Internet Word of the Day Archive

February 01, 2010

The loss of data from a transmission, it can also refer to the loss of information in general.

A low-cost financial transaction paid with an e-wallet or via an online service such as PayPal. Micropayments enable the sale of digital content, like music, archived news stories and photographs, for as low as a penny.

A micropayment is any kind of Internet transaction that is for a very small amount, such as a subscription or pay-for-research service. For example, Apple Computer's iTunes online music service, which charges 99 cents a song, is a form of micropayment.

Person Of No Account

February 02, 2010

Enhanced media that offers more than one element of video, sound, or data, giving the user a new media experience (as opposed to older, mainstream formats).

The term "rich media" was originally created by Suzanne Brisendine of Intel to describe a broad range of digital interactive media.

A business term that measures the revenue a company generates from an investment, such as a particular marketing program. To calculate ROI, you need to find out the total financial benefit derived from a particular program and then compare that with the full cost of the program (including the less-obvious expenses). ROI is based on tangible benefits (bottom-line increases in revenue or decreases in expense) and intangible benefits (emotional or time improvements). Make two columns and list all of the tangible and intangible benefits of your proposed program. Associate a hard dollar value to each benefit and add these up (make sure your dollar values are based on a proven formula). Then deduct the sum of your total operating expenses from the sum of your benefits. If it is a positive number, you have a "true ROI." If it is a negative number, it may not make financial sense to pursue that particular program.

High-capacity telecommunications networks that use optical technologies and components to provide routing, grooming, and restoration. Optical networks use beams of light versus electrons to carry data. During the conversion process Optoelectronic switches are used to convert light signals received into electronic form, examine their network addressing, and then convert them back to optical signals.

This process, although reliable, still remains somewhat slow. More modern devices, called photonic switches, eliminate the conversion step, making them much faster.

Read Your Friendly Manual

February 03, 2010

To perform an Internet search on one's own name.

A business term that refers to the company that gains a powerful competitive edge by being the first company to establish itself in a particular industry segment. Allegedly, this gives them a "first-mover advantage" and the opportunity to dominate the market amongst the competition.

The name for a URL that's been shortened by a Web service so as to allow a user to post a link to a long URL in a condensed space.

The need for shortened URLs began with Twitter, who limits posts on their microblogging site to 140 characters. If you want to say something about a Web site and include the link, it will cost you precious character count. Since it doesn't take too many words to exceed the limit, the result has been a boom of free services that reduce URLs to around 15-20 characters or less.

For example, on the NetLingo Twitter account, instead of posting this (which is 162 characters and thus over the limit):
Today's business word of the day: Web 2.0 - read it & learn something new, you need to know it by now cuz Web 3.0 is next! http://www.netlingo.com/word/web-20.php

I can post this (which is 140 characters):
Today's business word of the day: Web 2.0 - read it & learn something new, you need to know it by now cuz Web 3.0 is next! http://ow.ly/dyAD

Essentially you copy-and-paste any URL into the search box on one of these free Web sites and it will instantaneously return you a very short URL you can then copy-and-paste anywhere. The short URL will take users to the same long URL you initially shortened.

For Your Eyes Only

February 04, 2010

People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms

The killing of a person's projected virtual persona in cyberspace. It may be part of a VR game or could be an act of vandalism. This term is also used to express frustration, as in, "Why is my Web site down again? It's cybercide, I tell you."

A list, maintained by the operating system, that specifies who gets permission to read or write files and directories and who gets permission to execute certain programs. It is up to the sysadmin to assign and control the levels of access. For example, a company may want to allow access to payroll records only to users within the human resources department.

Situations in which young execs and indie programmers strive to avoid at all costs, they are, in order of trepidation: middle manager, middle class, and middle-aged. Usually, one out of three is unavoidable; two out of three is cause for concern; three out of three indicates panic time and the beginning of a tipping point.

February 05, 2010

A computer logic board that plugs into the motherboard, it offers additional computer functions (such as enabling 3-D graphics enhancement and video capture).

When a user goes back and forth between various Web sites of the same genre.

Ducking And Running For Cover

The posture one takes when using a BlackBerry PDA.

February 06, 2010

A company that acts as the single point of contact between online customers and suppliers. Metamediaries are also referred to as middlemen or third-party providers. Basically, they are a netcentric companies that provide goods and services. They also dispense advice and information on an array of topics, to help users find what they want online. For example, through a metamediary, someone buying a house might have the impression that the purchase, mortgage, insurance, and maintenance functions are offered from a single organization, but actually the services are provided by a large range of unconnected companies. A function of the metamediary, then, is to electronically link the online services it has partnered with, in a way that makes sense to customers and meets their needs. The process is called "metamediation."

