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If you are a web
designer, forget about impressing your customers by using big
words such as URL, Search Engines, Domain Name, HTML, etc.
To you it may be everyday language but to your potential
customers they are jargon. Some may even be intimidated by
it and rather than trying to work out what you mean, they will
leave your website.
"But if I am a web
designer, how do I write my copy without using these words?"
The answer is simple. Use the words, but explain what they
mean. You can either provide a simple explanation or
include a Dictionary/Encyclopaedia link on your site, such as:
http://www.webopedia.com
http://whatis.techtarget.com/
http://www.hyperdictionary.com/computer
http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/index.html
To find out whether the
information contained on your website can easily be understood,
show it to your grandmother or the owner of a small business,
such as your local fruit shop, deli or laundromat. If you
see a blank look on their faces, you may need to rework some of
the copy. And don’t think just because you are
working for mid size businesses or large corporations that the
staff understand what you are talking about. Many
executives will run a mile at the mention of the latest
technology. So for their sakes and yours, keep it simple.
Whilst, the majority of
newspapers and magazines write information so that it is
understood by 10 year olds, giving your web copy to a young
nephew for revision will not work. He will most likely
understand the terms and may even teach you a thing or two, but
he is not your potential customer (not yet).
Below is a list of
words/phrases that you may use in everyday language, but which
may baffle some of your customers. As an extra service for
your customers, you may find it worthwhile to include these on
your website:
Applet:
A small but useful application often serving just a single
purpose.
Compression:
Technology for minimising the space a file occupies, to make it
easier to store and faster to transmit.
Client:
Describes the receiving computer, which calls information from a
server or information storage computer.
A client is anything that receives information - a
desktop, notebook, handheld or even a mobile phone.
Cookie:
An applet sent by a website to your computer to gather data
about you, such as your log-on details and where you surfed
immediately prior to coming to that site.
Cracker:
Someone who taps into other people’s computers in order to
steal information or do damage.
Cyberspace:
Another word for the world of the internet.
Domain
name:
A domain name locates an entity on the net and has three
parts:
(a) the www (the location of the host server),
(b) the organization identity and a suffix, which indicates the
purpose of the entity, such as ".com" for a company or
commercial enterprise, ".gov" for a government body,
".edu" for an education institution or ".org"
for a non-profit body.
(c) other extensions identify the country in which the domain is
located, such as ".au" or ".nz".
Simple .com extensions signify that the domain was
registered in the US.
Download:
Bring information from the net to your computer
HTML
(HyperText Markup Language):
The code used to create web pages.
HTML tells the user’s browser what the page should look
like and how to present the content.
HTTP
(HyperText Transfer Protocol):
used by a browser to seek web pages from a server.
Hyperlinks:
Underlined links found in web pages that will transport you to a
related page simply by clicking on them.
MP3:
File format that will compress, store and play music
Metatag:
Keywords which describe the content of a website, designed as
hooks for a search engine to bring people to that website.
Netizen:
A citizen of the net.
Off-line:
Not connected to the internet.
On-line:
Connected to the internet.
POP
(Point of Presence):
The ISP (Internet Service Provider) connection dial-in point.
POP-based
Mail:
Mail that is stored on the ISP’s server until you download it.
You can keep a copy on your hard drive and view e-mails
even when you’re not connected.
Search
Engine:
Software tool for helping you find useful, relevant information
on-line.
Server:
Computer that stores information and forwards it on request to
the “client”.
Shareware:
Software issued on try-before-you-buy basis.
TCP/IP:
The protocol or set of instructions used to ferry traffic across
the internet.
Upload:
Send information from your computer to the internet.
USB
(Universal Serial Bus):
a new connection technology for adding peripherals, such as a
printer to your computer.
URL
(Universal Resource Locator):
a website’s address.
Keep
in mind, this rule does not only apply to web designers, but
every other business. So
if you are designing a website for a client and are confused by
the terminology, you may want to bring it to their attention and
help them rework the copy so ALL their customers understand it.
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