What is hosting? (Host Server) - A Hosting Services Provider (HSP) is an application service provider dedicated to providing hosting services. Typically operates a Web server farm, either at a data center or collocation facility.

 What is a URL? (Universal Resource Locator) - URL stands for Universal Resource Locater. But what this really means is the "http://www.yoursite.com/index.htm" text that appears at the top of your browser. The "http" refers to how your browser will communicate with an internet server. "HTTP" stands for HyperText Transfer protocol. The "www.yoursite.com" refers to a static IP address.

What is a Domain Name? - Domain Name is the name of your web site, as in www.yourcompany.com You have to pay an annual fee for the right to use a domain name (even if you never set up a host server for it). As long as you keep the name registered with an accredited Registrar no one else can use that exact name or URL.

What is A TLD? (Top Level Domain) - TLD abbreviation for Top Level Domain Name. Examples of TLD's are .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov. Foreign countries have their own set of TLD's, Mexico's for instance are: .mx, .com.mx, .net.mx, .org.mx, .edu.mx, and .gob.mx. The United Kingdom's TLD's are .co.uk, .net.uk, .ac.uk, .org.uk, .gov.uk.

What is a server? - A Server is a special high speed computer with an "always on" connection to the internet which houses your web site. When someone types in your domain name, the server sends the web page to their computer's web browser.

What is a search engine? - Search Engines are databases which classify web site content according to key words and actual content. search engines use automated programs called "spiders" to analyze web pages and classify the content according to what the page designers have indicated and/or what the site contains. You can also submit web sites to search engines for inclusion generally for a price.

What is Ecommerce? - Ecommerce is conducting business on the web via web site or some other form of electronic transfer or exchanging of goods and services for profit online.

What is a Gateway? - A Gateway is a node on a network that serves as an entrance to another network. In enterprises, the gateway is the computer that routes the traffic from a workstation to the outside network that is serving the Web pages. In homes, the gateway is the ISP that connects the user to the internet.

What is a Merchant Account? - Merchant Account allows the business owner to accept credit card payments from the consumer and have the deposit transaction sent to their Merchant Account as a sale

What is SSL?(Secure Sockets Layer) - SSL short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URL's that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.

What is FTP? (File Transfer Protocol) - FTP short for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol used on the Internet for exchanging files. FTP works in the same way as HTTP for transferring Web pages from a server to a user's browser and SMTP for transferring electronic mail across the Internet in that, like these technologies, FTP uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols to enable data transfer. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server (e.g., uploading a Web page file to a server).

What is Flash? - Flash is a bandwidth friendly and browser independent vector-graphic animation technology. As long as different browsers are equipped with the necessary plug-ins, Flash animations will look the same. With Flash, users can draw their own animations or import other vector-based images. Flash was known as FutureSplash until 1997, when Macromedia Inc. bought the company that developed it.