Website Functionality Terms Chat Rooms: A chat room is an online forum where people can chat or “talk” by broadcastingmessages to people on the same forum in real time). Typically you must login with a username and password. Page Counters: A page counter indicates how many people have visited that page. Not recommended for corporate business websites. Video/audio streaming: Streaming video/audio means that video/audio files are received over the Internet without downloading the files to your PC. Streaming does not save a copy of the file on your PC, while downloading a file does. Mathew Lesko of Information USAstreams commercials and interviews from his site Secure Certificate: A secure certificate is a document that is used to certify that a user or organization is who they say they are. The secure certificate contains information about who it belongs to, who it was issued by, expiration date and other information that can be used to check out the contents of the certificate. Secure Login: Allows users/customers/employees to access a password protected area of the site. Website Statistics: Website statistics are provided by your web hosting account provider and track information on number of visitors, hits, referrals, etc. You may view statistics for your site by visiting: www.mydomain.com/stats. Message Board: A program on a website with a form which allows visitors to read and post messages on the website, typically focused on a specific subject. Automated Image Rotation: Images rotate, replacing each other, at page refresh or page load. Affiliate Program: Affiliate programs are revenue sharing arrangements set up by companies selling products and services. As a web site owner, you are rewarded for sending customers to the company. Credit Card Processing: Accept credit cards for your online business. Most websites that have a storefront accept credit cards online. Forum: A web forum, also known as a message board, discussion board, or simply a forum, is any sort of system which provides discussion using the World Wide Web, often for online communities. Automated Password Retrieval: On most websites there is a "Forgot your password?" link; when you click on it you are prompted to enter your user ID or other identifying information. An automated system then emails your password, usually immediately to the email address on record. Image Gallery: Image galleries present many images on one page for viewing. Typically the page shows thumbnail size images; you click on the thumbnail image to view a larger image. Virtual Tour: A virtual tour allows you to see a space as if you were there. Some users of this technology are: Real estate sites use virtual tours to show you around houses for sale or properties for rent; colleges show off their campuses; etc. Java Drop Down Menu: On a website, you have a main menu navigation bar. If there are sub-menu pages, those are shown in a drop-down menu when you click the main menu tab. Poll/Voting System: Online polls allow people to vote on a specific topic, typically by choosing from a multiple-choice poll. Polls can be used for customer and employee satisfaction surveys, website visitor surveys and online market research. Calendar: Online calendars may be database-driven pages of text or have the look of an actual calendar. Calendars can be used to show upcoming events or can be integrated fully with systems to reserve dates/services. Guest Book: A guest book allows people to leave feedback via a form that may require submitting your name, email address or other info. The guest messages are usually available to all viewers of the website. Professional, corporate websites do not use guest books; usually small, personal websites use them. Opt-In Email List Systems: Opt-in / Opt-out refers to an automated method that allows users to register (opt-in) for a service (for instance, a free email newsletter). The user can later unsubscribe (or opt-out), usually by clicking a link. The user information is typically gathered for marketing purposes. Optimized Graphics: Most graphics are not "web-ready". Optimizing graphics for the web means that the color and clarity are sharpened if needed; images are also formatted for the quickest page download time. Optimized Web Search: Some websites are so extensive that the user can benefit from searching for a keyword or phrase on just that site, as opposed to searching the entire Internet on a search engine. Image Zoom: Image zoom is a method of viewing images at a small size, then clicking on a button to view a larger size. Customer Account Information Access: Most e-commerce websites require you to create an account the first time you purchase from the site. On subsequent visits to the site, you can log in to view your account information. Tip of the Day: A "Tip of the Day" is a short section of text that refreshes on a daily basis. These can be designed to be random or to be supplied on a calendar basis, i.e. Tip A is published on Day 1, Tip B on Day 2, etc. Dealer Locator: A dealer locator (also known as store locator) is a database-driven page that typically allows users to search for a location by city or ZIP code. Home Depot, a large hardware store, calls their locater a "Store Finder": Macromedia Contribute Site Configuration: Macromedia Contribute is a software program that allows users to edit their website. People who are not familiar with website editing could do some accidental damage to their code. The Site Configuration locks the foundation of the website design files, so that people can't accidentally delete their menu or their website header. Search Engine Optimization: Search engine optimization (SEO) focuses on techniques such as making sure that each web page has appropriate title tags and Meta tags, and that the keyword or key phrases for the page are used. SEO is used to increase website rankings in search engines. Search Engine Registration: Search engine registration uses an automated software program to submit a website title, website description, and keywords/phrases to popular search engines. Jump Menu: A jump menu allows the visitor to access part of a page that is lengthy without scrolling.  Website Composites: Website composites are rendering of a custom site that allow the customer to see what the unique will look like and allows them to make revisions as outlined in the proposal. This graphic illustrates the different looks for a particular customer.