The process of sending a browser the location of a requested ad, rather than sending the ad itself.
AAAA
American Association of Advertising Agencies
Abandon
When a visitor leaves a website prior to completing a transaction for items already placed in a shopping cart.
Abondon Rate
A ratio based on the proportion of visitors that leave a website prior to completing a transaction for items already placed in a shopping cart relative to the number fully completed transactions. Abandon number divided by completion number equals abandon rate.
Abort
When a user interrupts the download competition of a full web page by leaving the site, hitting the stop button, or clicking on a link.
Ad
For Web advertising, an ad is almost always a banner, a graphic image or set of animated images (in a file called an animated GIF) of a designated pixel size and byte size limit. An ad or set of ads for a campaign is often referred to as "the creative." Banners and other special advertising that include an interactive or visual element beyond the usual are known as rich media.
Ad Banner
A graphic image or flash object used as an advertisement on a webpage.
Ad Blockers
Software on a user’s computer which prevents advertisements from being displayed.
Ad Campaign Audit
An activity audit for a specific ad campaign to verify accuracy.
Ad Centric Measurement
Visitor measurement derived from a third-party ad server's self generated server logs.
Ad Click
An action or measurement of the user-initiated response to an ad element by clicking on it.
Ad Click Rate
Ratio of ad clicks to ad impressions displayed.
Ad Delivered
When an ad is successfully displayed on the user's computer screen.
Ad Download
The process in which an ad is transmitted by a server to a user’s browser.
Ad Impression
An advertisement's single appearance on a user’s browser. For example, if the page you're on shows three ads, that's three ad impressions. Advertisers use impressions to measure the number of views their ads receive, and publishers often sell ad space according to impressions.
Ad Insertion
When an ad is successfully inserted within a document.
Ad Materials
The creative copy, artwork, and ad insertion specifications used for an advertising campaign.
Ad Network
An aggregate seller or broker of advertising inventory for multiple web properties, usually allowing a campaign to run across many sites with a single insertion order.
Ad Placement
A unique location where a single advertisment can be displayed. Also called an Ad Unit.
Ad Recall
A measure of advertising effectiveness to determined if users can remember seeing that ad after they have been exposed to it.
Ad Request
The request for an advertisement element as a direct result of a user's action.
Ad rotation
Ads are often rotated into ad spaces from a list. This is usually done automatically by software on the Web site or at a central site administered by an ad broker or server facility for a network of Web sites.
Ad Serving
The delivery of ads by a server to a user's computer and then displayed. Ad serving is typically performed either by a Web publisher, or by a third-party ad server.
Ad Space
An ad space is a space on a Web page that is reserved for ads. An ad space group is a group of spaces within a Web site that share the same characteristics so that an ad purchase can be made for the group of spaces.
Ad Stream
The series of ads viewed by the user during a single visit to a site.
Ad Transfer
The successful retrieving and display of an advertiser's Web site or landing page after the user clicked on an ad.
Ad Unit
A unique location where a single advertisment can be displayed. Also called an Ad Placement.
Ad Window
A window used to display advertising separate from the content window.
Address
A name or token for a data, computer or online website, usually a URL or IP Address, used to identify the logical location of target computer.
Advertiser
The company paying for the advertisement.
Advertising Revenue
Revenue realized from the sale of advertising.
Affiliate Marketing
An agreement between two websites in which one site agrees to feature content or an ad designed to drive traffic to another site. In return, the affiliate receives some other form of compensation, usually a percentage of the revenue generated by that traffic.
Affinity Marketing
Selling products or services to customers on the basis of their established buying patterns. The offer can be communicated by e-mail promotions, online or offline advertising.
Alternate Text
A word or phrase that is shown on a webpage when a user has image loading disabled in their browser or when a user abandons a page by hitting "stop" in their browser prior to the transfer of all images. This is also shown as “balloon text� when a user lets their mouse rest over the image.
ANA
Association of National Advertisers
Animated Advertisement
An ad that changes over time or displays animated motion.
Animated GIF
An animation created by combining multiple GIF images in one file, displaying one after another to simulate movement or display a series of text.
Anonymizer
An intermediary service, device, or software which prevents Web sites from seeing a user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address.
Applet
A small, self-contained software application that is most often used within a browser.
Applicable Browser
Any browser an ad will impact, even if it does not play the ad.
ARF
Advertising Research Foundation
Artifacting
Distortion that is introduced into audio or video by a compression algorithm.
Aspect Ratio
The width-to-height ratio of an image or video frame.
Audience
The group of unique individuals, measured in number of unique users exposed to an ad within a specified time period.
Audit
Third party verification of log activity and/or measurement process associated with Internet traffic or advertising campaign performance. Activity audits validate measurement counts. Process audits validate internal controls associated with measurement.
Auditor
A third party independent organization or person(s) that performs audits.
(Business-to-Business) Businesses that serves other businesses as their primary customer.
B2C
(Business-to-Consumer) Businesses that serves consumers as their primary business.
Backbone
A central network connecting other networks together, usually used in context of a wide area network (WAN) or back haul connectivity to the Internet.
Bandwidth
The transmission rate or line speed of a communications line or system, usually expressed as bits or bytes per second.
Bandwidth Competition
A bottleneck caused by two or more files being simultaneously transmitted over a single line causing slower delivery.
Banner
A banner is an advertisement in the form of a graphic image that typically runs across a Web page or is positioned in a margin or other space reserved for ads. Banner ads are usually Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) images. In addition to adhering to size, many Web sites limit the size of the file to a certain number of bytes so that the file will display quickly. Most ads are animated GIFs since animation has been shown to attract a larger percentage of user clicks. The most common larger banner ad is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. Smaller sizes include 125 by 125 and 120 by 90 pixels. These and other banner sizes have been established as standard sizes by the Internet Advertising Bureau.
