| 56K Line |
A digital phone-line
connection, or leased line, capable of carrying 56,000 bits per second. At this speed, a
megabyte of data would take about 3 minutes to transfer, which is four times as fast as a
14,400 kbps modem. |
| Ad Click Rate |
Ad Clicks as a percentage of
Ad Views or, the number of clicks by end-users on an ad as a percentage of the number of
times that ad was downloaded by end-users. |
| Ad Clicks |
The number of
"clicks" by an end-user on an in-line ad (commonly referred to as a
"banner") within a certain period of time. |
| Ad Request |
The request of an
advertisement as a direct result of a visitor's action, as recorded by the advertisement
server software. |
| Ad Views |
The number of times an in-line
ad (commonly referred to as a "banner") was downloaded (and presumably seen) by
end-users within a specific period of time. The actual number of times the ad was seen by
end-users may be higher due to "caching". |
| Algorithms |
A programmed set of
mathematical formulas developed for a computer environment to perform a specific function. |
| Analog |
Analog is the transfer of data
and/or sound through waves (like radio or television waves) as opposed to digitized ones
and zeros. Computers cannot read analog information. A modem is needed to convert the
digitized computer information to analog information that can be sent through phone lines. |
| API |
|
| ASCII |
American Standard Code for
Information Interchange – The de facto worldwide standard for the code numbers used
by computers to represent all of the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers,
punctuation and other characters. There are 128 standard ASCII codes, each of which can be
represented by a seven-digit binary number from 0000000 through 1111111. |
| Average Time Per Page Request |
The elapsed time from the
first to the last page request that constitutes a visit, divided by the number of page
requests in that visit, minus one. |
| Backbone |
A high-speed line or series of
connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative, though, as
a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in
a large network. |
| Bandwidth |
The transmission capacity or
size of a connection. Bandwidth determines the bits-per-second that can be sent through a
digital connection. The higher the bandwidth, the more it is capable of transmitting and
receiving data. For example, Full page text - 16,000 bits; Full-motion full-screen video -
10,000,000 bits. A fast modem transfers 15,000 bits per second on average; therefore a
very high bandwidth is required to transfer video’s 10,000,000 bits. Recently, the
term bandwidth has evolved into something describing human capacity. |
| Baud |
Bits at Unit Density - The
"baud rate" of a modem refers to how many bits a modem can send or receive per
second. Technically "baud rate" measures the number of signals sent per second. |
| Bitmap Image |
A matrix of dots that form an
image. The image consists of a pattern of bits that are stored in the computer memory and
are used to generate an image on a computer display. GIF and JPEG images are two different
forms of bitmap images. |
| Bits |
A binary digit, either a 0 or
1. The smallest element of a computer program. In the U.S., 8 bits make up one byte.
Typically, transmission capacity is measured in bits (kilobits or megabits). |
| Boolean |
A descriptor for a specific
type of search of two or more words, connected by the operative words AND, OR, NOT, or any
combination, to more precisely define a search and minimize extraneous information. |
| BPS |
Bits per Second: A measurement
of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A 28.8 modem can move 28,800 bits per
second. |
| Broadband |
Broadband means that the
transmission lines of the network have high bandwidth and can transfer a relatively large
amount of information at once. Cable television is an example of a broadband network. |
| Browser |
A user-friendly software that
allows users to access information, which includes documents, graphics, sound, animation,
and video on The World Wide Web. Different browsers support different versions of the HTML
standard, sometimes causing illegible information to be displayed. Most browsers also
support other network protocols, such as FTP, gopher, and Usenet. Popular browsers include
Netscape, Mosaic, and the proprietary browsers of AOL, Prodigy, CompuServe, and The
Microsoft Network. |
| Bytes |
A set of bits that represent a
single character. Usually there are 8 bits in a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the
measurement is being made. For example, the letter A is represented digitally as 00000001,
where the zeros and one are each bits and as a set they forms one byte. . Memory and
storage capacity is usually measured in bytes (megabytes or gigabytes). |
| Caching |
Storing or buffering data in a
temporary location so that the information can be retrieved quickly by an application. On
the Internet, ISPs cache Web page data on their networks for use by their subscribers to
speed up access to commonly accessed Web content. |
| CD-ROM |
Compact Disk – Read Only
Memory: A computer CD-ROM is identical to an audio CD except that it contains multimedia
content instead of audio content. Up to 650 megabytes of text, images or video are placed
onto compact discs that can be machine-searched to quickly locate and retrieve any desired
information or images on demand. ROM is an acronym for "Read Only Memory" which
means that the recorded data cannot be erased or altered. This format is ideally suited
for storage/access of large reference information databases. |
| Click |
The
opportunity for a visitor to be transferred to a location by clicking on an advertisement,
as recorded by the server. |
| Click Rate |
Clicks divided by ad requests.
