Brady Communications:: Perspectives: Glossary

Adobe Photoshop -- A popular high-end image editor from Adobe for Macintosh and Windows. By default, Photoshop files have a .PSD extension.

ASP -- (1) Application Service Provider. An organization that hosts software applications on its own servers within its own facilities. Customers access the application via private lines or the Internet. (2) Active Server Pages. Web pages that contain HTML and embedded programming code. ASP allows Web pages to interact with databases and other programs.

Bandwidth -- The transmission capacity of an electronic line such as a communications network. In practical terms, it is the amount of information your connection to the Internet can carry.

Banner ad -- A long, rectangular advertisement placed on the top or bottom of a Web page.

Brand -- The sum total of all the characteristics, tangible and intangible, that makes a company unique.

Brand attributes -- Also known as core values, the things that a particular brand stands for.

Brand awareness -- The likelihood that a particular brand will be thought of and recognized (favorably) when consumers think of the product category in which the brand operates.

Brand image -- The total impression of a brand in an individual's mind: what it does for them and what it means to them.

Branding -- The identification of a product or a service with the parent company; it usually means the inclusion of the corporate signature in the ad or on the product.

Brochure -- A pamphlet bound or folded in booklet form.

Browser -- A piece of computer software that allows users to access text documents, graphics and other computer files on the World Wide Web. Popular browsers include Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

CD-ROM -- (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound. CD-ROMs are standardized and will work in any standard CD-ROM drive.

CE handheld device -- A handheld computer or other device that is managed by the Windows CE operating system.

Click through -- On the Web, the act of linking to a third party.

Color palette -- A set of approved colors to be used throughout communications. The color palette can be used to create a distinctive "trade dress" for communications and should be matched in every case.

Copy -- The furnished written information to be used in the production of a printed job.

Corporate Identity -- The visible elements (name, logotypes, symbols, signs, letterhead, packaging, business cards, etc.) used to identify a company.

Corporate image -- The perception that people have of a company.

Database -- A set of related files that is created and managed by a database management system (DBMS).

Die cutting -- Custom cuts made to a printed page from a special die attached to a letter press.

Digital camera -- A video or still camera that records images in digital form.

Digital photography -- Taking pictures with a digital camera and storing and printing them on digital devices. The "digital film," which is comprised of flash memory modules, floppy disks or CD-Rs, can be transferred to a local computer for printing, or can be uploaded to a Web site for viewing and printing.

Digital printing -- Process where an image is produced digitally on a drum and then transfered via toner to paper.

Domain name -- The Web address, usually in the form of an actual name, which users type in to reach a site. Typically domain names end in .com, .org, or .net.

Download -- To transfer a file from another computer to your own using a modem or network connection. Download times can be greatly effected by the method of connection to the network.

Drop-down menu -- Also called a "pull-down menu" or "pop-down menu," the common type of menu used with a graphical user interface (GUI). A menu title is displayed that, when selected by clicking it, causes the menu to drop down from that position and be displayed. Items are selected by highlighting the line in the menu and either clicking it or letting go of the mouse button.

Extranet -- An extension of a company's intranet meant to permit information exchange with customers, suppliers, dealers, etc.

E-commerce -- (Electronic Commerce) Doing business online, typically via the Web. It is also called "e-business," "e-tailing" and "I-commerce." Although in most cases e-commerce and e-business are synonymous, e-commerce implies that goods and services can be purchased online, whereas e-business might be used as more of an umbrella term for a total presence on the Web, which would naturally include the e-commerce (shopping) component.

FAQs -- Frequently Asked Questions

Flash -- Animation software for Windows and the Mac from Macromedia. It is used to develop interactive graphics for Web sites as well as desktop presentations and games.

Four-color printing -- Used to reproduce continuous tone color photographs or to match colors. Images are separated into four colors: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. The colors are printed on top of one another to produce the color photograph or matched color. Also known as four-color process.

Frames -- In HTML, providing the ability to break a web page into multiple, separately scrollable areas.

FSI (Freestanding Inserts) -- An advertisement, usually featuring coupons or a special promotion, that can be inserted into newspapers or circulars.

GUI -- (Graphical User Interface) A graphics-based user interface that uses icons, menus and a mouse to manage interaction with the system.

Hardware -- Machinery and equipment associated with computing devices (CPU, disks, tapes, modem, cables, etc.).

