Internet Word of the Day Archive

October 01, 2009

The hierarchy of nodes within a VRML file.

Perpetual BBS discussions that never die, the arguments never change, and no one's opinions ever budge one iota. "Holy wars" are fought over abortion, gun control, Mac versus IBM, Windows versus DOS, and how much nudity to allow in the image areas of online services.

But What Do I Know

The international efforts of a company to attain worldwide market share. Yahoo! is one of the first global brands of the Internet era.

October 02, 2009

The hand icon that replaces the mouse cursor when you move selected text or graphics from one place to another. Seen in many software programs, including PDF and Photoshop.

A phrase that means "the best thing since sliced bread." For example, "When I first found out you could get out-of-print books in hardcover and in mint condition on Amazon.com, I thought, Wow, these guys are the bomb."

A direct marketing strategy that allows marketers to control the generation of sales leads. It involves sending out several promotional pieces over a period of time, so that the leads arrive at a rate the sales force can accommodate without the leads getting cold.

The Walls Have Ears

October 03, 2009

A form of e-commerce by companies that sell news, documents, subscriptions, or any other content that can be delivered digitally over the Web. Under the ultimate "pay as you go" model, a d-commerce company acts as an electronic middleman: Users establish an account with a d-commerce company to purchase content from a variety publishers, which is easier because they give out their credit card number once instead of to a multitude of Web publishers. The d-commerce company, in turn, handles the billing, collection, refunds, and other payment processes for the publisher. D-commerce is considered a form of e-commerce because money is exchanged for a product or service that exists "electronically" (in this case, "digitally"). For more information, read the column "Digital Commerce," by Denise Caruso, in The New York Times.

Slang for the area code "510," which covers the east bay (including Oakland and Berkeley, in northern California). This term is common among telco workers.

Remake

October 04, 2009

A technique used to cache information on a Web server. It acts as an intermediary between a Web client and a Web server.

Basically, a proxy server holds the most commonly accessed and recently used content from the World Wide Web in order to provide quicker downloads for users and to increase server security. It is common for an ISP to use a proxy server, especially if it has a slow link to the Internet. Proxy servers are also constructs that allow direct Internet access from behind a firewall. They open a socket on the server and allow communication via that socket to the Internet.

For example, if your computer is inside a protected network and you want to browse the Web using Netscape, you will need to set up a proxy server on a firewall. The proxy server would be configured to allow requests from your computer, trying for port 80, to connect to port 1080 on the server; then all of your requests would be redirected to the proper place.

Slang usage of this term implies a catalyst. For example, "In our company, the Internet is a proxy for change, and people are looking to me to act as the change agent."

The condition of a credit or debit card that no longer works because the magnetic strip on the back is worn away from too much use.

The business truism, also known as the "80-20 rule," in which 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Vilfredo Pareto, the 19th-century economist who coined the term, would most likely have to revise it for the 21st century since the harsh reality today is that the split tends to be closer to 90%-10% or even 95%-5%.

sucks

October 05, 2009

Simply put, an IPO is a company's first offering of stock to the public. If you want to "take your company public" or "go public," you must file a registration statement with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) before you can sell your stock publicly. Any information contained in the registration statements becomes public, immediately upon filing. Many dot-coms held IPOs in the late 1990's, resulting in quite a few IPOoafs. IPOs are such a big deal because anyone holding stock at the offering price when a company goes public is in line for "free money"-most new issues rise in value, at least temporarily.

Click on the "more button" below for more info on IPOs.

Thunderbird is an e-mail program created by the folks at Mozilla who claim it makes sending e-mail safer, faster, and easier than ever before.

Some of the benefits of Thunderbird include:

Peace In The Middle East My Brother Of Another Mother

October 06, 2009

Dubbed a next-generation HTML, this is a mark-up language that describes how text and images are displayed on a Web page. Developed by Netscape and the W3C, it is based entirely on industry-standard HTML and Java (featuring absolute positioning and layers, for example). It gives Web designers and Web developers greater control over the look and feel of their Web pages.

A comprehensive term for a wide range of systems that electronically manage payment and receipt of payment over the Net. Commonly used electronic payment systems include SET, SSL, PKI, and encryption.

Another name for microscopic art.

Talk To You A While From Now

October 07, 2009

A message that goes to each and every subscriber of a particular network (whether they want it or not).