Barter
The trade between two of more parties that only involving the exchange goods and services instead of cash.
BBS
(Bulletin Board System) Software that allows users to connect using a modem to access email, chat-rooms, newsgroups, forums, and file exchange functionalities.
Beacon
A measure whether the ad, page or email was successfully viewed and other tracking purposes.
Beta
A test version of a product or service, prior to final release.
Beyond the banner
This is the idea that, in addition to banner ads, there are other ways to use the Internet to communicate a marketing message. These include sponsoring a Web site or a particular feature on it; advertising in e-mail newsletters; co-branding with another company and its Web site; contest promotion; and, in general, finding new ways to engage and interact with the desired audience. "Beyond the banner" approaches can also include the interstitial and streaming video infomercial. The banner itself can be transformed into a small rich media event.
Bit
The smallest unit of data, using a binary value of either 0 or 1. It takes eight bits of data to make a byte.
Bit Rate
A measure of transmission speed which tells you how fast data is traveling from one place to another on a network.
Bonus Impressions
Additional ad impressions included above and beyond the commitments outlined in the insertion order.
Booked space
This is the number of ad views for an ad space that are currently sold out.
Bot
Short for robot, a software program used to automate tasks or simulate user functions.
Bounce
The return of e-mails that are unsuccessfully delivered to the target recipient.
Brand, brand name, and branding
A brand is a product, service, or concept that is publicly distinguished from other products, services, or concepts so that it can be easily communicated and usually marketed. A brand name is the name of the distinctive product, service, or concept. Branding is the process of creating and disseminating the brand name. Branding can be applied to the entire corporate identity as well as to individual product and service names. In Web and other media advertising, it is recognized that there is usually some kind of branding value whether or not an immediate, direct response can be measured from an ad or campaign. Companies like Proctor and Gamble have made a science out of creating and evaluating the success of their brand name products.
Broadband
A type of data transmission where a single medium can carry several channels simultaneously to improve throughput or transmission speed.
Browser
A software program that can retrieve and display documents available on the World Wide Web.
Buffering
The process in which streaming media software begins playing after a delay in order to save enough data to smoothly streaming the content without interruptions caused by bandwidth congestion.
Button
Clickable graphic that contains certain functionality, such as to retrieve documents, submit information, or execute a function.
A device that permits broadband data communication over a cable television system.
Cache
Memory used to temporarily store the most recently requested data in order to improve speed and reduce bandwidth usage for subsequent requests.
Cache Busting
The process by which data or content in delivered in such a manner to minimize or prevent browsers or proxies from caching the information.
Cached Ad Impressions
The display of an advertisement which was retrieved from local cache or a proxy server’s cache instead of the ad server.
Caching
In Internet advertising, the caching of pages in a cache server or the user's computer means that some ad views won't be known by the ad counting programs and is a source of concern. There are several techniques for telling the browser not to cache particular pages. On the other hand, specifying no caching for all pages may mean that users will find your site to be slower than you would like.
CARU
(Children's Advertising Review Unit) A council unit of Better Business Bureaus that reviews advertising and promotional content directed at children in all media.
CGI Script
CGI's (Common Gateway Interface) are used to allow a user to pass data to a Web server. Most commonly, CGI scripts are processed on the server to handle forms to manage the collection of information.
Channel
Most commonly referenced in media as a band or collection of similar content.
Chat Online
Text-based interactive communication between two or more people in real time.
Chat Room
An area online where you can chat with multiple people in real-time, typically organized for specific topics or interests.
Click
According to ad industry recommended guidelines from FAST, a click is "when a visitor interacts with an advertisement." This does not apparently mean simply interacting with a rich media ad, but actually clicking on it so that the visitor is headed toward the advertiser's destination. (It also does not mean that the visitor actually waits to fully arrive at the destination, but just that the visitor started going there.)
Click Down
The action of clicking on an element within an ad and having another object displayed on the user’s screen, typically below or above the initial ad.
Click Rate (CTR)
The click rate is the percentage of ad views that resulted in clickthroughs. Although there is visibility and branding value in ad views that don't result in a clickthrough, this value is difficult to measure. A clickthrough has several values: it's an indication of the ad's effectiveness and it results in the viewer getting to the advertiser's Web site where other messages can be provided. A new approach is for a click to result not in a link to another site but to an immediate product order window. What a successful click rate is depends on a number of factors, such as: the campaign objectives, how enticing the banner message is, how explicit the message is (a message that is complete within the banner may be less apt to be clicked), audience/message matching, how new the banner is, how often it is displayed to the same user, and so forth. In general, click rates for high-repeat, branding banners vary from 0.15 to 1%. Ads with provocative, mysterious, or other compelling content can induce click rates ranging from 1 to 5% and sometimes higher. The click rate for a given ad tends to diminish with repeated exposure.
Click-stream
A click stream is a recorded path of the pages a user requested in going through one or more Web sites. Click stream information can help Web site owners understand how visitors are using their site and which pages are getting the most use. It can help advertisers understand how users get to the client's pages, what pages they look at, and how they go about ordering a product.
Click-through
A clickthrough is what is counted by the sponsoring site as a result of an ad click. In practice, click and clickthrough tend to be used interchangeably. A clickthrough, however, seems to imply that the user actually received the page. A few advertisers are willing to pay only for clickthroughs rather than for ad impressions.
Click-within
Similar to click down or click. But more commonly, click-withins are ads that allow the user to “drill down� and click, while remaining in the advertisement, not leaving the site on which they are residing.
Client
A computer or software application that submits an information request to a server on behalf of a user or proxy.
Client-initiated Ad Impression
One of the two methods counting delivered advertising impressions, relying on the user’s browser for making requests, formatting and re-directing content.
