I received this message when I tried to access my blogsite: ‘Login Issues Not Found. The Requested URL was found on this server.  Additionally, a 404 Not Found Error was encountered while trying to use an Error Document to handle the request.’

I understood each standalone word but not together in the three statements respectively. 1. I did have login issues – I couldn’t login to my blogsite. 2. The requested URL or Uniform Resource Locator is my blogsite address – https.www.gollymollyaiyoh.com –  was nowhere to be found. 3. The 404 Not Found Error – sent me in a tailspin. I’ve seen this ‘404 message’ before when I’ve tried to access other websites. I didn’t know what an ‘Error Document’ was but two Errors in one sentence cannot be good. I had no clue how to solve the problem.

After fretting for a while, I contacted my server’s Tech Support team. Very responsive, they took me through a step-by-step process to identify the problem/s and suggested solutions. During our on-line chat, I was told that ‘I was using free SSL and free CDN, and unfortunately, the two don’t work together. And, I will have to choose either SSL or CDN.’

I was advised, ‘To cancel CDN. And, once CDN is cancelled, the DNS will change. And, the DNS propagation time can vary depending on the geographical location – usually anywhere between 0-8 hours for the DNS and up to 48 hours maximum to completely propagate.’ Also, ‘The timeline is determined by my ISP and how quickly it can update its cache. Usually, updates are in a few hours.’

The on-line chat lasted about 45 minutes. For me, the main takeaway was that I would/should be able to access my blog in no more than 48 hours. The rest of the chat was a bit of a blur.  So, I did what I usually do. I Googled. I tried to grasp why SSL and CDN can’t play nice together. And, why/how DNS’ propagation is determined by how long my ISP takes to update its cache. Believe me, I tried to understand the various terms and jargon but it was hard work. It was too alien to my pre-computer/website technology brain. Information that I read was not digested or absorbed. Instead, my brain repelled and refused to compute what it saw as a bunch of words that didn’t make much sense. My brain blew a fuse. Shamelessly, I gave up.

It’s the same with programming and/or coding related terminologies. Why did I go to a place where my brain will not follow? I had to. With hesitance and great trepidation because I wanted to customise some bits of my website. I used the Cascading Style Sheets or CSS language feature. What? Yes, what? CSS is what gives a website its style. It’s needed to create different colours, fonts and layout. I Googled that. I liked the slider feature. What’s that? The slider is where my eight posts automatically slide from left to right – at the top of my blog. To make it happen, I had to insert a code comprising a series of texts, curly to square brackets with spaces in-between. No, I didn’t create that code or the 12 other codes that I successfully copied to customise my website. Today, I cannot remember which codes represent what changes.  Yikes.

To be fair, each industry has its own set of terms, jargon and acronyms. For instance, hospital visits are almost always followed by multiple visits to Google. My mum’s cardiologist and respiratory doctors use a lot of medical terms to explain her ailment and condition. Amongst them are LVEF (Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction), Poor or Depressed LV Systolic function, Mild Aortic Stenosis, Beta Blockers, CT Brain, Echocardiogram and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). They are both kind and patient physicians. They do their best to be clear and concise. I try to keep up but it does get overwhelming, most times.

My husband, who is in construction, also peppers his conversation with jargon which, over the years, I’ve become accustomed to. EOT (Extension of Time), Prolongation and Disruption, LDs (Liquidated Damages), ‘as built’ and Acceleration Claims.

I used to do the same when I was a journalist and when I worked in PR or Public Relations. It was second nature to spout terms like dateline, by-line, lead, op-ed, sidebar, press release and puff piece among my journo friends and colleagues. And, yes, the oft-used PC which stands not for police constable but press conference.

Terminology is just that – specific words or expressions used by people who work in a particular industry. Outsiders or non-industry people will simply have to learn and understand the meaning/explanation if they want to or need to. Not easy. Sigh.