A new and unexpected player has joined the ranks of Internet news sites. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, is emerging as the online resource of choice for millions of increasingly discerning web surfers. People are eager for more in-depth analysis, context and reference material about the latest news stories. Hitwise, the Internet traffic measurement site, reports Wikipedia attracted 22.3 percent of people searching for information on the Gaza Strip when Israel withdrew its settlements in August. This beat Google News, Yahoo News and the BBC hands down. It seems the traditional news services are unable to adequately satisfy surfers’ insatiable demand for information.
Wikipedia was founded in 2001 and has quickly flourished, growing to almost 700,000 articles in 100 languages. Encyclopedia Britannica has a paltry 80,000 articles in comparison. Wikipedia can be edited in real time by anyone, which raises questions with critics about the legitimacy and accuracy of some of the facts and statements on the site. However, it is the collaborative, community-based nature of its contributions and editing policies that allows it to provide such sought after information. This is in stark contrast to the rigid, top-down editorial approaches of other news sites. The popularity of Wikipedia can be also attributed to its having entries on almost anything from the latest bizarre trends to extensive, up-to-the-minute coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Glossary
A selection of terms that are used frequently when talking about the Internet
Adobe Acrobat Reader: The Acrobat Reader, a software program developed by Adobe Systems, Inc., is used to view files in PDF format. The software displays documents with the same layout and design as the original.
ASCII: an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a 7-bit code that represents the most basic letters of the Roman alphabet, numbers, and other characters used in computing. ASCII characters allow us to communicate with computers, which use their own language called binary made up of 0s and 1s. When we type ASCII characters from the keyboard (which looks like words to us), the computer interprets them as binary so they can be read, manipulated, stored and retrieved. ASCII files are called text files.
Asynchronous: Communication in which interaction between parties does not take place simultaneously.
Attachment: A file that is included as part of an email message. It is indicated by a paper clip next to the message.
Browser: Shortened from Web Browser, this is the software programme that allows you to "surf" the Web. The most popular web browser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Netscape and Opera are two other common choices. Bandwidth: Information carrying capacity of a communication channel.
Binary: A computer language developed with only two letters in its alphabet.
Bit: Abbreviation for a single binary digit.
Byte: A single computer word, generally eight bits.
Browser: Software that allows you to find and see information on the Internet.
Central Processing Unit (CPU): The component of a computer in which data processing takes place.
Chat Room: Places on the Internet where people go to "chat" with other people in a virtual room. These rooms are generally listed by topic so each user can chat to someone with similar interests. When you're in a chat room you can view all of the public conversations taking place at once on your screen.
Codec (Coder/Decoder): Device used to convert analog signals to digital signals for transmission and reconvert signals upon reception at the remote site while allowing for the signal to be compressed for less expensive transmission.
Compressed Video: When video signals are downsized to allow travel along a smaller carrier.
Compression: Reducing the amount of visual information sent in a signal by only transmitting changes in action.
Cookie: These are small text files that a website places on your computer, that identify you to them as a customer. This can make your surfing the Web faster and more personal, by retaining information about your preferences. Some people have privacy concerns because websites may acquire some general information with their cookies. You can set your browser to warn you before you accept cookies or not accept them.
Cyberspace: The nebulous place where humans interact over computer networks. Coined by William Gibson in Neuromancer.
Desktop Videoconferencing: Videoconferencing on a personal computer.
Dial-Up Teleconference: Using public telephone lines for communications links among various locations.
Distance Education: The process of providing instruction when students and instructors are separated by physical distance and technology.
Domain Name: This is part of the system of organising Internet addresses. Domains are large areas divided by purpose (.com for commercial,.ac for education, etc) and country. Sub domains are smaller areas within these larger domains (bbc.co.uk, for example).
Directory: A search directory is a website that organises some proportion of the contents of the Net into subject categories and topics, to assist the retrieval of information. Yahoo is the best example
Download: The transfer of information from a computer somewhere on the Internet to your computer. Checking your email involves downloading the messages. You can download any file you want onto your computer, but be careful with sites you are unfamiliar with - you could download a virus. Using the network to transfer files from one computer to another.
Electronic Mail (E-mail): Sending messages from one computer user to another.
Email: Electronic mail allows you to send and receive mail messages over the Internet. Through email you can write to anyone who has an email account.
Favorites: Also called bookmarks. These are saved references to websites that enable you to return to each site instantly without having to retype the address.
FAQ: Short for frequently asked questions. A list of FAQs is usually created by the members of a discussion group, (such as a mailing list or newsgroup).
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): A protocol that allows you to move files from a distant computer to a local computer using a network like the Internet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): A collection of information on the basics of any given subject, often used on the WWW.
Full Motion Video: Signal which allows transmission of complete action taking place at the origination site.
Hacker: This is a person who breaks into a site to view and/or alter sensitive information.
Home Page: The main document you see at an organization's website which contains pointers to other pieces of information. 1. the primary page of a website, the front door. 2. an individual's personal page on the web. 3. the page on which a web browser starts.
Host: The computer (server) on which a website is physically located. A network computer that can receive information from other computers.
