Internet Word of the Day Archive

September 01, 2010

Recorded or synthesized words that have been spliced together to create an answer or directive as part of an interactive dialogue between a computer and a person. For example, concatenated speech will direct you through the voice mail when you call certain corporations or government agencies.

A combination of the words "text" and "architecture," this term refers to photographs or printed material that's screened onto concrete or glass panels.

Slang for coming out of online "lurking mode", usually motivated by an irresistible need to flame about something. For example, "I just had to delurk and add my two cents to that conversation about global warming."

Mail the Right Place for Help

September 02, 2010

In computer-speak, this term is used interchangeably with CPU. It is frequently described as the brain of a computer because the microprocessor controls the central processing of data in personal computers (PCs), servers, workstations, and other devices.

As I Mentioned Before

More or less a self-explanatory concept implemented by businesses for improving profits. This tactic begins with evaluating and assessing a given business process, then using the discovered "facts" to restructure the process to maximize profits.

First, there was P2P (Peer-to-Peer), the principle of which was embodied by Napster and instant messaging. Now the concept has expanded to include things such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones. It's called PP2P, which means "Personal Peer-to-Peer."

September 03, 2010

A Web site (or other type of project or program) in which all entries are made by Internet users.

Software that enables people (even those with no technical experience) to assemble text, image, audio, and video files into sophisticated electronic documents. It is an assembly tool for creating and viewing multimedia documents, similar to Acrobat. TK3 is available in an author version (which allows you to create e-books that use text, audio, and video) and a reader version (which allows you to view TK3 books). It provides user features, such as highlighters, sticky notes, hyperlinks to the Net, annotations, and the ability to search all text. TK3 documents can be distributed over the Internet or on fixed media like CD-ROMs, making it an extremely versatile tool. With TK3, you can make books, catalogs, electronic press kits, online documentation, academic papers and journals, multimedia art projects, and photo albums and distribute them through the Internet or on a CD-ROM, DVD, or Zip Disk.

Without

September 04, 2010

An open source Web browser designed for standards compliance, performance, and portability. It was the original version of the Netscape browser and now Firefox is Mozilla's next-generation Web browser. Some people claim that the name is a cross of Mosaic and Godzilla (as in, "the Mosaic killer"), since Mosaic was the number one Web browser at the time Netscape began developing its product.

Mozilla is still used by many Web developers, and it appears in server log files that identify users' browsers. Artist Dave Titus created the Mozilla mascot (a smiling dragon). It was used in Netscape's early years but has mostly been replaced by their nautical "N" icon (however, Mozilla the dragon still appears from time to time).

A method for identifying an electronic document, it is usually information placed in the code. see also: netary public, steganography

Feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction triggered by addictive substances that lack nutritional content. "I just spent six hours surfing the Web, and now I've got a bad case of Dorito Syndrome."

I Love My Job

September 05, 2010

Cyberfraud refers to any type of deliberate deception for unfair or unlawful gain that occurs online. The most common form is online credit card theft. Other common forms of monetary cyberfraud include nondelivery of paid products purchased through online auctions and nondelivery of merchandise or software bought online.

Cyberfraud also refers to data break-ins, identity theft, and cyberbullying, all of which are seriously damaging.

Here's an example a 20-year-old Facebook user posted: "I eyed this girl on campus for months before I finally got the nerve to talk to her. I created an excuse to ask her a question and then started chatting her up. I must have given off the vibe that I was interested because right away, she dropped the bomb that she had a boyfriend. Bummed but not discouraged, I got my computer-savvy friend to hack into her boyfriend's Facebook account and change his relationship status to 'single.' The girl must have freaked out because the next thing I heard, they'd gotten into a huge fight and broken things off. A few days later, I asked her about her boyfriend, totally playing it off like I had no idea they were through. When she told me what had happened, I offered to take her out for coffee to get her mind off the breakup. My plan worked, because after our little date, she came back to my dorm room and we hooked up." The moral: DBEYR.

