Tech-Speak - C

2 years ago

Commonly-used words, acronyms, and phrases that come up when working with a software developer.

C
1. Cache
The storage of certain elements to help with faster load times from repeat website visitors. Often developers will tell you to clear your browser’s cache if they make a change on the website that you can’t see — most likely your cache is holding onto an older version and hasn’t made room for the new one yet. (Kind of like that period of time between you moving to college and your parents converting your childhood bedroom into a home-office–slash–exercise-room.)

2. Classes
In CSS, an identifier for specifying exactly what you what to target with styling.
In other programming languages, classes are a bit more broadly used as the blueprint for creating something — similar to using the blueprint of an existing car to create a new type of car.

3. CMS
“Content Management System.” The program that you use to create and maintain your website’s content. These are usually designed for non-developers for ease-of-use. Our personal favorite is WordPress.

4. Conversion
The goals you have for RGS (really good stuff) happening on your website, such as donations, email signups, and downloads. If your user and your website were in a relationship, this is when they would say “I love you.”

5. Cookies
The source of all that is good, chocolatey, and sugary in the world… Kidding. (Sort of.) This is the data sent by an Internet server to a brower. Each time the browser accesses the same server, it sends the data back as a means of tracking how (and how often) it accesses the server. This is why your home computer always knows your Netflix login.

6. Crawl
When search engines send bots to your website in order to gather intel on pages that exist and don’t exist in order to determine what content should be displayed or removed on search engines.

7. CRM
“Customer Relationship Management.” In website development this refers to the software and applications used to gather, analyze, and maintain information on customers, donors, and prospects.

8. CSS
“Cascading Style Sheet.” Code that tells browsers how to display a webpage for the end user. This programming formats fonts, colors, and other visual elements. When redeveloping a website, editing these elements in the mockup/ GUI phase is much easier than changing in CSS.

9. CTA
“Call to Action.” The buttons on your website that drive certain conversions or goals such as donations, newsletter signups, or user registrations.

Feel free to contribute your own terms and acronyms to this list!