For The Record

The place you go while you're staring at a computer that's processing something very slowly (while you watch the gray progress bar creep across your screen). "I was in 'graybar land' for what seemed like hours, thanks to that CAD rendering."

Part of the appeal of Web 2.0 is to find other people who share similar interests, herin lies the meaning of "scrobbling." To "scrobble" a song means that when you listen to it, the name of the song is sent to a Web site (for example, Last.fm) and added to your music profile. Here's how it works: Once you've signed up and downloaded Last.fm, you can scrobble songs you listen to on your computer or iPod automatically. As a social network, once you start scrobbling yourself, you can see what artists you really listen to the most, view your listening habits on your profile page, and allow others to see your tastes in music. Companies (such as Last.fm) use this data to organize and recommend music to people, to create personalized radio stations, and to see what other users listened to the most.

February 07, 2010

A method of accessing e-mail or bulletin board messages that are kept on a mail server. IMAP permits a client e-mail program to access remote messages as if they were on a user's local machine. E-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, or a laptop computer on the road. With IMAP, there's no need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these computers, as is usually the case with the POP mail access protocol. IMAP was developed at Stanford University in 1986.

All My Best Wishes

see: PPC

This series of characters and letters is "a word" used by youths to fill time and space, a time waster. For example: "Hey, did you know Jake ;alskdjfed his whole paper?" "Nah, he was just wasting time, he just wanted to use up space so the teacher wouldn't notice he didn't do anything." "Wow, that was a good idea, I think I'll ;alskdjf my next paper in class!"

Often seen on social networking sites as: WTF!??/;alskdjf it is nothing more than an expression about wasting time. It's also become a pseudonym in forums and on social networking sites much in the same way Silas Rupert was once used.

February 08, 2010

Missing In Action

The name for the high-speed cell phone network at Cingular used to transmit not only voice and data, but also music, video clips and Web sites.

The practice of creating content for the express purpose of attracting links to increase one's search rankings. This practice is commonly used in an attempt to get on the homepage of Digg or Delicious or StumbleUpon. 

February 09, 2010

A software program that manages and maintains online ads for a Web site or an ad network. This term also refers to the actual server this program resides on. Ad server software is a prime example of an application that was developed solely to support a new business model that emerged from the technology of the Internet. This software tracks and reports Web site usage statistics (traffic), aggregates user information, pieces together bits of data from visitor profiles, and "serves" highly targeted ads. For example, programmers compile and extrapolate data based on a visitor's Web site usage (what you click on). Interest-specific ads can then target you when you visit the same Web site at a later time. In addition, this technology provides the ability to "rotate" online ads so that a user won't see the same ad banner on every revisit to a site.

The act of throwing someone or something out of a window. In 2004, Merriam-Webster's dictionary users named it as one of their favorite words of the year. "Whoever wrote that project proposal should be defenestrated."

A flash mob formed as a result of sharing information on Twitter.

February 10, 2010

The name for a Web page that has been abandoned but still remains online. The term alludes to the lead character of Annie, a comic strip and Broadway show about an orphaned girl.

Parent is no longer watching

A data mining technique that seeks to reveal undiscovered affinities and associations (such as, for example, between the purchase of canned fruit filling and pie shells). Specific tools used for affinity grouping include standard statistics, memory-based reasoning, link analysis, and special-purpose market basket analysis tools. 

A content management system (CMS) is a computer-based system that manages content in a collaborative environment. Examples are Web content management, digital asset management, digital records management and electronic content management.

In a CMS, data can be defined as almost anything - documents, movies, pictures, phone numbers, scientific data, etc. CMSs are frequently used for storing, controlling, revising, and publishing documents. The idea is to improve the ease of updating content and to manage work flow and procedures that allow for a large number of people to contribute to and share stored data (as in version control).

