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July 03, 2008
infomediary - Word of the Day JargonA hybrid word made from "information" and "intermediary," it describes an online middleman (between consumer and vendor) who brokers consumer data in exchange for vendor concessions on goods and services. Some infomediaries are Web sites that facilitate business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce by offering information about suppliers and other businesses. This term comes from John Hagel and Marc Singer in their book Net Worth.
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July 04, 2008
Richard Petty syndrome - Word of the Day JargonSlang for the overuse of buttons and banners from sponsors and partners on a Web site. It refers to the logo-festooned jumpsuits of auto racers.
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July 05, 2008
build it and they will come - Word of the Day JargonA phrase used in the industry for a misguided business model tested by many dot-coms. For example, some thought that by creating a pet store Web site, people would naturally go there to buy pet food.
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July 06, 2008
if I tell you, I'll have to kill you - Word of the Day JargonA sarcastic business phrase used in the industry, it's meant to be funny. Basically, it means that someone knows something of a proprietary nature (about a new product or business plan, for example) that is so secret, they can't tell anyone.
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July 10, 2008
hot potato routing - Word of the Day JargonAs opposed to cold potato routing, this phrase refers to switching data packets from one network to the next as quickly as possible.
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July 11, 2008
strawman - Word of the Day JargonAn object, document, person, or argument that is set up with the intention that it will be broken down. In software development, a crude plan or document may serve as the "strawman", and as the software develops, the stawman (plan) is refined until a final model is presented.
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July 12, 2008
netwar - Word of the Day JargonA term that refers to the spread of low-intensity conflict, crime, and activism waged by "networked" individuals. Typical "netwar" individuals might include transnational terrorists, criminal organizations, activist groups, and social movements that employ decentralized, flexible networks (such as the Internet) to communicate and share information.
Coined by RAND researchers John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt, the corresponding term "cyberwar" is used to describe high-intensity information age conflicts. For more information, download the PDF below!
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July 16, 2008
gray matter - Word of the Day JargonOlder, experienced business people hired by young entrepreneurial firms looking to appear more reputable and established.
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July 17, 2008
horizontal play - Word of the Day JargonTo provide a common service across many industries (as opposed to a "vertical move," providing a service within the same industry).
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July 19, 2008
next-generation - Word of the Day JargonDesignates the next version of a software program or technology. Much of the commercial Internet technology used in the late 1990's was built on first-generation applications; now in the 2000's programmers are developing "next-generation" applications.
For example, first-generation Web sites were about human-computer interaction, whereas the "next-generation" Web 2.0 and social networking sites focus not only on people interacting with the computer or with information but with each other.
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July 20, 2008
carbon footprint - Word of the Day JargonA phrase to describe the effect one's daily activities, such as washing clothes or driving to work, have on the environment. Specifically it is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
Click on the link below to calculate your primary carbon footprint, based on your household fuel bills and your annual travel!
Here's a real world example: As of April 2008, FIJI Water has taken positive steps to reduce their carbon footprint and are now the first carbon negative beverage brand on the market. Now, FIJI Water is committed to:
- Reducing their carbon footprint by at least 25% over the next three years
- Offsetting their carbon footprint by 120% to make FIJI Water carbon negative
What did they do? They measured their carbon footprint by taking a close look at everything required to get the product to the consumers from raw materials production through final consumption including bottling, transportation and distribution.
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July 25, 2008
telematics - Word of the Day JargonThe science of combining telecommunications and computers to control the electronic and mechanical functions in automobiles. Common telematics applications include safety and navigation features as well as wireless access to the Web.
As stated above, telematics is most widely known as the technology that wirelessly connects the electronics in a vehicle to external hardware, usually GPS satellites. The role of telematics will expand to allow music to download directly to a car stereo through a wireless broadband connection. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association predicts that the future of telematics lies in entertainment -- TV, movies and games piped into the car wirelessly.
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July 26, 2008
World Wide Wait - Word of the Day JargonA play on the phrase WWW, this expression refers to the lengthy time it can take to download something online.
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July 28, 2008
upstream - Word of the Day JargonWhenever a user sends information over a network, the speed with which you send it (or upload it) is called the "upstream rate." Conversely, whenever a user receives information via a network, the speed with which you receive it (or download it) is known as the "downstream rate."
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July 29, 2008
Rimm job - Word of the Day JargonNamed after Marty Rimm, author of the dubious "cyberporn" study from Carnegie Mellon University, it refers to a bogus academic study masquerading as legitimate science (which in his case, Time magazine gullibly took as gospel).
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July 31, 2008
tune results - Word of the Day JargonAfter a search is executed, the returned results are put in order of relevancy to the users original search query.
