Media Terms and Meanings

Glossary of Advertising / Media Terms

Broadcast Media Terms

Adjacency
an advertising pod positioned next to a particular TV or radio program. Also called commercial break positions.
Affidavit
a statement, usually notarized, accompanying station invoices which confirms that the commercial actually ran at the time stated on the invoice.
Affiliate
a station associated with a network by contract to broadcast the
network’s programs.
Air Date
the first broadcast of a commercial; also refers to the exact date
of a particular TV or radio program.
Availability (“avails”)
unsold
units of time available for broadcasters to sell to advertisers. Also
refers to a station’s submission of programs and rating estimates
for advertising planning and buying.
Average Quarter-Hour Rating
the audience estimate reported by Nielsen and Arbitron for television
and radio. It provides the average number of persons or households
who watched/listened for at least 5 minutes of the 15 minute segment
being reported.
Bonus Spot
additional TV or radio spot provided to an advertiser at no charge
to raise the overall audience delivery of the schedule.
Break Position
a broadcast commercial aired between two programs instead of in
the middle of one program.
Broadcast Calendar
an industry-accepted calendar used mainly for accounting and billing
purposes. Weeks run Monday-Sunday, and each month is four or five
weeks long.
Cable TV
TV programming that is delivered by coaxial cable rather than over
the air for the purposes of improved reception and delivery of additional
program choices beyond the local stations.
Clearance
a station’s agreement to carry a particular program.
Cut-In
a commercial inserted by the local station that covers the commercial
airing at the same time on the network at the advertiser’s request.
Useful for testing different copy in a limited geography.
Daypart
one of the time segments into which the day is divided by broadcast
media, determined by type of programming and who provides it (network
or local).
Designated Market Area (DMA)
Nielsen’s term for geographical areas made up of exclusive counties
based on which home market stations receive the predominant share
of viewing.
Diary
an instrument for measuring viewing, listening or reading of media
vehicles kept by people in a sample.
Drive Time
the dayparts used in radio to signify primary listening being done
in cars. Generally considered to be Monday-Friday 6- 10 a.m. and 3-7
p.m. HUT-(Households Using Television) – a broadcast research term
indicating the percent of homes with sets on during a specific time
period.
ID
station identification of its call letters and location, channel
or frequency. Also refers to any commercial message less than ten
seconds long.
Infomercial
a long (more than two minutes) commercial providing extensive product/service
description and sales information.
Log
chronological record of a station’s program and commercial exact
air times.
Network
two or more stations joined by a line to broadcast the same program
from a few original studios simultaneously.
Network Affiliate
a television or radio station that designates a portion of its air
time for network programs.
O & O Station
a station owned and operated by a network.
O.T.O.
one time only, usually referring to a TV or radio special program.
Overnights
audience data provided by Nielsen or Arbitron to metered market
clients the day after the broadcast.
Pay Per View
a type of Pay TV where viewers are charged each time they watch the
special event or movie being broadcast.
Pay TV
a TV system providing programs which are available only to the households
who subscribe, usually transmitted via coaxial cable or telephone
lines. Also called “premium channels” on cable, such is HBO, Cinemax,
Showtime, Disney Channel, etc.
Persons Using Radio (PUR)
the percent of the area’s population listening to radio at a specific
time.
Piggyback
back-to-back scheduling of two or
more brand commercials of one advertiser in network or spot positions.
Pilot
a sample of a proposed television series.
Pre-emption
the substitution of one advertiser’s local TV commercial by another
advertiser paying a higher price for the spot, or by a different program
of interest.
PVT/PUT (Persons Viewing or Using Television)
the percent of individuals
viewing all television stations during a specific time period, indicating
total viewing to TV in general, not to a specific program or station.
Roadblocking
a scheduling technique where a brand’s commercial airs at approximately
the same time on all three networks or on all stations in a given
market.
