Definitions & Vocabulary
Application - (also referred to as an “App” ) a program that is accessed via web browser over the Internet . It is also a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome. Many apps are available for purchase in a mobile format for smart phones and devices.
Blog - a website, maintained by an individual or group, with commentary, descriptions of events, or other media such as graphics or video. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic
Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a task traditionally performed by a professional, and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people or community in the form of an open call. For example, the public may be invited to develop a new technology, carry out a design task (also known as community-based design and distributed participatory design), refine or carry out the steps of an algorithm (see Human-based computation), or help capture, systematize or analyze large amounts of data (see also citizen science).
Facebook – is a free-access social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.[1] Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.
Forum – an online equivalent of a bulletin board. People participating in an online forum can build bonds around certin topics or areas of interest.
MySpace - is a social networking website with an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos.
Podcast- A digital audio or visual file that can be downloaded to a computer or mobile device. Usually podcasts are in serial form, with a consistent host or format. Podcasts are not limited to Apple’s iPod or iPhone, and can be downloaded using a variety of free multimedia programs including iTunes, Windows Media Player and Winamp.
Smartphone- any cell phone that has the ability to connect to the Internet. Some examples include the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid.
Social Networking Sites – focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services. Social networking has encouraged new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people.
The main types of social networking services are those which contain category divisions (such as former school-year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with Facebook widely used worldwide; MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn being the most widely used in North America
Twitter - Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS)
Web 2.0 – a perceived second generation of web development and design, that facilitates communication, secure information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the Internet. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities, and applications; such as social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, and blogs, .
Wiki-A wiki is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content. The best example is Wikipedia.
