DEFINITIONS
Every business we have ever been associated with has its own "jargon", and buzz words. As irritating as that can be at times, it is a fact. You must speak the same language in order to integrate yourself into the community of people you are working with. This holds true with delving into the community of people spending hours, and hours, in the comfort of their home, or office on the Internet. So, in order for you to enjoy your experience online more, and for you to feel more comfortable talking with others in the community of on-line marketing players, on this page we have listed all the key buzz words and definitions we believe will be of assistance to you now and in your future online endeavors. Read on and you too will soon be a great "netpreneur" and speaking like a long-term netizen!
w Absolute URL: A Complete path, or address, of a file on the Internet. Sometimes called a complete URL.
w Ad Copy: Ad copy is the actual text that makes up the content of your message or advertisement. On the Web, an ad is almost always in banner form, a graphic image of a designated size that, for a fee, is displayed on one site to drive traffic to another site.
w Ad-Friendly: This term describes chat rooms, message boards or classified advertisement boards that accept advertising.
w Ad Rotation: The regular alteration of banner ads that appear on a Web page at any given moment. This is usually done automatically by a software program on the hosting Web site or through a third-party syndicator.
w Ad Space: Reserved for ads on a Web page; usually in a margin.
w Ad View: Usually full view without scrolling on a Web page and synonymous with ad impression (appearance of an ad) i.e. link / banner.
w Address (E-Mail / Web Site): An address is a code or series of letters, numbers and or symbols by which the Internet identifies you or a location where information is stored. Through the use of addresses, people can send you e-mail, look at your Web site, and send or receive files and documents.
w Affiliate / Bounty / Multi-Affiliate / Sub-Affiliate: Merchant Partner site that generates a sale, a sales lead, or some other user action by including links to promote the products or services of another. In exchange, the affiliate receives a commission, flat fee, or other incentive for all valid transactions it refers.
w Affiliate Example: I.D. It!
<<Side Bar>> Laws governing these commissionable programs segregate them by calling anything that pays less than two levels (Affiliates), and if paying more than two levels a Multi-Level Marketing / Network Marketing program i.e. Amway. Laws vary by state.
Bounty Program / Flat Fee Program ~ Pays affiliates a predetermined flat fee for every new visitor the affiliate delivers.Multi-Affiliate ~ Refers to commission payments paid on more than one level / or tier in an affiliate program of referrals. Compensation may vary from credits to cash and variable percentages. Large companies usually offer cash.Sub-Affiliate ~ Affiliates, affiliate in a multi-tier program or to multiple accounts at multiple Web sites owned by one affiliate.Affiliate Solutions Providers: Enable affiliates to review and join prescreened affiliate programs and manage their participation in such programs. i.e. Linkshare.comw Alias: An e-mail address that has no in-box of its own, however works as a forwarding address.
w Applet: A client-side program, such as a Java applet, that is downloaded from the Internet and executed in a Web browser.
w ASCII ~ American Standard Code for Information Interchange: A file type that contains standard text characters such as data. Sometimes called "DOS text" files, or "Plain text" files.
w Attachment: A file attached to an Email i.e. such as a graphics file. photo, word-processing / spreadsheet file.
w Auction:
Auction ~ Bid Increments - When placing a bid on an item, your bid must be higher than the current high bid. All bids increase at a level determined by the starting bid price set by the seller. Auction ~ Dutch Auction - An auction in which multiple identical items are offered for sale at the same time. With multiple items up for sale, multiple bidders can win. Also, one bidder can try to buy more than one quantity. All winning bidders pay the lowest successful bid amount. Auction ~ English Auction - An auction in which there is only one item up for sale. English auction are also known as standard auctions. Auction ~ Escrow - An escrow service works as a go-between for sellers and buyers. The service works like this: 1. A seller posts item on auction