Co-branding
Co-branding on the Web often means two Web sites or Web site sections or features displaying their logos (and thus their brands) together so that the viewer considers the site or feature to be a joint enterprise. (Co-branding is often associated with cross-linking between the sites, although it isn't necessary.)
Codec
Short for compressor/decompressor, codecs are computer algorithms that are used to compress audio, video, and image files to reduce its size and bandwidth requirement.
Communication Error
The failure of a browser or web server to successfully request or transfer a document.
Content Integration
Advertising woven into editorial content or placed in a contextual envelope.
Cookie
A cookie is a file on a Web user's hard drive (it's kept in one of the subdirectories under the browser file directory) that is used by Web sites to record data about the user. Some ad rotation software uses cookies to see which ad the user has just seen so that a different ad will be rotated into the next page view.
Cookie Buster
Software that blocks the transmission of cookies to a user’s browser.
COPPA
(Children’s Online Privacy Protect Act) Enacted by Congress in 1998, COPPA is to prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information from and about children on the Internet.
COPPR
(Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule) Issued by the FTC in October 1999 the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule went into effect on April 21, 2000 to implement the requirements of the COPPA. The new regulations requires operators of websites or online services targeting children 1) to post prominent links on their Web sites to a notice of how they collect, use, and/or disclose personal information from children; (2) with certain exceptions, to notify parents that they wish to collect information from their children and obtain parental consent prior to collecting, using, and/or disclosing such information; (3) not to condition a child's participation in online activities on the provision of more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity; (4) to allow parents the opportunity to review and/or have their children's information deleted from the operator's database and to prohibit further collection from the child; and (5) to establish procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information they collect from children. As directed by the COPPA, the Rule also provides a safe harbor for operators following Commission-approved self-regulatory guidelines.
Copy
Printed text in an advertisement.
Cost-per-action
Cost-per-action is what an advertiser pays for each visitor that takes some specifically defined action in response to an ad beyond simply clicking on it. For example, a visitor might visit an advertiser's site and request to be subscribe to their newsletter.
Cost-per-lead
This is a more specific form of cost-per-action in which a visitor provides enough information at the advertiser's site (or in interaction with a rich media ad) to be used as a sales lead. Note that you can estimate cost-per-lead regardless of how you pay for the ad (in other words, buying on a pay-per-lead basis is not required to calculate the cost-per-lead).
Cost-per-sale
Sites that sell products directly from their Web site or can otherwise determine sales generated as the result of an advertising sales lead can calculate the cost-per-sale of Web advertising.
CPA
(Cost-Per-Action) Cost of advertising based on a visitor taking some specifically defined action in response to an ad. "Actions" include such things as a sales transaction, a customer acquisition, or a click.
CPC
(Cost-Per-Click) The cost an advertiser pays to acquire a click-through.
CPL
(Cost-Per-Lead) Cost of advertising based on the number of generated leads recorded.
CPM
CPM is "cost per thousand" ad impressions, an industry standard measure for selling ads on Web sites. This measure is taken from print advertising. The "M" has nothing to do with "mega" or million. It's taken from the Roman numeral for "thousand."
CPM Pricing Model
Advertising pricing model based on the cost of delivering ad impressions.
CPO
(Cost-Per-Order) The advertising cost measure based on the number of orders received.
CPS
(Cost-Per-Sale) The advertising cost measure to generate one sales transaction.
CPT
(Cost-Per-Transaction) Please see CPO (Cost-per-Order).
CPTM
(Cost per Targeted Thousand Impressions) Advertising pricing model based on the cost of delivering ad impressions to defined targeting specifications such as demographics, geographic, or other specific characteristics.
Crawler
A software program designed to automatically visit web pages to create gather data and create indexes, primarily used by search engines.
Creative
Ad agencies and buyers often refer to ad banners and other forms of created advertising as ""the creative." Since the creative requires creative inspiration and skill that may come from a third party, it often doesn't arrive until late in the preparation for a new campaign launch.
CRM
Short for customer relationship marketing, describing campaigns specifically targeted to increasing brand loyalty.
Cyber Cafe
A publicly accessible place, usually for a fee, which provides the use of computers with access to the Internet.
An ad that runs in a separate ad window associated with the banner displayed.
Demographics
Common characteristics used for audience segmentation and targeting, such as income, gender, age, etc.
DHTML
(Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language) An extended set of HTML commands, used by web developers to create animation and interactivity with features that surpasses standard HTML.
Digital Signatures
Signatures for electronic documents that establish and authenticate the identity of the individual.
Digital Video Server
A dedicated computer at a central location that streams requested content to viewers using a video-on-demand application.
Domain Name
The unique name that identifies one or more IP addresses. They are used in URLs to access a specific webpage on the Internet.
DPO
(Distinct Point of Origin) A unique address from which a browser connects to a Web site on the Internet.
Drill Down
When a website visitor accesses additional pages and goes deeper into a web site.
DSL
(Digital Subscriber Line) A modulation scheme used to transmit data at high speed over copper telephone wires.
DVR
(Digital Video Recorder) A device used for recording television content, similar to a VCR, but stores data in a digital format on a fixed disk.
Dynamic Ad Placement
The process by the ad server places inserts an advertisement in a web page at the time it is requested by the user, offering the ability to rotate different ads instantaneously.
Dynamic IP Address
An IP address that is automatically assigned to a device without a static or permanent address, usually each time the device requests a new network connection.
Dynamic Rotation
Delivery of ads on a rotating, random basis, usually on multiple pages or web sites.
Short for electronic commerce, it is the process of selling products or services on the Internet.
E-mail
An electronic mail, typically containing text, that are sent from one person to another over the Internet.
