Internet Terminology
Bandwidth: Bandwidth measures the capacity of a transmission medium such as twisted pair telephone lines, coaxial cable, or fiber-optic cables. The greater the number of bytes which can be transmitted at a time, the greater the bandwidth. The use of elaborate graphics, digital video, and multimedia for promotional purposes on the Internet is severely constrained by the lack of sufficient bandwidth.
Baud rate: This is the rate at which digital information is transmitted and received by a modem. Baud rate is measured in bits per second (bps). Typical modems come in speeds of 14,400 (14.4 kbps) and 28,800 (28.8 kbps) bits per second. The use of cable modems promises baud rates of more than 500,000 bps.
BBS (Bulletin Board Service or System): A BBS is a digital meeting place where people can exchange information over telephone lines or over the Internet. Subscribers to a BBS can post e-mail messages or digital files to online conferences, and read or download files from other subscribers. You can create your own BBS system and use it to connect your customers to your company's computer network.
Bit: A bit is a single binary digit, either 1 or 0.
Byte: A string of eight bits (such as 1010101101) is known as a byte. One thousand (1 000) bytes is equal to one kilobyte. One million ( 1 000 000) is equal to a megabyte.
Calling card: Also known as a prepaid or long-distance calling card. The holder of the card calls a 1-800 numbers, enters a PIN number, and makes long-distance calls based on the face of value of the card.
CD-ROM: Stands for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. It looks likes a audio compact disc and holds 640 megabytes of digital information, an is used for storing multimedia presentations and large amounts of information. To use a CD-ROM, you need a CD-ROM drive on your computer. You can produce a multimedia promotion and distribute it on CD-ROM.
Chat Room: Many Web sites have chat rooms where you converse electronically with other Internet users. As bandwidth increases, chat rooms will incorporate live video-conferencing and virtual reality. you can set up a chat room as a promotional tool to attract people to your Web site. It is novelty at this point.
Commercial online services: These are are bulletin board systems which provide their own content in addition to access to the Internet. Subscribers pay a monthly fee for basic services, and per minute charge for specialized information.
Customer database: This is a database which contains information about your customers and prospects. It can be simple, such as a mailing list, or it can be complex with extensive data on each customer.
Custom Internet platform: This is a private online system, developed for a specific purpose, which runs on the Internet. For example, you can crate a unique ordering system for your store which runs over the Internet. The point is, you don't need to limit yourself to the World Wide Web or other standard Internet platforms such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP). You can create your own.
Databases: Like a digital filing cabinet, you use a customer database to store the names, street addresses, and telephone/fax/e-mail addresses of your customers, along with a profile of their preferences, needs, buying patterns, and credit history. A customer database is the primary digital tool of the Strategic Digital Marketing Model.
Digital: Information stored in the form of 1 s and 0 s is known as digital. All information stored and processed by computer, including text, sound, graphics, and video, is digital in composition. The opposite of digital is analog.
Digital Assets: There are assets your company has in a digital form. This includes database information, intellectual property, transactional data, multimedia content, and any other digital information which can be sold or rented to another part.
Digital Cheques: Digital cheques contain a magnetic strip or bar code. you can issue them instead of coupons for redemption at retail stores. To redeem the digital cheque, the customer fills out a survey on the back and presents it to the retailer. The cheque is deposited by the retailer and returned to you within days through the banking system. The survey answers are scanned or manually entered into your customer database.
Digital Domain: This is the digital and online environment your customers and prospects enter to learn about your company and its products and services. Your Digital Domain is reached through digital tools such as the Internet, BBS, interactive voice-response, and fax-on-demand systems.
Digital Intermediary: This is a person or organization which controls the flow of digital information for an entire industry. For example, a car dealer can set up an online service which lists automobiles for sale by every car manufacturer, not just their own cars. As the digital intermediary, they earn a commission on every car sold in the entire industry.
Digital marketing: The use of digital technology and processes in the development, distribution, and promotion of products and services.
Digital privacy intermediaries (DPI): These are digital devices - such as anonymous e-mail, voice mail, and fax mailboxes -used to protect the personal privacy of individuals.
Digital Videodisc (DVD): This is a new type of CD-ROM with significantly more storage capacity than current CD-ROMs. Within a few years, you will be able to distribute elaborate multimedia promotions on DVD.
Domain Name: A domain name is your company's address on the Internet. A typical domain name is globaltradecentre.com or globaltradecentre.co.za. If you do not have a domain name registered, I suggest you do so immediately. If you wait, another company may take the one you want.
Electronic forms: Electronic forms are filled out on computer rather than on paper. You can send electronic order forms to your customers on disk or through e-mail. When the forms are returned to you, the data can be downloaded directly into your customer database.
E-mail: Stands for electronic mail. You can send and receive e-mail messages over the Internet or internally over private networks. Because e-mail is intrusive, it is one of the most powerful digital marketing tools.
E-money: An electronic currency use to purchase products and services over the Internet. It is also known as cybercash.
Encryption: Methods used to secure the transmission of digital information over the Internet and over other digital media. Involves the use of complex mathematical formulas.
Encrypted data tunnel: An encrypted data tunnel secures data sent over the Internet between offices in the same company. The tunnel encrypts the data to make it unreadable to anyone who intercepts its.
Fax Mailbox: A fax mailbox is used to store faxes until they are retrieved by the owner of the box. To retrieve faxes, you dial a telephone number, enter a password,a and indicate which fax machine you wish to have your faxes sent to you. You can set up a private fax mailbox for your customers and provide them with individualized information.