(see also click and ad request) |
| Client |
A software program used to
contact and obtain data from a server software program on another computer, often across a
great distance. Each client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of
server programs, and each server requires a specific kind of client. |
| Client-software |
A software program that is
used to contact another computer to obtain data. For example, the AOL disks that come in
the mail, magazine inserts, etc. are referred to as client software. |
| Common Carrier |
A private telephone company
such as AT&T, Sprint, or MCI that is government regulated and provides
telecommunications services for public use. |
| Cyberspace |
Term originated by author
William Gibson in his novel "Neuromancer", the word Cyberspace is currently used
to describe the whole range of information resources available through computer networks. |
| Data Compression |
Taking bits, ones and zeros,
and applying computeresque shorthand to eliminate wasted space. Compressed data takes less
disk space and less time to transmit. The downside is that the data has to be efficiently
"expanded" at the receiving end. |
| Digital |
The representation of data,
image, and sound information as ones and zeros. When digital information has to be
transferred from a computer through the phone lines, a modem is used to convert the
digitized information to analog information. |
| Digital Certificates |
An encoded document that
verifies the connection between a server’s public key (known to anyone) and the
server’s identification. This verification process is similar to that provided by a
driver’s license, which verifies the connection between the photograph and the
personal identification. Cryptographic checks, including a digital signature, ensure that
the information within the certificate can be trusted. |
| DLL |
Dynamic Link Library: A set of
routines used by Windows software packages as standard functions available for use by
other software packages. These functions are loaded when the programs are run. |
| Domain Name |
The unique name that
identifies an Internet site, such as "microsoft.com". A domain name always has
two or more parts, separated by periods. The part to the left of the period is the most
specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more
than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one machine. Usually, all of
the machines on a particular network will use the same phrase as the right-hand portion of
their domain names: i.e., gateway.gbnetwork.com, mail.gbnetwork.com, or www.gbnetwork.com. It is also possible for a domain
name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine. This is often done so that a
group or business can have an Internet e-mail address without having to establish a real
Internet site. In these cases, some real Internet machine must handle the mail on behalf
of the listed domain name. |
| Download |
The transfer of a file from a
server computer to a client computer. Alternatively, sending a file from one’s own
computer to any other computer (peer-to-peer transfer, not involving a server). Upload is
the transfer of a file in the opposite direction. |
| Dynamic |
The ability to visibly reflect
a change in material on the computer screen. |
| EDI |
Electronic Data Interchange:
Computer-to-computer exchange of structured transactional information between autonomous
computers. |
| Electronic Commerce (EC) |
Business environment
integrating electronic transfer and automated business systems (end-user computing and
computer-to-computer capabilities). |
| E-mail |
Electronic Mail: Messages,
usually text, sent from one person to another via computer. E-mail can also be sent
automatically to a large number of addresses. |
| Encryption |
Making a file unreadable by
everyone not in possession of a special key, with which an encrypted file can be
appropriately deciphered. |
| Ethernet |
A very common method of
networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about 10,000,000 bits per second and
can be used with almost any kind of computer. |
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked Questions:
FAQs are documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject.