E-mail Campaign
Advertising campaign where the advertising material is distributed using e-mail.
Effective CPM
The value of any ad unit sold calculated as if it had been sold on a CPM basis. For example, if you sold your banner ads on a flat rate basis for $1,000 and served 100,000 pages, your Effective CPM for that ad unit is $1,000/100 (since CPM is per THOUSAND page views) = $10 Effective CPM. If you sold your ads on a CPC basis and got 200 clicks at $0.25 each or $50, your Effective CPM is now $50/100 = $0.50 Effective CPM.
Encoder
A hardware or software application used for encoding. See “encoding�.
Encoding
The process of placing a sequence of characters into a special format for digital transmission or storage purposes.
Encryption
The scrambling of digital information so that it is unreadable without the appropriate descrambler program and key.
EPG
(Electronic Programming Guide) An application that allows the viewer to interactively view and select available video programs.
Ethernet
A common networking architecture, developed by Xerox, for data networks.
ETV
(Enhanced Television) A type of television technology that embeds various interactive functions with video programming, allowing viewers to access additional show information and respond to advertisements.
Expandable Banners
A banner ad which can expands its size when a user mouseovers or clicks on the ad.
Extranet
A private network or website that uses Internet technology and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of business’s internal information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses.
Eyeballs
A common term referencing the number of people who view an advertisement or content.
The failure to completely transmit the entire web page including all the included advertisements after a browser has initiated a request.
Family / Ad family
A collection of one or more related advertising creatives.
FAQ
Short for frequently asked questions, FAQs are published common questions and answers on a product or service.
FAST
FAST is a coalition of the Internet Advertising Bureau (), the ANA, and the ARF that has recommended or is working on guidelines for consumer privacy, ad models and creative formats, audience and ad impression measurement, and a standard reporting template together with a standard insertion order. FAST originated with Proctor and Gamble's Future of Advertising Stakeholders Summit in August, 1998. FAST's first guideline, available in March, 1999, was a guideline on "Basic Advertising Measures." Our definitions in this list include the FAST definitions for impression and click.
Filtering
Filtering is the immediate analysis by a program of a user Web page request in order to determine which ad or ads to return in the requested page. A Web page request can tell a Web site or its ad server whether it fits a certain characteristic such as coming from a particular company's address or that the user is using a particular level of browser. The Web ad server can respond accordingly.
Finger
A program tool for locating user information while they are online to verify personal information or website login.
Firewall
A system using either hardware or software designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network by examining each transmission block to see if it meets certain security criteria.
Flame
An inflammatory message distributed by e-mail or posted on a newsgroup.
Flash
A vector-graphic animation technology commonly used to display animations in a web browser.
Floating Ad
An advertisement that appear on top of or floating above the web page's normal content.
Fold
"Above the fold," a term borrowed from print media, refers to an ad that is viewable as soon as the Web page arrives. You don't have to scroll down (or sideways) to see it. Since screen resolution can affect what is immediately viewable, it's good to know whether the Web site's audience tends to set their resolution at 640 by 480 pixels or at 800 by 600 (or higher).
Frame Rate
The frequency or number of frames per second of the video display rate.
Frames
The division of a single web page into multiple sections where each file has its own HTML file.
Frequency
The number of times an ad is delivered to the same browser within a set time period or session.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) A language used for transferring files from computer to computer over the Internet.
(Graphic Interchange Format) A bit-mapped graphic format which uses compression to store and display images in up to 256 colors.
GIF89a / Animated GIF
An extension of the .gif format which creates animation by combining multiple GIF images in one file which is displayed one after another.
Gigabyte
A billion bytes, or more accurately, 1,073,741,824 (2 to the 30th power) bytes.
Gross Exposures
The total number of times an advertisement is delivered, including duplicate downloads to the same browser.
GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communications) A European digital standard for mobile or cellular telephony that uses TDMA technology to allow up to eight simultaneous calls on a single frequency.
GUI
(Graphical User Interface) A computer terminal interface that is based on graphics instead of text to make a program easier to use.
(High-Definition Television) A digital video format that provides higher picture resolution, digital sound, and a wide screen aspect ratio.
Head End
The central distribution location or system in a broadband data or cable TV system.
Heuristic
A common sense approach to analyzing or computing data by using approximations.
History Lists
A list of documents of web pages that a browser has recently visited.
Hit
A hit is the sending of a single file whether an HTML file, an image, an audio file, or other file type. Since a single Web page request can bring with it a number of individual files, the number of hits from a site is a not a good indication of its actual use (number of visitors). It does have meaning for the Web site space provider, however, as an indicator of traffic flow.
Home Page
The main page of a website.
Host
A computer system containing accessible data that serves users from a remote location.
Hot Spot
An area of an image or a section of a text that activates a function when clicked on.
Hotlist
A list of website addresses that are most frequently visited.
House Ads
Advertisements that are for products or services from the same company that is operating the website.
HTML
A set of code for authoring web pages that derives from Standard Generalized Mark-Up Language (SGML).
HTML Page
A document created using HyperText Markup Language to be viewed in a browser. Please see “HTML.�
HTTP
(Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol) A protocol used to transfer and view documents on the World Wide Web.
Hybrid Pricing
Advertising pricing model which is based on a combination of a CPM pricing model and performance-based pricing.
Hyperlink
Highlighted words or image that takes you to another section within the same document or retrieves a different document.
(Inline Frame) An HTML function which displays a webpage within a table.
Image Map
A single graphic image that contains more than one hot spot, linking to multiple sections or documents.
Impression
According to the "Basic Advertising Measures," from FAST, an ad industry group, an impression is "The count of a delivered basic advertising unit from an ad distribution point." Impressions are how most Web advertising is sold and the cost is quoted in terms of the cost per thousand impressions (CPM).
