SEO, SERP and other web 2.0 terms defined

Web 2.0 buzzwords and acronyms abound, and if you’ve ever wondered what one of them means, this list is for you.

Ajax - Asynchronous Javascript and XML. Web development method for creating interactive applications to process user requests immediately, eliminating the lag time of a traditional HTTP request.

Blog - From the longer term weblog, a blog is a website used primarily for sharing regularly updated content in chronological order. Content-differentiated blogs include photoblog (phlog) and video blog (vlog).

CSS - Cascading Style Sheets. Defined by the W3C as a simple mechanism for adding style (e.g. fonts, colors, spacing) to Web documents.

Feed - Syndicated content that users can subscribe to. Also called web feed, syndicated feed, RSS feed.

Mashup - Web application that combines content from one or more sources and presents it in a new format.

Microblogging - Posting brief content (microposts) to a web service that broadcasts the content to subscribers. A well-known example of microblogging is Twitter.

Open Source - Defined by Open Source Initiative as a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is a better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.

Podcasting - Syndicating digital audio or video files available via feeds.

RSS - Really Simple Syndication. A standardized format for publishing syndicated content automatically and making it available to subscribers.

SEF - Search Engine Friendly. A website that is optimized for search engines.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization. Refers to the process of improving website traffic from search engines.

SERP - Search Engine Results Page. A page listing the results of a search engine query.

Tagging - Assigning keywords to a piece of web content (ex: web page, image, post) in order to improve searchability.

Wiki - A collaborative content management system.

XML - Extensible Markup Language. A markup language that allows you to separate content from formatting, allowing for user-defined elements, used for easy sharing and use of information.