2. A buyer successfully bids and wins auction
3. The seller and the buyer contact each other, usually via e-mail
4. Buyer deposits the item's purchase price with the escrow service
5. The escrow service contacts the seller
6. The seller ships item to buyer
7. The buyer receives item.
8. The escrow service releases the money to seller.
9. The escrow service takes a small commission.
Auction ~ Internet - An Internet auction is an auction conducted online. Auctions are handled by interactive sites that allow for the buying and selling of products either through direct business to business (B2B) or consumer to consumer (C2C) interaction and transaction. Auction ~ Proxy Bidding - With this feature, you can enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay and our software will automatically bid up to this amount. All proxy bids are kept confidential and eOrbis.com will use only as much of your maximum bid as is necessary to maintain your position as high bidder. Auction ~ Repost Automatically - This option enables you to repost your item automatically if it does not sell within the timeframe you selected. Automatic reposting is free. Auction ~ Reserve Price - The reserve price is the lowest price at which a seller is willing to sell an item. The seller sets a "Starting Price" and allows buyers to drive up the price by placing bids. The seller is not obligated to sell the item unless a bid reaches the reserve price. Auction ~ Starting Price - All bidding for an item begins at this price set by the seller. Any bid below this amount will not be accepted. Examples:
http://www.eorbis.com (Multi-Affiliate)
w Auto-Responders / Infobot / Mailbot ~ EMail-On-Demand: Automatic reply mail sent in response to an inquiry without your intervention. Similar in concept to FAX-On Demand.
<<Side Bar>> A FREE service that I've personally used in the passed can be located here: www.freeautobot.com
w Auto-Submission Software: Application software for online marketers. It enables expedient placement of a specific website on multiple search engines, or the placement of an ad in various ad lists in one transaction.
<<Side Bar>> The one I currently use for submitting multiple client websites is called: Submit Wolf (Trellian)
w B2B: (Business to Business): Many Web sites are focusing on B2B solutions, for example, creating sites that cater to a vertical market such as automotive. These sites are for businesses (think wholesale) and only other businesses can access or buy products on the site.
w B2C: (Business to Consumer): This term describes the hundreds of e-commerce Web sites that sell goods directly to you and me. Think "retail". Retailing is sometimes called "e-tailing" and practiced by "e-tailers".
w Bandwidth / Broadband: Bandwidth ~ Refers to a network connection's maximum capacity for carrying data traffic. For instance the size of the email you generate is dependant upon the "Bandwidth" capacity of your Internet provider. A Web page containing many graphics will consume more bandwidth than one containing only text.
w Banner: Usually refers to an inline image displayed at the top of a Web page, and usually replacing the Heading. Most common is 468 x 60 pixels, and a hyperlink image (GIF format usually) found in the margin or other advertising space on a Web page. Some banners are animated, some are static and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
w Blogger / Blog:
Blogger ~ is a free, web-based tool that helps you publish to the web instantly -- whenever the urge strikes. Blogger is the leading tool in the rapidly growing area of web publishing known as weblogs, or "blogs," as we like to say. Blogger offers you instant communication power by letting you post your thoughts to the web whenever the urge strikes. Blog ~ Web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically -- like a what's new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly -- from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction. Similar to instant messages to the web. Many blogs are personal, "what's on my mind" type musings. Others are collaborative efforts based on a specific topic or area of mutual interest. Some blogs are for play. Some are for work. Some are both.
Blogs are also excellent team/department/company/family communication tools. They help small groups communicate in a way that is simpler and easier to follow than email or discussion forums. Use a private blog on an intranet to allow team members to post related links, files, quotes, or commentary. Set up a family blog where relatives can share personal news. A blog can help keep everyone in the loop, promote cohesiveness and group culture, and provide an informal "voice" of a project or department to outsiders. See: http://www.blogger.com/
w Brand / Branding / Co-Branding:
Brand ~ The process of creating, communicating, and disseminating the brand into public awareness. Brand awareness is the degree to which consumers recognize or remember a brand. Brands have a unique identity of a product, service, concept, or other commercial entity. i.e. logo, colors, style, perceptions, taglines.Co-Branding ~ On the Web, usually refers to two or more companies displaying their logos/brands together. Viewers usually consider the site or feature to be a joint venture. Typically, the affiliate logo is placed in a frame at the top of the Web page (http://www.crosscommerce.com)w Brick-And-Motor / Click-And-Motor:
Brick-and-Motor ~ Little or no Web presence. Traditional, physical, as opposed to digital, structures and vehicles - factories, warehouses, trucks, and retail outlets. Click-and-Motor ~ A hybrid between Web-based and traditional (Brick-and-Motor) businesses.w Broadband: A network with high bandwidth; greater than 256Kbps.