A technology or program that runs on your desktop computer (as opposed to running on a server).

Every Second Every Minute Every Day

A buzzword for librarians, website programmers, and other usability experts whose job is to balance the needs of website sponsors, the users and the designers so that the information is presented in a manner that makes all concerned pleased.

October 08, 2009

A method for storing text, data, or images in fewer bits, it makes data smaller so less disk or file space is needed to represent the same information. Consequently, the information may be transmitted in less time. Compression takes place via one of several compression standards, including JPG, MPEG, GIF, TIF, and ZIP.

Meaning that a business product, service or experience has been focused on the customer. This stems from the process of taking any noun and adding "centric" to the end.

The name for a person who, despite living in a time of unprecedented wealth and ease, believes with a vigorous but untested faith that we are all doomed and nothing can be done. Film at 11.

October 09, 2009

A small hand-grip, similar in appearance to a stick shift in a car. Gamers use it to play video, CD-ROM, and online games.

A voicemail message that goes on forever.

yours

October 10, 2009

A port that enables devices to exchange data without using cables. Usually, you'd attach a dongle to a serial port, but with infrared ports, you can place the devices across from each other (so the infrared ports are facing) and "beam" your info instantaneously. IrDA stands for "Infrared Data Association," a group of device manufacturers that developed the standard for transmitting data via infrared light waves. IrDA enabled products include: adapters, dongles, notebooks, PDAs, cell phones, handhelds, pagers, scanners, digital cameras, printers, fax machines, bar code scanners, set top boxes (STB), toys, wrist watches, and more.

A business model wherein a manufacturer or producer delivers products or services directly to an individual. For example, Dell uses a wholetail model for selling its computers.

The time-honored art of whacking the heck out of something in order to get it running again.

Return Receipt reQuested

October 11, 2009

Those aspects about your idea, product, service, or business model that make it unique and different from the competition.

Fuhgedaboudit -or- Forget About It

A service providing model in which the provider offers computing resources and infrastructure management that is available as needed. Service providers such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM charge for specific usage versus a flat rate which can help minimize associated costs.

October 12, 2009

An input device used on a Web page, usually in a form. It provides the user with a handy way to scroll through a list of selections and to choose either one or multiple values. As an HTML and Web design tool, select boxes are most useful when you don't need to show all the selections at once, such as when users select the state they live in.

also spelled "propellorhead"

An old-fashioned name for a nerd.

Well Played

October 13, 2009

In client/server applications, "push" is to send data to a client without the client requesting it. The World Wide Web is based on a "pull" technology where the client browser must request a Web page before it is sent.

Broadcast media are traditionally "push technologies" because they send information out regardless of whether anyone is tuned in. Increasingly, companies are using the Internet to deliver information push-style. In PR (public relations), "push PR" refers to basic PR which is essentially an outreach effort. It involves creating a story for the client to market and then packaging it as a press release (or a pitch or a call).

Online examples of push technologies are e-mail, a portal (on a handheld device that supports a microbrowser), paging networks (again Blackberry because it serves more than one function), file transfer, and RSS. The most widely used push technology is e-mail, it is a push technology because you receive mail whether you ask for it or not, that is, the sender pushes the message to the receiver.

In programming, "push" is to place a data item onto a stack. In this case, the opposite of push is "pop" which means to remove an object from a stack.

An acronym that describes business-to-government relationships. With the government being the largest employer in the U.S., B2G is expected to become big business.

That Girl/Guy has Got To Go

October 14, 2009

A portal that caters to consumers within a particular industry (sometimes called a "vertical industry"). Vertical portals, also called "vortals," use Internet technology to offer the same kind of personalization tools that portals do. Another kind of vortal caters solely to other businesses rather than to an industry's consumers. The B2C portal gave the B2B industry a model to work from, and now, most business-to-business sites bill themselves as portals. We like to define business-to-business sites as vertical portals because they deliver content and services focused on their particular niche. The term "portal" is getting muddied because although many sites call themselves portals they are, in fact, simply Web sites that use cookie and/or personalization technology (see: personalize).

The two essential components of a vertical portal are that it uses this kind of technology and caters to a specific industry. The two essential components of a regular portal are that it uses this kind of technology and provides a variety of news, media, and services.

