W3C - World Wide Web Consortium
W3C sets international standards for the evolution of an accessible Web design. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. See W3C Website

WAI - Web Accessibility Initiative
WAI, in coordination with organizations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development. See also: WAI Website and List of Web Accessibility Websites

Web - see World Wide Web (WWW)

Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 basically refers to the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic Web. Examples of Web 2.0 interactive applications are Blogs, Wikis, mc², MySpace, Facebook, YouTube etc.

Web Beacon
A tiny image (often transparent), that is placed on a website or in an email, for tracking purposes. Beacons are used to monitor the behavior of the user visiting the website or sending the email. The mc² website does not used web beacons. See also: cookies

Webcam
Small digital camera attached to a computer that can upload (send) images to the web (via FTP). If you mount a webcam on your computer, you can set it to send a series of images (e.g. a fresh shot every 30 seconds), so people can view you "live". As well as sending a series of static shots, Webcams can also stream live video, e.g. as a webcast, but this chews up more bandwidth. Software is needed to install a webcam on your computer, e.g. Chillcam. You can view more Webcam info on the mc² Webcam page

Webcast (to broadcast via the Web)
To use the Internet to broadcast live or delayed streaming audio and/or video transmissions, much like traditional television and radio broadcasts. For example, a university may offer on-line courses in which the instructor Webcasts a pre-recorded or live lecture, or an enterprise may Webcast a press conference in lieu of or in addition to a conference call. Users typically must have the appropriate multimedia application in order to view a Webcast. See also: Webcam and Multimedia

Webmail
Email that is read as a Webpage via a browser (as opposed to POP mail, which is downloaded via a dedicated email client (software program) such as Outlook). See also: Help with Email

Webmaster / Webmistress
The person responsible for maintaining a Website. This requires knowledge of uploading files (e.g. via FTP), and HTML code. See the mc² Website Builders section.

Webpage
One page of a Website. The primary Webpage on a site is referred to as the Homepage. Webpages are viewed with software known as a browser. Web pages can contain text, sounds, pictures, movies, and links to other webpages. You can create your own Webpage at mc²: just login and select My Webpage [top right]. See also: Creating a Homepage with mc² and Browser

Website
A group of similar Webpages, connected by links and created by a single company, organization or individual. Sometimes personal Websites are colloquially referred to as a Homepage, though the Homepage is really just the first page, the "front door" of the site. See Homepage. You can create your own Website online at mc²: just login and select My Webpage [top right]

Website Builder
The person responsible for building and/or maintaining a Website. Also know as Webmaster / Webmistress. See the mc² Website Builders section.

Webspace
Webspace is a place to store your data on a Web server. Most ISPs give their customers Webspace. E.g. you get 10Mb of personal webspace, and 50Mb group webspace, with mc². You can store any files: Web pages, images, text or Word documents or even audio or video files. More on mc² Personal Webspace and Group Webspace. See also: Creating a Homepage and Using FTP to access your Webspace at mc²

WiFi (Wireless Fidelity)
Popular term for a high-frequency Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Wireless networks allow people to log onto the Internet at any hotspot.

Wiki
A website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively. The best known wiki is probably Wikipedia - a multilingual encyclopedia written collaboratively by contributors from around the world.

Window
PCs can run several programs simultaneously, each in it's own window, or box, on the screen. The active window (the one you're working in) is on top (maximised). Windows can be moved or resized with the mouse; minimised (reduced to an icon on the task bar); tiled (many small windows visable at once, not overlapping); cascaded (overlapping, one behind the other); or closed. Closing a window usually quits an application, thus requires restarting (opening) a program again, if you wish to continue.

Windows
Short for "Microsoft Windows", this is the most popular operating system for personal computing (popular alternatives being Mac and Linux). Windows provides a graphical user interface (GUI), virtual memory management, multitasking, and support for many peripheral devices. Microsoft Internet Explorer is the default browser that comes bundled with Windows. There are many versions of Windows, e.g. Win 95, Win 98, Win ME, Win 2000, Win XP. Microsoft Windows Homepage offers free downloads, tips, and support information for all Windows platforms. See also: operating system and Windows registry

Worm
Like a virus, a worm is a destructive program that replicates itself throughout disk and memory, using up the computers resources until it crashes. Worms can also be used to establish Denial of Service attacks that can bring down Web servers and their Websites. Also see the glossary definition of a virus and the mc² Virus Info page.

World Wide Web (Web or WWW)
A part of the Internet which provides an integrated interface to most other Internet services. There are several applications called Web browsers that make it easy to access the World Wide Web; the most popular being Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Find out about the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web. See also: Invisible Web