Over the years I’ve been asked a lot by clients and colleagues alike ‘what’s one of those?’ So as more of you are referring to my blog (thank you) for snippets on what’s happening in the world of digital, or more aptly now, in a digital world, I thought it would be useful for you to have a point of reference for busting all the online jargon you ask me about.
So, welcome to my wiki. I will add to this as I go along and please feel free to send in anything you think should be on here…
Analytics is a method used to decide how a business might arrive at an optimal decision based on existing or historic data.
Android is the mobile operating system based on the Linux Kernel and is currently developed by Google.
Application Programming Interface (API) is an interface implemented by a software program which enables it to interact with other software.
A Banner, also known as Display Advertising, is a bite-size ad, normally containing a brand message delivered in a variety of formats found across web and mobile sites.
Binaural recording is a dual recording technique that enables creation of an immersive 3D stereo surround sensation for a listener.
A Blog (such as this) is a type of website or often part of a website, the word itself is portmanteau of the term ‘web log’. Most blogs are regularly updated by a user or group of users expressing opinions or commenting on the topic of the blog.
The Bounce Rate is the number of single page visits to a website over a period of time.
A Byte is the unit that digital storage or transformation of information is measured in, it comes in multiples thereof. The most commonly known are kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes, (it’s unlikely you’ll deal with anything larger than that if you’re reading this, only supreme techies will handle terrabytes through to yottabytes!)
Click Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of impressions that resulted in a click.
Content Management System (CMS) is a back-end computer application (by which I mean it’s hidden to the web user) used to generate, edit and manage pages and information on a website or web application.
Cross Platform is the ability of a program to run on more than one computer operating system, such as iOS, Android and Windows.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is all about using systems and databases to enable businesses to effectively manage their relationships with customers. This will cover aspects such as tracking enquiries, complaints, purchase history and contact details therefore allowing the business to build timely and relevant communications over a period of time.
A Cookie is a small text file on a user’s PC that identifies the user’s browser that can contain information such as login details, this allows a website to remember a user so they don’t have to repeatedly enter the same information.
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the cost incurred by an advertiser for a single click on an advert served within a PPC bidding system.
Cost Per Mille (CPM) or commonly translated as Cost per thousand is a cost associated with paid for media bidding systems for a thousand views served.
Display Advertising (see also above ‘Banner’) is the more widely recognised term to describe the bite-size ad, normally containing a brand message delivered in a variety of formats found across web and mobile sites.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a Neurometric (see below) technique that records direct and immediate electrical activity generated as a result of neurons firing.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a Neurometric (see below) technique that measures changes in oxygenated blood flow in the brain which is triggered by neuron activity.
Geofencing is a feature in a software program that uses the global positioning system (GPS) or radio frequency identification (RFID) to define geographical boundaries, also known as a virtual barrier.
Google is a multinational advertising and technology corporation best known for its search engine.
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a series of earth-orbiting satellites (24 in total) that continually transmit signals to determine the geographic position of a person.
Hardware is the collective name given to the physical aspects of technology e.g. a computer.
Hand Held Device Markup Language (HDML) is the language used to define content and applications for small handheld display screens.
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and is the predominant language used to create web pages.
HTML5 was later specially designed to deliver rich content without relying on plugins covering everything from; animation to graphics, music to movies, and can also be used to build complicated Web applications. It’s designed to work whether you are using a PC, tablet, smart-phone or smart TV, it is also Cross Platform.
An Impression is when a display ad is fetched from its source, and is countable towards an inventory. At this stage a click is not is not taken into account.
Internet Protocol (IP) address is the unique numerical identification reference behind a web address. It’s used for location addressing and file identification.
Internet of Things (IoT) also referred to as the Internet of Everything or simply just iEverything, is the network of physical objects such as; mobile phones, cars, wearables and homes that are embedded with electronics, sensors and software to allow connectivity and data exchange.
iOS is the mobile operating system created, developed and distributed exclusively for Apple hardware.
JGI is a term we digital marketeers use on the inside that stands for ‘Just Google It’. (There is also a more explicit version: JFGI, I reckon you’ll guess what the ‘F’ stands for).
LinkedIn is a business orientated social networking site. In the main it is used for recruitment, professional profiling and networking.
Millennials also known ‘Generation Y’ are the demographic born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s’ they follow ‘Generation X’ (early 60’s up to Gen Y).
Neuromarketing is a type of marketing research that studies consumers’ sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective response to marketing stimuli.
Neurometrics is the direct measure of the brain activity in rsponse to Neuromarketing and includes approaches such as Electroencephalography (EEG) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) (see above).
Omnichannel is the true continuity of a brand or content experience that extends beyond a single place and crosses through multiple channels.
An Open Rate, most commonly referred to with email marketing is the number of times an email has been opened or viewed by its recipient.
Operating System (OS) is software that manages computer hardware and software resources for computer programs.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform for development and management of web applications without having to build the infrastructure from scratch.
Pay Per Click (PPC) is the bidding system used in conjunction with search engines to appear in the top ‘sponsored links’ when an advertiser bids on a keyword relevant to a specific market. A cost is incorporated once a user clicks on the advert served in relation to the keyword they searched for.
Programmatic ad buying typically refers to the use of software to purchase digital advertising, as opposed to the traditional process that involves manual effort by humans. Simply put, it’s using machines to buy ads.
Protect IP Act (Pipa) is the senate version of Sopa. An act to support the protection of copyright on the web (see below).
A Proxy Server is a server that acts as an intermediary between clients and other servers, passing services, requests and files between the two, evaluating them on the way to ensure simplicity and control.
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a form of computer data storage, the more you have the faster your computer will work. RAM is measured in Bytes.
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a design approach that delivers scalable and adaptable navigation with minimum resizing, panning and scrolling that works across devices.
Return On Investment (ROI) sometimes called Rate of Return, is the ratio of money gained or lost against the original investment.
Search Engine is an engine used to search for information across the World Wide Web.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a technique used to improve volume or quality of traffic to a website through targeting what search terms people use when online and understanding how search engines work.
A Search Engine Results Page (SERP), is the list of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a search query entered.
Sell-Side Platform (SSP) is a technology platform that enables publishers of a display ad (or banner) to manage the impression inventory in order to maximise revenue. Also know as a Supply-Side Platform.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee is the man credited with inventing the World Wide Web.
SMMS Social Media Management System
Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) is a proposed US legislation that aims to protect copyright on the web. This piece has been driven largely by movie studios and record labels to clamp down on filesharing and copyright infringement online, adding extra support to the existing anti-piracy laws.
Software is the collective name given to programs that tell a computer what to do.
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a model where where the licensing and delivery if software in on a subscription based model and centrally hosted. Also sometimes referred to as ‘on-demand software’.
A Tag is a piece of code which can be embedded in electronic media e.g. display advertising or emails to ascertain the number of actions taken e.g. a click by a user.
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the identification given to particular resource, more commonly known as web address.
Unique refers to the total number of unique visitors to a given page.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) extends a private network across a public one, allowing you to access data as if it were directly connected.
A Web Server is a computer system that processes requests via HTTP to distribute information on the World Wide Web.
Windows (also known as Microsoft Windows) is a metafamily of operating systems created, developed and distributed by Microsoft. The family includes; Windows NT, Windows Embedded and Windows Phone.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main international standards organisation for the World Wide Web
A geeky blog about digital thinking, digital doing and technology 