To copy files from one device to another (for example, from a palmtop to a desktop computer), and vice versa, so that the files (such as a calendar or address book) update each other with any new information entered into either device. Synchronization also controls the way information gets delivered at specific times to mobile devices, to update information and to keep the devices "in synch" with each other.

Individuals can "synch up" their PDA to their laptop, for instance, or road warriors can get real-time access to corporate information via wireless, direct-dial, or desktop synchronization.

A collection of award icons, banners, webrings and ads that clutter the bottom or top of a Web page. Like a race car covered in ads, they blur and become meaningless.

To view the NASCAR effect on NetLingo, click on the link below!

September 06, 2010

A virus that erases data or interferes with a computer or network.

The modern phrase for a turning point in one's life.

Another name for a page on a Web site to which people are referred via links from other Web sites, especially from ad banners.

For example, when a company is in the middle of an online ad campaign, it may steer users to more than one landing page in order to test the effectiveness of each ad. Usually, a company will design one landing page per banner so the follow-up content matches the sell on the particular banner ad.

According to one expert, the Seven Deadly Sins of Landing Page Usability are:
1. Too much introductory text
2. Not showing what your site offers to users
3. Using gratuitous animation and graphics
4. Not showing users where they have been on your site
5. Not telling users what the site or company does
6. Using a heading to label a search area
7. Making a homepage link on the homepage
For a full copy of this article, view the PDF archive here.

Friends With Benefits

September 07, 2010

Similar to an evangelist, it is a person who "crusades for a cause," such as the acceptance of a new technology. For example, "As an Online Crusader at CNET, Erin's job was to advocate online advertising programs and interactive marketing campaigns before anyone really knew what they were."

The specific release of a software or hardware product, usually designated by a number. You may see a version number abbreviated as V2.0, for example, to indicate the second version. If you see V2.5, the software may be a beta version that's been released for testing prior to V3.0. There is a general consensus that programs aren't quite right until the third release.

Management jargon for punky artist types hired to add hip cachet to multimedia companies.

Please Don't Shout

September 08, 2010

The problems, errors, glitches, or anomalies identified during the pre-release phase of a commercial computer product. Beta bugs usually pertain to software (such as an operating system or Web server application), but this term is also used to refer to hardware.

A name for the many national franchise stores in American strip malls and on highway exits that, for the most part, all look alike and carry similar products. They are held largely responsible for the demise of the sole proprietorship.

A link on your Web site to someone else's site.

That's All, Folks

September 09, 2010

Scrolling is the act of moving the scroll bar in a program's active display window. The scroll bars on the right-hand side and bottom of the screen in most GUIs have a pair of arrows pointing up and down or left and right, respectively. You can click on the arrows to move the information in the screen in the desired direction. This allows a user to see beyond what appears in the initial screen of a Web page. The content that appears on the initial screen is above the fold and the content you see when you scroll down is below the fold. One thing you don't want to do as a Web designer is develop a Web site that requires users to scroll sideways in order to view the content, because scrolling sideways is a PITA.

An error occurring on the server due to an invalid request by a user's browser. Client errors are designated with server error codes in the 400 range.

An expression that refers to something which is still in preparation and not yet ready for development. It specifically refers to the set of stages and processes from the invention or design of a product to its ultimate use, production, or commercial sale.

For example, when Vinton Cerf joined Google as Chief Internet Evangelist he said "I haven't spent enough time at Google to know if any of the ideas I have are old hat or already in the pipeline."

September 10, 2010

Used in public key encryption systems (such as Pretty Good Privacy or PGP), it is a pair of keys that consists of both a public key and its corresponding private key. Data encrypted with someone's public key can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key, and vice versa.

A phrase sometimes seen in the bottom-right corner on certain versions of the IE browser, when it is taking you to the next Web page. It is there to imply that you are not yet at the Web site or that it is still downloading components of the Web page (usually graphics).

