When I sit down with people who are starting to use Joomla for the first time, or even earlier in the process - say when we start to discuss whether or not they or their business even need a website (yes I do still meet people who think they don't need a website) - one of the biggest problems I have is that we don't speak the same language.

Yes, myself and the other party are both native english speakers, but they quickly start to look at me as if I am from planet geek. It is amazing the amount of technobabble that is quickly introduced into the conversation. I frequently spend time explaining what simple terms mean and coming up with analogies. All of these asides quickly get in the way and distract from the more important thrust of the analysis and decisions that I am trying to guide them through.

There are a number of useful online dictionaries and IT techno-babble related sites. Additionally there are a number of Joomla glossaries. I have sent people to these in the past but the problem is that all have a pre-requisite level of IT knowledge without which the newcomer is lost.  Getting the balance right between over explaining and under explaining isn't going to be easy. The more you explain the longer it gets. I will attempt to address this by referring the reader to extended articles on this site or elsewhere when necessary.

Also I will, where necessary, explain some more general IT terms that are relevant to the new or potential webmaster. By covering the full range of technospeak - Joomla specific terms and more general IT terms I hope to offer a comprehensive reference to the Joomla beginner.