In-unit Click
A measurement of a user-initiated click action, responding to an advertising unit which causes an intra-site redirect or content change.
Inference
An assumption by drawing a conclusion from circumstantial evidence or logical reasoning.
Insertion
The actual placement of an advertising within a document.
Insertion Order (IO)
An insertion order is a formal, printed order to run an ad campaign. Typically, the insertion order identifies the campaign name, the Web site receiving the order and the planner or buyer giving the order, the individual ads to be run (or who will provide them), the ad sizes, the campaign beginning and end dates, the CPM, the total cost, discounts to be applied, and reporting requirements and possible penalties or stipulations relative to the failure to deliver the impressions.
Instant Messaging
A method of users communicating one-to-one or in groups, allowing you to send messages in real time over the Internet.
Intelligent Agents
Software tools or programs which help the user retrieve information of specific interest or automating a repetitive task.
Interactive Advertising
All forms of online, wireless and interactive television advertising, whereby a user influences the flow, order, and type of information transmitted and can respond directly to the information that interests them.
Interactive Advertising Revenues
Revenues generated from the sale and delivery of interactive advertising.
Internal Page Impressions
Web site activity or document retrievals that is generated by individuals known to be affiliated with the Web site owner.
Internet
A global system of computer networks providing redundant connectivity between disparate computers and systems using TCP/IP transport and data protocols.
Interstitial Ad
Advertisement that appear between two content pages, also known as transition ad.
Intranet
A network based on TCP/IP protocols that belongs to an organization and is accessible only by the organization’s internal members, employees or others with specific authorization.
Inventory
Inventory is the total number of ad views or impressions that a Web site has to sell over a given period of time (usually, inventory is figured by the month).
IP
(Internet Protocol) A protocol telling the network how packets are addressed, routed, and include a header and the message data itself.
IP Address
A 32-Bit address identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. The format is for sets of numerical numbers, each number ranging from 0 through 255 (e.g. 68.185.53.217)
IRC
(Internet Relay Chat) A chat system or protocol developed in the late 1980s by Jarkko Oikarinen to facilitate multiple people to communicate in real time.
ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) An international communication standard for sending voice, video, and data over ordinary copper phone wires.
ISP
(Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides a service that enables access to the Internet.
ITI
(Information Technology Industry Council) An organization representing the leading U.S. providers of information technology products and services. It advocates industry growth through product innovation and free-market policies.
iTV
(Interactive Television) Any technology that allows for two-way communication between the audience and the service provider (such as the broadcaster, cable operator, set-top box manufacturer) via standard or enhanced television appliance.
A high level programming language, originally designed under the name OAK for set-top boxes and hand-held devices. It is now widely used for building applications on the Internet because it provides a simplified object-oriented language for advanced features, increased animation detail and real-time updates.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group) File format that uses a lossy compression technique to reduce the size (number of bytes) of image files.
Jump Page
Ad Microsite which is reached after a click-through from an interactive ad, usually with specific content that provides advertising message continuity.
The amount of time or delay between initiating a network request or command and receiving a response. See "latency".
LAN
(Local Area Network) A group of computers connected together (a network) that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings.
Large Rectangle
An IMU size established by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Latency
Time it takes for a data packet to travel from source to destination on a network causing visible delay between request and display of content and ad.
Link
Also referred to as Hyperlink, is an click-able electronic connection that references and retrieves a different document or website.
Listserv
Usually referred to a specific mailing list on a server.
Listserver
A program that broadcasts a message via e-mail to everyone included on a mailing list.
Load
To install, copy, or move data from one memory storage device to another.
Log
The action of recording communication or network activity.
Log File
A file that lists transactions that have occurred on the server, detailing every request made from a specific location, time stamps, information requested, and results.
Login
The action or identification of making a computer or network validate a user in order to grant access.
A term referring to mobile commerce, which is the ability use networks with mobile devices such as handheld computers and mobile phones to conduct electronic commerce transactions.
Mailing List
An automatically distributed e-mail message on a particular topic going to certain individuals.
Makegoods
Additional ad impressions which are negotiated in order to make up for the under delivery of ads planned for and approved in the insertion order.
Media Broker
Since it's often not efficient for an advertiser to select every Web site it wants to put ads on, media brokers aggregate sites for advertisers and their media planners and buyers, based on demographics and other factors.
Media Buyer
A media buyer, usually at an advertising agency, works with a media planner to allocate the money provided for an advertising campaign among specific print or online media (magazines, TV, Web sites, and so forth), and then calls and places the advertising orders. On the Web, placing the order often includes requesting proposals and negotiating the final cost.
Media Objects
Files, other than HTML documents, which can be displayed or executed within HTML documents, or in a stand-alone fashion, typically to display images, audio, video, or other interactive components.
Megabyte
A million bytes, or more accurately, 1,048,576 (2 to the 20th power) bytes.
Metcalfe's Law
A theory by Robert Metcalfe, inventor of Ethernet, which states the value or power of a network increases geometrically by the square of the number of users.
Microsite
Also called minisite, are multi-page ads accessed via click-through from initial ad to drive a specific action of message continuity
MIME
(Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions) A specification or method for formatting non-ASCII messages so that they can be sent over the Internet.
MIP
(Mobile Internet Provider) An Internet service provider dedicated to providing access to wireless devices.
Modem
Short for modulator-demodulator, it is a device which transfers digital signals to analog signals and vice versa suitable for sending information across phone, electrical, or cable lines.
Moore's Law
An observation made by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, that computer processing power doubles every 18 months.
Mouseover
The process by which a user places his/her mouse over a media object or advertisement, without clicking.
MP3
A computer file format utilizing MPEG audio layer 3 specifications, which compresses audio files by a factor of 12 from a .wav file.
