Below are the definitions of common terminology used in e-mail and e-marketing programs.
| A/B split |
Refers to a test situation in which a list is split into two pieces with every other name being sent one specific creative, and vice versa. See also Nth name. |
| |
|
| Above the fold |
The part of an e-mail message or Web page that is visible without scrolling. Material in this area is considered more valuable because the reader sees it first. Refers to a printing term for the top half of a newspaper above the fold. Unlike a newspaper, e-mail and Web page fold locations aren't predictable. Your fold may be affected by the users' preview pane, monitor-size, monitor resolution, any headers placed by e-mail programs such as Hotmail, etc. |
| |
|
| Access |
Microsoft software tool used for developing a database. Any database vendor you work with -- e-mail broadcaster, list broker, third-party list-hygiene service, etc. -- should be able to work with this format (as well as several others.) |
| |
|
| Acquisition cost |
In e-mail marketing, the cost to generate one lead, newsletter subscriber or customer in an individual e-mail campaign; typically, the total campaign expense divided by the number of leads, subscribers or customers it produced. |
| |
|
| Ad swap |
An exchange between two publishers in which each agrees to run the other's comparably valued ad at no charge. Value is determined by rate card, placement, size of list, quality of list, name brand fame, etc. |
| |
|
| Affiliate |
A marketing partner that promotes your products or services under a payment-on-results agreement. |
| |
|
| Affirmative consent |
An active request by a reader or subscriber to receive advertising or promotional information, newsletters, etc. Generally affirmative consent does not included the following -- failing to uncheck a pre-checked box on a Web form, entering a business relationship with an organization without being asked for separate permission to be sent specific types of e-mail, opt-out. |
| |
|
| Application Service Provider (ASP) |
Company that provides a Web-based service. Clients don’t have to install software on their own computers; all tasks are performed on (hosted on) the ASP’s servers. |
| |
|
| Attachment |
A text, video, graphic, PDF or sound file that accompanies an e-mail message but is not included in the message itself. Attachments are not a good way to send e-mail newsletters because many ISPs, e-mail clients and individual e-mail recipients do not allow attachments, because hackers use them to deliver viruses and other malicious code. |
| |
|
| Authentication |
An automated process that verifies an e-mail sender's identity. |
| |
|
| Autoresponder |
Automated e-mail message-sending capability, such as a welcome message sent to all new subscribers the minute they join a list. May be triggered by joins, unsubscribes, all e-mail sent to a particular mailbox. May be more than a single message — can be a series of date or event-triggered e-mails. |
| |
|
| Bayesian filter |
An anti-spam program that evaluates header and content of incoming e-mail messages to determine the probability that it is spam. Bayesian filters assign point values to items that appear frequently in spam, such as the words "money-back guarantee" or "free." A message that accumulated too many points is either rejected as probable spam or delivered to a junk-mail folder. Aka content-based filter. |
| |
|
| Blacklist |
A list developed by anyone receiving e-mail, or processing e-mail on its way to the recipient, or interested third-parties, that includes domains or IP addresses of any e-mailers suspected of sending spam. Many companies use blacklists to reject inbound e-mail, either at the server level or before it reaches the recipient’s in-box. Also Blocklist and Blackhole list. |
| |
|
| Block |
A refusal by an ISP or mail server not to forward your e-mail message to the recipient. Many ISPs block e-mail from IP addresses or domains that have been reported to send spam or viruses or have content that violates e-mail policy or spam filters. |
| |
|
| Bonded Sender |
A private e-mail-registration service, owned by e-mail vendor Ironport, which allows bulk e-mailers who agree to follow stringent e-mail practices and to post a monetary bond to bypass e-mail filters of Bonded Sender clients. The programs debits the bond for spam or other complaints from recipients. |
| |
|
| Bounce |
A message that doesn’t get delivered promptly is said to have bounced. e-mails can bounce for more than 30 reasons |
| |
|
| Bounce handling |
The process of dealing with the e-mail that has bounced. Bounce handling is important for list maintenance, list integrity and delivery. Given the lack of consistency in bounce messaging formats, it's an inexact science at best. |
| |
|
| Bounce message |
Message sent back to an e-mail sender reporting the message could not be delivered and why. Note |
| |
|
| Bounce Rate |
Number of hard/soft bounces divided by the number of e-mails sent. This is an inexact number because some systems do not report back to the sender clearly or accurately. |
| |
|
| Bounceback |
