COMPUTER TERMS

1. addresses

2. cyber

3. e-mail, email, e-terms

4. file extensions

Do not use a hyphen when breaking an address at the end of a line. If an address contains a hyphen, do not break the address at the hyphen. If breaking the address at a period, put the period on the next line so it will not be read as the end of a sentence. If breaking the address at a slash mark (/), the slash may be placed at the end of the line. Use normal punctuation at the end of the address if it completes a sentence.

A space in an address is indicated by underlined space.

In print text, use italics for a web address (URL); in online and digital forms, italics are not necessary for URLs, since they are typically hyperlinked. In boilerplates and display type a URL is generally written in the same typeface as the words surrounding it, though it may also be boldface:

Check nationalgeographic.com/magazine/cranecam for real-time coverage of the sandhill crane migration.

For Membership Service: ngmservice.com

Usually a combining term but can also be used as an adjective:

cyberspace, cybercafés, cyber strangers, cyber shark

Either may be used; be consistent within a publication. NGM writes email as one word:

I received 122 emails today; email your answer.

In text, email addresses are set in roman.

e-terms Use lowercase e in terms such as e-commerce, e-ticket, and e-zine.

These letters identify a file's format and the application needed to open it. In a file name, extensions are lowercased; in editorial copy they are capitalized and used without periods:

.gif GIF Graphics Interchange Format

.jpg JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group

.pdf PDF Portable Document Format

5. forum

Lowercase for a discussion board on our website: For more on the Roman Empire join our online forum nationalgeographic.com.

6. internet

7. logon, log on

lowercase preferred; exception to Merriam-Webster's, but internet is listed as a variant

logon (noun), log on (verb)

8. nationalgeographic.com

Name of our website at www.nationalgeographic.com.

Italicize the name of the Society's website in editorial copy in print:

Find more information at nationalgeographic.com.

Regularly running sections are capped and roman; titles of special features are quoted.

9. online

10. search engines

one word in computer context

Write the names of search engines in roman with initial caps:

Google, Yahoo!, Lycos, Infoseek, Excite.

11. URL

13. World Wide Web, the web

12. website

Abbreviation for uniform resource locator, an internet address.

See section 1. addresses, above.

The designation www may be dropped from most addresses.

For NGS, use nationalgeographic.org.