There are hundreds of FAQs available on the Internet on subjects as diverse as pet
grooming and cryptography. People who grew tired of answering the same questions
repeatedly usually write FAQs. |
| Firewall |
A special computer that has
been designed to serve as the first line of defense against hackers who are trying to
access a network. The firewall is placed between the Internet connection and the network
the firewall protects. |
| Flame, flaming, flame war |
An occasional feature of the
Usenet newsgroups, a flame is an e-mail message, usually a response to someone else’s
post that takes a strongly personal and sarcastic, cynical, or angry tone. Often initiates
a back-and-forth "flame war" that eventually dies down. |
| Forms |
The capability in many
browser/navigator software packages to accept input in text-entry fields displayed on the
user’s screen. Customized forms can be developed easily to request information for
company data, including time cards, expense reports, personnel records, and other such
corporate information. |
| Freeware |
Free downloadable software
that the author retains the copyright for. The material is non-commercial and is often
produced by hobbyist programmers. |
| FTP |
File Transfer Protocol: An
Internet utility program to obtain files from another system or to move files between
systems. These files may contain information or software programs. |
| Full-Motion Video |
This is what is commonly seen
on TV. Full-motion video runs at 30 frames per second (fps), versus 15 fps which is the
average for teleconferencing or on some older CDs. |
| Gateway |
The technical meaning is a
hardware or software set-up that translates between two dissimilar protocols: for example,
Prodigy has a gateway that translates between its internal, proprietary e-mail format and
the Internet’s e-mail format. Another, sloppier meaning of gateway is to describe any
mechanism for providing access to another system, e.g., AOL could be called a gateway to
the Internet. |
| GIF |
Graphics Interchange Format:
GIF files are a popular compressed graphics file format developed by CompuServe. GIF files
allow the same graphic image to be seen on a variety of different computer systems. GIF
files are limited to storing images that are at maximum 256 colors. |
| Gopher |
A type of Internet service
first popularized around 1991 and currently being obsolesced by The World Wide Web. Gopher
presents a menuing interface similar to a tree or graph of links. The links can be to
documents, runnable programs, or other gopher menus far across the net. |
| Hacker |
A computer enthusiast who
possesses considerable computer knowledge and expertise in networking, and who applies
this knowledge to illegally explore private and/or confidential computer networks. |
| Helper Application |
A program launched by a
browser to view a particular type of data. |
| Hit |
An entry in the log file of a
Web server. A hit is generated by every request made to a Web server. It has no
predictable relation to users, visitors, or pages. |
| Hit (Web site) |
Web-speak for a successful
access to a file on a Web page. Often used to attempt to compare popularity in the context
of getting so many "hits" during a given period. A "Newbie" mistake is
equating hits with visits. A single visit usually is recorded as several hits, because
each file accessed is recorded as a hit. |
| Hits |
The number of calls to the
server. If a single page has 7 http files and is accessed by 2 users, then the hits would
total 14. If 1 person accessed that same page twice, then the number of hits would still
total 14. |
| Home page |
The first HTML (hypertext
markup language) page users generally see on a World Wide Web site. The home page
represents the image that a company or individual chooses to project to users on the
Internet. Most home pages are structured to also provide links to relevant documents or
information at other locations on the Internet. |
| Host |
Any computer on a network with
full two-way access to other computers on the Internet and/or contains services available
to other computers on the network. For example, many universities store relevant
information about the school on the host system, if a potential student is interested
he/she can access the host system and gather the desired information. It is common to have
one host machine that provides several services, such as the Web and Usenet. |
| Hot Java |
A new generation of browser
technology developed by Sun Microsystems which allows users to observe and interact with
Java programs. |
| HTML |
Hypertext Markup Language: A
language used to write code for the World Wide Web. "Hypertext" refers to the
words in the document that are linked to another file on the Internet, so that when
clicked on the user can effortlessly "jump" from one web site to another. |
| HTTP |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol:
An Internet computer communication encoding standard for the exchange of multimedia
documents on the Web. |
| HTTP linked object |
A clickable object (text,
picture, or both) that provides a path between documents, directing the browser to a new
URL. |
| Hyperlink |
The path between two
documents, which allows the user to point-and-click on specific words on the screen and