R.O.S. (Run Of Schedule or Run Of Station)
a broadcast schedule, similar
to R.O.P. where specific programs and air times have not been requested
by the advertiser.
Simulcast
broadcast of the same program at the same time on both AM and FM
radio stations. Can also refer to a radio station simultaneously broadcasting
the audio portion of a TV program.
Spill-In
the amount of programming viewed within a market area to stations
that are licensed to an adjacent market.
Spill-Out
the amount of viewing to local stations outside the home market area.
Strip
a program scheduled at the same time each day, typically Monday-Friday.
Superstation
an independent station whose signal is transmitted to many markets
via a satellite.
Sweeps
the four 4-week periods when all TV markets are measured by Nielsen
and Arbitron for station viewing and demographic information. Sweep
months are February, May, July and November.
Syndicated Program
a program bought by a station or advertiser from an independent
organization, not a network.
TAP (Total Audience Plan)
a radio schedule consisting of equal distribution
of commercials across all major dayparts.
Turnover
the ratio of a cumulative audience to the average audience for a
given period of time. Indicates how loyal a given audience may be
for specific stations or programs.
Upfront
a term indicating that an advertiser has purchased advertising for
the coming broadcast year in an early buying season, typically for
the benefit of lower rates and CPM guarantees.

General Media Terms

Advertising Impressions
the audience delivery of media vehicles, programs or schedules.
Usually expressed as thousands (000).
Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)
a non-profit organization of advertisers, agencies and the media
for promoting advertising effectiveness through objective research.
Advertising Weight
the level of advertising support over a period of time, expressed
in gross rating points, impressions, target audience reached, etc.
Aided Recall
a research technique where the respondent is given aid to help remember
all or parts of advertising.
As It Falls
a testing method whereby the media test market receives the same
media weight, purchased locally, as it would receive from a national
theoretical plan.
Average Frequency
the number of times the average person or household is exposed to
an advertising schedule. It is always derived from Gross Rating Points
and Reach.
Barter
a term used to indicate that advertising was paid for by the advertiser
using goods and services rather than cash.
BDI (Brand Development Index)
a measure of the strength of a brand’s sales in a particular geographic
area indexed to the national sales average.
CDI (Category Development Index)
a measurement of a brand’s sales potential using sales of all brands
within a category in a specific market indexed to national sales average.
Clutter
the term given to the proliferation of advertising messages aimed
at consumers. In TV, it refers to all nonprogram minutes, such as
commercials, station promotions, billboards, public service announcements,
etc.
Cost Per Rating Point (Cost Per Point, CPP, Cost Per GRP)
the cost to reach one percent of the
universe, households or individuals, in a given market or geographic
area.
Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
the cost to reach 1,000 units of audience, households or individuals,
for advertising. Used as a measure of efficiency among media and media
schedules.
Coverage Area
the specific geography where a media vehicle has its coverage. In
broadcast, coverage usually describes the area to which the station’s
signal extends. In print, coverage usually means the circulation area.
Cume (Cumulative Audience)
another way of expressing reach. The total number of different people
or households exposed to advertising at least once during the media
schedule.
Direct Response Advertising
any advertising message that calls for a prompt response to purchase
a product or request more information.
Duplication
the number or percent of the target audience in one media vehicle
also exposed to another vehicle.
Efficiency
the ratio of cost to size of audience used to compare media vehicles,
plans or schedules.
Exclusivity
an agreement whereby a media vehicle
agrees to run no advertising directly competitive to the advertiser
purchasing the media vehicle or program.
First Refusal
the opportunity for an advertiser to extend sponsorship rights of
a program or vehicle before it is offered to another advertiser.
Fixed Position
an advertising position which remains fixed over time, such as the
inside cover of a magazine.
Flighting
a technique for extending advertising
dollars using periods of media activity interspersed with periods
of inactivity.
Flow Chart
a calendar which dimensionalizes media activity over time, usually
a year.
