Tweet Definition For most of history, "tweet" has been the sound a bird makes. However, with the advent of Twitter, the word "tweet" has taken on a whole new meaning. A tweet is an online posting, or "micro-blog" created by a Twitter user. The purpose of each tweet is to answer the question, "What are you doing?" However, tweets can contain any information you want to post, such as your plans for the weekend, your thoughts about a TV show, or even notes from a lecture. You can publish a tweet u...

Digital Footprint Definition A digital footprint is a trail of data you create while using the Internet. It includes the websites you visit, emails you send, and information you submit to online services. A "passive digital footprint" is a data trail you unintentionally leave online. For example, when you visit a website, the web server may log your IP address, which identifies your Internet service provider and your approximate location. While your IP address may change and does not include an...

WAIS Definition Stands for "Wide Area Information Server." This is a program that can index enormous amounts of information and make it searchable across large networks (including the Internet). People can search the WAIS index and it will return results by relevance. Searches can then be narrowed down by subsequent searches on the original results. Search engines are a new and improved version of WAIS, specifically for the Web.

Web Application Definition A web application or "web app" is a software program that runs on a web server. Unlike traditional desktop applications, which are launched by your operating system, web apps must be accessed through a web browser. Web apps have several advantages over desktop applications. Since they run inside web browsers, developers do not need to develop web apps for multiple platforms. For example, a single application that runs in Chrome will work on both Windows and OS X. Deve...

Proxy Server Definition Most large businesses, organizations, and universities these days use a proxy server. This is a server that all computers on the local network have to go through before accessing information on the Internet. By using a proxy server, an organization can improve the network performance and filter what users connected to the network can access. A proxy server improves Internet access speeds from a network primarily by using a caching system. Caching saves recently viewed We...

Tumblr Definition Tumblr is a microblogging website that allows you to create and follow blogs. Unlike traditional blogging websites, Tumblr encourages short posts, such as a single photo or a few sentences of text. The goal is to make blogging quick and easy, enabling users to post frequent updates. Tumblr is also more community-oriented than other blogging websites, offering a number of social features. For example, you can follow other users, "like" specific posts, and "reblog" updates from ...

Hashtag Definition A hashtag is a number symbol (#) used to label keywords in a tweet. The name "hashtag" was coined by Twitter and combines the word "hash" (another name for the number symbol) and "tag," since it is used to tag certain words. In order to tag a keyword in a Twitter post, simply type a number symbol (Shift+3) immediately before the word. For example, you can tag the word "tech" in a tweet by typing "#tech." Twitter automatically turns hashtagged words into links to a dynamic fee...

Lag Definition Lag is a slow response from a computer. It can be used to describe any computer that is responding slower than expected. However, the term is most commonly used in online gaming. Video game lag is generally caused by one of two factors – 1) a slow computer or 2) a slow Internet connection. If you are playing an online multiplayer game and your computer cannot process the incoming data in real-time, it may slow the game down for everyone. If your Internet connection is slow or inc...

Tag Definition On clothes, tags usually indicate the brand, size of the garment, fabrics used, and the washing instructions. In Web pages, tags indicate what should be displayed on the screen when the page loads. Tags are the basic formatting tool used in HTML (hypertext markup language) and other markup languages, such as XML. For example, to create a table on a Web page, the <table> tag is used. The data that should be inside the table follows the <table> tag, and the table is clos...

Flash Definition While "Flash" was the name of a popular superhero in the 1970s, today the term refers to something completely different. When you see Flash on the Web, it most likely refers to Adobe Flash, a multimedia technology. Flash allows Web developers to incorporate animations and interactive content into their websites. Flash was originally released by Macromedia in 1996. It began as a basic animation tool and an optional plug-in for Web browsers. Over the next decade, Flash gained man...