MPEG
Short for Moving Picture Expert Group, a working group that created the standard family of digital video compression standards and file formats.
MRC
(Media Rating Council) A not-for-profit trade association that provides valid, reliable and effective syndicated audience research. The MRC performs audits of and traditional media measurements.
Multi-Camera Angle / Individualized Television
A technology that provides the viewer with the ability of interactive controls which includes camera angle selection, commercial selection, other content customization.
(Network Advertising Initiative) A cooperative group of network advertisers working in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission that has established a set of privacy principles. The NAI provides consumers with explanations of Internet advertising practices and how they are affected.
Net TV
Televisions with Internet connectivity capabilities. Usually, a manufacturer has integrated or offers a special set-top box which permits the viewer to connect online over telephone wires or use existing LAN.
Netiquette
A term that is used to describe the informal rules of conduct ("do's and don'ts") of proper user online behavior.
Newsgroup
Also known as forum, is an electronic bulletin board devoted to a specific discussion topic.
Non-registered User
A user who visits a Web site and elects not to, or has not yet provided certain registration information.
Nonqualifying Page Impressions
Page impressions which should be excluded from traffic or measurement reports, such as unsuccessful transfers of requested documents, successful transfers of requested documents to a robot or spider, and/or pages within a frame set.
When a server forwards its log files to an off-site Web research service for analysis.
On-demand
The ability to request video, audio, or other content for immediate viewing by clicking something on the screen or other remote input.
On-site Measurement
When a server measures and analyze its own traffic activity received.
OPA
(Online Privacy Alliance) A group of corporations and associations who have come together to introduce and promote business-wide actions that create an environment of online privacy trust.
OPA
(Online Publishers’ Association) Trade association representing a group of online web publishers.
Opt-in
Refers to an individual granting permission to use data collected for a particular reason or to receive specific information.
Opt-in E-mail
Opt-in e-mail is e-mail containing information or advertising that users explicitly request (opt) to receive. Typically, a Web site invites its visitors to fill out forms identifying subject or product categories that interest them and about which they are willing to receive e-mail from anyone who might send it. The Web site sells the names (with explicit or implicit permission from their visitors) to a company that specializes in collecting mailing lists that represent different interests. Whenever the mailing list company sells its lists to advertisers, the Web site is paid a small amount for each name that it generated for the list. You can sometimes identify opt-in e-mail because it starts with a statement that tells you that you have previously agreed to receive such messages.
Opt-out
The action or process initiated by an individual in choosing not to participate or receive information.
OTS
(Opportunity to See) Similar to page display, when a page is successfully displayed on the user's computer screen.
(Platform for Privacy Preferences Project) A protocol, established by the World Wide Web Consortium, designed to give users more control over their personal information when browsing the Internet.
Packet Sniffer
A device or software program used to monitor data traveling on a network.
Page
Commonly used to refer to a HTML document.
Page Impression
A successful page request that where the desired content is transmitted and displayed in a user’s browser.
Page Request
Data submitted to a server with instructions to retrieve specific web document.
Page View
A measure of how many times a web page is successfully displayed.
Password
A series of characters grants a unique user access to a secured Web site, files, or application.
Pay-per-Click
In pay-per-click advertising, the advertiser pays a certain amount for each clickthrough to the advertiser's Web site. The amount paid per clickthrough is arranged at the time of the insertion order and varies considerably. Higher pay-per-click rates recognize that there may be some "no-click" branding value as well as clickthrough value provided.
Pay-per-Impression
An advertising pricing model whereby advertisers pay based the number of ads successfully delivered to a user’s browser.
Pay-per-Lead
In pay-per-lead advertising, the advertiser pays for each sales lead generated. For example, an advertiser might pay for every visitor that clicked on a site and then filled out a form.
Pay-per-Sale
Pay-per-sale is not customarily used for ad buys. It is, however, the customary way to pay Web sites that participate in affiliate programs, such as those of Amazon.com and Beyond.com.
Pay-per-View
PDF files
(Portable Document Format) A file format developed by Adobe used to display or various document types as they were intended regardless of platform.
Permission Marketing
Marketing based on obtaining customer consent to receive promotional information from the company.
Persistent Cookie
A cookie that does not automatically gets erased and remains on the user’s system even after the user disconnects.
PII
(Personally Identifiable Information) Information that can be traced back to a specific user and provide personal information such as name, address, phone number, etc.
PIN
(Personal Identification Number) A series of numbers or code which grants a user access to a secured Web site, service, or program.
PIT
(Page Information Transfer) The successful text transfer of a Web page to a browser.
Pixel
A single illuminated dot on a display screen.
Platform
The framework of underlying hardware or software for a system.
PLI
(Privacy Leadership Initiative) A partnership of executives from corporations and business associations intended to accelerate acceptance of the Internet and the emerging Information Economy.
Plug-in
An add-on program that can easily be integrated within another application to enhance its functionalities.
Pop-under Ad
An advertisement that appears in a separate browser window beneath an open window, concealing itself until the top browser window is moved, minimized, or closed.
Pop-up Ad
An advertisement that appears in a separate browser window on top of content already on-screen.
Pop-up Transitional
An advertisement that launches and plays in a separate browser ad window during the transition between content pages.
Portal
A Web site that often serves as a entrance point for users to access other sites.
Pre-Caching
The process of storing advertising or content in the user’s computer memory before it is displayed on the screen in order to reduce performance delays.
Privacy Policy
An official statement on the type of information collected, how the information will be used, and instructions on how users can remove themselves if desired.
Privacy Seal Program
A certification program which ensures that Web site operators are complying with its privacy policies.
Process Audit
Third party verification of internal control processes associated with measurement.