thereby move to the requested location, wherever it is on the Internet. |
| Hypertext |
Generally, any text that
contains "links" to other documents – words or phrases in the document that
can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed. |
| Image map |
A single clickable image where
a variety of navigational options exist and can be accessed. This is in addition to or as
an alternate to a straight text based menu. For example, if an image of a building exists,
individual windows could be clicked on to access a document in the interior room. |
| Impressions |
The opportunity to view an
advertisement. No guarantee is made that the ad was actually seen by the user |
| Information Providers |
An entity that allows its
information to reside on an online service. For example, the New York Times content is
present on America Online. The NYT is an information provider for AOL. |
| Information Superhighway |
A buzzword used to describe
the massive amounts of information available through technological services such as ITV,
the Internet and online services. |
| Interactive |
According to Webster’s
dictionary Interactive is mutually or reciprocally active or relating to a two-way
electronic communication system (as a telephone, cable television, or computer) that
involves a user’s orders (as for information or merchandise) or responses. |
| Internet |
A loose confederation of
networks filled with information from around the world. The networks that make up the
Internet (which includes The World Wide Web) are connected through several backbone
networks. The Internet grew out of the U.S. Government Security project, and is
specifically designed to have no central governing authority. |
| internet (lower-case
"I") |
Any time you connect two or
more networks together, you have an internet. |
| InterNIC |
A collaborative project of
three organizations to offer the Internet community a full scope of network information
services, such as providing information about accessing and using the Internet, assistance
in locating resources on the network, and registering network components for Internet
connectivity. The InterNIC’s goal is to make networking and networked information
more accessible to researchers, educators, and the public. The InterNIC name signifies the
cooperation between Network Information Centers or NICs. For general information about the
InterNIC, send e-mail to info@internic.net. |
| IP Address |
Internet Protocol Address: The
numeric address that is translated into a domain name by the Domain Name Server. |
| IP Number |
Sometimes called a
"dotted quad". A unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots, e.g.,
165.113.245.2. Every machine on the Internet has a unique IP number – if it
doesn’t, then it’s not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or
more domain names, which are easier to remember. |
| IRC |
Internet Relay Chat:
Basically, IRC is a huge multi-user live chat facility. There are a number of major IRC
servers around the world linked to each other. Anyone can create a "channel" and
anything that anyone types in a given channel is seen by all others in that channel.
Private channels can (and are) created for multi-person "conference calls". |
| ISDN |
Integrated Services Digital
Network: ISDN is an upgraded telephone service that has the capability of providing voice
conversation, faxes and computer data over one telephone line, all at the same time. An
ISDN line offers faster data transmission and the elimination of modems. Credit card
validation takes seconds rather than minutes; ISDN facsimile machines produce a page in
three seconds instead of three minutes. A more sophisticated use: Using the phone line, PC
users can share screens while talking. Text or image changes on one screen appear
instantly on the other screen. |
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider: A
business that allows companies and individuals to connect to the Internet by providing the
interface to the Internet backbone. |
| Java |
A new, object-oriented
programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that allows Web pages viewed with
Java-enabled Web browsers to display applets, which are small programs that can create
sound and graphical animations, among other uses. |
| JPEG |
Joint Photographic Experts
Group: JPEG was designed as a standard way of compressing photographic images that contain
millions of colors. The problems with JPEG’s are that not all browsers are capable of
displaying the JPEG image and the JPEG can take a long time to decompress on the screen. |
| Kbps |
Kilobits per Second:
Approximately 1,000 bits per second. An abbreviation for a unit of measure used for
gauging the transmission of digital data from one point to another, typically but not
necessarily across telephonic networks. Local-area networks (LANs) usually are measured in
megabits per second (approximately one million bits per second). |
| LAN |
Local Area Network: A computer
network limited to an immediate area, usually one building or one floor of a single
building. |
| Leased lines |
A permanent physical
connection between two locations that forms a private wide-area network (WAN) or links a
single computer or a network of computers to packet-switching networks like the Internet.