A business person who makes a living by making money out of information. Information traffickers consider themselves infopreneurs because many of them utilize the power of the World Wide Web to create web sites and blogs as their storefront.

However unlike infopreneurs, who generally repackage content in a novel way to meet the needs of their audience, information traffickers also repackage information but are often associated with "get rich quick schemes" or they are "out to make a quick buck."

The information trafficker will attempt to attract traffic to his/her site by manipulating the site to appear higher on organic search results. This is done by creating a site that is robust in content, and configuring meta tag keywords and descriptions. In order to quickly create such sites, "info traffickers" will mash together information by incorporating RSS feeds from more popular sites, and then money from Google Adsense ads, affiliate links, referrals and leads, and/or selling e-books that are related to the search parameters and keywords. Essentially, these traffickers "piggy-back" on already established information (indeed there are many such splogs that copy articles verbatim from Wikipedia).

Lead Pipe Cinch

September 11, 2010

A freelancer who is computer literate, plugged-in, and available to work for anyone, anywhere in the world. Elancers provide their services over the Net, without ever having to leave their home office.

In a general sense, "hosting" refers to "Web site hosting" which is the business of providing the equipment and services required to display Web sites. The business of hosting also involves maintaining files and providing fast Internet connections. If you run a Web site or do business on the Web, you have a host and you know the importance of having a good, reliable host. Hosting is very affordable nowadays; the most important factor continues to be good customer service, make sure they have it!

There are several kinds of hosting packages available, including:

German for "tar pit" this term refers to a server specifically designed to slow down spammers.

Sealed With A Lick Because A Kiss Won't Stick

September 12, 2010

One who is immersed in the new culture of the World Wide Web, which emphasizes the freedom of information and of access to that information, technology and its effect on the future of our culture, and individual freedom and the freedom of expression.

Yeah Yeah Sure Sure Whatever

A mobile satellite system that provides global wireless phone service.

A measurement of the size of a Web site's audience. Web ratings are similar to TV ratings in determining what content is the most popular. They're used by companies when buying online ads, by analysts when valuing Internet stocks, and by venture capitalists when making funding decisions.

September 13, 2010

The gray (or colored) bar at the top of each window which displays the program and file name.

When a consultant gets a client to pay for a trip so that he or she can visit another pet project that's not as well funded.

A play on the terms "blue-collar worker" and "white-collar worker" this is a designation for employees who survive a downsizing.

Analysts say mass layoffs, where companies dismiss more than 50 workers, are not about weeding out the bad employees, but about keeping the ones who can handle extra workloads. Any employee who can easily pick up the slack in a downsized organization greatly improves his or her chances of being retained during a reorganization. Any employee can become a "gold-collar worker" by taking advantage of training and continuing education opportunities. While human resource professionals are looking through the pool of readily available candidates with pink slips in hand, they are also courting the overburdened multitaskers who remain.

To Tell The Truth

September 14, 2010

A video system with a higher quality of color and clearer audio than existing TV standards. HDTVs have wider screens and twice the resolution. It needs as much as 19 Mbps of bandwidth to work. The images are digitized and compressed prior to transmission, and then decompressed at the receiver end. This new technology is commonly delivered via satellite and cable modems.

The computerized administration of electronic and paper-based documents. A document management system generally includes a scanner and an optical character recognition (OCR) program for converting paper documents into electronic form.

Wet My Pants Laughing

September 15, 2010

The field of computer science and engineering concerned with creating robots. Robotics is a branch of artificial intelligence.