w Baud: This is the number of bits (bps-bits per second/ Kbps - Kilobits) of data that a modem can transfer per second. It equals the number of transitions made per second in either voltage or frequency changes. One baud = one signal per second.
w BBS ~ Bulletin Board System: Many are Websites without pictures, however, some allow banner uploads. Great place to gain attention for FREE as to what you do / or are promoting simply by posting messages using an E-Mail format! Be sure to always leave your Signature File!
w Binary: Not to be confused with a "Binary" compensation plan (Multi-Level Marketing). This is a file type in the form of pure data; not text, that needs to be converted to image, sound or application.
w BinHex: A Macintosh file format for converting binary files into ASCII for Emailing.
w Bit: A binary unit.
w Blurb: This is the term for ad copy that exceeds 48 characters (letters or symbols) usually used as advertising text.
w Bookmark: Browser tool used to MARK your "Favorite Places" on the Web without having to type in what in some cases can be a l-o-n-g website address. Can also refer to a named location in a Web page that serves as the target of a hyperlink.
w Bounce: Relates to EMail that gets bounced back due to an undeliverable error. i.e. wrong address, system down etc.
w Browsers: Browsers translate HTML (See: HTML) into a format which enables you to see what you do on your screen; view, download, upload, surf or otherwise access document (pages) on the World Wide Web. They also make it possible to search through lists or other collections of information links making simple information access in an organized manner. Just because you are signed onto the Internet does not automatically mean you can access Websites. You need a browser (EXAMPLE: Microsoft Explorer, Netscape) i.e. Browsers translate the website language (see HTML) at a website into the graphical images, text, and Hyper-Text Links that you see on your screen. The good news is most browsers are FREE with your Internet service, or at least on a trial basis.
w C2C / Consumer to Consumer: Quasi-consumers as they have no middle business people. Web-based auction and classified ad sites are an example i.e. eBay and Classifieds2000.
w CGI ~ Common Gateway Interface: Standard for interfacing external applications with information servers, such as HTTP or Web Servers. "Commercial" Gateways include American Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy.
w Chat Room: A chat room is a site on the World Wide Web where any number of computer users can type in messages to each other (chat) in real time, creating an online conversation.
<<Side Bar>> If you have a video cam and built-in / or external microphone see: www.PalTalk.com. You can visually "see" 4/others at anyone time in a chat room. It's a free service so you may want to check this out for just hanging out others around the world, or for setting up a "video conference.
w C / I Ratio / O/C Ratio:
C/ I Ratio ~ Clicks per impression, or click-through rate.O/ C Ratio ~ Orders per click (Conversion Rate)w Click / Click-Through: Interacting with a link / linked banner by clicking on it. Click-through rates are a good measure of an ad's / or link's effectiveness.
w Click-Rate: The number of clicks on a link / ad as a percentage of the number of times that the ad was seen/impressions. i.e. 1 out of 20 click-throughs.
w Click Program / Pay-Per-Click: Affiliates are paid a small amount of money for each individual visitor they drive to a merchant's site, whether the visitor makes a purchase or not.
w Client / Server:
Client ~ In computer context, this means an individual's computer and the software it uses to get information from a server computer. Server ~ Any computer that stores information and allows outside users to get copies of that information.w Clip: Bundle of affiliated products or services (www.linkshare.com)
w Clip Art: The term originates from printed sheets of commonly used images that were printed and then literally clipped out and pasted into an ad, magazine, or newspaper layouts. In the broader sense, refers to any image that is inserted into a web page design.
w Code: i.e. HTML code / markup language. In reference to affiliates this refers to online tools that provide them with the lines of code they need to add affiliate links to their Web pages and / or clips. Affiliates simply copy the appropriate code and paste it into their own HTML pages.
w Commissions / Compensation: Commission rates vary from merchant to merchant. Technically, flat fees to multiple levels / percentage of sales generated by the sale of a product or service. Flat fee (Pay-Per-Click/ Pay-Per-Lead/ Pay-Per-View/ Surf Affiliate Models) programs are a pre-determined amount usually provided for every visitor sent to a merchant's site.