A bounceback is an e-mail that is returned back to the server that sent it. A bounced e-mail is classified as either a "hard bounce" or a "soft bounce." A hard bounce is the failed delivery of e-mail due to a permanent reason like a non-existent address. A soft bounce is the failed delivery of e-mail due to a temporary issue, like a full mailbox or an unavailable server. |
| |
|
| Broadcast |
The process of sending the same e-mail message to multiple recipients. |
| |
|
| B-to-B |
Business-to-business (also B2B). |
| |
|
| B-to-C |
Business-to-consumer (also B2C). |
| |
|
| Bulk folder (also junk folder) |
Where many e-mail clients send messages that appear to be from spammers or contain spam or are from any sender who’s not in the recipient’s address book or contact list. Some clients allow the recipient to override the system’s settings and direct that mail from a suspect sender be sent directly to the inbox. E.g., Yahoo!Mail gives recipients a button marked “Not Spam” on every message in the bulk folder. |
| |
|
| Call to action |
In an e-mail message, the link or body copy that tellst the recipient what action to take. |
| |
|
| Calls to Action |
Words that offer the opportunity and encourage the prospect to take action. For example, "Click here to see a product tour" or "Add this product to your wish list." |
| |
|
| Campaign |
A coordinated set of individual e-mail marketing messages delivered at intervals and with an overall objective in mind. A campaign allows each new message to build on previous success. |
| |
|
| CAN-SPAM |
Popular name for the U.S. law regulating commercial e-mail (Full name |
| |
|
| Catch-all |
An e-mail server function that forwards all questionable e-mail to a single mailbox. The catch-all should be monitored regularly to find misdirected questions, unsubscribes or other genuine live e-mail. |
| |
|
| Challenge-response system |
An anti-spam program that requires a human being on the sender's end to respond to an e-mailed challenge message before their messages can be delivered to recipients. Senders who answer the challenge successfully are added to an authorization list. Bulk e-mailers can work with challenge-response if they designate an employee to watch the sending address' mailbox and to reply to each challenge by hand. Churn |
| |
|
| Click-Through |
When a customer takes an action and clicks on a link. |
| |
|
| Clickthrough & clickthrough tracking |
When a hotlink is included in an e-mail, a clickthrough occurs when a recipient clicks on the link. clickthrough tracking refers to the data collected about each clickthrough link, such as how many people clicked it, how many clicks resulted in desired actions such as sales, forwards or subscriptions. |
| |
|
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) |
Total number of clicks on e-mail link(s) divided by the number of e-mails sent. Includes multiple clicks by a unique user. Some e-mail broadcast vendors or tracking programs define CTR differently. |
| |
|
| Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR) |
To determine the click-to-open rate, divide the number of unique click-throughs by the number of e-mails opened (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). |
| |
|
| Commercial e-mail Message |
e-mail whose purpose, as a whole or in part, is to sell or advertise a product or service or if its purpose is to persuade users to perform an act, such as to purchase a product or click to a Web site whose contents are designed to sell, advertise or promote. |
| |
|
| Confirmation |
An acknowledgment of a subscription or information request. "Confirmation" can be either a company statement that the e-mail address was successfully placed on a list, or a subscriber's agreement that the subscribe request was genuine and not faked or automatically generated by a third party. |
| |
|
| Confirmed opt-in |
A Confirmed Opt In (also referred to as Double Opt In) is a two-step process to allow a user to opt in to your list. They must initially sign up, and then respond to a follow up e-mail to confirm their opt in to your mailing list. |
| |
|
| Content |
All the material in an e-mail message except for the codes showing the delivery route and return-path information. Includes all words, images and links. |
| |
|
| Conversion |
When an e-mail recipient performs a desired action based on a mailing you have sent. A conversion could be a monetary transaction, such as a purchase made after clicking a link. It could also include a voluntary act such as registering at a Web site, downloading a white paper, signing up for a Web seminar or opting in to an e-mail newsletter. |
| |
|
| Co-registration |
Arrangement in which companies collecting registration information from users (e-mail sign-up forms, shopping checkout process, etc.) include a separate box for users to check if they would also like to be added to a specific third-party list. |
| |
|
| CPA |
Cost per Action (also can be Acquisition). A method of paying for advertising, or calculating results from non-CPA marketing. |
| |
|
| CPC |
Cost per Click. A method of paying for advertising. Different from CPA because all you pay for is the click, regardless of what that click does when it gets to your site or landing page. |
| |
|
| CPM |
Cost per Thousand. |
| |
|
| Creative |
An e-mail message's copy and any graphics. |
| |
|
| CRM |
Customer Relationship Management technology and systems |
| |
|
| Cross-campaign profiling |