They are called leased lines because they are rented from a telephone company. |
| Link |
A graphic image, line of text,
or a combination of both displayed on a Web site that can be "clicked on" to
navigate to other pages within that web site or other web sites entirely. |
| Listserv |
The most common kind of
Internet mailing list. Listservs originated on BITNET. |
| Log File |
A file that keeps track of
network connections. |
| Login |
Noun or a verb. Noun: The
account name used to gain access to a computer system. Not a secret (contrast with
"password"). Verb: The act of entering into a computer system; e.g., "Login
to the WELL and go the GBN conference." |
| Lycos |
A Web search engine developed
by Carnegie Mellon University. It allows one to search for a document by title, content,
links, headings, and keywords. Lycos is a system composed of a "robot" that
scours the Web in search of new information, which it then catalogs, indexes and stores. |
| Mail list (or mailing list) |
A (usually automated) system
that allows people to send e-mail to one address, whereupon their message is copied and
sent to all other subscribers to the mailing list. In this way, people who have many
different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions together. |
| Megabyte |
A million bytes. A thousand
kilobytes. |
| MIME |
Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extensions: The public domain multimedia standard for Internet SMTP e-mail systems.
Graphics, audio clips, or video can be sent along with an e-mail message by using MIME
attachments. |
| Modem |
The term modem is derived from
Modulator, Demodulator. It is a device that connects to the computer and to a phone line,
and frequently now comes pre-installed in the computer. The function of a modem is to
alter data from digital to analog and vice versa so that the digital information residing
on a computer may be converted and transferred through the phone lines. Modems run at
different baud rates and it is at this speed that data travels. Currently, the most common
modem speeds are 9600 and 14.4. However, other speeds such as 2400 and 28.8 also exist. |
| Mosaic |
Mosaic is the brand name of
the first WWW browser that was available for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX, all with the
same interface. "Mosaic" set the industry standards and started the popularity
of the World Wide Web. Mosaic licensed out its source code and since then several other
browsers have been developed using the Mosaic infrastructure. In 1994 Mosaic was the most
popular browser but it has since been passed by Netscape which now retains approximately
75% of market share. |
| MPEG |
Motion Picture Experts Group:
A proposed international standards organization (ISO) standard for digital video and audio
compression for moving images. MPEG-1 was defined with CD-ROM as the primary application.
The MPEG-2 concept is similar to MPEG-1 but includes extensions to cover a wider range of
applications. The primary application targeted during the MPEG-2 definition process was
the all-digital transmission of broadcast-quality video. |
| National vs. International |
Traffic summarized by the
physical location of the visitor or ISP, aggregated by country. National shall be the
country of origin and International will be all other. The country of origin shall always
be noted. |
| Netiquette |
Short for "Net
Etiquette" or the traditional way of doing things on the Internet. For example,
sending an e-mail message in all caps is considered rude, as it’s the textual
equivalent of shouting. |
| Netscape |
A popular client software
application, commonly known as a browser, that is used for viewing World Wide Web pages. |
| Network |
Any time you connect two or
more computers together so that they can share resources you have a computer network. Many
companies set up networks so those employees can share files and resources. Some networks
are more comprehensive and therefore have more value-added service. |
| Newbie |
A newcomer to the Internet,
particularly someone who, through ignorance or indifference, violates the traditional
rules of Internet etiquette, or "Netiquette". |
| Newsgroups |
The name for discussion groups
on Usenet. |
| Node |
Any single computer connected
to a network. |
| Node (local) |
Any device that is connected
to a network. For example, a telephone that is dialed by a computer user to log into an
online service or the internet. |
| Online Services |
A for-profit computer service,
accessible via a dialup access, that makes files, news, discussion groups, and/or product
information available to computer users. The three largest online services include AOL,
Prodigy, CompuServe, and many others exist. |
| Operating System |
A computer-system-specific set
of programs that interoperates with the computer system to control resources and to
process those resources. Examples of operating systems are DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95,
Windows NT, UNIX, MacOS (System 7.5) and OS/2. |
| Packet Switching |
The method used to move data
around on the Internet. In packet switching, all the data coming out of a machine are
broken into chunks; each chunk has the address for where it came from and where it is
going. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to co-mingle on the same
lines and be sorted and directed to different routes by special machines along the way.