w Component: Usually used in relation to a built-in object inserted into a Web page that can be evaluated and executed when a page is saved, published, or browser.
w Compression / Zip - Unzip: Often called "Zip" software, with the purpose of transmitting information quickly, or taking up less disk space. It compresses files into smaller data. When you "Unzip", what you are doing is "uncompressing" a compressed file. See: http://www.tucows.com (Compression Software).
w Comment: A means of inserting text; usually web designer notes, into the body of an HTML Web page file that will NOT be displayed in a browser... no one can see them.
w Conversion Rate: Usually prequalified vs. random visitors to a merchant's site who actually make a purchase during that visit.
w Cookie: Many affiliate programs use cookies to track referrals. These are stored by a Web server on a client system, and used to enable customization of Web content. When a user return to the same Web site, the browser send a copy of the cookie back to the server. They are necessary for repeat-visit and multipage processes, such as using a shopping cart. Ad rotation software uses cookies to determine which ad the user has just seen to insure that a different ad will be rotated into the next pageview.
<<Side Bar>> These cookies over-time, can add up to literally "thousands" of files trailing your activity online. It's a good idea to learn how to remove them!!
w CPM / Cost Per Thousand Ad Impressions: Measures pricing and selling ads on Web sites.
Example: Ad Site Charges $10 = 1 cent each time a person views the advertiser's banner ad.
w Cracker / Hacker: Cracker:
A person who enjoys breaking into others computer system. Some, there "mission" ~ Seek and Destroy!!!!
Hacker ~ Sophisticated computer user who spends most of their life on their computer.w Cross-Posting: Transmitting the same message to multiple bulletin boards, Newsgroups or discussion lists. Not a good idea unless you want irate newsgroup users sending you hate mail / flames (See Flames & Flamers below).
w Cross-Sell: A good example would be a Grocery Store displaying salsa next to ships. In other words displaying related or additional products to a prospect / customer who has already exhibited interest in a particular product type.
w .dll Files: Dynamic Link Libraries (.dll files)
w Directory: A directory is best thought of as the table of contents of all files contained on or in a specific section of a computer disk. A directory often shows file name, file size, date and time created, file type, and author. Directories are sometimes called "folders".
w Discussion Group: An interactive Web site that allows visitors to post discussion articles, reply to previous articles, search articles, or browse discussion threads from a table of contents. Often associated with newsgroups, they can also take the form of interactive message boards, thread message forums, and e-mailing lists.
w Disintermediation:
Disintermediation ~ Example: Hewlett Packards direct sell Web site. It circumvents its traditional resellers / removes those that previously filled intermediary roles between manufacturer and consumers.Intermediation ~ Intermediary between two other parties. i.e. between manufacturers and consumers. (Distributors, Value-Added Resellers, and Retailers).w Domain Name / INTERNIC / URL:
Domain Name ~ Similar in some ways as giving your business a "company" name to establish presence. It usually consists of a sequence of names or words separated by a dot(s). Example: www.designcarte.com/services_webdesign.html
INTERNIC ( Internet Network Information Center) ~ This is the organization you ultimately register your Domain Name with regards with whom you purchase your domain. Universal Resource Locator / Uniform Resource Locator / or Ubiquty-now, Revenue Later!!!: The naming or "addressing" system that assists with locating a particular site on the World Wide Web (WWW).w URL ~ See URL (GLOSSARY2)
w Download / Upload:
Download ~ The transferring of a file from one computer to another computer. This could be from a Client Server, or from an EMail friend / business associate. The reverse process of upload. Upload ~ Now that you have downloaded a file to your computer, you will want to "upload" so you may view it, or make it accessible for others to view.w EMail / Bulk EMail / Direct Email / Email Address:
Electronic Mail ~ The sending and receiving of mail from one computer to another.
