I LOVE MY JOB... But Acronyms Drive Me Insane!

I've worked in the "New-Media" and "Internet Marketing" fields since 1995. I've been a Web Developer/Designer since 1998. Currently, I'm involved in a full-time job search for the first time in almost 6 years.

When I began updating my resume, it took me all of 15 minutes to realize that I was not "up-to-date" on my industry related acronyms. Even though I had been utilizing many of these technologies for YEARS, I didn’t have them listed properly on my resume. When posting your resume on technical job boards, acronyms can lead to your success or failure in your job search.

EXAMPLE: "LAMP" - Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP

I've been proficient at an expert level for YEARS... but these days the recruiters search for "LAMP". (Go friggin' figure!)

I spent a few, (several), hours updating my documented skill-sets to a "modern level of acceptability". LOL!

(Many of the items listed are basic, but I decided to include everything I dug up).

If you're on the web admin/development/design side of your Internet Sales Department, I sincerely hope that you will benefit from the following info.:

Markup and Styling

- CSS: Cascading Style Sheets - CSS is a style sheet language used to define how a web page written HTML or XHTML should be presented and displayed in a web browser
- DHTML: Dynamic HyperText Markup Language - DHTML is the term used when HTML, JavaScript and CSS are used to create animated or interactive web sites
- HTML: HyperText Markup Language - HTML is a tag-based markup language used to create web pages Every site on the internet uses HTML in some form
- WML: Wireless Markup Language - WML is an XML-based markup language for content accessed through a wireless mobile device Similar to HTML
- XHTML: Extensible HyperText Markup Language - XHTML is a special type of HTML that conforms to the strict rules of XML This allows for cleaner code and code that can be understood by a wider array of software
- XML: Extensible Markup Language - XML is a general purpose markup language for describing data in a structured manner

Business Logic Programming

- ASP (Microsoft): Active Server Pages - ASP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites
- CGI: Common Gateway Interface - CGI is a protocol that allows server applications to interact with client web browsers
- JSP: JavaServer Pages - JSP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites
- PHP: PHP Hypertext Preprocessor/Personal Home Page - PHP is a server-side scripting language used to add business logic and database interactivity to dynamic websites
- RoR: Ruby on Rails - RoR is a web application framework based on the Ruby scripting language It has been used by several popular Web 20 web sites
- SSI: Server Side Includes - SSI is a server-side scripting language used primarily to include the contents of one file in another

Web Services

- ASP: Application Service Provider - An ASP is any business that provides online, Internet-delivered applications to customers
- AWS: Amazon Web Services - AWS are a collection of remote application services offered by Amazoncom
- RSS: Really Simple Syndication - RSS is an XML specification for publishing frequently updated web content to subscribers RSS is the secret sauce behind blogging
- S3: Amazon Simple Storage Service - Amazon S3 is a storage solution that offers unlimited data stored for a small fee through a simple web service interface
- YUI: Yahoo! User Interface - The YUI library is an open-source JavaScript library for building rich interactive web applications

Databases

- CRUD: Create, Read, Update and Delete - CRUD are the four basic functions of any persistent storage system, most commonly a database system
- DBMS: Database Management System - A DB is a structured collection of data organized to allow for easy retrieval by computer programs using SQL
- SQL: Structured Query Language - SQL is a special programming language used to retrieve data from and modify relational database systems

Servers and Hosting

- CRON: Command Run ON - CRON is a scheduling program on most Unix system It is used to schedule time-sensitive activities for software programs to perform
- IIS: Internet Information Services - IIS is a set of internet-based services for servers running Microsoft Windows
- VPS: Virtual Private Server - A VPS is a partition of a physical server that has the ability to run a separate operating system and reboot itself independently of other VPSs on the same physical server

Protocols

- FTP: File Transfer Protocol - FTP is a commonly used protocol for transferring files from one computer to another over a network
- HTTP: HyperText Transfer Protocol - HTTP is a communications protocol used for transferring data available on the Web
- HTTPS: Secure HypterText Transfer Protocol - HTTPS is a variation of HTTP used to specify that the data being transferred is/should be encrypted and secure
- SSH: Secure Shell - SSH is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged over a secure channel between two computers
- SSL: Secure Sockets Layer - SSL is a cryptographic protocol used for encrypting sensitive data while being sent through the Internet
- WAP: Wireless Application Protocol - WAP is an international standard for accessing Internet content on a wireless mobile device