This way, many people can use the same lines concurrently. |
| Page |
An HTML document which may
contain text, images, and other in-line elements. It may be static or dynamically
generated. It may be a stand-alone HTML document, or one that is contained within a frame. |
| Page Request |
The opportunity for an HTML
document to appear in a browser window as a direct result of a visitor's interaction with
a Web site. |
| PCS - Personal Communication
Services |
The next generation of
cellular telephone technology. Designed specifically as a response to cellular’s two
weaknesses, low capacity and high cost, PCS is intended to be the first mass-market
wireless phone system. Sound quality or clarity will be much improved over current
cellular phones. |
| PDA - Personal Digital
Assistant |
Hand held computing devices
that perform tasks like keeping schedules. More sophisticated PDAs are expected to be able
to communicate and retrieve from the information superhighways. PDAs may combine cellular
communications, fax and pagers. Apple’s Newton is a portable PDA and offers
mini-office capabilities that fit in the palm of your hand. |
| Pentium |
Intel 586 computer. The
current high-end CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is IBM compatible. |
| PERL |
Practical Extraction and
Report Language: PERL is a compiled scripting language freely available for UNIX, MVS,
VMS, DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, Amiga, and other operating systems. PERLl has powerful
text-manipulation functions and it eclectically combines features and purposes of many
command languages. PERLl is optimized for scanning arbitrary text files, extracting
information from those text files, and printing reports based on that information.
It’s also a good language for many system management tasks. |
| Platform |
The type of computer or
operating system on which a software application runs. For example, some common platforms
are PC, Macintosh, Unix, and NeXT. |
| POP |
Points of Presence: A term
used by Internet service providers to indicate the number or geographical locations of
their access to the Internet. |
| POTS |
Plain Old Telephone Service:
This term exists to distinguish between what we have now, and what we will have. POTS is
the type of analog telephone service most people currently have installed in their homes. |
| PPP |
Point to Point Protocol: This
is best known as protocol that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a
modem to make a TCP/IP connection, and thus be really and truly on the Internet. PPP is
gradually replacing SLIP for this purpose. |
| Protocol |
A common language between
computers over a network, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), used by the Web, or
file transfer protocol (ftp), a quick software method of sending or receiving files over
the Internet. Another example is Internet public key cryptography, a security scheme in
which a different key is used for encryption and decryption. Key-1 is the public key; that
is, everyone knows it. Key-2 is private, so that only the recipient knows it. In this
scheme, it is computationally impossible to derive key-2 from key-1. |
| Proxy Server |
A technique used to cache
information on a Web server and act as an intermediary between a Web client and that Web
server. It basically holds the most commonly and recently used content from the World Wide
Web for users in order to provide quicker access and to increase server security. This is
common for an ISP especially if they have a slow link to the Internet. |
| QTVR |
QuickTime Virtual Reality: A
recent multimedia standard developed by Apple Computer that "stitches" together
pictures to give a 360-degree vantagepoint onscreen. |
| Qualified Hits |
Hits to a Web server that
delivers information to a user. Qualified hits exclude error messages (i.e., "URL Not
Found" or "Permission Denied"), redirects, and requests by computer
programs (as opposed to end-users). |
| RAM |
Random Access Memory: A
specific type of memory in which each element can be individually addressed and accessed
with the same speed as any other element. RAM is the predominate type of memory in the
main memory of a computer. One of the earliest forms of RAM was called "core",
because it consisted of directly addressed cores of ferromagnetic material, each of which
represented one bit. A faster, more recent form of RAM is dynamic RAM (or DRAM). |
| RBOC |
Regional Bell Operating
Company: In 1981-2, AT&T was split into seven regional holding companies and a long
distance company, still called AT&T. These seven regional splits were based on
population in order to facilitate a fair corporate breakdown. The RBOCs (ree-bocs or
are-bocs) are NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, US West and
Pactel. |
| Real-Time |
Not delayed; occurring as fast
in the computer as the corresponding process would occur if the computer wasn’t
involved. Currently technology is at a point were real-time chat is possible. Two users
can have a conversation vis-a-vis their computers with almost no delay time. |
| Referral Link |
The referring page, or
referral link, is a place from which the visitor clicked to get to the current page. In
other words, since a hyperlink connects one URL to another, in clicking on a link the
browser moves from the referring URL to the destination URL. |
| Regionality |
A measure of server requests
aggregated by the visitor or ISP's location. Much like "National vs.