There are six main categories of CMS:

1. Enterprise CMS (ECMS)
2. Web CMS (WCMS)
3. Document management system (DMS)
4. Mobile content management system
5. Component content management system
6. Media content management system

February 11, 2010

The request for and delivery of a file (such as a Web page) on a server. Each element of a requested page (including graphics, multimedia, and the HTML file itself) is counted as an individual hit. So, if a Web page contains five graphics, then accessing that page will generate six hits. Hits were originally used to determine the amount of traffic a Web site received, but since businesses eventually needed to isolate the exact number of times a Web page was requested (in order to charge for ad banners), the method of counting hits was tossed aside. Instead, businesses count the actual HTML page requests. There was also a time when, in an effort to say that such-and-such Web site got more hits, programmers and designers were told to add as many elements as possible, to make the number of hits look higher. In actuality, all this trick did was slow down the download speed of the pages. "Hit," as a verb, can mean "press down," as in, "Hit any key."

A consumer electronics device that serves as a gateway between a television and the Internet (over a telephone line or a cable connection). In iTV networks, the STB receives encoded (and compressed) digital signals from the network and decodes (and decompresses) the signals, converting them into analog signals that are displayed on a TV. The STB also receives commands from the user (via a remote control) and transmits the commands back to the television network.

Are You Nuts?

The nickname for an older woman who has a relationship with a younger man. Whether it's dating a bunch of younger guys or marrying a younger man, the term cougar refers specifically to a sexy, independent woman and the cougar movement is considered a phenomenon of women's liberation. In general, the term is used with a negative stigma, but many people feel such women are inspiring.

Cougars are not considered the opposite of a trophy bride (see kitten), instead they like to pursue physical relationships with emotionally mature, intellectually stimulating, confident young men while they are at their sexual peak. In addition to Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, real-life celebrity cougars include: Barbra Streisand, Cher, Madonna, Demi Moore, Susan Sarandon, Katie Couric, Ellen Barkin, Jullian Moore, Geena Davis, Barbara Hershey, Lorraine Braco, Mira Sorvino, Bridget Monyhan, Cameron Diaz, Sandra Bullock, Sheryl Crow, Courtney Cox, Naomi Watts, Sadie Frost, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Kim Catrell. A so-called "strain of cougardom" is the "classic cougar" which is a much older woman with younger men. Celebrity examples of classic cougars include Linda Evans, Carol Burnett and Joan Collins.

February 12, 2010

An electronic version of a greeting card, it is a message sent to your e-mail address, usually by a friend or family member. In most cases, you must visit a Web site in order to see it.

Commonly referred to as "data integrity," this form of cryptography makes sure that the data you receive has not been modified since it was sent.

A phrase from the spinmakers that supposedly comforts the stock analysts: It refers to mistakes made that will somehow be turned into future breakthroughs. Its a nice way of saying someone screwed up and were trying to make the best of it.

February 13, 2010

A person who established a reputation in a Silicon Valley high-tech company but moved elsewhere and took a pay cut in order to have a more secure position and a shorter commute. This term is used derogatorily by those who remain in the Valley and say wash-outs are identified by their exaggerations of how much better it is where they are and how tough it is in the Valley. It also refers to the large number of dot-coms in Silicon Valley that failed.

Bursting With Laughter

February 14, 2010

By pressing "alt+tab" simultaneously on your keyboard (or Command-Tab on a Mac), you can hide the window that's on your screen and bring up one from behind it. This trick is used frequently by people in offices to hide the fact that they're surfing the Net instead of doing their work. You may hear, "I couldn't finish checking out that Flash site you told me about because my boss walked by and I had to alt-tab it."

Software that runs on a server.

Off The Top Of My Head

A movement which gives elancers and independent contractors an alternative to working at home or camping out in cafes. In co-working, a group of freelancers or other solo entrepreneurs shares one big office space with perks that they might not get at home, such as conference rooms espresso machines, and opportunities for socializing. Co-workers can either drop in or rent a dedicated area in spaces ranging from funky industrial lofts to sleeker sites with a more corporate ambiance.

February 15, 2010

When your computer or a network suddenly stops working, it has crashed. The result is generally a frozen keyboard, a frozen mouse, or a frozen screen (meaning that nothing moves or responds to input). In most cases, you have to reboot to get the thing started again (all the while hoping you saved the latest version of your work).

When someone registers a domain name, does not develop it into a Web site, but just sits on it (and keeps paying the annual fees), the domain is said to be "parked." Web hosting companies offer to "hold" specific domain names as a service to their customers. It is referred to as "parking" because once the hosting company registers the domain name with InterNIC, it must "park" it on a server until it is ready to be activated.

To move data from one database to another, or to move a Web site from one server to another.