The development of artificial intelligence and robots is now proceeding so rapidly according to robotics expert David Levy, author of Love + Sex With Robots, that in 2015, he claims people will be having sex with robots and by 2050, people will be having full-blown romantic relationships with them. "Soon it will be possible to produce anatomically correct mechanical partners that are sort of an upgrade to the sex dolls on sale now, complete with sound effects." It will take quite a bit longer for robotic science to progress to the point at which artificial intelligence is capable of holding conversations with humans and forming a reasonable facsimile of a romantic relationship, but Levy says it's inevitable. "You will find robots conversation partners that will talk to you and you will get as much pleasure from it as talking to another human." It may seem grotesque to fall in love with a robot, but Levy says that for people with psychological problems or physical deformities, it could be a huge consolation as there are millions of people in the world who have nobody. Film at 11.

A gaming term, it refers to a gamer rapidly rising through the levels of a multiplayer game by questionable means, for example, paying a service to play your character around the clock.

A particular and distinct section of content located on a Web site that is sponsored often by a single advertiser. Often the sponsored content will coincide with the subject matter as well as the target demographic of the Web site.

Pardon My Butting In

September 16, 2010

The standard for ensuring privacy and protection for conducting credit card transactions over the Internet. SET utilizes digital signatures so that the transaction can be completed securely and confidentially by the customer, the merchant, and the bank. The customer does not have to send a credit card number over the Net because that information is already verified through the digital signature. Even though it's been endorsed by Visa, Mastercard, Microsoft, and Netscape, SET requires complex software built into browsers and has therefore not been widely adopted in the online marketplace.

Paid In Full

In the online world, "transparency" refers to the act of being visible and openly communicative on the Internet. It is a metaphorical extension of the word "transparent" which implies an object is one that can be seen through.

Transparency, as used in a social networking context, implies openness, communication, and accountability.  Transparent procedures in business include open meetings, financial disclosure statements, freedom of information legislation, budgetary review, and audits.

Here's an example of its usage as seen in The Week by William Falk, "Have you ever sent a snarky e-mail you wouldn’t want published? Made a cutting comment, entre nous, about a colleague or boss or friend? Said or written or texted something that could, if known to the world, get you fired or shunned in polite company? For shame! You are not being transparent. Transparency, you see, has become the ultimate virtue of this digital age; only Luddites, still mired in the 20th century, cling to outmoded notions of privacy. Virtually every week now, some CEO, journalist, or minor celebrity is fired or humiliated because of an e-mail he or she assumed would be seen by one other person, or an off-hand remark that got tweeted. But as the digital media bites the hand that types into it, The New York Observer reports this week, a backlash against total transparency has begun.

When every person armed with a tiny keyboard is a reporter, the digerati are discovering, casual gatherings of friends turn into a minefield. Any bit of candor, any crude joke, any drunken cell phone photo from the bar may be tweeted or blogged or Facebooked to the world, and thus become part of your indelible Web profile. Even in casual conversations, hip young Manhattanites are acting like Supreme Court nominees, “watching what they say with unprecedented vigilance.’’ It makes me grateful to be a Luddite, with no Twitter feed documenting the thoughtless remarks that sometimes come out of my mouth, and no Facebook photo of that night in South Beach when I put an ice bucket over my head. So which will it be: total transparency, or rebellion? Rebel, I say! But please, don’t quote me."

September 17, 2010

A portable camera that records images in a machine-readable format. These cameras eliminate the expensive and time-consuming methods normally involved in creating computer-readable images, including film processing and image scanning.

It's "survival of the fittest" in the business world, and thousands of dot-com companies have failed in dot-com shakeouts. Considered a necessary part of any ecosystem, each shakeout rids the industry of bad business models, ineffective management, and overvaluation. So far, there have been three shakeouts: the first occurred in Silicon Alley during mid 1996; the second, the Nasdaq crash on April 14, 2000, was the worst ever and shook Silicon Valley to its core; the third shakeout lasted for about 4 years and was known as the "Internet backlash." Even though VC money still flowed regularly into the Internet industry, it took the Google IPO in 2004, and later Web 2.0, to get popular opinion thinking about investing in risky high-tech start-ups again.

Click on "more info" below to see The Top 10 Dot-com Flops.