Fire Wall: If you have a network-wide Internet connection, you need to use a device called a fire wall to restrict access to your network from unwanted visitors on the Internet. A fire wall is essential because a network-wide connection exposes the data on your network to anyone on the Internet who has the savvy to break in.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): You use FTP software to transfer digital files from one computer to another over the Internet.
Flatline Database: A flatline database is the opposite of a relational database. Each flatline database file is a separate entity. Information cannot be share between different database files as is the case with a relational database.
HTML: Stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. This is the programming language used to create content for the World Wide Web.
Ident-a-call: A digital technology used to identify the number and origin of an incoming telephone call.
Industry-wide information system: This is an online service used to control the flow of information within an industry. The person or organization which runs an industry-wide information system is called a digital intermediary.
Interactive Kiosk: An interactive kiosk is used to give customers a way to browse through information on a computer. You can set up an inexpensive interactive kiosk in your store by running an internal Web site on a stand-alone PC.
Interactive Survey: This is a survey completed using a digital tools such as a Web site, voice mail system, BBS, or an interactive kiosk. The results of an interactive survey are fed directly into your customer database.
Interactive Television: Within a few years, your television will become a two-way digital tool which will allow you to select options using a handheld channel changer. The advent of interactive television will open up a cast new audience for digital marketers.
Internet: The Internet is a global online network of computer networks.
Internet service provider (ISP): An ISP is a company which provides access to the Internet for companies and individuals.
IVR (interactive voice response): IVR allows you to access and select from a menu of audio information using the keys on your Touch-Tone telephone. Because everyone uses a telephone, IVR is one of the most powerful digital marketing tools.
Intranet: An Intranet is an internal communications system based on the World Wide Web platform. Intranets have become popular because they are easy to set up a and maintain and can be accessed by many different kinds of computer platforms. Unlike the Internet, an Intranet is only accessible to people within an organization.
IP Address: An IP Address is your numeric address on the Internet.
Laten digital capabilities: These are digital capabilities and information resources in your organization which are not being utilized to their fullest potential.
Loyalty card programs: These are programs set up by a company to reward its best customers and to encourage repeat business. Members of a loyalty program usually receive points or other rewards by presenting a plastic card when making a purchase.
Mail list server: A mail list server is used to distribute e-mail messages to a group of people on the Internet. To join a mailing list about a particular subject (e.g., bonsai tree pruning), you send an e-mail message to the mail list server. You can set up an Internet mailing list to send out information to your customers and prospects.
Modem: Stands for modulator/demodular. A device used to send and receive digital information from one computer to another over telephone lines.
Multimedia: Refers to the use of text, graphics, audio and video to present digital information.
Network-wide Internet Connection: Also known as full Internet connection, it refers to a network of computers connected continuously to the Internet over high-speed data lines.
Newsgroups: These are discussion groups on the Internet which cover a particular subject.
Online services: These are information and function-related services accessed using a modem and a computer. The Internet, BBS, an commercial services, such as America Online and CompuServe, are examples of online services.
Online Shopping: This refers to the purchase of products and service using online services such as the World Wide Web.
Online Shopping Malls: These are World Wide Web sites which feature a number of different stores offering a wide range of products and services.
Pay phone services: This is a service which pays people to listen to promotional messages over the telephone, similar to a reverse 1-900 number.
Personal digital assistant (PDA): These are small handheld computers which allow you to send and receive e-mail and fax messages over wireless or cellular transmission systems.
Personal identification number (PIN): This a series of number or letters which serve to identify a person as the rightful owner of a transaction medium such as a banking or smart card.
Private online network: This is an online network which can be accessed only by people who ha a user ID an a password. As a marketing tool, you can set up a private online network for you customers. It is also known as BBS.
Privacy Agent: In the near future, privacy agents will be used to protect the privacy of individuals. If a marketer want information about a person, he will approach his privacy agent an negotiate a price for data.
RAM (random access memory): This is the live, active memory of your computer measured in megabytes. Most new computers run on at least 8 megabytes of RAM.
Relational Database: This is a database format which allows information in different database files to be shared with each other. When you set p a customer database, use a relational database program.
Router: This is a piece of equipment which controls the flow of digital information on the Internet.
Screen Saver: A screen saver is used to protect the quality of a computer monitor. If a computer is left idle for a certain length of time, the screen save displays a picture or moving graphical image. You can create a screen saver as a promotional item and distribute it on the Internet.
Search Engine: Search engines are used on the Internet to find Web sites. They are also used to find information in a database.
Smart Cards: These are cards which can receive, store, and transmit digital information such as electronic money or medical records.
TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol): All information transmitted over the Internet must be formatted based on the TCP/IP standard. You can create your own Internet platform as long as it adheres to TCP/IP.
Universal resource locator (URL): This is the address of your Web site on the Internet. A typical URL is http://www.globaltradecentre.com
Video Mail: This is the next generation of e-mail: Digital video images are captured using a digital camera and sent as an attachment to an e-mail message. The recipient can open up the message and view the video. It wont become practical until greater bandwidth is generally available.
Virtual Reality (VR): This is the use of sophisticated hardware and software to simulate a "virtual" environment. Although the commercial applications of VR are limited an expensive at this time it will become more viable as computers become more powerful in the next ten years.
Web Server: This is the computer which holds your Home Page and other documents on the World Wide Web. It is connected directly to the Internet and is accessed using a browser software such as Netscape Navigator or Mosaic.
Web Site: This refers to your content on the World Wide Web. A Web site is located on a computer connected directly to the Internet.
World Wide Web: This is the most commercial platform on the Internet, which allows users to jump from one computer to another o the Internet in order to view pages with text, graphics, and other multimedia features.