Profiling
The practice of tracking and aggregating information about consumers' interests and behavior.
Proof of performance
Some advertisers may want proof that the ads they've bought have actually run and that clickthrough figures are accurate. In print media, tearsheets taken from a publication prove that an ad was run. On the Web, there is no industry-wide practice for proof of performance. Some buyers rely on the integrity of the media broker and the Web site. The ad buyer usually checks the Web site to determine the ads are actually running. Most buyers require weekly figures during a campaign. A few want to look directly at the figures, viewing the ad server or Web site reporting tool.
Protocol
A uniform set of rules and language that enable two devices to exchange information.
Proxy Servers
A server that acts as an intermediary between users and the Internet to enable security, caching, administrative control, and policy enforcements.
Psychographic characteristics
This is a term for personal interest information that is gathered by Web sites by requesting it from users. For example, a Web site could ask users to list the Web sites that they visit most often. Advertisers could use this data to help create a demographic profile for that site.
Publisher
A web site that has any kind of content and sells advertising.
PVR
(Personal Video Recorder) A device that allows television viewers to record selected programs and provide viewing enhancements such as time shift, pause, fast forward, and commercial skip.
A document listing published pricing for advertising media.
Reach
A measurement of the audience size which listen to, read, view, or otherwise access a certain document or advertisement in a given time period.
Real Time
A transmission that occurs right away without delay.
Real Audio
A codec and application used mainly for streaming audio on the Internet.
Redirect
The process of forwarding a request, function, or a user to different server, file, or document.
Referral Fees
Fees paid by advertisers to a third party for delivering sales leads or purchase inquiries.
Referral Link
A source from which the user clicked to arrive at the current webpage or document.
Registration
A process for users to enter personal information to request information and/or access secured areas.
Repeat Visitor
A unique visitor who has accessed a Web site at least once before.
Reporting template
Although the media have to report data to ad agencies and media planners and buyers during and at the end of each campaign, no standard report is yet available. FAST, the ad industry coalition, is working on a proposed standard reporting template that would enable reporting to be consistent.
Return Visit
The average number of times a user returns to a site over a specific time period.
Rich Media
Rich media is advertising that contains perceptual or interactive elements more elaborate than the usual banner ad. Today, the term is often used for banner ads with popup menus that let the visitor select a particular page to link to on the advertiser's site. Rich media ads are generally more challenging to create and to serve. Some early studies have shown that rich media ads tend to be more effective than ordinary animated banner ads.
Robot
A program that runs without human intervention to automate any task.
ROI
(Return on Investment) is "the bottom line" on how successful an ad or campaign was in terms of what the returns (generally sales revenue) were for the money expended (invested).
RON
(Run-of-Network) A run-of-network ad is one that is placed to run on all sites within a given network of sites. Ad sales firms handle run-of-network insertion orders in such a way as to optimize results for the buyer consistent with higher priority ad commitments.
ROS
(Run-of-Site) A run-of-site ad is one that is placed to rotate on all nonfeatured ad spaces on a site. CPM rates for run-of-site ads are usually less than for rates for specially-placed ads or sponsorships.
Router
A device that connects multiple networks by performing data transmission forwarding functions and route determination.
Rovion
Also known as InPerson advertising is a technology that enables websites to incorporate compelling streaming video messages at the bottom of the screen. The ad can be closed by the user and is also clickable. For more information and an example of Rovion technology visit www.rovion.com.
RPM
Revenue per thousand page views. The sum total of all ad placements on a single page. For example, if you had three ads on a web page, each selling for a $5 CPM, your RPM would equal $15.
Run-of-Network
A run-of-network ad is one that is placed to run on all sites within a given network of sites. Ad sales firms handle run-of-network insertion orders in such a way as to optimize results for the buyer consistent with higher priority ad commitments.
Run-of-Site
A run-of-site ad is one that is placed to rotate on all nonfeatured ad spaces on a site. CPM rates for run-of-site ads are usually less than for rates for specially-placed ads or sponsorships.
A subset of a population whose properties are studied to gain information about that population.
Sampling Frame
A list of the population where a sample can be drawn.
Scripts
Files or programs that initiate routines using a series of commands.
SDSL
(Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) A type of DSL that provides identical upload and download transmission speed.
Search Engine
A program or tool that helps users locate information or documents using keywords.
Sell-through Rate
The percentage of advertising inventory sold.
Server
Also known as a host, a computer that performs a function or shares resources for other computers over a network.
Server Centric Measurement
Measurement of audience information based on server logs.
Server Pull
A process whereby a user's system and initiates a request for content or documents.
Server Push
A process whereby the server maintains an open connection with the user’s system and continues to use this connection to update content or documents on the user’s system.
Server-initiated Ad Impression
One of the two methods counting delivered advertising impressions, relying on the web content server for making requests, formatting and re-directing content.
Session
A user session is someone with a unique address that enters or reenters a Web site each day (or some other specified period). A user session is sometimes determined by counting only those users that haven't reentered the site within the past 20 minutes or a similar period. User session figures are sometimes used, somewhat incorrectly, to indicate "visits" or "visitors" per day. User sessions are a better indicator of total site activity than "unique visitors" since they indicate frequency of use.
Session Cookies
Temporary cookies which are only loaded for the active browser session and erased upon exiting the browser.
Set-top Box
An electronic device that connects to a television and an external signal source, and converts the signal transmission into content viewable on the television screen.
SGML
(Standard Generalized Markup Language) A language and ISO standard that is used for organizing and tagging elements of a document.
Shockwave
Software developed by Macromedia that enables Web pages to include multimedia objects.
Shop Bot
An automated software agent that searches for products and product pricing information.
Site-centric Measurement
Measurement of audience information based on a website’s log files.