FY
an abbreviation for Fiscal Year.
Gross Impressions
the combined audiences of several media vehicles or several announcements
within a vehicle, leaving in the duplication among the audiences.
Gross Rating Points (GRP’s)
the sum of individual ratings in a media plan.
Guarantee
a commitment to the advertiser by a medium that should audience
delivery fall short of what was estimated, the advertiser will receive
bonus advertising to meet the expected CPM or GRP’s.
Heavy-up
an increase in advertising activity for a limited period of time.
Hiatus
a scheduled period of inactivity between advertising flights.
Little America (or Little U.S.)
refers to
the method of media testing where a national campaign might be tested
first in markets that are most similar demographically to the total
country.
LNA (Leading National Advertisers)
a syndicated research source reporting advertisers’ spending in
media: network and spot TV, network radio, magazines, newspaper supplements
and outdoor.
Mail-Order Advertising
type of advertising in which the complete sales transaction takes
place through the mail.
Makegood
comparable unit of advertising offered at no charge when the original
spot or ad did not run or ran incorrectly.
Mediamark
Research Inc. (MRI)
a syndicated research source measuring print and broadcast media audiences
and product/brand usage profiles.
Net Cost
advertising rates which do not include advertising agency commission
and/or include discounts.
Penetration
the degree to which a medium or vehicle has coverage in a specific
area. Can also refer to the effectiveness of advertising’s impact
on consumers.
Per Inquiry (P.I.)
agreement between a media owner and an advertiser where the advertiser
pays the owner for advertising on the basis of the number of inquiries
or completed sales from the advertising.
Psychographic
describes consumers on the basis of some psychological trait, characteristics
or life style.
Quintile
the division of the audience or sample into five equal groups ranging
from heaviest to lightest amount of exposure to any medium.
Rate Card
a statement by a medium showing advertising costs, issue dates,
program names, closing dates, requirements, cancellation dates, etc.
Rating
an estimate of the size of an audience expressed as one percent
of the total population.
Reach
the unduplicated percent of a potential audience exposed to advertising
one or more times during a given period.
Roll
Out
an advertising technique where advertising is expanded to cover more
and more markets as distribution/ product sales are also expanded.
Share
the percent of an audience tuned to a particular program at a given
time.
Share of Voice (SOV)
a brand’s percent of the total advertising weight in its product category.
Short Rate
the cost difference between the discounted contract rate and the
higher rate actually earned by an advertiser if he fails to fulfill
the contracted amount of advertising.
Simmons Market Research Bureau (SMRB)
a syndicated source of print and broadcast audience measurement,
as well as product usage data.
Sponsorship
purchase of all or part of a TV program or all pages of a magazine.
Standard Rate & Data Service (SRDS)
monthly reports of publications’, TV and radio stations’ rate cards
and supporting technical information arranged by state and market.
Starch
a research company providing print advertising readership information.
Telmar
a computer system offering various media planning systems for reach
and frequency, as well as cross tabulation of data from Simmons and
MRI.
Vehicle
anything capable of exposing advertising to customers.

Internet Media Terms

Blog
a blend of web log. Part of a web site, usually maintained by individuals with regular entries of commentary, events or other material, including video. Entries are displayed in reverse chronological order.
Bookmark
a routine that allows you to save a reference to a site or page
that you have already visited. At a later point in time, you can use
a bookmark to return to that page. It commonly refers to a feature
of Netscape Navigator (a web browser) that allows you to collect and
organize bookmarks of your favorite web sites.
Browser
an application used to view and navigate the World Wide Web and
other Internet resources.
Bug
problem with computer software or hardware that causes it to malfunction
or crash.
Bulletin Board System (BBS)
An open computer system that members can dial
into in order to send email, join discussion groups, and download
files. Since the 1970s, BBS’s have provided an early means for home
users to get online. Originally, BBS’s were freestanding local systems,
but now many provide access to Internet email, telnet, FTP, and other
Internet services.