International" only with narrower classifications. |
| Return Visits |
The average number of times a
visitor returns to a site over a period of time. |
| Router |
A special-purpose computer (or
software package) that handles the connection between two or more networks. Routers spend
all their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them
and deciding which route to send them on. |
| Server |
Any computer that allows other
computers to connect to it. Most commonly, servers are dedicated machines. Most machines
using UNIX are servers. Technically, peer-to-peer network nodes are also examples of
servers (such as Microsoft’s Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95 or Apple’s
System 7 File Sharing). |
| Shareware |
Most commonly located on the
Internet, shareware is a "try before you buy" method of marketing software. The
software is copyrighted and the tester is expected to pay for it if they continue to use
it. |
| Sitemaster |
A designation for the person
with overall responsibility for a Web site. This definition often is applied to the
Webmaster, an individual whose primary responsibility is for the technical aspects of a
Web site. But the sitemaster must also deal with content, corporate image, legal issues,
and communication methodologies. |
| SMTP |
Simple Mail Transport [or
Transfer] Protocol: The Internet standard protocol for the exchange of e-mail messages. |
| SSL |
Secure Sockets Layer: Netscape
Communications’ implementation of secure information transmission through the
Internet. |
| T-1 |
A leased-line connection
capable of carrying data at 1,544,000 bits-per-second. At maximum theoretical capacity, a
T-1 could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. That is still not fast enough for
full-screen (10,000,000 bits) or full-motion video. |
| T-3 |
A leased-line connection
capable of carrying data at 45,000,000 bps – more than enough to do full-screen,
full-motion video. |
| TCP/IP |
Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol: This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet.
Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for
every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer
must have TCP/IP software. |
| Tera, Giga, Mega, K or Kilo |
Often preceding the word bytes
or bits. Kilo or just "K" means thousand, mega means millions, giga means
billion and tera means trillion. These measurements are then used to describe a file size. |
| Thread |
An ongoing conversation on a
particular subject in a newsgroup. The initial message and its responses are usually
linked by the user’s software, so that the thread can be followed more easily. |
| Time |
The elapsed time from the
first to the last request that constitutes a visit, and adding the average time per page
for such visit |
| Twisted Pair |
Otherwise known as a
"Copper Pair", the two wires that go into almost every home for phone service.
The same two wires that have gone into homes for decades. Through the use of modern
technology, they can actually carry relatively large amounts of data, though we seem to be
reaching the limit. Phone companies are testing Video On Demand (VOD) services over their
existing network of twisted pair wires. |
| Unique Cookie |
Where a web server stores a
small piece of information with a browser which uniquely identifies that browser. While
cookies only identify unique computers - as opposed to individuals - the inactivity
constrain on the calculation of visits, i.e. 30 minutes, should make it relatively safe to
use cookies to determine the page requests associated with one. One caveat is caching:
reportedly, some online services are caching the cookies, thus requesting pages for
multiple visitors. Another occurs when you count visits just by cookies; you will end up
with a batch of pages for visitors without cookies. You must use one of the other methods
to estimate the numbers of visitors that created this batch of requests. |
| Unique IP Addresses |
A collection of HTTP requests
from an IP address grouped together to form a visit. The process of grouping requests to
form visits from IP addresses associated with a visitor yields information that guides the
grouping of requests to form visits from IP addresses associated with multiple users (e.g.
proxies). Visits shall NOT be calculated by assuming that all page requests from one IP
were shown to one individual, unless such IP has been identified as not serving more than
one visitor, i.e., not being a gateway or proxy machine. If such a technique is employed,
the site should explain its methodology. (see also IP Address) |
| Unique Registration |
Where unique individuals who
visit a site identify themselves. This requires the user to take some action, usually
completing a survey on the first visit, and then entering a password on subsequent visits.