Oh No You Didn't

February 16, 2010

The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address -just like a telephone number- which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address." But it is hard to remember everyone's IP address. The DNS makes it easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the arcane IP address. So instead of typing 66.201.69.207, you can type www.netlingo.com. It is a "mnemonic" device that makes addresses easier to remember. Translating the name into the IP address is called "resolving the domain name." The goal of the DNS is for any Internet user any place in the world to reach a specific Web site IP address by entering its domain name. Domain names are also used for reaching e-mail addresses and for other Internet applications. The DNS is a static, hierarchical name service that uses TCP/IP hosts and is housed on a number of servers on the Internet.

An expression that refers to a company's senior executive level: the CEO, CIO, CFO, COO, CTO, and so on.

For example, "In order to sell it, we're going to have to reach the C-level group."

A cross between "private" and "publication" in which information owners distribute products but retain controls on large-scale copyright infringement.

An example of this is Stephen King's honor-system serialization in which he asks each of his readers to snail mail him a one dollar bill each time they download one of his e-books.

Skiing In Powder

February 17, 2010

a.k.a. IPng (Internet Protocol next-generation)

An Internet Protocol (IP) designed as an evolutionary step from IPv4, it can be installed as a normal software upgrade in internet devices and is interoperable with the current IPv4. Its deployment strategy is designed to lack any dependencies.

Also known as IPng (pronounced "I-P next-generation"), IPv6 is designed to run well on high-performance networks while remaining efficient for low-bandwidth networks. In addition, it provides a platform for new Internet functionality that will eventually be required. It is intended to support Internet traffic for many years into the future by providing enhancements to the existing IP service.

As I Said Earlier

Another word for "nope", used in online chat, IM, e-mail, blogs, or newsgroup postings.

Click on "more info" below!

February 18, 2010

A physical location that houses supercomputers.

Seriously Impaired Imagination

Young, underemployed, computer literates who "sit" with rich kids, teaching them how to surf the Internet and create multimedia graphics.

A unit of ownership of a corporation. In the case of a public company, the stock is traded between investors on various exchanges.

Owners of common stock are typically entitled to vote on the selection of directors and other important events and in some cases receive dividends on their holdings. Investors who purchase common stock hope that the stock price will increase so the value of their investment will appreciate. Common stock offers no performance guarantees. Additionally, in the event that a corporation is liquidated, the claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock. 

February 19, 2010

A play on the term "dot-com," it refers to getting conned on an industry business deal or a fraudulent e-commerce Web site.

Prefix to denote one trillionth, as in picosecond.

An e-mail server intended to attract and trap spammers.

Short On Time, Must Go

February 20, 2010

A glove that has sensors on it. These sensors transmit coordinate information to a computer in order to track what the hand is doing. Most often used in gaming or within a virtual world.

A new spin on old slang: This nickname is for the quantum-computer engineers who manipulate the spin directions of atoms to represent 1s and 0s.

Not knowing what you don't know. "At least I have a clue about what I don't know, but my boss suffers from meta ignorance."

February 21, 2010

For Your Misinformation

Refers to a PowerPoint slide show. For example, "There were only fifteen slides in the deck, but her presentation lasted over an hour."

Waiting in limbo for some expected action to take place. Refers to the hourglass icon used in Microsoft Windows. "I was held up at the Post Office 'cause the clerk was stuck in hourglass mode."

This term refers to using computer code to place something, such as a video or song, on a Web site or blog. When something is "embedded" on a Web page, the user can watch the video or listen to the song without leaving the page.

February 22, 2010

A form of digital entertainment in which each level of a game concludes with a cliffhanger, to keep gamers "tuning in" (or coming back) for the next installment. Gaming companies let players download the first episode for free and then charge around $5 or $10 for subsequent downloads.

Slang for businesses, media outlets, and morality groups that make their living by capitalizing on common fears and anxieties. For example, AIDS, escalating crime, ecological degradation, porn on the Internet, and antisocial rap lyrics are some of the fears exploited by panic merchants.

First Come, First Served

February 23, 2010

The technical name for a discussion board, it is a section on some Web sites that displays messages posted by users. The phrase "interactive message board" is industry jargon used by Web developers to describe the technology that drives this kind of interactive feature.

Good Game All

February 24, 2010

A Web site that publishes dynamic and updated information on a consistent basis. This information, or content, can be in the form of news, entertainment, games, employment listings, dictionary terms, and so on. The term "provider" originated from online service providers (OSP), such as AOL, who provided updated news and information for a subscription charge. Most major content providers on the Internet, such as CNET, provide their service to users for free. Why do they do it for free, you may ask? Since the industry is so new, they are trying to grab market share.