Chat
a form of interactive online communication that enables typed conversations
to occur in real-time. When participating in a chat discussion, your
messages are instantaneously relayed to other members in the chat
room while other members’ messages are instantaneously relayed to
you.
Congestion
a state occurring in a part of a network when the message traffic
is so heavy that it slows down network response time.
Connection
when two computers have established a path through which the exchange
of information can occur.
Cookies
small files that are downloaded to your computer when you browse
certain web pages. Cookies hold information that can be retrieved
by other web pages on the site. Some cookies are programmed with an
expiration date so that they are automatically deleted after a period
of time.
Copy Protection
a software lock placed on a computer program by its developer to
thwart piracy. This preventative measure was widely used in the mid-1980s
but later abandoned by many developers because of numerous customer
complaints.
Cracker
a malicious hacker who breaks (or cracks) the security of computer
systems in order to access, steal, or destroy sensitive information.
“Hacker” is often incorrectly used instead of cracker, especially
by the media. See also hacker.
CPA
cost per action
CPC
cost per click
CPM
cost per 1,000 impressions
CRM
customer relationship management
CTR
click through rate
Crossload
to send an attached file via email. See also upload and download.
Domain Name
the official name of a computer connected to the Internet. Domain
names are derived from a hierarchical system, with a host name followed
by a top-level domain category. The top-level domain categories are
com (for commercial enterprises), org (for non-profit organizations),
net (for network services providers), mil (for the military), and
gov (for government).
Domain Name System (DNS)
a database system which looks up host IP addresses
based upon domain names. For example if you ask for “www.thisismyhost.com”
it will return 123.45.67.89. Copies of the Domain Name System are
distributed through the Internet.
Download
to transfer data from a larger “host” system to a smaller “client”
system’s hard drive or other local storage device. See also upload.
Download Charges
monetary charges associated with downloading a file from a commercial
online service. This method of information exchange is not very popular.
Ecash
electronic money designed to be used over a network or stored on
cards similar to credit cards. Ecash is still more of an idea than
a practical reality, largely due to security concerns.
Eform
an electronic form that is filled out by a user and sent over a
network. They are typically used to place orders or provide feedback.
Eforms can be placed on web pages or in Java applets and usually contain
text boxes, buttons, and other components.
Emoticon
a cute sideways face created by using special characters on the
keyboard. Used to express emotions without words. For example, this
winking face ;-) indicates “I’m joking”, this sad face :-( expresses
sadness or “I’m sulking”. If this makes no sense, turn your head sideways
and look again. Also known as a “smiley”.
Encryption
a procedure that renders the contents of a message or file unintelligible
to anyone not authorized to read it. PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is
a commonly-used encryption program.
Eyeballs
a viewing audience
for a WWW site.
Facilitated Chat
in a facilitated chat, a host or facilitator controls the messages
that appear on the chat screen. Usually used when there is a guest
speaker. Facilitated chats provide an orderly environment for the
guest speaker and ensure that she is not overwhelmed with dozens of
questions all being asked at once. See also chat.
FAQ
acronym for Frequently Asked Questions. A reference document created
for particular topic or group that answers to common beginners’ questions.
It is considered poor Netiquette to ask a question without first reading
the FAQ.
Flame
a public post or email message that expresses a strong opinion or
criticism. Flames can be fun when they allow people to vent their
feelings, then return to the topic at hand. Others are simply insulting
and can lead to flame wars.
Forum
a topically-focused discussion group or area. From the traditional
Roman forum.
FTP
file transfer protocol
Hacker
an expert programmer who likes to spend a lot of time figuring out
the finer details of computer systems or networks, as opposed to those
who learn only the minimum necessary. See also cracker.
Hit
a single user accessing a single file from a web server. A unit
of measure often used erroneously to evaluate the popularity of a
web site.
