MarketingProfs Video: Simplifying AJAX for Marketers
Not a day goes by when I don't see complex technical terms thrown around in the media or on blogs. I often wonder if the average marketer knows what half of these terms mean. This series is aimed at illustrating (this is where the whiteboard comes into play) complex terms in ways that normal, non-geeks can understand.
In this installment, I take a look at AJAX. This is a huge Web2.0 buzzword that you hear all the time, but do you really know what it means? It's actually quite straight forward from a marketing point of view.
AJAX Stands for Asynchronous JAvasript and XML. As a marketer you don't need to know about Javascript, which is a programming language, nor do you really need to know about XML, which is a data storage standard. The asynchronous part is what is interesting. This allows web pages to behave in a more dynamic, application-like manner. Google's Reader, Mail and Documents all work with AJAX to make them work more fluidly for the end user. Data is transmitted and stored via XML behind the scenes to enable this process to happen.
AJAX is also partly responsible for the so called "death of the pageview". Pages don't need to reload to get content thereby eliminating impressions. Check out the video for a tutorial on what AJAX is from a 30,000 foot, marketing centric view.
Key takeaways:
AJAX allows technology to get out of the way of the end user
User experience is improved through more dynamic, application-like interfaces
This idea is a driver behind Web2.0, but has been around for a while
Microsoft has their own version of AJAX called Atlas (same principles)
AJAX bridges the design/UI field and the technical/integration field to make the users happier
Less pages to load means less impressions hence the death of the pageview
Major companies are using AJAX to design more responsive, rich interfaces than is possible in Flash
Is there another term that's confusing you? Do your tech guys like to show you up and you want a little revenge? Email me or leave me a comment with the terms/ideas/buzzwords that you would like to see explained in a future post.
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Comments
Well explained, Matt.
A lot of people do not realize that Ajax is behind the scenes of Web 2.0. I think it is important for marketers to know the basics of the technology. Thanks for your series so far. Keep up the good work.
I would like to draw your attention to another alternative which is a paradigm shift for AJAX front ends. One should be aware that I am not, and do not pretend to be objective, never the less I believe that one can judge for himself. Visual WebGui is an open source rapid application development framework for graphic user interfaces of IT web applications. VWG replaces the obsolete paradigms of ASP.NET in both design-time and run-time which were designed for developing sites, with WinForms methodologies, which were designed for developing applications. Thus enabling designer that was designed for application interfaces (WinForms designer) instead of a word documents (ASP.NET designer). This provides the developer with an extremely efficient way to design interfaces using drag and drop instead of hand coding HTML. Visual WebGui is an AJAX frame work that doesn’t expose logic, data or open services on client requests and therefore is not as vulnerable as common AJAX solution.. VWG presentation layer is de-coupled and instead of standard browser it can, and will run Silverlight.
NO!!! Visual Webgui is not!!
Not a component library – It is a complete revised approach to developing web applications.
not a JavaScript generator – It runs on the server controlling the browser using a small static JavaScript kernel.
Not for developing sites – It was designed to provide for developing IT web applications GUIs.
Not a closed / locked-in framework – It has many extensibility features, which allow integration of legacy resources (ASP.NET or DHTML resources) and the development of custom controls and behaviors.
Worth a look at www.visualwebgui.com,
Neil -- Thanks for the comment. It's interesting to look deeper into Web2.0 and the pieces behind it.
Navot -- I'll take a look, but AJAX is the mainstream option and is propelling the 2.0 shift. This forum is not about the technology, but about what the technology enables.
Hi Matt. Very good idea to start explaining all these IT buzz words to marketeers. A colleague of mine Geert De Laet is doing the same thing over here in Belgium (Europe). He wants to be "a guide to all marketeers in the no-mans land between marketing and technology". Have a look at his blog http://markiteer.wordpress.com .
Maybe you can exchange ideas or topics.
I think what Matt is doing is very, very important. I think that techies need to have some understanding of marketing. In addition, marketers have to have some understanding of technology.
As someone who has both techie and marketing experience, I can say that they seem to be two different worlds.
Comments
Well explained, Matt.
A lot of people do not realize that Ajax is behind the scenes of Web 2.0. I think it is important for marketers to know the basics of the technology. Thanks for your series so far. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.21.07
I would like to draw your attention to another alternative which is a paradigm shift for AJAX front ends. One should be aware that I am not, and do not pretend to be objective, never the less I believe that one can judge for himself. Visual WebGui is an open source rapid application development framework for graphic user interfaces of IT web applications. VWG replaces the obsolete paradigms of ASP.NET in both design-time and run-time which were designed for developing sites, with WinForms methodologies, which were designed for developing applications. Thus enabling designer that was designed for application interfaces (WinForms designer) instead of a word documents (ASP.NET designer). This provides the developer with an extremely efficient way to design interfaces using drag and drop instead of hand coding HTML. Visual WebGui is an AJAX frame work that doesn’t expose logic, data or open services on client requests and therefore is not as vulnerable as common AJAX solution.. VWG presentation layer is de-coupled and instead of standard browser it can, and will run Silverlight.
NO!!! Visual Webgui is not!!
Not a component library – It is a complete revised approach to developing web applications.
not a JavaScript generator – It runs on the server controlling the browser using a small static JavaScript kernel.
Not for developing sites – It was designed to provide for developing IT web applications GUIs.
Not a closed / locked-in framework – It has many extensibility features, which allow integration of legacy resources (ASP.NET or DHTML resources) and the development of custom controls and behaviors.
Worth a look at www.visualwebgui.com,
Posted by: navot | 11.22.07
Who said anything about ASP.NET in what Matt was talking about?
He was talking specifically about AJAX.
Your product may be worthy but it is not a counter to what Matt is saying at all.
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.22.07
Neil -- Thanks for the comment. It's interesting to look deeper into Web2.0 and the pieces behind it.
Navot -- I'll take a look, but AJAX is the mainstream option and is propelling the 2.0 shift. This forum is not about the technology, but about what the technology enables.
Posted by: Matt Dickman | 11.26.07
Yes, Matt, and AJAX is now and is going to be a key engine for marketing in the years to come.
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.26.07
BTW, Matt, what did you think of my idea of doing a presentation on Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records?
It is key to successful permission-based email marketing but not many people know about it. The funny thing is that it is very simple to implement.
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.26.07
Hi Matt. Very good idea to start explaining all these IT buzz words to marketeers. A colleague of mine Geert De Laet is doing the same thing over here in Belgium (Europe). He wants to be "a guide to all marketeers in the no-mans land between marketing and technology". Have a look at his blog http://markiteer.wordpress.com .
Maybe you can exchange ideas or topics.
Regards
Luc
Luc Robijns
EmailGarage
Posted by: Luc Robijns | 11.26.07
I think what Matt is doing is very, very important. I think that techies need to have some understanding of marketing. In addition, marketers have to have some understanding of technology.
As someone who has both techie and marketing experience, I can say that they seem to be two different worlds.
Matt is bridging the gap!
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.26.07