You don't have to be a computer expert to book a trip into Cyberspace, but it certainly helps to know a few words of cyber-speak. Before long, you'll sound like a native and get around like an experienced traveler.

BOOKMARK — an online function that lets you access your favorite web sites quickly.

BROWSER — special software that allows you to navigate several areas of theInternet and view a web site.

BULLETIN BOARD/NEWSGROUP — places to leave an electronic message or share news that anyone can read and respond to. Marketers or others can get your e-mail address from bulletin boards and newsgroups.

CHAT ROOM — a place for people to converse online by typing messages to each other. (Once you're in a chat room, others can contact you by e-mail. Some online services monitor their chat rooms and encourage children to report offensive chatter. Some allow parents to deny access to chat rooms altogether.)

CHATTING — a way for a group of people to converse online in real-time by typing messages to each other.

COOKIE — when you visit a site, a notation may be fed to a file " known as a "cookie" in your computer for future reference. If you revisit the site, the "cookie" file allows the web site to identify you as a "return" guest — and offer you products tailored to your interests or tastes. You can set your online preferences to limit or let you know about "cookies" that a web site places on your computer.

CYBERSPACE — another name for theInternet.

DOWNLOAD — the transfer of files or software from a remote computer to your computer

E-MAIL — computer-to-computer messages between one or more individuals via the Internet

 

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