Home Page
a web page that is topically the main source of information about
a particular person, group, or concept. Many people on the web create
home pages about themselves for fun; these are also known as vanity
pages.
Host
  1. A computer that allows users to communicate with other host computers
    on a network.
  2. A chat term for someone who is managing a chat. Hosts
    often act as referees and have the power to turn participants into
    spectators and vice versa.
Hyperlink
a highlighted word or picture within a hypertext document that when
clicked takes you to another place within the document or to another
document altogether.
Hypertext
text that includes links or shortcuts to other documents, allowing
the reader to easily jump from one text to related texts, and consequentially
from one idea to another, in a non-linear fashion. Coined by Ted Nelson
in 1965.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
the tag-based ASCII language used to create
pages on the World Wide Web. See also hypertext.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
the protocol used by the World Wide Web to
transfer HTML files.
Icon
a small graphic image that represents a file or application and
when clicked upon produces a programmed result. Use of this mnemonic
convention originated at Xerox PARC and was subsequently popularized
by the Apple Macintosh. Producing an effective icon is non-trivial
because of size and color restraints. See iconographer.
Identity Hacking
posing as someone else. Posting anonymously or pseudonymously, usually
with the intent to deceive.
IMHO
in my humble opinion. Used primarily by writers expressing a debatable view.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
A technology offered by telephone carriers
that allows for the rapid transfer of voice and data.
Internet
a worldwide network of networks that
all use the TCP/IP communications protocol and share a common address
space. First incarnated as the ARPANET in 1969, the Internet has metamorphosed
from a military internetwork to an academic research internetwork
to the current commercial internetwork. It commonly supports services
such as email, the World Wide Web, file transfer, and Internet Relay
Chat. The Internet is experiencing tremendous growth in the number
of users, hosts, and domain names. It is gradually subsuming other
media, such as proprietary computer networks, newspapers, books, television,
and the telephone. Also known as “the net”, “the information superhighway”,
and “cyberspace”. See also domain, and Domain Name Service.
Internet Explorer
a free web browser application from Microsoft.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
A chat network that operates over the Internet.
Originally evolved from the UNIX talk program, IRC is similar to the
chat systems found on commercial online services.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
  1. A business that delivers access to the Internet,
    usually for a monthly fee. PSI, UUNET, and Netcom are examples of
    established ISPs but there are thousands of smaller ones all around
    the world.
  2. Any business that provides Internet services such as
    web sites or web site development.
Intranet
a private network that uses Internet-related technologies to provide
services within an organization.
IP address
a string of four numbers separated by periods (such as 111.22.3.444)
used to represent a computer on the Internet. The format of the address
is specified by the Internet Protocol in RFC 791. When a PC accesses
the Internet through an ISP, it sometimes receives a temporary IP
address.
Jack In
to log in to a machine or connect to a network. Derived from cyberpunk
fiction.
Java
an object oriented programming language created by Sun Microsystems.
Java is a device independent language, meaning that programs compiled
in Java can be run on any computer. Java programs can be run as a
free-standing application or as an applet placed on a web page. Applets
written in Java are served from a web site but executed on the client
computer. Java applets have a built-in security feature which prevents
them from accessing the file system of the client computer. See also
applet. Here is the Java version of “Hello World!”: class HelloWorld
{public static void main (String args[]) {System.out.println("Hello
World!"); }}
JavaScript
a scripting language that allows lines of Java code to be inserted
into HTML scripts.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
an image compression standard for still photographs
that is commonly used on the web.
Kermit
a protocol used for transferring files over a dial-up connection
that is commonly used on BBS systems.
Kill File
a file used by some USENET reading programs that filters out unwanted
messages, usually from a particular author or on a particular subject.
If you add someone to your kill file, you arrange for the person to
be ignored by your news reader.
Line Noise
static over a telephone line that interferes with network communications.
Link
a highlighted word or picture within a hypertext document that when
clicked bring you to another place within the document or to another
document altogether. See also hyperlink.