Sites that register visits should have no problem determining the page requests that
belong to the same visitor. |
| Unique URL Tagging |
The process of embedding
Unique Identifiers into URLs contained in HTML content. These identifiers are identified
by web servers on subsequent browser requests. Identifying visitors through information in
the URLs should also allow for an acceptable calculation of visits, if caching is avoided.
|
| Unique Users |
The number of unique
individuals who visit a site within a specific period of time. With today’s
technology, this number can be calculated with some form of user registration or
identification. |
| UNIX |
An operating system developed
by AT&T that is widely used by universities. UNIX is designed to be used by many
people at the same time. UNIX uses TCP/IP as its standard communications protocol, making
UNIX a natural access operating system for the Internet. |
| Unresolved IP addresses |
Those IP addresses that do not
identify their 1st or 2nd level domain. Unresolved IP addresses shall be aggregated and
reported as such and not be placed in any other section other than their own. |
| Upload |
To transfer a file from your
computer to another computer by means of a modem and a telephone line. If AOL were running
a pet of the month contest, users would upload a file to AOL containing a picture of their
pet. |
| URL |
Uniform [or Universal]
resource locator: The URL provides information on the protocol, the system, and the file
name, so that the user’s system can find a particular document on the Internet. An
example of a URL is http://www.sholink.com/, which
indicates that "hypertext transfer protocol" is the protocol and that the
information is located on a system named www.sholink.com,
which is Sholink Corporation’s Web server. This example does not need a particular
file name, since the Web server is set up to point to the company’s home page if no
file name is used. |
| Usenet |
A worldwide system of
discussion groups, with comments passed among hundreds of thousands of machines. Not all
Usenet machines are on the Internet, maybe half. Usenet is completely decentralized, with
over 10,000 discussion areas, which are called newsgroups. |
| Video Dialtone |
Shorthand for talking about
phone companies offering video services. It comes from FCC regulations on phone company
tests of delivery of the video equivalent of their current service. |
| Video Server |
A video server is a decked out
computer that is specifically designed to supply users with video. They usually come with
huge disk drives and vast amounts of memory as well as the ability to transmit large
amounts of data in a short period of time. |
| Visit |
A sequence of hits made by one
user at a site. If such user make no requests from that site during a predetermined (and
discretionary) period of time, the user’s next hit would constitute the beginning of
a new visit. While the optimal time-out interval is different for each site, I/PRO
currently uses 30 minutes for all sites for purposes of comparability. |
| Visit |
A series of page requests by a
visitor without 30 consecutive minutes of inactivity. |
| VOD - Video On Demand |
(Applies to Interactive TV)
VOD means video programs when we want them. NVOD is Near Video On Demand and often means
that the cable system has enough channels to give you some ability to pick the time and
video you want watch. |
| VRML |
Virtual Reality Modeling
Language: A three-dimensional interactive Web standard pronounced vermul. |
| WAN |
Wide Area Network: Any
internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus. |
| Web page |
An HTML document on the Web,
usually one of many that together make up a Web site. |
| Web server |
A system capable of continuous
access to the Internet (or an internal network) through retrieving and displaying
documents via hypertext transfer protocol (http). Files can be audio clips, video,
graphics, or text. |
| Web site |
The virtual location for an
organization’s presence on the World Wide Web, usually made up of several Web pages
and a single home page designated by a unique URL. |
| Web site |
A location on the Internet or
World Wide Web. The term Web site refers to the all-encompassing body of information as a
whole, for a particular domain name. A location made up of Web pages. |
| Webmaster |
Generally accepted term for
the person responsible for a Web site. |
| World Wide Web |
An internet service that links
documents by providing hypertext links from server to server. It allows a user to jump
from document to related document no matter where it is stored on the Internet. The World
Wide Web client programs such as Mosaic and Netscape allow users to "browse" the
Web. |
| World Wide Web |
The mechanism developed by Tim
Berners-Lee for CERN physicists to be able to share documents via the Internet. The Web
allows computer users to access information across systems around the world using URLs
(uniform resource locators) to identify files and systems and hypertext links to move
between files on the same or different systems. |
| Yahoo |
Yet Another Hierarchical
Officious Oracle. An extremely popular Web site developed and maintained by Jerry Yang and
David Filo of Stanford University. Yahoo maintains a list of hypertext-linked Web sites
categorized by topics and sub-topics and sub-sub-topics, and so forth. Also available is a
point-and-click, user-definable search engine (http://www.yahoo.com/_). |
