What are "Cookies" ?

A "cookie" is a way for a particular website to identify returning users and possibly prepare a customized page for them. Have you every been to a website where you have had to fill out certain criteria such as you name and interests? All of this information that you enter gets packaged into a "cookie" and sent to you web browser for storage. When you return to the same website your web browser will send the packaged to cookie to the webserver, and in turn be prepared to load any customized information that you may have specified. For example, rather than seeing a Welcome Screen you may see your name and the last time you visited this site.