Standards and Accessibility

- 508: Section 508 - Section 508 is an amendment to the Rehabilitation act of 1973 that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities It is commonly used as a standard for accessible web sites
- W3C: World Wide Web Consortium - The W3C is the international standards organization for the Web
- WAI: Web Accessibility Initiative - The WAI is an initiative enacted by the W3C for improving the accessibility of web pages for people using software other than web browsers (eg screen readers)
- WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - WCAG is a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the WAI

Client-Side Scripting

- AJAX: Asynchronous JavaScript And XML - AJAX is a web programming technique that uses JavaScript to transparently interact with a web server, eliminating the need to reload a web page to see changes
- DOM: Document Object Model - DOM is a standard object model for representing HTML and XML formats as objects
- JS/ECMAScript: JavaScript - JavaScript is a scripting language used for client-side (web browser) web development

Development

- CRAP: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity - CRAP is a design methodology applied to the design and layout of web pages
- CVS: Concurrent Versions System - CVS is a version control system that allows several developers to collaboratively work on a single set of code
- GUI: Graphical User Interface - A GUI is a computer interface that allows users to interact with the computer through graphical icons and windows, typically with the aid of a mouse
- SVN: Subversion - SVN is a version control system that allows several developers to collaboratively work on a single set of code
- WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get - WYSIWYG is used to describe web development applications in which the authoring environment closely resembles the final output of the program

Graphics and Images

- CMYK: Cyan Magenta Yellow Key - RGB is a subtractive color model used by computers to display various colors by subtracting different levels of cyan, magenta, and yellow
- FLA: Flash Authoring File - FLA files are the primary authoring output files of Adobe Flash
- GIF: Graphics Interchange Format - GIF is a popular graphics format most commonly used for graphics in web sites
- JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group - JPEG is an image compression codec commonly used to encode pictures for the Web
- PNG: Portable Network Graphics - PNG is an image format that was developed to replace the aging GIF image format for web sites
- PSD: PhotoShop Document - PSD files are the primary authoring output files of Adobe Photoshop
- RGB: Red Green Blue - RGB is an additive color model used by computers to display various colors by combining different levels of red, green, or blue
- SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics - SVG is an XML markup language used to describe two dimensional vector graphics
- SWF: Small Web Format/ShockWave Flash - SWF is a proprietary vector graphics format used to create animations on web sites

E-commerce

- AVS: Address Verification System - AVS is a method of verifying the identity of a person using a credit card to make a purchase online
- CSC/CVV: Card Security Code/Card Verification Value - CSC is a security feature available on most major credit cards that is used to prevent credit card fraud
- MID: Merchant ID - A MID is a unique identifier assigned to companies selling goods and used for billing purposes
- FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ lists are a common support mechanism on many web sites that provides answers to questions that are commonly asked of the company

Search Engine Optimization

- CPC: Cost Per Click - CPC is the amount an advertiser pays every time a user clicks on one of their advertisements in a PPC campaign
- CPM: Cost Per 1000 Impressions - CPM is the amount an advertiser pays for every 1000 (or, roman numeral “M”) users who view their advertisement on a web page
- CTR: Click Through Rate/Ratio - CTR is a measure of the amount of users who click an advertisement as compared to the number of users who see the advertisement
- PPC: Pay Per Click - PPC is an advertising model used on the Web in which advertisers only pay when a user actually click their advertisement
- PR: PageRank - PageRank is an algorithm used to measure the value of a particular document relative to other documents in the same set Commonly used by search engines to rank web site popularity
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization - SEO is the process of tweaking web sites so that they are more likely to be indexed higher in search engine results
- SERP: Search Engine Results Page - SERP is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a user search

Security

- XSS: Cross-Site Scripting - XSS is a common web page security vulnerability where an attacker rigs a site they do not own to run malicious code
- CSRF: Cross-Site Request Forgery - CSRF is a common web page security vulnerability where an attacker poses as an authenticated user to execute actions

Addressing

- CNAME: Canonical Name - A CNAME is an alias of one hostname to another
- DNS: Domain Name System - DNS servers as the phone book of the Internet It translates human-readable hostnames such as solosignalcom into numeric IP addresses used by networking equipment
- DTD: Document Type Definition - DTD is a document used to describe and specify the structure and organization of an XML document
- ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - ICANN is a non-profit organization formed to oversee the management of domain names and IP addresses
- IP: Internet Protocol - IP is a protocol for transferring data across a packet-switched network
- SLD: Second-Level Domain - SLD is a domain directly below the TLD For example In “solosignalcom”, “solosignal” is the SLD and “com” is the TLD
- TLD: Top-Level Domain - TLD is the last part of any Internet domain name For example: com, net, and org are all TLDs