A method used to understand how e-mail respondents behave over multiple campaigns. |
| |
|
| Cross-post |
To send the same e-mail message to at least two different mailing lists or discussion groups. |
| |
|
| CTR |
Clickthrough Rate. Slightly inexact because some clicks "get lost" between the click and your server. Also be sure to ask if the CTR is unique, meaning that each individual user is only counted once no matter how many times they click on a link. |
| |
|
| Delivery tracking |
The process of measuring delivery rates by format, ISP or other factors and delivery failures (bounces, invalid address, server and other errors). An inexact science. |
| |
|
| Demographic |
A demographic is the statistical characteristics of human populations (as age or income) used especially to identify markets. |
| |
|
| Domain Name System |
How computer networks locate Internet domain names and translate them into IP addresses. The domain name is the actual name for an IP address or range of IP addresses. E.g. MarketingSherpa.com. See reverse DNS. |
| |
|
| DomainKeys |
An anti-spam software application being developed by Yahoo and using a combination of public and private "keys" to authenticate the sender's domain and reduce the chance that a spammer or hacker will fake the domain sending address. |
| |
|
| Double opt-in |
A double opt in (also referred to as Confirmed Opt In) is a two-step process to allow a user to opt in to your list. They must initially sign up, and then respond to a follow up e-mail to confirm their opt in to your mailing list. |
| |
|
| Dynamic content |
e-mail-newsletter content that changes from one recipient to the next according to a set of predetermined rules or variables, usually according to preferences the user sets when opting in to messages from a sender. Dynamic content can reflect past purchases, current interests or where the recipient lives. |
| |
|
| ECOA |
e-mail Change of Address. A service that tracks e-mail address changes and updates. |
| |
|
| Effective rate |
Metric that measures how many of those who opened an e-mail message clicked on a link, usually measured as unique responders divided by unique opens. |
| |
|
| e-mail address |
The combination of a unique user name and a sender domain (JohnDoe@anywhere.com). The e-mail address requires both the user name and the domain name. |
| |
|
| e-mail appending |
Service that matches e-mail addresses to a database of personal names and postal addresses. Appending may require an "OK to add my name" reply from the subscriber before you can add the name to the list. |
| |
|
| e-mail client |
The software recipients use to read e-mail, such as Outlook Express or Lotus Notes. |
| e-mail Domain |
Aka Domain. The portion of the e-mail address to the right of the @ sign. Useful as an e-mail address hygiene tool (e.g. identify all records where the consumer entered "name@aol" as their e-mail address and correct it to "name@aol.com"). |
| |
|
| e-mail filter |
A software tool that categorizes, sorts or blocks incoming e-mail, based either on the sender, the e-mail header or message content. Filters may be applied at the recipient's level, at the e-mail client, the ISP or a combination. |
| |
|
| e-mail harvesting |
An automated process in which a robot program searches Web pages or other Internet destinations for e-mail addresses. The program collects the address into a database, which frequently gets resold to spammers or unethical bulk mailers. Many U.S. state laws forbid harvesting. CAN-SPAM does not outlaw it by name but allows triple damages against violators who compiled their mailing lists with harvested names. |
| |
|
| e-mail newsletter |
Content distributed to subscribers by e-mail, on a regular schedule. Content is seen as valued editorial in and of itself rather than primarily a commercial message with a sales offer. See ezine. |
| |
|
| e-mail Prefix |
The portion of the e-mail address to the left of the @ sign. |
| |
|
| e-mail vendor |
Another name for an e-mail broadcast service provider, a company that sends bulk (volume) e-mail on behalf of their clients. Also e-mail service provider (ESP). |
| |
|
| Enhanced whitelist |
A super-whitelist maintained by AOL for bulk e-mailers who meet strict delivery standards, including fewer than 1 spam complaint for every 1,000 e-mail messages. e-mailers on the enhanced whitelist can bypass AOL 9.0’s automatic suppression of images and links. |
| |
|
| Footer |
An area at the end of an e-mail message or newsletter that contains information that doesn’t change from one edition to the next, such as contact information,the company’s postal address or the e-mail address the recipient used to subscribe to mailings. Some software programs can be set to place this information automatically. |
| |
|
| Forward (also Forward to a Friend) |
The process in which e-mail recipients send your message to people they know, either because they think their friends will be interested in your message or because you offer incentives to forward messages. Forwarding can be done through the recipient’s own e-mail client or by giving the recipient a link to click, which brings up a registration page at your site, in which you ask the forwarded to give his/her name and e-mail address, the name/e-mail address of the person they want to send to and (optionally) a brief e-mail message explaining the reason for the forward.You can supply the wording or allow the forward to write his/her own message. AKA viral marketing. |