Increasingly, it's how companies refer to their employees. Some Human Resource execs are even calling themselves Human Capital Managers and there's a magazine for them by that name. In some corners, human capital is also referred to as "blood supply" or "living assets."

The Truth Is Out There

September 18, 2010

Wireless communication technology that uses GSM spectrum, which enables data speeds of up to 384 Kbps. It is the name for the high-speed cell phone network at T-Mobile used to transmit not only voice and data, but also music, video clips and Web sites.

September 19, 2010

A term for "young, entrepreneurial, tech-based twenty-somethings" or "young, entrepreneurial technocrats." They represent the modern version of yuppies, "young, urban professionals."

A banking relationship which allows a business to accept credit cards. Existing businesses that already have an established merchant account with a bank and who want to sell their wares on the Internet need to make sure that the same merchant account is acceptable for Internet transactions. It is also important to find out the gateways over which the bank conducts its transactions.

Child safety software for the Internet. Net Nanny is intended for parents, guardians, and teachers who wish to stop children from accessing online porn and other undesirable material, while at the same time preventing the children's personal information-names, addresses, telephone numbers, and so on-from being circulated on the Net.

For more information about Net Nanny, click on the "more info" button below!

September 20, 2010

Slang for indoor pay-to-play kid parks, such as Discovery Zone, which now substitute for the mostly extinct public playgrounds that previous generations used for free.

Talk To The Hand The Face Ain't Listening

An acronym, it is actually text message shorthand used primarily in online marketing to describe the feeling of being overwhelmed by the challenges of keeping up with social media.

September 21, 2010

Primarily, these are areas on the Internet that cater to people's common interests. They are virtual in the sense that they exist in cyberspace and do not take up physical space. Communities are formed on Web sites, discussion groups, newsgroups, and even in chat rooms, and there are several popular gaming communities online. In general, communities communicate by using a discussion board or forum.

The Internet represents an extraordinary opportunity to converse with people all over the world; online communities provide a framework in which to exchange ideas and information, build relationships, and interact. People who often frequent a specific community are referred to as "members," and loyal members consider these communities part of their "corner of the Net" (meaning they stop in every time they get online to check on things). In the industry, online communities are considered one of the three big C's: content, commerce, and community. Businesses, especially dot-coms, try to create online communities of users and subscribers to attract more customers, build loyalty with their audience, and grow a database of contacts for marketing. Ultimately, the business model is either to sell these lists or to get a variety of sponsors to advertise to the community's special needs.

NetLingo's online community consists of those of you who either sign our guestbook, add your own words, bookmark us, come back to use NetLingo, tell your friends, link to us, buy our t-shirts, shop for books on our site, send us suggestions, or in some way interact with the Web site. We also consider those companies and Web sites who have recognized our efforts (and given us awards) as part of our online community too. We're glad to be part of it!

Alternative computerized trading systems that automatically route, match, and execute orders between buyers and sellers of stocks. Currently, they handle approximately 38 percent to 50 percent of Nasdaq trading.

A nickname for the large number of young professionals who are employed in the industry and sit in front of a computer all day.

It Could Be Worse, It Could Be Me

September 22, 2010

A list of frequently accessed Web sites. Usually, the names of the Web sites are coded as hypertext links so the user can just "click on" a name to go to a site. In all reality, that's how Yahoo! started, as one major hotlist ;-)

A development process based on the notion of taking something apart to see how it works and then putting it back together again. Reverse engineering often means decoding or analyzing a device or program with the intent of using its technology to create another product. Most software user agreements now prohibit unauthorized reverse engineering, making it a violation of intellectual property rights.

One of the most blatant examples of this is the IBM-compatible PC (see: IBM-PC). Somewhere along the line, someone reverse-engineered the chips in the first IBM-PC and created a working counterpart without infringing upon IBM's copyrights.