Skins
An interchangeable set graphics, which allow users to continually change or customize the look of an application’s user interface.
Skyscraper
An online advertisement that is taller vertically than it is wide horizontally.
Slotting Fee
A fee paid by advertisers to get premium positioning or category exclusivity on a website.
Smart Card
A payment card with a built-in microchip used to store customer account and balance information for purchases.
SMTP
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) The standard protocol used to transfer electronic messages across the Internet.
Sniffer
Software for detecting the capabilities of the user's browser to ensure content compatibility.
Spam
Slang used for describing unsolicited commercial e-mail.
Spider
An automated program that crawls the web to retrieve information from web pages for database indexing.
Splash Page
A splash page (also known as an interstitial) is a preliminary page that precedes the regular home page of a Web site and usually promotes a particular site feature or provides advertising. A splash page is timed to move on to the home page after a short period of time.
Sponsor
Depending on the context, a sponsor simply means an advertiser who has sponsored an ad and, by doing so, has also helped sponsor or sustain the Web site itself. It can also mean an advertiser that has a special relationship with the Web site and supports a special feature of a Web site, such as a writer's column, a Flower-of-the-Day, or a collection of articles on a particular subject.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is an association with a Web site in some way that gives an advertiser some particular visibility and advantage above that of run-of-site advertising. When associated with specific content, sponsorship can provide a more targeted audience than run-of-site ad buys. Sponsorship also implies a "synergy and resonance" between the Web site and the advertiser. Some sponsorships are available as value-added opportunities for advertisers who buy a certain minimum amount of advertising.
Static Ad Placement
Advertisement that is always shown on a Web page for a specified time period.
Stickiness
A measure used to gauge the effectiveness of a site in retaining user interest, usually by duration spend or number of return visits.
Streaming
The process of playing video or audio in real time as it is downloading over the Internet.
Streaming Media Player
A software application that allows for the real time playing of video or audio while that transmission is being received.
Commerce that is performed using interactive television.
T1
A dedicated telecommunication connection consisting of 24 individual channels, used to carry voice and/or data traffic at up to 1.544Mbits per second.
T3
Also known as DS3, a dedicated telecommunication connection that is equivalent to 28 T1 lines.
Target Audience
A group to which the advertisement or campaign is intended.
Targeting
Targeting is purchasing ad space on Web sites that match audience and campaign objective requirements. Techtarget.com, with over 20 Web sites targeted to special information technology audiences, is an example of an online publishing business built to enable advertising targeting.
TCP/IP
Short for Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, a collection of protocols commonly used for computer networking and the Internet.
Terms & Conditions
The details of an agreement or contract that is accepted for participation.
Textual Ad Impressions
The delivery of a text-based advertisement to a browser in substitution of graphic images, usually because images are disabled from automatically loading.
Third-party Ad Server
An independent third part service used for serving, tracking, and analyzing online advertisement campaigns.
Throughput
The amount of data transmitted within a given period of time.
Token
A tracer or tag, primarily used to track a unique user by attaching a string or code to the address (URL) of a page requested.
Total Ad Impressions
The total number of all graphical and textual ad impressions delivered.
Total Visitors
Total number of browser sessions accessing a Web site within a given time period.
Traffic
The measurement of website usage including hits, visitors, and page accesses.
Transfer
The successful response to a page request.
Transitional Ad
Also known an Interstitial Ad, an ad that is displayed during transfer between one page to another.
Transitional Pop-up
An advertisement that pops up in a separate during a transfer between pages.
Triggers
User or program defined conditions that automatically initiates specific predetermined responses.
Short for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, a global standard developed to deliver wireless mobile transmission of text, voice, and video at data rates up to 2Mbits per second.
Unduplicated Audience
The number of unique individuals exposed to a specified website or advertisement in a given time period.
Unique User
A measure of the total number of different users, or different computer terminals, that have visited a website determined through the use of enhanced tracking or user registrations.
Unique Visitor
A unique visitor is someone with a unique address who is entering a Web site for the first time that day (or some other specified period). Thus, a visitor that returns within the same day is not counted twice. A unique visitors count tells you how many different people there are in your audience during the time period, but not how much they used the site during the period.
Upload
The process of sending data from a computer to a network or server.
URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) A unique address used to identify the location of a resource on the Internet.
URL Tagging
The process of embedding unique identifiers into URLs to track unique users.
Usenet
An Internet based newsgroup or bulletin board system that allows users to read and post information.
User
An individual with access to the Internet.
User Agent String
A string or code sent by a client to identify the type of device and software making the request.
User Centric Measurement
A measurement based on a population sample of Internet users.
User Registration
The process and personal information collected from users in order to grant access to additional information, content, or services.
A view is, depending on what's meant, either an ad view or a page view. Usually an ad view is what's meant. There can be multiple ad views per page views. View counting should consider that a small percentage of users choose to turn the graphics off (not display the images) in their browser.
Viewer
A unique individual viewing content or advertisements on the Internet.
Viral Marketing
Any advertising that propagates itself creating exponential effect.
Visit
A visit is a Web user with a unique address entering a Web site at some page for the first time that day (or for the first time in a lesser time period). The number of visits is roughly equivalent to the number of different people that visit a site. This term is ambiguous unless the user defines it, since it could mean a user session or it could. Measurement of all activity of one visitor to a website during a continuous period without an idle-time greater than 30 minutes.
Visit Duration
The length of time a visitor is exposed to a specific website, page, or advertisement during an online session.
Visitor
Individual or browser which accesses a Web site within a given time period.
VRML
(Virtual Reality Modeling Language) An industry standard language for rendering 3D graphics for web applications.
Extensible Markup Language) A specification developed by the W3C designed for web applications using customized tags, definition, and interpretation of data.