| |
|
| From |
Whatever appears in the e-mail recipient's inbox as your visible "from" name. Chosen by the sender. May be a personal name, a brand name, an e-mail address, a blank space, or alpha-numeric gobbledegook. Note - this is not the actual "from" contained in the header (see below) and may be different than the e-mail reply address. Easy to fake. Aka e-mail Friendly Name. |
| |
|
| Hard Bounce |
A hard bounce is the failed delivery of an e-mail due to a permanent reason, such as a non-existent e-mail address. (Also see Soft Bounce) |
| |
|
| House list |
The list of e-mail addresses an organization develops on its own. (Your own list.) |
| |
|
| HTML message |
e-mail message which contains any type of formatting other than text. This may be as simple as programming that sets the text in a specific font (bold, italics, Courier 10 point, etc.). It also includes any graphic images, logos and colors. |
| |
|
| IP address |
A unique number assigned to each device connected to the Internet. An IP address can be dynamic, meaning it changes each time an e-mail message or campaign goes out, or it can be static, meaning it does not change. Static IP addresses are best, because dynamic IP addresses often trigger spam filters. |
| |
|
| ISP |
Internet Service Provider. Examples: AOL, Earthlink, MSN |
| |
|
| Landing page |
A Web page viewed after clicking on a link within an e-mail. Also may be called a microsite, splash page, bounce page, or click page. |
| |
|
| List |
The list of e-mail addresses to which you send your message. Can be either your house list or a third-party list that sends your message on your behalf. |
| |
|
| List fatigue |
A condition producing diminishing returns from a mailing list whose members are sent too many offers, or too many of the same offers, in too short a period of time. |
| |
|
| List hygiene |
The act of maintaining a list so that hard bounces and unsubscribed names are removed from mailings. Some list owners also use an e-mail change-of-address service to update old or abandoned e-mail addresses (hopefully with a permission step baked in) as part of this process. |
| |
|
| List management |
How a mailing list is set up, administered and maintained. The list manager has daily responsibility over list operation, including processing subscribes and unsubscribes, bounce management, list hygiene, etc. The list manager can be the same as the database manager but is not always the same person as the list owner. See list owner. |
| |
|
| List rental |
The process in which a publisher or advertiser pays a list owner to send its messages to that list. Usually involves the list owner sending the message's on the advertiser's behalf. (If someone hands over their list to you, beware.) |
| |
|
| Open |
Opened messages include HTML e-mails that have been fully opened in the e-mail client or viewed in a preview pane, as long as images have been enabled. Opens are generally tracked by inserting a small clear image in an HTML message. When a message is opened and images are enabled, the image calls the server and the message is then counted as an open. Text messages cannot be tracked as opened because they cannot include images. (Within e-mailLabs reporting, however, when a user clicks on a link in a Text message, that is reported as an open.) |
| |
|
| Open rate |
The number of HTML message recipients who opened your e-mail, usually as a percentage of the total number of e-mails sent. The open rate is considered a key metric for judging an e-mail campaign's success, but it has several problems. The rate indicates only the number of e-mails opened from the total amount sent, not just those that were actually delivered. Opens also can't be calculated on text e-mails. Also, some e-mail clients also users to scan message content without actually opening the message, which is falsely calculated as an open. See preview pane. |
| |
|
| Open Rate |
The number of e-mails opened divided by the total number of e-mails delivered (multiply this number by 100 to express the result as a percentage). |
| |
|
| Open relay |
An SMTP e-mail server that allows outsiders to relay e-mail messages that are neither for nor from local users. Often exploited by spammers and hackers. |
| |
|
| Opt In |
Opt In is the action a person takes when he or she actively agrees, by e-mail or other means, to receive communications. (Also see Double Opt In) |
| |
|
| Opt-out |
A specific request to remove an e-mail address from a specific list, or from all lists operated by a single owner. Also, the process of adding an e-mail addresses to lists without the name's pre-approval, forcing names who don't want to be on your list to actively unsubscribe. |
| |
|
| Permission |
The implicit approval given when a person actively requests to have their own e-mail address added to a list. |
| |
|
| Personalization |
The practice of building an e-mail such that the recipient feels it is a more personal experience. Personalization can include a number of things, such as mail merging a name into the subject line, referring to previous purchases, or more dynamic content based on demographic fields. |
| |
|
| Plain text |
