Jargon Buster Q-T

Query string formation - In a search engine, a query string is the set of words entered into a search engine by an individual. For example, a search for “search engine marketing information”. Query string formation is simply the process of thinking of the correct query string to get the results required.)

Reach - The number of unique web users potentially seeing a website one or more times in a given time period expressed as a percentage of the total active web population for that period.

Real time - No delay in the processing of requests for information, other than the time necessary for the data to travel over the Internet.

Rich Media - is the collective name for online advertising formats that use advanced technology to harnesses broadband to build brands. It uses interactive and audio-visual elements to give richer content and a richer experience for the user when interacting with the advert. See also Interstitial, Superstitial, Overlay and Rich Media Guidelines.

Rich Media Guidelines - Design guidelines produced by the IAB for effective use of Rich Media technologies in all forms of internet advertising. They aim to protect user experience by keeping them in control of the experience eg: encouraging clearly labelled close, sound and video buttons.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) - Software that allows you to flag website content (often from blogs or new sites) and aggregate new entries to this content into an easy to read format that is delivered directly to a user's PC. See also blogs.

Sale - When a user makes a purchase from an online advertiser.

Sales House - An organisation which sells advertising on behalf of other media owners. These sales houses typically retain a percentage of the revenue they sell in exchange for their services. These organisations may combine a number of websites together and sell them as different packages to advertisers.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) - The process which aims to get websites listed prominently in search-engine results through search-engine optimisation, sponsored search and paid inclusion. See also PPC and SEO and Paid Inclusion.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) - The process which aims to get websites listed prominently within search engine’s organic (algorithmic, spidered) search results. Involves making a site ‘search engine friendly’. See also organic listings.

Server - A host computer which maintains websites, newsgroups and email services.

Session - The time spent between a user starting an application, computer, website...etc and logging off or quitting.

Serial Digital Interface (SDI) - Is a dedicated digital video interface used to carry broadcast quality video content.

SIM - Subscriber Identity Module. A removable part the mobile phone hardware that identifies the subscriber.

Simulcast - watching an existing TV service over the internet at the same time as normal transmission.

Site analytics - The reporting and analysis of website activity - in particular user behaviour on the site. All websites have a weblog which can be used for this purpose, but other third party software is available for a more sophisticated service.

Skyscraper - A long, vertical, online advert usually found running down the side of a page in a fixed placement. See also Universal Advertising Package.

SMPP - Short Message Peer-to-peer Protocol - used for exchanging SMS messages.

SMS - Short Message Service.

SMCS - Short Message Service Centre. A network switch for routing SMS traffic.

Sniffer Software - Which identifies the capabilities of the user’s browser and therefore can determine compatibility with ad formats and serve them an advert they will be able to see/fully interact with (eg: GIF, Flash etc).

Social Media - We refer to social media, in a commercial sense, as: the creation of useful, valuable and relevant content and applications by brands, or by consumers with specific reference to brands, that can be shared online, facilitated by web 2.0 technology.

Solus email advertising - where the body of the email is determined by the advertiser, including both text and graphical elements, and is sent on their behalf by an email list manager/owner. Solus email advertising is conducted on an opt-in basis where the recipient has given their consent to receive communications..

Spam - Unsolicited junk mail.

Spider - A programme which crawls the web and fetches web pages in order for them to be indexed against keywords. Used by search engines to formulate search result pages. See also organic listings.

Sponsored Search - See PPC (Pay Per Click).

Sponsorship - Advertiser sponsorships of targeted content areas (e.g. entire website, site area or an event) often for promotional purposes.

SS7 - Signalling System 7. A worldwide standard for telecommunications hardware to talk to each other.

Stickiness - Measure used to gauge the effectiveness of a site in retaining its users. Usually measured by the duration of the visit.

Streaming media - Compressed audio/video which plays and downloads at the same time. The user does not have to wait for the whole file to download before it starts playing.

Superstitials - A form of rich media advertising which allows a TV-like experience on the web. It is fully pre-cached before playing. See also Rich Media, Cache.

Tenancy - The ‘renting’ out of a section of a website by another brand who pays commission to this media owner for any revenue generated from this space. EG: dating services inside portals or bookstores inside online newspapers.

Text Ad - A static appended text attached to an advertisement.

Text Link - Creative use for mobile advertisements – represented by highlighted and clickable text(s) with a link embedded within the highlighted text. Usually limited to 16-24 characters.

Traffic - Number of visitors who come to a website.