List Server
an automated mailing
list distribution system. List servers maintain a list of email addresses
to be used for mass emailing. Subscribing and unsubscribing to the
list is accomplished by sending a properly formatted email message
to the list server.
Local Area Network (LAN)
a group of computers at a single location (usually
an office or home) that are connected by phone lines or coaxial cable.
Mailbomb
the act of sending massive amounts of email to a single address
with the malicious intent of disrupting the system of the recipient.
Mailbombing is considered a serious breach of Netiquette and is probably
illegal.
Mailing List
a discussion group that occurs via mass email distributions. Mailing
lists are usually maintained by individuals utilizing list server
software. List servers maintain a list of email addresses to be used
for the mailing list. Subscribing and unsubscribing to the list is
accomplished by sending a properly formatted email message to the
list server.
Meta Tag
a specific kind of HTML tag containing information not displayed to the user.
Mirror Site
a server which
contains a duplicate of another WWW or FTP site. Mirror sites are
created when the traffic on the original site becomes too heavy for
a single server. Often mirror sites are located in different geographic
areas allowing users to choose the site closest to them.
Nanosecond
a measurement of
time. There are 1,000,000,000 nanoseconds in a second.
Net Lingo
the slang commonly used on the Internet.net.police.
Those who feel it’s their appointed role to flame perceived violations
of Netiquette.
Net Surfing
browsing or exploring a network or the World Wide Web to find places
of interest, usually without a specific goal in mind. Analogous to
channel surfing with a TV remote control.
Netiquette
network etiquette, or the set of informal rules of behavior that
have evolved in Cyberspace, including the Internet and online services.
Netlag
a condition that occurs on the Internet
in which response time is greatly slowed due to heavy traffic.
Netnews
the content of USENET.
Network
a group of computers or devices that are connected together for
the exchange of data and sharing of resources.
Newsgroup
a public place where messages are posted for public consumption
and response. The most available distribution of newsgroups is USENET
which contains over ten thousand unique newsgroups covering practically
every human proclivity. The names of newsgroups are comprised of a
string of words separated by periods, such as “rec.humor.funny” or
“misc.jobs.offered”. The first word (i.e. “rec” or “misc”) represents
the top level category of newsgroups. The second word (in these examples
“humor” and “jobs”) represents a subcategory of the first level, and
the third word a subcategory of the second.
Offline
  1. As an adjective,
    not connected to a computer network.
  2. As an adverb, not here or
    not now, as in “Let’s take this discussion offline.” Often used to
    indicate that a topic should be discussed privately rather than in
    a public forum.
Online
  1. Currently connected
    to a host, opposite of offline.
  2. Referring to anything connected
    to a computer network.
Path
the hierarchical description of where a directory, folder, or file
is located on your computer or on a network
PHP
programming language used for creating software that is part of a web site.
Post
to send a message to a public area like a BBS or newsgroup where
it can be read by many others.
Postmaster
the name given to the person in charge of administrating email for
a particular site. According to convention, mail sent to postmaster@foo.com
should be read by a real live person. Protocol|A series of rules and
conventions that allow different kinds of computers and applications
to communicate over a network.
Query
  1. A general question posed to a person or group over the Internet.Internet
    users are generally so helpful that if one asks an appropriate query
    to the correct discussion group, one will often receive many useful
    responses. One caveat: it is necessary to find and read the appropriate
    FAQ document first. Failure to do so would be considered a waste other
    people’s time and bandwidth.
  2. A request for specific information
    from a database.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
the working memory of the computer into which
application programs can be loaded and executed. It helps to have
more of this “working space” installed when running advanced operating
systems and applications.
README File
  1. A text file included with an application that contains important
    (and often last minute) information about installing and using the
    application.
  2. A text file on an FTP site that provides valuable
    information about the context of site.
  3. Any text file that you are
    supposed to read before proceeding.