Text in an e-mail message that includes no formatting code. See HTML. |
| |
|
| Preview pane |
The window in an e-mail client that allows the user to scan message content without actually clicking on the message. See open rate. |
| |
|
| Privacy |
The quality or condition of being free from unsanctioned intrusion. Privacy in the e-mail marketing world implies that a recipient's e-mail address is not shared and they will not receive e-mail they did not request. |
| |
|
| Privacy policy |
A clear description of how your company uses the e-mail addresses and other information it gathers via opt-in requests for newsletters, company information or third-party offers or other functions. If you rent, sell or exchange your list to anyone outside your company, or if you add e-mail addresses to opt-out messages, you should state so in the privacy policy. State laws may also compel you to explain your privacy policy, where to put the policy statement so people will see it and even in form the policy should be displayed. |
| |
|
| Registration |
The process where someone not only opts in to your e-mail program but provides some additional information, such as name, address, demographic data or other relevant information, usually by using a Web form. |
| |
|
| Relationship e-mail |
An e-mail message that refers to a commercial action -- a purchase, complaint or customer-support request -- based on a business relationship between the sender and recipient. Generally are not covered by CAN-SPAM requirements. |
| |
|
| Reply-to |
The e-mail address that receives messages sent from users who click “reply” in their e-mail clients. Can differ from the “from”address which can be an automated or unmonitored e-mail address used only to send messages to a distribution list. “Reply-to” should always be a monitored address. |
| |
|
| Reverse DNS |
The process in which an IP address is matched correctly to a domain name, instead of a domain name being matched to an IP address. Reverse DNS is a popular method for catching spammers who use invalid IP addresses. If a spam filter or program can't match the IP address to the domain name, it can reject the e-mail. |
| |
|
| Rich Media |
Creative that includes video, animation, and/or sound. Rich-media e-mails often collect high open and click rates but requires more bandwidth and are less compatible with different e-mail clients than text or regular HTML e-mail-format messages. Some mailers also consider transactional e-mail "rich". |
| |
|
| Seed e-mails |
e-mail addresses placed on a list (sometimes secretly) to determine what messages are sent to the list and/or to track delivery rate and/or visible appearance of delivered messages. Seeds may also be placed on Web sites and elsewhere on the Internet to track spammers' harvesting activities. |
| |
|
| Segment |
The ability to slice a list into specific pieces determined by various attributes, such as open history or name source. |
| |
|
| Selective Unsubscribe |
An unsubscribe mechanism that allows a consumer to selectively determine which e-mail newsletters they wish to continue receiving while stopping the sending of others. |
| |
|
| Sender ID |
The informal name for a new anti-spam program combining two existing protocols |
| |
|
| Sent e-mails |
Number of e-mail names transmitted in a single broadcast. Does not reflect how many were delivered or viewed by recipients. |
| |
|
| Server |
A program or computer system that stores and distributes e-mail from one mailbox to another, or relays e-mail from one server to another in a network. |
| |
|
| Shared server |
An e-mail server used by more than one company or sender. Shared servers are less expensive to use because the broadcast vendor can spread the cost over more users. However, senders sharing a server risk having e-mails blocked by major ISPs if one of the other users does something to get the server's IP address blacklisted. See dedicated server. |
| |
|
| Signature |
A line or two of information found in the closing of an e-mail, usually followed the sender’s name. Signatures can include advertising information, such as a company name, product, brand message or marketing call to action (subscribe to a company newsletter with the e-mail subscribe address or Web registration form, or visit a Web site with the URL listed). |
| |
|
| SMTP |
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, the most common protocol for sending e-mail messages between e-mail servers. |
| |
|
| Snail mail |
Postal mail. |
| |
|
| Soft bounce |
e-mail sent to an active (live) e-mail address but which is turned away before being delivered. Often, the problem is temporary -- the server is down or the recipient's mailbox is over quota. The e-mail might be held at the recipient's server and delivered later, or the sender's e-mail program may attempt to deliver it again. Soft-bounce reports are not always accurate because they don't report all soft bounces or the actual reason for the bounce. |
| |
|
| Spam |
The popular name for unsolicited commercial e-mail. However, some e-mail recipients define spam as any e-mail they no longer want to receive, even if it comes from a mailing list they joined voluntarily. |
| |
|
| Spam |
e-mail sent without the recipient's permission. (Also see UCE) |
| |
|
| Spoofing |
