Glossary: New Media

abandonment

Unwelcome practice of consumers who reverse purchasing decisions by exiting e-commerce sites before paying for items they placed in their online shopping carts.

activex

A coding mechanism used to create small user-friendly web applications. Though functionally similar to Java and AJAX, an ActiveX control’s ability to directly access the Windows operating system through the Internet Explorer web browser makes it a common attack vector for malware exploits.

actual impressions

The statistically accurate count of the number of times an online ad is delivered to a user’s web browser. The actual number often differs from the campaign’s stated goal.

ad blocker

Computer software or plug-in designed to prevent ads from displaying in a web browser. Because these programs block file types and/or domains known to serve ads, they sometimes impede a user’s ability to see an ad they specifically request.See also: domain

ad network

A company that brokers the placement of online ad units, such as banners or contextual ad links. Most ad networks both sell and serve these ads.See also: bonus impressions

ad serving

The data delivery process that sends online ads from an advertiser or ad network to an end user’s web browser. Third party ad servers deliver a large percentage of online advertising.

ad space

The physical areas of a web page’s layout reserved for display ads.

ad stream

The complete set of online ads that a visitor views during a particular website session.

ad unit

An umbrella term that encompasses all types of online ads—from benign banners and buttons to intrusive pop-ups and interstitials.

ad view

Unlike an impression, which is simply an ad display, an ad view describes a user who actively saw the ad. Ad view is a measurement of engagement, not simply of opportunity.

adaptive interface

Virtual program control console that reconfigures itself in response to user behavior, typically to facilitate common or repeated actions. Word processing programs more prominently display frequently used commands; electronic program guides move recently viewed channels to the top of their displays.

ADC

Analog to Digital Converters transform analog data streams into the digital formats that set top boxes and computers require.

addressable advertising

Ads selected for broadcast or online delivery based upon an end user’s demographic or behavioral profile. Factors such as geographical location, viewing history and web surfing patterns determine what ads will display.

adjacencies

Term used to describe ads that appear directly beside—or in conjunction with—thematically related media content.

affiliate fraud

Unlawful practice where affiliate marketing partners attempt to falsely inflate the traffic it sends to a marketing partner’s website in order to collect affiliate fees and commissions that it has not rightfully earned.

affiliate marketing

A partnership where affiliates host ads on their websites at no initial charge in exchange for a fixed fee for any traffic directed to the advertiser’s website, or for a commission of any sales that result from the affiliate’s referral.

affinity marketing

A behavioral targeting strategy that matches a consumer’s known buying patterns with relevant marketing campaigns. Registered users of internet travel sites, for instance, may receive direct mail solicitations for ocean cruises.

affirmative consent

Proof that users knowingly give permission for companies to send marketing materials to their email addresses. Affirmative consent prevents companies from simply placing check marks in prefilled web forms that users must de-select to prevent future mailings; instead, users must actively grant permission to receive marketing emai

AJAX

Acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML—a fast growing scripting language that allows programmers to code small web-based applications that quickly and seamlessly respond to end-user commands.

aliasing

Distortion that occurs in audio and video files digitized at too low a sample rate. While low sample rates produce smaller files that are more cost effective to stream, rumbling audio and jagged video can leave your audience with a poor impression of your product.

alt text

Alternative text is HTML code—sometimes called an alt tag—that instructs web browsers to display a line of text while its associated graphics download. This tactic tells visitors that the page is still loading, reinforces the advertising message, and provides an alternative way to “get out the word” to users who block graphics or ads.

analog

A type of electronic signal transmission that relies upon the amplitude and frequency of continuously variable electromagnetic waves or sound waves. The science matters less than the fact that compared to digital data, analog data is far more susceptible to noise and degradation, and cannot compress as easily.

analytics

Measurement and assessment techniques for examining how users interact with a marketing campaign. Web analytics crunch statistics found in server logs to reveal visitors’ browsing and navigation patterns, and to identify their responses to various elements of online marketing campaigns.

applet

A small computer application designed to run from within a different application—typically a web browser. Websites download applets—typically coded in Java—to visitors’ computers as need arises. This allows the application to run efficiently from the end user’s machine, and does not tax web server resources.

artifacts

Noticeable distortions or flaws in an audio or video file. Often caused by too low a compression rate, artifacts such as a background hum or a blocky pixelated image significantly detract from the user experience.

ASF

Advanced Streaming Format—a type of audio and/or video file encoded for efficient playback within Windows Media Player.

ASP

Active Server Pages that run on Microsoft web servers are a type of web page that combine traditional HTML code with scripts that pull information from specified databases. Such pages build themselves on the fly, automating the process of incorporating and presenting the most current information available.

aspect ratio

The ratio of a video display’s width and height. Traditional television sets feature a 1.33 to 1 ratio. HDTV uses a 16:9 ratio. Feature films often utilize an anamorphic ratio of 1.85 to 1.

ASX

Advanced Stream Redirector files incorporate information about how to connect to Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) files. Users click the ASX file to launch the desired ASF media file. ASX pointer files deter hot linking and direct downloads by obscuring streaming media files’ exact names and locations—though savvy computer users can uncover this information by reading the ASX file’s metadata.

atom

Content syndication format that automatically delivers website updates—such as blog posts, news headlines, photographs and podcasts—without requiring subscribers to visit the website directly. Similar in function to RSS.

auditory feedback

A sound that plays in conjunction with specific system or program actions to reassure end users that a given task has commenced or completed—a clack that confirms that a user has clicked a valid hyperlink, for instance.

authentication

Identification protocol that verifies that an end user or computer has rights to initiate a transaction. This can range from making a purchase to accessing a website or a data store. The most typical authentication schemes rely upon a user ID and password.

authoring

The technical process of preparing multimedia materials for distribution on common media platforms such as DVDs and websites.

auto responder

A computer application triggered automatically by a specified user behavior. Most companies employ auto responders to reply immediately to incoming emails and web forms. The response can range from sending boilerplate email to displaying dynamic web pages that list and confirm purchase details.

AVI

Short for Audio Video Interleave, a type of multimedia file encoded for efficient playback within Windows Media Player. Audio, video and metadata segments are each stored in different segments in the file.