Hosting -- Long-term storage of a Web site on an Internet server so that Web users may access it at any time. It is usually associated with a monthly charge for hosting to a hosting company.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) -- The document format used on the World Wide Web; Web pages are built with HTML tags embedded in the text.

Hyperlink (Link) -- On the World Wide Web, an address (URL) to another document. The link is displayed either as underlined text or as an icon.

Icon -- A small picture on the computer screen that represents and object, such as a document, program, folder or disk drive.

Internet -- A worldwide collection of interconnected networks, providing a wide variety of services, using the TCP/IP network protocols.

Intranet -- A private network contained within a business organization used for internal communication and collaboration.

ITV (Interactive Television) -- Two-way communications between the TV viewer and service providers.

Kiosk -- A small, self-standing structure such as a newstand or ticket booth. Unattended multimedia kiosks dispense public information via computer screens. Either a keyboard, touch screen or both are used for input.

Logo -- A unique designed graphic element used to identify a company; also known as a mark or symbol.

Logotype -- A typographic presentation of a corporate name in specially drawn letterforms.

Macromedia Director -- A popular multimedia authoring program for Windows and Macintosh from Macromedia. Runtime versions can be run, edited and switched between Windows and Mac platforms. Shockwave is a browser plug-in that lets output from Macromedia's Director, Authorware and Freehand packages be viewed on the Web.

Menu -- An on-screen list of available functions or operations that can currently be performed once selected.

Multimedia -- Disseminating information in more than one form. It includes the use of text, audio, graphics, animated graphics and full-motion video. Multimedia programs are typically games, encyclopedias and training courses on CD-ROM. However, any application with sound and/or video can be called a multimedia program.

Navigation Bar -- A set of buttons or graphic images typically in a row or column used as a central point that link you to major topic sections on a Web site. If the navigation bar is a single graphic image with multiple selections, it is known as an imagemap.

PDF (Portable Document Format) -- The page description language used in the Adobe Acrobat document exchange system.

PDF file -- A computer file created using the Portable Document Format. These files may be viewed and printed using a software program called Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Plasma screen -- Flat-screen technology that contains an inert ionized gas sandwiched between x- and y-axis panels. These have become increasingly popular with models 40 inches diagonal and greater being used for computer displays, high-end home theater and digital TV.

Portal -- A Web "supersite" that provides a variety of services such as Web searching, news, white and yellow pages directories, free e-mail, discussion groups, online shopping and links to other sites.

POS (Point of Sale) -- This is the place in which a cash transaction for product takes place, making it a prime target for advertising placement.

Resolution -- The degree of sharpness of a displayed or printed character or image. On screen, resolution is expressed as a matrix of dots. For example, a resolution of 640x480 means 640 dots (pixels) across each of the 480 lines.

Right click -- To press the right button on the mouse and release it. In Windows, the right mouse button lets you view the properties of a file, folder or other object.

Rollover -- A graphic element in an application or on a Web page that changes its color or shape when the pointer is moved (rolled) over it.

Scanner -- A device that reads a printed page and converts it into a graphics image for the computer.

Screen shot -- A screen shot (sometimes called a screen capture) is a copy of the screen's contents that can be saved as a graphics file or copied into a document or graphics editor.

Search Engine -- A search engine is a program that searches Web pages for specified keywords and returns the list of links to pages matching the search criteria.

Server -- A computer connected to the Internet, an intranet, or a local network from which files can be retrieved or exchanged via another computer.

Software -- Instructions for a computer. System software is made up of control programs. Application software is any program that processes data for the user (spreadsheet, wordprocessor, payroll, etc.).

Thumbnail -- A small version of a graphic image.

Trademark -- A word, term, device or symbol (or combination of these) used by a company to identify its goods and services and to distinguish them from those of competitors. An exclusive mark of ownership.

URL -- (Uniform Resource Locator) The address that defines the route to a file on the Web or any other Internet facility.

User interface -- The combination of screen design, menus, keyboard commands and online help which creates the way a user interacts with the computer.

Web browser -- The program that serves as the front end to the World Wide Web on the Internet. The two most common Web browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Web design -- Theoretical layout of graphics, text, and images which will eventually be developed into a Web site.

Web page -- A World Wide Web document. A Web page is a text file coded in HTML, which may also contain other commands.

World Wide Web (WWW) -- An Internet facility that links documents locally and remotely. Web pages contain text, graphics, animations and videos as well as hypertext links and read via a Web browser. The two most popular web browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.