Leaderboard Definition As the average computer screen size has grown larger, the size of online advertisements as grown as well. The leaderboard ad, which was introduced in 2003, has a standard size of 728 pixels wide by 90 pixels tall (728x90). Compare that to its predecessor, the banner ad, which is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels tall (468x60). Leaderboards can contain text, images, or even animations. When a visitor clicks on a leaderboard, he or she is directed to the advertiser's website. Wh...

CDN Definition Stands for "Content Delivery Network." A CDN is a group of servers distributed in different locations. Small CDNs may be located within a single country, while large CDNs are spread across data centers around the world. CDNs are used to provide content to users in different locations as quickly as possible. For example, a user in San Francisco may receive website content from a server in Los Angeles, while a user in England may receive the same content from a server in London. Th...

Flaming Definition Flaming is the act of posting or sending offensive messages over the Internet. These messages, called "flames," may be posted within online discussion forums or newsgroups, or sent via e-mail or instant messaging programs. The most common area where flaming takes place is online discussion forums, which are also called bulletin boards. Flaming often leads to the trading of insults between members within a certain forum. This is an unfortunate result, as it often throws the di...

Facebook Definition Facebook is a social networking website that was originally designed for college students, but is now open to anyone 13 years of age or older. Facebook users can create and customize their own profiles with photos, videos, and information about themselves. Friends can browse the profiles of other friends and write messages on their pages. Each Facebook profile has a "wall," where friends can post comments. Since the wall is viewable by all the user's friends, wall postings a...

Instagram Definition Instagram is an online photo sharing service. It allows you to apply different types of photo filters to your pictures with a single click, then share them with others. While is a rather basic service, Instagram's simplicity has helped it gain widespread popularity. While nearly all smartphones have built-in cameras, they often do not produce quality photos. By using Instagram, you can liven up otherwise mediocre images and make them look more professional. For example, Ins...

Blog Definition Short for "Web Log," this term refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. Anybody who knows how to create and publish a Web page can publish their own blog. Some Web hosts have made it even easier by creating an interface where users can simply type a text entry and hit "publish" to publish their blog. Because of the simplicity of creating a blog, many people (often young kids and adults) have found a new presence on the Web. Instead of writing confidential entrie...

MySpace Definition MySpace is an online community that allows friends to keep in touch and meet new people as well. It started out as a website that bands could use to promote their music, but has since grown into a more general community of friends. Anyone who is at least 14 years old can sign up for a MySpace account at no cost. Once you sign up, you can customize your profile by adding information about yourself, listing your interests, hobbies, and educational background, and uploading photo...

Spider Definition A spider is a software program that travels the Web (hence the name "spider"), locating and indexing websites for search engines. All the major search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, use spiders to build and update their indexes. These programs constantly browse the Web, traveling from one hyperlink to another. For example, when a spider visits a website's home page, there may be 30 links on the page. The spider will follow each of the links, adding all the pages it finds ...

SEO Definition Stands for "Search Engine Optimization." Just about every Webmaster wants his or her site to appear in the top listings of all the major search engines. Say, for example, that Bob runs an online soccer store. He wants his site to show up in the top few listings when someone searches for "soccer shoes." Then he gets more leads from search engines, which means more traffic, more sales, and more revenue. The problem is that there are thousands of other soccer sites, whose Webmasters...

Applet Definition An applet is a small application designed to run within another application. While the term "applet" is sometimes used to describe small programs included with a computer's operating system, it usually refers to Java applets, or small applications written in the Java programming language. Unlike ordinary applications, Java applets cannot be run directly by the operating system. Instead, they must run within the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), or within another program that inc...