HTML: Short for Hypertext Mark-up Language. HTML is the programming language that makes the Web work.
Hyperlink: A link will transport you from one Internet site to another with just a click of your mouse. Links may be text or graphic. Text links will often be underlined and often a different colour from the rest of the text. A graphical link could be a picture, drawing, or animation.
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML): The code used to create a home page and is used to access documents over the WWW.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): The protocol used to signify an Internet site is a WWW site, i.e. HTTP is a WWW address.
Hypertext: A document which has been marked up to allow a user to select words or pictures within the document, click on them, and connect to further information.
ISP (Internet service providers): Also called an ISP or access providers, Internet service providers refers to the remote computer system to which you connect your personal computer and through which you connect to the Internet. Internet service providers that you access by modem and telephone line are often called dial-up services.
Interactive Media: Frequency assignment that allows for a two-way interaction or exchange of information.
Interactive TV (ITV): Two or more sites interact with audio and video as if they were co-located.
Internet: An international network of networks primarily used to connect education and research networks begun by the United States government (originally called DARPANET). Internet Protocol (IP): The international standard for addressing and sending data via the Internet.
ISP: (Internet Service Provider) the company that provides you with access to the Internet, such as AOL, Freeserve or Virgin.
Keyword: A word you might use to search for a website. For example, searching the Web for the keyword "parents" might help you to find this site.
Listserv: The heart of an electronic mailing list, Listserv software automatically subscribes and unsubscribes list members and sends copies of every e-mail message to every list subscriber.
Local Area Network (LAN): Two or more local computers that are physically connected.
Modem: A piece of equipment to allow computers to interact with each other via telephone lines by converting digital signals to analog for transmission along analog lines. Modems allow computers to transmit information between computers to one another through any telephone line.
Multimedia: Any document which uses multiple forms of communication, such as text, audio, and/or video.
Netiquette: The well-established guidelines for behaviour on the Internet are most often referred to as "netiquette". These rules help keep the Net cooperative and help everyone get along.
Netscape: A brand of browser software that allows you to browse links on the WWW.
Network: A series of points connected by communication channels in different locations.
Newsgroups: These are electronic discussion groups among people on the Internet who share a mutual interest. They are similar to chat rooms except messages are not relayed over real time, and more people have access.
On-Line: Active and prepared for operation. Also suggests access to a computer network.
Point of Presence (POP): Point of connection between an interexchange carrier and a local carrier to pass communications into the network.
Point-to-Point: Transmission between two locations.
Point-to-Multipoint: Transmission between multiple locations using a bridge.
PPP: A software package which allows a user to have a direct connection to the Internet over a telephone line.
Protocol: A formal set of standards, rules, or formats for exchanging data that assures uniformity between computers and applications.
RTF (rich text format): A document format that is readable for most word processing programs.
Scroll: To look at the parts of a page that are below or above what you can see on the screen.
Search Engine: A large database of Internet addresses that users can visit on the Web and ask questions to search for resources, eg Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves.
Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP): Allows a user to connect to the Internet directly over a high speed modem.
Server: A computer with a special service function on a network, generally receiving and connecting incoming information traffic. A machine that handles heavy-duty jobs such as sorting and routing mail, maintaining sites and serving web pages to clients.
SPAM: The Internet version of "junk email". Spamming is sending the same message to large numbers of users and is usually to advertise something. Email addresses are collected using cookies, newsgroups and other ways. These emails are often untargeted. (From the Monty Python sketch when the "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam" song eventually crowded out all conversation.)
Synchronous: Communication in which interaction between participants is simultaneous.
T-1 (DS-1): High speed digital data channel that is a high volume carrier of voice and/or data. Often used for compressed video teleconferencing. T-1 has 24 voice channels.
T-3 (DS-3): A digital channel which communicates at a significantly faster rate than T-1.
Telecommunication: The science of information transport using wire, radio, optical, or electromagnetic channels to transmit receive signals for voice or data communications using electrical means.
Teleconferencing: Two way electronic communication between two or more groups in separate locations via audio, video, and/or computer systems.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): A protocol which makes sure that packets of data are shipped and received in the intended order.
Uniform Resource Locator (URL): The address of a document on the Internet. Uniform Resource Locator is a phrase for an Internet address expressed in a form that any web browser can understand. It is a standard form of address for any file, object, or resource on the Internet. A website address starts with http://
Virus: A computer virus can wipe out information on your computer and create major problems. They usually originate from people who want to cause harm. You can unintentionally download a virus from a website or get it from a disk that someone has lent you.
Website: A website is a collection of network services, primarily HTML documents, that are linked together and that exist on the Web at a particular server. Exploring a website usually begins with the home page, which may lead you to more information about that site. A single server may support multiple websites.
World Wide Web (WWW): A graphical hypertext-based Internet tool that provides access to homepages created by individuals, businesses, and other organizations. A full-colour, multimedia database of information on the Internet. The Web is a universal mass of web pages connected by hyperlinks.
Zip: a popular standard for file compression on the PC. You can recognize it by the.zip file extension. (www.bbc.co.uk/webwise)
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Glossary