Internet Definitions

Internet: A global “network of computers” that is not governed by any entity and hold files of information. Although, the Internet contains information on nearly every topic imaginable, there are no limits or checks on the type of information that is maintained or accessible.

Internet Users: Those individuals who crawl the web. If you search on the Internet to shop, send email, do research or chat, you are a user.

Email: A form of electronic mail that can be transmitted from one computer to another via the Internet. Documents and pictures can be “attached” to an email and sent to the receiving computer/individual where it can be viewed and printed.

Usenet Groups: Also known as News Groups, these are postings on specific topics, where the comments and/or pictures follow one another in a bulletin board style.

Chat Rooms: Also known as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), these areas are where participants can talk to each other in “real time” with their remarks appearing as they enter them. Basically, two or more users are having an online conversation.

Cookies: These are pieces of information generated by a web server and stored in the user’s computer for future access. Without the user’s consent or knowledge, a cookie is created and stored in the user’s computer every time the user book marks a page, personalizes their search engine, or participates in an online web contest. Basically, the cookie is a tagged string of text containing the user’s preferences and is then stored on the user’s computer and browser for future reference.