The A to Z Guide to the Internet

P

Page impressions- Also known as page requests or page views. Page impressions refer to the number of times that a web page is requested from a server. This is the preferred method for counting traffic.

Password-  A combination of letters and numbers that is needed to login to a computer system, program, website or internet feature (such as e-mail). It is advisable to keep your password secret, and use different passwords for different programs. This keeps unauthorized users from breaking into your personal information and files. Changing passwords from time to time is also recommended.

When you are choosing a password, make sure that is it “cryptic.” This means that it has an ambiguous meaning and cannot be linked to any of your personal information. Using your middle name, street address, children’s names, etc, is not advised. It is also better to use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and include numbers in your password.

PDF-This file format is for documents that are viewed and created by Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Capture, Adobe Distiller, Adobe Exchange and Adobe Acrobat Amber plug in. PDF technology has created a standard format for transferring documents on the Internet.

One of the benefits of using PDFs is that it is easily accessible, even by the most new of Internet users. It makes it simple to quickly transfer business documents and other files to large groups of people.

PDF has revolutionized the printing industry in that it is standard for publishers to offer a hard copy version and a PDF version. E-books are commonly delivered in PDF format, which makes them instantly downloadable.

Plugins- A plugin (sometimes spelled plug-in) is a software program that can extend the capabilities of your Internet browser. It can give your browser the ability to play audio files or movie files. Normally, if a website requires a plugin to be viewed properly, there will be a link from the website to a site when you can download the plugin. Some of the most common plugins are Shockwave, Flash, Acrobat, Real Player and Quicktime. Once you download a plugin, the small program will be on your computer to be used by other websites.

PM- Acronym for “private message.” PMs can be received in online chat, IM programs, e-mails, blogs and forums.

Podcast- This term can be used in several different ways, but it normally refers to the publishing of audio or video files to the internet. The files are referred to as “podcasts” or “shows” and are similar to talk radio programs or public access television shows. People who create podcasts are called “podcasters.”

Podcasters can focus their show on any topic, and generally post new shows daily or weekly. The term is a combination of “ipod” and “broadcasting,” although it is not necessary to own an ipod to listen to podcasts. There are many podcast networks that feature a variety of shows.

Post- This is a noun used to describe a message entered onto a message board, shared e-mail list or newsgroup. The message is called a “post” and the act of sharing the message is called “posting.”

PPC advertising- Pay Per Click Advertising, or PPC, is an online advertising payment model in which the payment is based on the number of “clicks” that are generated. PPC can also be called “cost per click.”

As an advertiser, here’s how it works. You bid for certain keywords that are related to the content of your site (the information or products that you offer). When a user searches with these keywords in a search engine, they are shown your listing, as well as others that are bidding on the same keywords. If the user clicks on your listing, you pay the amount that you have bid. The highest bidding advertisers will appear first in the search results, and the subsequent listings are ranked by the amount of their bid.

Bids for keywords can be anything from a few cents to a few dollars per click. Part of managing a PPC advertising campaign well is determining how much needs to be spent per click in order to get a good balance between visibility (your listing showing on the first page of the search results) and the advertising budget.

Starting in 1998, PPC Advertising became a larger part of the online advertising world. Overture (www.overture.com) and Google’s Adwords (http://adwords.google.com) are two of the most popular PPC systems. In these systems, ads appear near the search results under the heading “sponsored links.” PPC is advocated as an ideal short-term solution for driving traffic to a website, since the results can be seen within 24 hours of launching the campaign.