Read Receipts
an optional email feature that notifies you when a recipient has
opened the email message you sent him. See also delivery receipts.
Refresh
to clear the screen
or part of the screen and redraw it again.
Remote Login
operating a remote computer over a network as if it were a local
computer. This can be accomplished via one of several protocols, including
telnet and the UNIX program rlogin.
Response Time
a measurement of the time between a request for information over
a network and the network’s fulfillment of that request. “Overall
response time” is an aggregate or average measurement of various response
times over a particular network or through a particular host.
RSS
rich site summary used for sharing content, such as, news articles.
Search Engine
a program or web site that enables users to search for keywords
on web pages throughout the World Wide Web. For example, Google
is a popular search engine located at http://www.google.com/
Security
ensuring that private information remains private in an atmosphere
where all other information is free. Security also means that viruses
are prevented from infecting people’s systems.
SEO
search engine optimization
Server
a computer that provides information to client machines. For example,
there are web servers that send out web pages, mail servers that deliver
email, list servers that administer mailing lists, FTP servers that
hold FTP sites and deliver files to users who request them, and name
servers that provide information about Internet host names.
Shareware
software that you can download from a network and “try before you
buy.” If you like the software and decide to use it beyond the trial
period, you must register with the author and pay a registration fee.
Shouting
TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING IN ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS.
Avoid this unless you really mean to shout.
Snail Mail
regular postal mail, as opposed to email. Pejorative when implying
postal mail’s slowness relative to email.
Spam
to send a message (usually
an advertisement) to many discussion groups (bulletin boards, mailing
lists, and/or newsgroups), without regard for its topical relevance.
Telecommunications
the science of sending signals representing voice, video, or data
through telephone lines.
Thread
  1. A series of postings on a particular topic. Threads can be a
    series of bulletin board messages (for example, when someone posts
    a question and others reply with answers or additional queries on
    the same topic). A thread can also apply to chats, where multiple
    conversation threads may exist simultaneously.
  2. Also refers to an
    independent process taking place in a multi-tasking environment.
Toggle
  1. A switch that is either on or off.
  2. If it is on, to turn it
    off; if it is off, to turn it on.
Traffic
the load of packets carried by a network or portion of a network.
Heavy traffic slows down the response time of the individual packets.
Triple-dub
an abbreivated way to say “WWW” when reciting a URL.
Upload
to send a file to a network. See also download and crossload.
URL
uniform resource locator. An address on the internet.
Virtual
a commonly used adjective that means having all of the properties
of x while not necessarily being x. For example, “virtual Friday”
in a workplace is the last day of work before a break, that is to
say it is like Friday but may or may not actually be Friday. A “virtual
reality” is an artificial environment that appears to be its own reality.
On a mainframe, a “virtual machine” gives the user all of the properties
and “feel” of a separate personal computer.
Virus
an insidious piece of computer code written to damage systems. Viruses
can be hidden in executable program files posted online.
Webliography
a listing of source World Wide Web sites.
Webmaster
the person in charge of administrating a World Wide Web site. By
convention, the webmaster of Internet domain foo.com can be reached
at the email address webmaster@foo.com.
WiFi
wireless fidelity. Popular term for a form of wireless internet.
World Wide Web (WWW)
a distributed hypertext system invented by Tim
Berners-Lee on a NeXT Computer. Currently, one of the most popular
services offered on the Internet. Web pages are viewed using browsing
software like Netscape Navigator, Sun Microsystems Hot Java, or Microsoft
Internet Explorer. See also browser, Hypertext Markup Language, net
surfing
, and triple-dub.
Wiki
website for which content can be easily edited and altered.
Worm
  1. An insidious and usually illegal computer program that is designed
    to replicate itself over a network for the purpose of causing harm
    and/or destruction. While a virus is designed to invade a single computer’s
    hard drive, a worm is designed to invade a network. The most infamous
    worm was created by Robert Tappan Morris in November 1988; it infiltrated
    over 6,000 network systems around the globe.
