Although bits of data are often very small, this term actually is an abbreviation for binary digit. Almost every piece of information in your computer is translated into a 0 or a 1 for quick processing. Even words, colors and images are "seen" by the computer in bit or binary form. 1110111-1101111-1110111! (ummm...that means WOW!)

When you're surfing and find a great Web site , you can save its location in your bookmark file so that you can access it again quickly and directly. Bookmarks are just a way for you to keep track of your favorite spots on the Web -- like a little black book of hot, sexy sites.

Software used to navigate the World Wide Web , a browser allows you to access hypertext files and/or web pages . Graphical browsers like Netscape or Microsoft's Explorer allow you to view graphical elements that may be embedded on a web page .

When people use this word, most often they are referring to real-time, "textual conversations" that people have on BBS's or online services. It's sort of like talking on the phone, except you're typing your words instead of speaking them.

Pronounced "dot-com." In an e-mail address or URL, a .com suffix denotes that the address is part of a commercial entity on the Internet.

Another of the large online services, Compuserve is popular among professionals -- especially in computer fields -- because many companies hosts product support forums on the service. Forums on a wide range of topics (from Homosexuality to Graphic Design to Right-wing Political Theory) are very active, too.