A phrase that describes the stress of working on Internet time in the industry, it occurs for several reasons. For example, there's tremendous pressure from corporate heads and fellow colleagues to work 12-16 hours days so that if you don't, you aren't considered a team player. There's also the frustration that accompanies working at a start-up because the business model is constantly changing so that you have to either "wear a lot of hats" or be able to change direction at a moment's notice. Then, when the project you spent the last six months working on is rendered useless or obsolete and you have to start all over again, the feeling is very empty and unsettling. In addition to increasingly strange office politics (due to the pressure put on by the VC firms and the rush of people wanting to get promoted as quickly as possible), mental anxiety, insomnia and RSI often result which adversely affects the overall performance of people and ultimately contributes to the dot-com deadpool. This "syndrome" is also known as a "drink the KoolAid" environment (with reference to Jim Jones' cult).

A method for dividing each digital-cellular telephone channel into three time-slots so more data can be transferred simultaneously. It is a second-generation wireless technology. Be sure to also read through these definitions: CDMA, GPRS

October 15, 2009

Got Nothing But Love For You

Slang in online marketing circles for a consumer who clicks all over a Web site with no particular logic. The "likes and dislikes" of this kind of user are difficult to pin point.

A peripheral device that digitizes artwork or photographs and stores the images as files that you can use with text in a word processing or page layout program. A scanner is how you get a hard copy image of something onto a computer screen.

A spoof Web site is one that mimics a popular company's Web site to lure you into disclosing confidential information. To make spoof sites seem legitimate, identity thieves use the names, logos, graphics and even code of the real company's site. They can even fake the URL that appears in the address field at the top of your browser window and the padlock that appears in the lower right corner. The links in the spoof e-mails almost always take you to a spoof web site.

October 16, 2009

A Unix sound file format. On the Net, you may come across the option to hear a sound clip. The file that is downloaded to your computer when "clicked on" might be in the AU format (if the sound file was originally captured on a Unix system or converted from another platform). Your helper applications or browser plugins need to be configured to know what to do with this type of file.

For a list of file extensions click here!

The aftermath of comments made by Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan on the U.S. or world economy. For example, "The post-Greenspan euphoria has subsided around of the globe."

Good Bridge

A newly issued stock that is in great public demand. Hot issues usually experience a dramatic rise in price at their initial public offering (IPO) because the market demand outweighs the supply. 

October 17, 2009

A derogatory term used to describe a lower form of life found on talker systems and MUD. The spod has few friends IRL and uses talkers instead, finding communication easier and preferable over the Net. He or she has all the negative traits of the computer geek without having any interest in computers per se. Lacking knowledge of, or interest in, how networks work and considering access a right (rather than a privilege), spods are a major irritant to sysadmins. They clog up lines in order to reach new MUDs, follow passed-on instructions on how to sneak in, and then complain about not being allowed to use busy routes.

A true spod will start any conversation with "Are you MorF?" and follow it up with "Got any good numbers or IDs or passwords?" He or she will not talk to someone physically present in the same room until they log onto the same machine that he is using and enter talk mode.

To exchange goods or services directly without the use of money. Online, ad banners, content, and links are often bartered.

A development technique whereby the internal workings of a model are not known. For example, in a black box software design, the user only knows the inputs and what the expected outcomes should be, not how the software arrives at those outputs.

Laughing Til I Orgasm

October 18, 2009

A Web site that hasn't been updated in a long time; a dead Web page with broken links.

Rolling On The Ground Laughing My Ass Off

October 19, 2009

Digital wireless technology that simultaneously uses multiple channels, over the full bandwidth of a wideband channel, by assigning each user a code. It is known as a spread-spectrum air interface technology used in some digital cellular, personal communications services, and wireless networks. It's a 2G technology used by Alltel, Sprint, and Verizon; the next-generation CDMA networks are called "CDMA2000" (the first phase is 1xRT). If you see "W-CDMA" refers to wideband.

Slang for someone who spews forth ideas and opinions but can't seem to accept any input from the outside world.

was

October 20, 2009

A fashion trend centered around survival/emergency gear such as gas masks, hazmat suits, and bulletproof vests.

Good Looking Boy

October 21, 2009

A buzzword tagged onto computer software terms to imply that a product or service will "meet the needs" and "solve the problems" associated with a particular type of software package or application. For example, advertisers may say "it's an application server solution" or "it's a small business database solution," but these phrases are actually a bit of hype to convince a person or company that the solution package will solve all of their problems.