The practice of changing the sender's name in an e-mail message so that it looks as if it came from another address. |
| |
|
| Subject Line |
The title of the e-mail communication. This is the first (and hopefully not last) element of the communication recipients will see when they access their e-mail. It has to grab attention and be credible or the e-mail will not get opened. |
| |
|
| Subscribe |
The process of joining a mailing list, either through an e-mail command, by filling out a Web form, or offline by filling out a form or requesting to be added verbally. (If you accept verbal subscriptions, you should safeguard yourself by recording it and storing recordings along with time and date, in a retrievable format.) |
| |
|
| Subscriber |
The person who has specifically requested to join a mailing list. A list has both subscribers, who receive the message from the sender, and pass-alongs. |
| |
|
| Suppression file |
A list of e-mail addresses you have removed from your regular mailing lists, either because they have opted out of your lists or because they have notified other mailers that they do not want to receive mailings from your company. Required by CAN-SPAM. AKA Do-Not-e-mail list. |
| |
|
| Targeting |
Sending the right message to the right recipient at the right time. |
| |
|
| Test |
A necessary step before sending an e-mail campaign or newsletter. Many e-mail clients permit you to send a test e-mail before sending a regular e-mail newsletter or solo mailing, in which you would send one copy of the message to an in-house e-mail address and then review it for formatting or copy errors or improperly formatted links. e-mail marketers should also send a test campaign to a list of e-mail addresses not in the deployment database to determine likely response rates and how well different elements in the message perform. |
| |
|
| Text newsletter |
Plain newsletter with words only, no colors, graphics, fonts or pictures; can be received by anyone who has e-mail. |
| |
|
| Thank-you page |
Web page that appears after user has submitted an order or a form online. May be a receipt. |
| |
|
| Throttling |
The practice of regulating how many e-mail message a broadcaster sends to one ISP or mail server at a time. Some ISPs bounce e-mail if it receives too many messages from one sending address at a time. |
| |
|
| Tracking |
Collecting and evaluating the statistics from which one can measure the effectiveness of an e-mail or an e-mail campaign. |
| |
|
| Transactional or Relationship e-mail Message |
An e-mail message that is primarily intended to facilitate, complete or confirm a commercial transaction that the recipient has previously agreed to enter in with the sender. Source: Commerce Committe Report, CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 |
| |
|
| UCE |
Unsolicited Commercial e-mail (also referred to as Spam). Commercial e-mail sent without the recipient's express permission. |
| |
|
| Unique Click |
A unique click is a single click by a single user. When unique clicks are measured, it is an aggregate number of how many times that URL was clicked by individual users (not the complete total of all users, all clicks.) |
| |
|
| Unique Reference Number |
A unique number assigned to a list member, usually by the e-mail-broadcast software, and used to track member behavior (clicks, subscribes, unsubscribe) or to identify the member to track e-mail delivery. |
| |
|
| Unsubscribe |
To remove oneself from an e-mail list, either via an e-mailed command to the list server or by filling in a Web form. |
| |
|
| URL (Uniform Resource Locator) |
The Web address for a page, always beginning with http |
| |
|
| Verification |
A program that determines an e-mail came from the sender listed in the return path or Internet headers; designed to stop e-mail from forged senders. |
| |
|
| Video e-mail |
An e-mail message that includes a video file, either inserted into the message body, accessible through a hotlink to a Web site or accompanying it in an attachment (least desirable because many ISPs block executable attachments to avoid viruses). |
| |
|
| Virus |
A program or computer code that affects or interferes with a computer’s operating system and gets spread to other computers accidentally or on purpose through e-mail messages, downloads, infected CDs or network messages. See worm. |
| |
|
| Web bug (also Web beacon) |
A 1 pixel-by-1 pixel image tag added to an HTMLmessage and used to track open rates by e-mail address. Opening the message, either in the preview pane or by clicking on it, activates the bug and sends a signal to the Web site, where special software tracks and records the signal as an open. Webmail (also Web mail) |
| |
|
| Welcome message |
Message sent automatically to new list members as soon as their e-mail addresses are added successfully. |
| |
|
| Whitelist |
Advance-authorized list of e-mail addresses, held by an ISP, subscriber or other e-mail service provider, which allows e-mail messages to be delivered regardless of spam filters. See also enhanced white list. |
| |
|
| Worm |
A piece of malicious code delivered via an executable attachment in e-mail or over a computer network and which spreads to other computers by automatically sending itself to every e-mail address on a recipient’s contact list or address book. See virus. |
