Basic Terminology

A terminology of some of the terms used throughout the site.

Theme

The “look and feel” or visual aspect of a website. Many web applications such as Wordpress have the ability to easily switch themes and offer a large resource of new themes to choose from.

Plugin

A small bit of code that extends the functionality of an application such as Wordpress. They can provide additional features such as the ability to create photo albums, create contact forms, sell products, etc. Wordpress has thousands of plugins available to choose from and can be installed with ease.

Upload

The process of taking files such as images, documents and placing them on a remote server such as Dreamhost. This process may involve FTP (see below) or using a web form such as the ones used to upload images in the visual editor.

Download

The process of taking a file from a remote site or server and placing it on your own computer. This process can involve FTP (see below) or simply clicking a link on a website.

FTP

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and usually involves a 3rd party application which allows you to upload or download files. See Resources > Useful applications for some FTP applications recommendations.