An overly elaborate sig quote. For example, if a user has "tagged on" twenty lines or more after the body of an e-mail message below their name (and if there is a typo, or more than one quote, or some kind of bogus ASCII art), it's known as a dag-tag.

It refers to "a dag" (which, as any good Aussie will tell you, is what gets stuck to the anus of a sheep after it's dropped its stool (Americans call those dingleberries)! So then, a dag-tag is the equivalent within an email message - a piece of sh*t that got stuck there but shouldn't have ;-)

Yours In Christ

October 22, 2009

Be Right There

Anything that has to do with the Web, especially a business idea or software program. Usually you describe companies as "netcentric" and Web applications or business ideas as "webcentric."

Easy to use or learn, as in, "The recent version of that software is very user-friendly."

October 23, 2009

Consider It Done -or- Crying In Disgrace

A derivative form of lamer, most commonly used in Internet gaming circles.

Software installed on a computer system to protect it from unauthorized access. The most popular type is anti-virus software, for example, Norton AntiVirus. Network systems, on the other hand, require a more complex protection from crackers; a firewall is necessary to protect a company's internal system from the outside influence of the Internet.

In short, it is a hotel staffer who helps guests with software and hardware problems. More specifically, this title refers to a job position at the Ritz-Carlton hotels, where guests can call upon the "technology butler" to help them with any computer problems they may face while traveling.

The first American technology butler on record is Mr. Michael D'Anthony, who also developed the companywide program. He says "Everyone's on the Internet now, and everyone needs their e-mail. When they travel they run into problems. Either they can't plug in their computer, or they don't know how to change the settings on their computer, or they can't figure out how to get their e-mail, or whatever." People have even called him "Jeeves" in reference to the butler icon on the Web site "Ask Jeeves."

October 24, 2009

Another name for click-and-mortar.

Slang for a demo that is given with great showmanship for a product with little innovation or creativity.

But You Knew That

October 25, 2009

A small, handheld device that displays messages in a text-only format (as in phone numbers, e-mail, or SMS) on a small screen via a wireless network. It only accepts incoming messages (as opposed to a cell phone which can also make outgoing calls).

For the largest list of Internet acronyms and text message jargon, click on "more info" below!

Great Big Hug

"Shoulder surfing" is a term that refers to someone standing over your shoulder to obtain private and sensitive information as you complete a form using your personal information, enter in your PIN or password, or even when dialing a telephone number. Shoulder surfing can also be accomplished from a very far distance by using binoculars. To prevent this from happening you should always shield your paperwork and keyboard from the view of others.

October 26, 2009

To click twice. In order to highlight a word in a word processing program, for example, you must place your cursor on top of the word and double-click quickly. Fortunately, when you browse the Web and click on a link, you only have to click once (likewise, some operating systems can be configured this way as well). When you're new at this, you may not know whether to click once or twice; usually, when you're working inside a computer application, you must double-click, but when you're on the Web or when you "hit OK" or submit information on a form, you single-click. A tech support person may say, for example, "Do you see the icon on your desktop? OK, double-click on that."

A young programmer who willingly slaves away, "pounding code" for Microsoft at its campus. This term was coined by author Douglas Coupland.

A small piece of information. For example, NetLingo.com licenses a small search box to other Web sites so that content providers can expand their content offerings by including several snippets of other people's information.

Rank Has Its Privileges

October 27, 2009

A third-party company that tracks, counts, and verifies ad banner deliveries (those sent to a Web page from another location) or verifies a Web site's proprietary ad reporting system. This differs from a counter that strictly counts ad and page deliveries.

A mathematical technique used to check for errors when sending data by modem. Because some phone lines are notoriously crackly and can cause breaks in transmission, this is a crucial step. If the CRC fails to add up, the receiving end of a data transmission sends a NAK (Negative Acknowledgement) signal back to the sending modem until it does add up. CRCs are also used in tape backups and other streaming communications.

Access Control Entry

October 28, 2009

An electronic marketplace in which goods and services are traded. These exchanges are global in nature, operate 24/7, and connect large communities of buyers and sellers, primarily within the B2B sector. Electronic exchanges range from auctions of all types to VPNs. For example, the Automotive Network Exchange (ANX) is expected to link the entire North American auto supply chain. While "B2B" and "Web marketplace" broadly refer to any transaction between businesses over the Internet, usually one-to-many, "electronic exchange" is a more precise term, connoting many-to-many transactions. An electronic communications network (such as an electronic stock and bond exchange) is also considered a Web marketplace. The actual point where the buyers and sellers come together is known as "the vortex" or "the butterfly hub."

