanism that allows the user to select from a finite group of options.

.form - A section of a web page which contains various input controls. The input controls receive data from the web site visitor, which can then be used to search a database, interact with other parts of the web site, or perform some other task. A simple example of a form is a contact form used to communicate with a company from their website.

.HTML - HyperText Markup Language. The markup language used to format documents for displaying information and providing a means to link one such document to another.

.hyperlink (also Link) - The fundamental feature of the Internet, hyperlinks are the mechanism by which one web page connects to another web page. By clicking on the linked text or image, the user is brought to the web page referenced by the link.

.interface - A set of controls that allow the user to interact with software. For the purposes of a web site, this includes the navigation and links, text fields, buttons, checkboxes, drop-down menus, and other form controls.

.Internet - The computer network which connects other computer networks on a global scale using the TCP/IP protocol.

.link (see hyperlink)

.mouseover - An object on screen which changes state (e.g. color, size, etc). when the user moves the mouse icon over it. Mouseovers can be text or images and are often used to designate a link.

.online - Connected to a computer system. Often meaning connected to a network. For the purposes of the World Wide Web, connected to the Internet.

.platform - The combination of operating system (e.g. MS Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc) and web site browser software (e.g. MS Explorer, Safari, Opera, etc) being used by the visitor to a web site. It is important that web pages display properly on a wide variety of platforms. Swan Graphix takes great care in ensuring that your website will be accessible to a large variety of browsers, resolutions, and operating systems.

.programming - The development of a piece of software, or the creation of functional logic. For the purposes of the web, programming is used to create interactivity between the web site and the user. Programming is integral to the use of a database in conjunction with a web site. Some common programming languages are PHP, Cold Fusion, CGI, Perl, HTML, & CSS. Swan Graphix works directly with ActionWeb Services for premium programming services, bringing you the finest website your money can buy.

.protocol - 1. A common set of widely known rules and terms. 2. A common platform with which logical machines (computers) communicate with one another.

.radio button - One of a set of like form controls in a group where only one of the controls in that group can be selected. Radio buttons have only two states, selected or not selected. If a radio button in a group is selected, the other radio buttons in the group will automatically be deselected.

.scripting - Scripting is a type of programming where the program is not pre-compiled. Most programming for the web is scripting. Scripting can be used to create simple interface actions, such as mouseover images, or complex interactions with databases and other computers.

.search engine optimization (SEO) - Design of the content and HTML code of a web page such that the page is easy to scan and index by search engine spider programs. This entails coming up with keyword sets for each page of the web site and placing them within the web page title, content, and META tags.

.search engine - A software application used to search a body of information (often a database) for terms entered by the user. For the purposes of the web, search engines are usually web pages that allow users to search the Internet for relevant web site content.

.SEO (see Search Engine Optimization)

.spider (also bot, crawler) - A program that searches throughout the World Wide Web, moving from link to link, from web page to web page, from web site to web site, collecting and indexing web pages for search engine applications.

.submit button - The control within a web form used to send data to the server.

.user - An individual that uses a computer to perform some operation.

.web marketing - Positioning of a web site for maximum exposure on the World Wide Web, often using search engine optimization (SEO,) and web site submission to directories (ex. Yahoo.)!

.web page - An online HTML document that displays information using text and images.

.web site - A collection of one or more web pages usually dedicated to one general topic, the information of which is conveyed using text, images, video, audio, interactivity, forms, static pages, database-driven pages, programming, or some combination thereof.

.web browser - Software used to view web pages. The most popular is MS Internet Explorer. Others include Netscape Navigator, Opera, Mozilla, and Safari.

.world wide web - The software layer on the Internet that uses the HTTP protocol and the HTML markup language to provide a mechanism for sharing data in an online document, called a web page.