Some terminology notes from class last night:

 

Sentiment Analysis

Definition: (also known as opinion mining) aims to determine the attitude of a speaker or a writer with respect to some topic

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentiment_analysis)

 

Landing Page

Definition: The webpage where customers end up after they click your ad.

Source: Google Adwords (https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/14086?hl=en)

 

A/B Comparison

Definition: A/B testing (sometimes called split testing) is comparing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better. You compare two web pages by showing the two variants (let’s call them A and B) to similar visitors at the same time. The one that gives a better conversion rate, wins!

Source: Visual Website Optimizer (https://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/ab-testing/)

Recommended Article: A/B Testing, Usability Engineering, Radical Innovation: What Pays Best?

Link: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ab-testing-usability-engineering/

– This article analyzes the potential cost benefits and risks of A/B testing, and it gives a good overview of what A/B testing is, especially for someone new the term like me.

– This is a very interesting testing method that’s simple, cheap and very informative.  It’s definitely something I’d like to try on my own in order to see the results.  I’m wondering how widely used it is …

 

Technographics

Definition: a market research analysis tool used to identify and profile the characteristics and behaviors of consumers through the process of market segmentation based on the role that technology plays in consumers’ lives.

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technographic_segmentation)

Recommended Article: 3 Ways to Use Technographics to Deliver a Relevant Customer Experience

Link: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2207728/3-ways-to-use-technographics-to-deliver-a-relevant-customer-experience

– It really shouldn’t have surprised me that some ads target users based on technology, and that Mac users end up with the more expensive options.  Definitely a lesson to remember only to shop on my PC!  You go to a website assuming you’re seeing all the shopping/travel options available and that everyone is seeing the same information if they log in at the same time, but this isn’t the case.  And it makes sense from a marketing point-of-view, but it still ticks me off as a consumer!

– I remember over 10 years ago the first time I saw one of those images in someone’s online signature that displayed your IP address and information back to you.  The person who was using the picture couldn’t see that same information (saying who my IP was and where I lived), but it was eye-opening to realize the website owner *did* have access to this information.  Most people don’t know this!  I know when I told my mom about what kind of information is available to web-site owners, she was completely freaked out.  It’s made me extra paranoid online.  Remember: there’s always someone watching!

 

Disintermediation

Definition: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/disintermediation

Source: Oxford Dictionaries (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/disintermediation)

– It’s like vertical integration for consumers!

– As we saw yesterday, while there is a level of disintermediation, the internet has actually converted our old intermediaries into online ones.  You still shop online through different stores (sometimes going directly to the manufacturing company), but normally you just go online to a web-store (like Amazon) rather than going to a physical store (like Sears).