This term is also used as slang for an interrogation, as in, "She reverse-engineered him all day until he finally fessed up about the office party." Another example is "We have to reverse engineer their homepage to figure out what people want, not what the client thinks they should want."

September 23, 2010

Big Name Fan

Tech talk for "turning on" a computer system.

Slang for being inundated and exhausted trying to be on top of all your email 24/7 with your handheld mobile device.

September 24, 2010

A procedure that transforms data between plaintext and ciphertext; a crypto algorithm. Basically a "cipher" is any method of encrypting text to conceal its readability and meaning. Its origin is the Arabic "sifr," meaning empty or zero.

The term cipher is sometimes used as a synonym for ciphertext (which means "encrypted text"), but it actually describes the method of encryption rather than the result. "Plain text" is what you have before encryption, and "ciphertext" is the encrypted result.

In addition to its cryptographic meaning, "cipher" is a term also used for someone insignificant, or a stylized combination of letters, as in an elaborate monogram.

Pardon My Jumping In

Originally used in meteorology, it is an attempt to re-create a historical weather pattern with a computer simulation. The initial conditions of the actual storm are entered into the computer, and the results are then compared with what actually happened.

September 25, 2010

A set of mathematical rules that search engines use to rank the search results once a user has entered in a keyword (or keywords) when performing an online search. In other words, it is a method of ranking the Web site listings contained within its index.

To protect themselves from competitors (and to avoid telling Webmasters and SEO specialists how to take advantage of their technology so they do not spam the index) search engine companies generally do not divulge how their own algorithms work. As a result of this secrecy, enormous amounts of information have been written online in an attempt to figure out, for instance, Google's algorithms.

Slang for what game- and talk-show staffers call someone who freezes in front of the camera (like a deer caught in headlights).

September 26, 2010

The ability of one application to use data produced by another application. For example, many programs are able to import graphics in a variety of formats. The import feature is under the File menu in most programs; it will show you a list of programs that are recognized for importing data. In other applications, such as a database program, an import window may appear giving you the option to select the location of the document to be imported and to select from a list of file formats.

Unique Selling Proposition

Slang for "the system" which includes the government and the judicial system, it originally comes from politics where a "big tent" party was set up to attract people with diverse viewpoints. Now it refers to the overall "catch-all system" for example, "Did you see the blogosphere attack the big tent last night? The greenwash analysts are all over it."

September 27, 2010

Broadband radio service that enables a two-way transmission of voice, high-speed data, and video.

As Far As I Understand It

A cycle of vitriolic faxes exchanged between clients and lawyers, fighting lovers, et cetera. "Here's the latest round of battle faxes with my record company."

September 28, 2010

Write Back Soon

Any grouping of two things that are apparently inseparable, for whatever reason. "Bike messengers and tattoos: totally bi star!"

September 29, 2010

According to the Gregorian calendar, the new millennium actually began on January 1, 2001.

See How Much I Love You

A Uniform Resource Name (URN) functions like a person's name, while a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) resembles that person's street address. In other words, the URN defines an item's identity, while the URL provides a method for finding it.

Take the ISBN system for uniquely identifying books as an example of the use of typical URNs. The ISBN 0970639678 (urn:isbn:0-9706396-7-8) cites unambiguously a specific edition of NetLingo The Internet Dictionary. In order to gain access to this object and read the book, one would need its location: a URL address. A typical URL for this book on a Unix operating system might look like the file path file:///home/username/NetLingoBook.pdf, identifying the electronic book saved in a file on a local hard disk. Therefore URNs and URLs have complementary purposes.

September 30, 2010

A system that manages different kinds of documents, using computer programs and storage. An EDM system allows a company and its users to create a document or capture the hard copy of a file in electronic form. It can then store, edit, print, and process documents in audio, video, or text form. EDM also stands for Engineering Data Management which uses computers and electronic storage media to store data that relates to engineering applications.

Slang for a plugin that automatically takes you from one Web site to a competitor's Web site, without your consent.