Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Assistive technology
Assistive technology includes any item, piece of equipment or system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve how a person performs some task of daily living.
B
Banner ad
A paid announcement posted on an Internet site in rectangular or “banner” format.
Browser
A computer program used to view, download, surf or otherwise browse documents on the Internet. Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer are well-known browsers that enable users to view Web sites.
C
Callback
Information officers record a callback when they are unable to provide a caller with an immediate response. They note the caller's name, telephone number, preferred callback time, and exact question so that an appropriate representative can follow up with the response.
Cheque insert
Promotional document included with a Government of Canada mailout, such as Canada Child Tax Benefit cheques.
Cluster
A set of related information and services brought together from across organizational boundaries into a grouping that makes sense to citizens and clients.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are automatically placed on a user's hard drive when he or she browses a Web site. The next time the user goes to the same Web site, the browser sends the cookie to the Web server. Web sites can then identify the user and recognize the computer.
There are two types of cookies:
Non-persistent cookies exist in the Web browser's temporary memory only and are deleted when the user closes his or her browser.
Persistent cookies remain on a user's hard drive for a specified period of time after he or she closes the browser.
Customized media feeds
Customized media feeds allow employees to enter keywords and then receive news clippings and media articles related to their line of work. These news feeds are useful to various government communities, work groups, and task force groups.
E
E-government
E-government applies concepts of electronic commerce (e.g. information and marketing through Web sites, selling to customers on-line) to government operations. Some initiatives have included posting Government of Canada information and communication on Web sites, providing on-line services to clients, and collaborating with partners on-line.
Ethnic press
Newspapers published in Canada in a language other than English or French.
F
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The standard method for downloading and uploading files over the Internet. FTP allows the user to login to a server and transfer files (send or receive files).
Focus group testing
A small group of people assembled to discuss a given advertising topic.
Freenet
Freenet is a community-based bulletin-board system or service, usually in a public library (which is now a place where you can access the Internet).
G
Gateway
The next level after a portal. A large grouping of related information that sometimes leads to smaller, more precise categories, called clusters. The Canada Site has three gateways: Services for Canadians, Services for Non-Canadians and Services for Canadian Business.
GENet
An information network that provides single network connection and interconnection among federal government departments, agencies, boards, commissions and provinces. It allows access to common applications and information, as well as optional access to the global Internet.
Gopher
A browsing and searching system that lets the user look for and retrieve documents from all over the Internet. It is a menu-based system that does not require the knowledge of host or file names. Early on in the days of the Internet, this type of text-based searching was most people's first choice. With the increasing use of the graphical Web, however, Gopher sites are not nearly as popular.
H
Hit
A request for a file from a Web server. Each element of a requested Web page (including graphics) is counted as an individual hit. Since the number of graphics per page can vary considerably, hits mean very little for comparison purposes.
N
Not for profit
A non-profit organization includes a club, society or association organized and operated solely for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure or recreation, or for any other purpose except for profit, no part of the income of which is payable to, or is otherwise available for the personal benefit of, any proprietor, member or shareholder.
M
Multi-channel network
A service delivery model that provides single-window access to information on Government of Canada programs and services. This model lets the public choose how it wants to access information -- in person, by telephone or on the Internet.
P
Page request
The number of times a Web page is requested from a server. This is our preferred method for measuring traffic (instead of hits) because we only count documents, and not individual files. A single HTML page is counted as one page request.
Performance indicator
Performance indicators provide a standard and manageable way of measuring performance.
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
PDAs are hand-held personal computers. These devices are usually equipped with calendars, electronic address books and other features for both business and personal use.
Pilot project
A pilot project serves as an advance or experimental version or sample of an operation.
Portal
An Internet portal Web site is intended to be the first Web site a user will find or use when seeking information or a service from a particular organization. It provides guidance to users for finding information, using electronic services, and sending questions and comments. Portals provide a broad array of resources and services, including a directory of other Web sites, a facility to search for other sites, news, e-mail, phone and map information, and sometimes a community forum.
Q
Qualitative research
A research method that measures information based on opinions and values as opposed to statistical data.
Quantitative research
A research method based on collecting statistical data through questionnaires or surveys to help researchers determine the public opinion.
Queue
In our case, a queue is a series of calls waiting in our system for connection to an information officer. Calls are answered according to their order of arrival. To monitor our queue activities, we can track how many calls are waiting to be answered, how long calls have waited and the time the call came in.
S
Service Canada Access Centres
A countrywide network of in-person centres established by the Government of Canada to provide Canadians with basic information on federal programs, services and publications.
Service level
The percentage of all calls that reach an information officer and are answered within three rings or 18 seconds. The service level is reported as an annual average.
Service standards
Service standards outline specific delivery targets.Our service standards describe what clients should expect to receive from our services and the way in which these services will be delivered.
Spam
Spam is an e-mail message that is sent to a large number of people without their consent. It is also known as Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE) or junk e-mail. Spam is usually sent to promote a product or service.
Storyboards
Series of drawings describing the scenes of a television commercial.
T
Teletypewriter (TTY)
A telecommunication device that enables conversation in printed form over the telephone.
Turnkey
Ready to be put into immediate use; equipped with, or including, everything needed to operate it.
U
User support service
A team of information officers using both the 1 800 O-Canada database and the Internet to provide telephone and e-mail user support services for the Canada Site.
Publiservice also offers a user support service for site navigation and technical help. The service can be reached by telephone and through e-mail.
V
Vignette
A vignette is a 60-second television ad that showcases a public servant in the workplace and promotes Government of Canada services and programs.
W
Wireless communication
Communication that takes place via airwaves as opposed to cables or telephone lines. It is estimated that by 2003 nearly 62 million people will use wireless devices (such as cell phones or PDAs) to access the Internet, an increase of about 728% since 2000.
Wordmark
The "Canada” wordmark is the brand identifier of the Government of Canada and its departments.
Source:
Many of these definitions come from existing sources and have been adapted to our own services. These sources include netlingo.com, Termium, the Treasury Board Secretariat's Common Look and Feel for the Internet site, the Canadian Gage, Transport Canada's Internet site, and http://cookiescache.tripod.com.
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