Over the seven years that I’ve been writing for Webopedia, many things have changed. Our site finally lost the “ancient” look last year (yay!) and we have a great design now. Webo’s on-site search engine has been greatly improved, and even our parent company has changed.
What hasn’t changed is the editorial focus and dedication to writing easy-to-understand tech definitions that anyone can reference to learn about the world of computers, technology and the Internet.
That’s what Webopedia has always done (since 1996) and this is what we do best.
I think it is important for someone who wants to learn about technology to be able to find accurate information online. Today, that’s a big problem because so many tech FAQs online explain technologies but keep out-dated information online. ÂÂ
It’s unfortunate, but out-dated information leads to misconceptions about a particular tech topic. I even see this when Webopedia content is quoted (or blatantly copied word-for-word) on other sites from text I wrote years ago that I have updated a dozen times since it was first written.
One thing I love about Webopedia is that I spend a lot of time updating our technology definitions so the definitions are refreshed as industry standards, protocols and technologies change. This is one of the reasons why I think Webopedia.com is such a popular destination – it means we have accurate, reliable information. As an added bonus I end each day feeling pretty smart.
 Another thing that hasn’t changed much is why people use Webopedia.com. Looking back over the past few years there is definitely a trend: people use Webopedia to learn about the basics of computers, networking and the Internet. Millions of people use Webopedia as their first-stop to getting started with technology.
It’s the basics… the common tech words people hear but often don’t fully understand Over the last 15 years, people have used the Webopedia Computer Dictionary to find the answers to the following Top 5 “What Is” technology questions:
1. What is URL?
2. What is Computer?
3. What is CPU?
4. What is RAM?
5. What is Wi-Fi?
(And, just in case you’re wondering: No, “Wi-Fi†is not short for anything.)
Based in Nova Scotia, Canada, Vangie Beal is a freelance writer, covering business and Internet technology for more than a decade. She is also managing editor of Webopedia.com.
This article was originally published on June 22, 2011