  2. Acronym for “Write
    Once Read Many”. Used to describe optical disk drives that can only
    be written once, usually for archival purposes.

Out-of-Home Terms

Billboard
an outdoor advertising display. Also, in broadcast, a short 5 or
10 second announcement indicating advertiser sponsorship of a program.
Facing
in outdoor, the number of billboards at a location facing in the
same direction. In marketing, the number of units facing the shopper
on a shelf in a grocery, drug, discount store. etc.
Poster Panel
the standard outdoor advertising display unit, usually 25′ x 12′.
Showing
a group of outdoor boards which provide a certain percent coverage
of a market, usually purchased in increments of 25 (e.g. a #25 showing,
a #50 showing, a #75 showing, a #100 showing).

Print Media Terms

Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)
organization of publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers
for verifying the circulation statements of member publications.
Advertising Checking Bureau (ACB)
a company which provides advertisers and agencies with newspaper
tear sheets of ads which have run.
Agate Line
a unit of measurement for newspaper advertising which measures one
column wide with 14 agate lines per inch.
Bleed
a term used for print advertising that extends all the way to the
edge of the page with no margin. Many magazines charge a premium for
the bleed, usually 15%.
Business Publication Audit of Circulation (BPA)
an organization for auditing the circulation of business (trade)
publications.
Checkerboard
magazine advertising that uses diagonal quarter or half page ads
alternating with editorial.
Checking Copy
a copy of a publication sent to the advertiser and the agency as
proof the ad ran as ordered.
Circulation
the total number of distributed copies of a publication at a specified
time. Also, in broadcast, the total number of households within the
station’s coverage area. In outdoor, the number of people passing
the billboards who have an opportunity to see the advertising.
Closing Date
the date by which
all advertising must be ordered from the specific media vehicle in
order to secure the dates/times/positions requested.
Column Inch
a unit of newspaper space one column wide and one inch deep (14
agate lines).
Direct Mail Advertising
any printed material sent through the mail directly to prospective
customers.
Double Truck
a newspaper ad unit that uses two facing full pages, including the
gutter or fold.
Gutter
the blank space between margins of facing pages of a publication.
Insertion Order
written instructions from the advertiser or agency authorizing a
publication to run a specific advertisement in a specific issue. Also
specifies cost per ad and size of ad, as well as any request for special
position in the publication.
Island Position
a print advertisement surrounded completely by editorial.
Line Rate
the cost per agate line for newspapers.
Magazine Supplement
the magazine section of a Sunday newspaper produced either locally
or nationally.
Net Paid Circulation
a term used by ABC for the circulation of a publication for which
at least 50% of the subscription or newsstand price has been paid.
PBW, P4C
abbreviations for Page Black & White and Page Four Color.
Pass-along Audience
readers of magazines or newspapers who did not purchase the publication.
Also called Secondary Audience.
Publishers Information Bureau (PIB)
a syndicated source of monthly reports on advertising activity
in major consumer magazines, reported by product or service category.
Publisher’s Statement
a notarized statement from the publisher of total circulation, geographic
distribution, method of getting subscriptions, etc.
Readers Per Copy
average number of readers for one copy of a newspaper or magazine.
Regional Edition
an edition of a national publication’s circulation that falls in
a certain geographic area for which advertising may be purchased separately,
usually at a cost premium.
Remnant Space
magazine space sold at reduced prices at the last minute when another
advertiser’s materials do not arrive or to fill out regional editions.
Run Of Press or Run Of Paper (ROP)
a newspaper insertion for which an exact position is not requested
but left to the newspaper’s discretion.
Split Run
scheduling two or more executions of an advertising message in alternate
copies of a magazine’s circulation in a given issue.
Tabloid
a newspaper measuring about 5-6 columns wide by 200 lines deep,
about 2/3 the size of a standard newspaper.

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