A modified Web browser that allows users to view internet data on a handheld wireless device.

A coffee cup "to go," for cappuccino cowboys (and cowgirls) to take on the road, presumably as they commute to work. A roadie usually comes with a spill-proof top and a recycled cardboard "jacket" (also known as a "collar") that keeps your fingers from getting hot.

Oh No, Not This Again

October 29, 2009

Acronym for Empty Magnanimous Gesture. As in, "We think your idea is great and would love to fund it, but [insert excuse here]."

why should i wait?

October 30, 2009

To collaborate in order to get a project done more efficiently. For example, "She told me that they pulled fusion to get stage two implemented and that the designers and programmers worked pretty well together."

Thanks Again

An e-mail in which recipients can buy goods and services directly from the e-mail message without being redirected to the retailer's Web site.

Marketers have consistently shown that transactional e-mail leads to significantly higher conversion rates, meaning more people convert from shoppers to buyers when they receive a transactional e-mail versus a regular e-mail. It's understandable considering that within the body of the message of a transactional e-mail, the recipient can view merchandise, select items, and submit an order. Just like on an e-commerce site, when the order form is completed, the customer clicks the "submit" button (and can then resume reading their other e-mail messages).

Here's a great example: Zagat's, a well-known distributor of restaurant guides, tried transactional e-mail sales for the 2000 holiday season, allowing customers to buy restaurant guides directly from the body of the e-mail message, rather than just including a link to their Web site. The campaign attained conversion rates five times as high as those of regular e-mail marketing. They believed this high conversion was due in large part to impulse purchases because the transaction could be completed before the customer grew weary of the procedures involved.

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a model of software distribution in which applications are hosted by a service provider or vendor and made available to customers over a network, such as the Internet. Known as "service on demand"  SaaS software vendors typically host the application on their own Web servers or download the application to the consumer device (disabling it after the on-demand contract expires). Generally referred to on an enterprise level, the on-demand function may be handled internally to share licenses within a firm or by a third-party application service provider (ASP) sharing licenses between firms. See: cloud computing

October 31, 2009

At The Moment -or- Asynchronous Transfer Mode -or- Automated Teller Machine

Used around the office, this expression means "to send out an e-mail" or some other form of communication. For example, "I can't talk to you right now. I've got to fire off an e-mail to New York by noon."

a.k.a. "the T-1 killer"

A telecommunications line that provides a fast, permanent connection to the Internet. DSL uses the copper wiring found in almost every home and office. Special hardware attached at both ends of the line allows data to transmit at a far greater speed than standard telephone wiring can. It also provides a constant connection to the Internet, 24/7, so there is no need to dial-in to an ISP each time you want to get online (see: always-on). A DSL line is also convenient because you only need one line to carry both voice and data signals (in other words, you don't have to get a second phone line with DSL). DSL is similar to ISDN in that they both operate over existing copper telephone lines (POTS) and require short runs to a central office. (The reason why DSL is not yet available in many areas is because of the distance from a central office.) DSL provides higher speeds than ISDN, but with DSL, the connection speeds vary. Many people prefer the fixed speed of an ISDN (or a T1, for that matter). Connection speeds for DSL typically range from 1.544 Mbps to 512 Kbps downstream and around 128 Kbps upstream. There are several types of DSL, and xDSL refers to the family of digital subscriber line technologies:

* ADSL (Asymmetric DSL, where you can download faster than upload)

* CDSL (Consumer DSL)

* DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplexer)

* G.Lite (slightly slower than ADSL but much cheaper)

* HDSL (High bit-rate DSL)

* S-HDSL (Single Pair High bit-rate DSL)

* IDSL (ISDN DSL, which is DSL over an ISDN line)

* SDSL (Symmetrical DSL, where download and upload speeds are similar)

* RADSL (Rate Adaptive DSL)

* VDSL (Very High rate DSL)

* VoDSL (Voice-over DSL, which uses DSL for spoken telephone conversations).

The number of each specific product available for sale. For example, if a hardware device or software package comes in different versions, there is an SKU for each one.