A file that lets you filter Usenet postings to some extent, by excluding messages on certain topics or by excluding messages from certain people.

Think I Am In Love

Pomosexual (short for Post-Modern) is a term popularized by sex-positive activists and writers Carol Queen and Lawrence Shimel in their 1997 Anthology "Pomosexuals: Challenging Assumptions about Gender and Sexuality." People identified as pomosexuals are attempting to redefine, reassess, and protest current essentialist-bound labels surrounding sexual orientation.

In online slang, it also refers to people who claim to be bisexual because they think it's hip but would not have a sexual encounter with someone of the same sex. You may see this term in the chat rooms or newsgroups.

February 25, 2010

The first high-speed backbone, it is a WAN designed to serve as a platform for testing new technologies and protocols. It links several SCCs and NAPs (Super Computer Centers and Network Access Points) at high speeds (622 Mbps). It is expected to support data, voice, and video at 2.5 Gbps.

You're Running on Your Own Cookoo Clock

An investment strategy that finances the expansion of a company that is producing, shipping and increasing its sales volume. Later stage funds often provide the financing to help a company achieve critical mass in order to position itself for an IPO.

Later stage investing can have less risk than early stage financing because these companies have already established themselves in their market and generally have a management team in place. Later stage and [[Mezzanine  financing]] are often used interchangeably.

An interactive dating system which allows individuals (and couples and groups) to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet with the objective of developing a personal, romantic or sexual relationship. Online dating services generally provide unmoderated matchmaking forums over the Internet through the use of computers or mobile devices.

Historical perspective: According to a study by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and comScore Networks, U.S. residents spent $469.5 million on online dating and personals in 2004, and over $500 million in 2005, making it the largest segment of paid content on the Web other than online porn. At the end of November 2004, there were 844 lifestyle and dating sites, a 38 percent increase since the start of the year, according to Hitwise Inc. However, market is increasingly being dominated by several large commercial services, including Yahoo! Personals, Match.com, and eHarmony.

February 26, 2010

An HTTP server (or Web server) available from the NCSA for various versions of Unix. HTTPD was the first Web server.

A subordinate; a person who works beneath another and reports to someone higher up on the career ladder (his or her "overling").

Time to Go

Even though this expression is not an Internet-related phrase, it is widely used online in e-mail, chat, IM, blogs, or newsgroup postings. It means "my mistake."

February 27, 2010

Another word for turnover. For example, "It is said that about forty percent of U.S. job growth is in IT and that those in the industry change jobs on average every eighteen months, amounting to an increasingly high churn rate, compared with past decades." This term also means to produce something at a fast pace but with mediocre results, as in, "Some of those incubators thought that just by pooling office space and resources, they could churn out McStartups by the dozens. Boy, were they wrong."

In general a "smart home" refers to a house, apartment, or neighborhood that is equipped with some combination of a broadband connection, fiber-optic cables, and a wireless network. The network can ferry data and video signals around a home through phone and power lines and over radio frequencies, allowing the owner to check on it via the Internet (even from work or while out of town). Everything from the oven to the air conditioner to the security alarm can be controlled with a universal remote control device and a TV screen or PC monitor display. Using a menu on the display, the owner can set the room temperature or use a remote camera to see who is at the front door.

Other examples of smart home monitoring devices include the following: a wireless on/off power sensor to monitor the flow of electricity to critical machines and appliances; a temperature sensor installed to monitor anything from a child's room to a food storage container; an acoustic sensor that alerts you to sounds of breaking glass or alarms elsewhere in the house; a water sensor installed to avoid water damage from leaky pipes or broken hoses; and no smart home would be complete without a door and window sensor that notifies you of break-ins. Companies that provide smart-home installation say it is quick, affordable, scaleable, and not dependent on additional wiring (because it is either wireless (WAP) or can be implemented on existing wires, such as CAT5 or coaxial cable).

The notion of a "digital lifestyle" refers to the everyday habit of using digital music, video, and photos and moving it between computers, TVs, and handheld devices.

You Get What You Pay For

The name for the hash sign (#) added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged.

February 28, 2010

No longer just referring to college campuses, "campus" is now used by many large corporations to make their facilities sound less like workplaces and more like places where you can live.

An individual's personal homepage (as opposed to a commercial Web site). For example, sistergoldenhair.com is Erin's vanity page. Many Web developers have personal Web sites that generally include, among other things, their work experience and some personal facts.

Rest & Relaxation