Bulk Email ~ Targeted or mass E-Mail usually addressed to an end user of the Internet. Today's sophisticated software enables searching out email addresses of end users that fit specific demographics that you establish as criteria to send your Bulk Email to. Another word for this is: SPAM, and not recommended.Direct Email ~ This is a mild form of "Direct" EMail like the "enzine" (newsletter) advertising for the purpose of bringing in qualified leads. The people mailed are those that have "requested" commercial Email. Email Address ~ Also called the Domain Address, or the User Name, it allows the transmission of messages from one computer to another.E-Mail Link ~ In reference to marketing it normally is one that is setup with an auto-responder, for subscribing to a newsletter, or additional information. Affiliates use these to place links in e-mail to a merchant site that will direct users to specific products / services.w E-Commerce:
Quite simply e-commerce means conducting business online. It is now possible to do this electronically thanks to software programs that run the main functions of an e-commerce Web site, such as product display, online ordering, and inventory management. The software works in conjunction with online payment systems to process payments and resides on a commerce server.
w E-Merchants / E-Tailers (Retailers):
Those selling products / services directly through their Web site and target end consumers as opposed to other businesses (e-tailers).
w E-Shelf: A Cross Commerce feature delivering real-time product information. Affiliate hand-picked products and have prices updated automatically.
w DPI (Dots Per Inch): Used in combination with the number of pixels in an image to determine the size of an image. For instance, and image scanned at 75 DPI will be smaller than the same image scanned at 150 DPI.
w E-Zines: Zine is short for magazine. The "E" is of course for electronic. The mark of a true E-zine is that it's published by a small group whose primary goal is to do something worthwhile and interesting, not to make a lot of money i.e. E-Mail Newsletters.
w FAQ ~ Frequently Asked Questions: The best way to learn is by the experience of others. And these are usually in a special area. You can consider them a shortcut to what others before you have had questions about or had trouble with. A very handy tool that will save you time!
w Firewalls: Special computer setup that is supposed to prevent intruders from accessing, stealing, or destroying confidential files. Note: A lot of "crackers" get a pleasure out of breaking through these.
w Flames / Flamers:
Flame ~ An angry email reply from somebody who does not agree with you. Usually in response to someone's having broken the rules of "netiquette". Flaming ~ To flame someone is to send nasty or insulting messages, Flamers ~ Those individuals who think you have broken one of the Internet rules. Expect some flames, there are allot of idiots with nothing else better to do. DO NOT create a "flame war" by responding to a "flamer". It is a waste of time, energy and emotion!!!!!w Forum: A forum is an online discussion group. Online services and bulletin board services (BBS) provide a variety of forums, in which participants with common interests can exchange open messages. Forums are sometimes called newsgroups (in the Internet world) or conferences.
w Freeware / Shareware:
Freeware ~ Software that is totally FREE via FTP (See FTP below) on the Internet. Shareware ~ This is the cousin to "Freeware". Games, utilities, and other software for your business, home, kids, and so on, that you can download for FREE!!! unless you decide to keep it. This "try-before-you-buy" approach to merchandising is a great deal, and not one you're likely to find with most other merchandisers. The "honor" system at work, so play fair. Go to:
w Frames: An extension to HTML, and pioneered by Netscape that has since been incorporated into HTML 4.0 that allows multiple HTML documents to be displayed at the same time in separate frame windows within a Web page. Not recommended as some browsers cannot view correctly.
w FTP / HTTP:
File Transfer Protocol ~ This is a standardized method, or set of rules you can use to upload / or download files, documents or programs stored on computers around the globe without having established an Internet account at the site. If CAPS are used, you type CAPS, if "lower case" is used as part of the site address, you use "lower case." HyperText Transfer Protocol ~ Using a Web browser, and a set of rules, this protocol enables you to access documents / or a website simply by typing an Internet address on your computer.w General Message: This term describes a message that you leave in a chat room, message board or classified section that is nonspecific and subtle.
w GIFS / JPEG / MPEG:
Graphic Interface File (*.gif) ~ Includes pictures of, 'cartoon' characters, and animated graphics. Developed by Comp Serve. Each image can include up to 256 colors, transparency, interlacing, and multiple frames (GIF Animation).Gif Animation ~ A GIF-format image file containing multiplmages that cumulatively create an animation. Joint Photographic Experts Group (*.jpeg) ~ May also refer to the graphic file format named after the group. These images can vary with the degree of compression used. MPEG (*.mpeg) ~ The counterpart for movies. BMP (*.bmp) ~ A bitmapped graphics file.w Header: The top part of an Email (Header Packet), or newsgroup message that shows where the message came from (Source) when it was posted, and the destination addresses. The header in this case proceeds the body of the message. Headers are also the TITLE you give your classified ad to capture "viewer" interest.
