Numbers
1G / 2G / 2.5G / 3G / 4G / 5G The series of Generations of wireless technology. 1G was analogue only and 3G was the first to support rich media. It was the launch of 3G that brought these generations to the notice of the general public when a number of mobile phone companies bidding for the licenses to broadcast the technology in the UK became national news.
360 degree video see immersive video.
3PAS see adserver.
40/40/20 Rule Created in the 1960s by Ed Mayer - who many consider to have been the leading light in modern direct marketing - the 40/40/20 Rule is the formula that still guides many of the world's direct marketing campaigns. The Rule states that direct marketing campaigns should be built by focusing attention on [a] the audience, [b] the offer and [c] the creative in the following percentages: 40 per cent audience, 40 per cent offer, 20 per cent creative. More recently, however, it has been suggested that the rule needs to be updated to address direct marketing using the Internet by adding a fourth element - technology. This would give a revised rule of the 4-Way Split - 25 per cent audience, 25 per cent offer, 25 per cent creative, 25 per cent technology. Whether or not this revision stands the test of time in the same way a Mayer's original remains to be seen.
404 File not found message An HTML error code, probably the most common encountered by users online. The 404 error message indicates that the server went looking for a requested web page but found only a dead link. Likely causes for the message being displayed fall into one of two camps [i] the website's fault, or [ii] the user's fault. The most common reasons for these are; [a] If there is a problem with the server on which the site is hosted, [b] the website might no longer exists - perhaps because the organization it represented no longer exists, [c] the website address - the URL - typed into the browser is incorrect, or [d] the URL in a link has been entered into the source code incorrectly.
In the US moved to Atlanta is a colloquial term for the 404 message, originating from the telephone area code for Atlanta, Georgia - 404.
404 trapping A term used to describe the application of a custom-made page to host a 404 file not found message. The practice is normally used by sites with extensive content where site up-dates, changes or reorganization can result in content being moved from one URL to another. Although internal links to that content will be amended, external links [those held on search engine listings, for example] will still refer users to the old page - where they get the 404 message. With 404 trapping, rather than seeing a standard file not found page from their browser or service provider, users see a message from the site publisher advising them why the page has mover and a link to either the new URL of the content or the site's homepage. The ethos or culture of the organization can be represented in the bespoke 404 message.
419 scam A form of advance-fee fraud, perpetrated online, in which the target receives an email that promises fabulous rewards - the drawback being that some kind of advanced payment is required. Although many exist, the most popular are the next of kin scam [tempting targets to claim an inheritance of millions of dollars in a foreign bank belonging to a long-lost relative, then collecting money for bank and transfer fees] and the laundering crooked money scam [in which targets are promised a commission on a multibillion-dollar fortune]. This type of scam originates in Nigerian where 419 is the criminal statute against fraud - hence the name. It is estimated that 419 scams net hundreds of millions of dollars annually worldwide, with most victims too afraid or embarrassed to report their losses.