w Hits: HITS are something we all want to have happen, as this means our website / webpage is getting lots of potential consumer attention that hopefully will result in a new customer for us.
w Hit Counter: As the name implies, a hit counter counts the number of "hits" to a Web page. Each visit to a Web page is a hit.
w Home Page / Front Page: Automatically displayed when a Web site or Web folder in a Web site is accessed in a Web browser. The homepage is where the site's information actually begins.
w Host: Your HOST is what enables you to take advantage of Internet services 24/hours a day. Hosts (Web Server) have more capability and storage space than an ordinary computer.
w Hover Button: A Web site navigation button that can display visual effects and play sound effects when the mouse passes over the button.
w HTML ~ HyperText Markup Language / Dynamic HTML: Various means of providing dynamic content that respond interactively to user actions, such as producing on-the-fly Web pages, starting and stopping animations etc. Standard, glorified wordprocessor that uses "tags" to format and define the text (heading, paragraphs, lists, links and graphics), and other HyperText components for publishing your Web page on the World Wide Web. i.e. In order to create italics text for example type (<I>), your text verbiage, and end it with (</I>), or BOLD(<B>), and end with (</B>). A little HTML training can take you a long way. It is a non-proprietary format, simpler than other publishing formats and can be created and processed in a wide range of tools from simple plain text editors to sophisticated WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) authoring tools.
w Hyperenablement: Out sourcing to a third party who participates in a revenue share. As compared to offline shopping malls that collect a percentage of sales from retailers in a specific mall.
w HyperText / HyperLinks: This is the most efficient manner in which to browse the Internet to-date. It is a system which allows documents stored on computers to contain links to other documents, and possibly on other computers. Click sensitive, these links are normally underlined and usually in a different color (i.e. blue) than other text. By clicking on one of these underlined word(s), you're instantly taken to another screen, page, or website. Links are being used to go to documents, programs, sound bites, or movies around the world that are stored on thousands of computers.
w Incentive (Online): A reward, typically non-cash i.e. store credits.
w Infomediary: Third party Coordinator / Syndicator / Aggregator of the flow of content created at many sources and distributed to many outlets.
w Internet: A powerful communications tool that enables a network of "host" computers to be interconnected world wide via high-speed telephone lines.
w IP / ISP / TCP:
Internet Protocol ~ The main Net protocol. Internet Service Provider ~ i.e. ITN or others. The horsepower for the web, and EMail. ISP's provide Internet Access for users. Transmission Control Protocol ~ Method used by computers to talk to each other over the Net.w IRC / Channels ~ Internet Relay Chat: These are Virtual areas that you use to communicate with other users in "real time" using keystrokes on your computer.
w JAVA: Created by Sun Microsystems'. It is object-oriented programming language, designed to create programs that can be run securely on any platform, making it ideal programming language for the WWW. Programs need to be small because of bandwidth constraints. Sometimes called "applets".
w Keyword: A word used in a search form, such as at Alta Vista, Google etc.
w Link: A link is text and/or an image area on a Web page that a user can click on to "connect to" or reference another document. There are many possibilities of what that document can be. Most commonly, links are thought of as what connects two Web pages or Web sites.
w Linkrot: The general breakdown of links either among Web pages or from email newsletters to Web sites because the sites have shut down, changed addresses or removed or reorganized pages.
w Login / Logoff: You have to "Login" in order to establish a connection to another computer on the Internet. This usually includes verification of your E-Mail address and a password. When you leave your service it is termed "logging off."
w Loss Leader: Product / Service priced below the retailer's cost; merchant usually loses money on each unit sold. These are offered to draw customers into the store with the theory they will also buy enough of other products with large profit margins to make this strategy beneficial. Concept is merchant will make more money on the whole than if the customer was never stopped by.
w Lurking / Watcher: Someone who watches Interactive Chats, or newsgroup discussions without actively participating.
Authorized Designers - Homestead.comInternet ~ Web Glossary of Terms
for
"Netizens"
A ~ L
