This page is dedicated to the buzzwords I frequently encounter and dislike, listed alphabetically. I’ll keep on updating the list as more words get under my nerve.

Cloud

Real definition - Using scalable distributed computing / storage power and getting charged based on what you use. This helps protect you from spikes in scale (ie: if you are running some kind of promotion campaign) and allows you to scale flexibly.

Abuse #1 - I’ve seen people use the word cloud in place of having your computing / storage hosted abroad. Hosting services (whether private or shared hosting) has been around for a very long time but the point is that you rent a limited amount of computers, unlike cloud’s per use plan.

Abuse #2 - I’ve also come across a term called “private cloud”.., which is defined by one service provider as

a particular model of cloud computing that involves a distinct and secure cloud based environment in which only the specified client can operate… under the private cloud model, the cloud (the pool of resource) is only accessible by a single organisation providing that organisation with greater control and privacy.”

..what..? It also offers another add-on service that:

allows the provider to switch certain non-sensitive functions to a public cloud to free up more space in the private cloud for the sensitive functions that require it.

..okay.. So in summary, private clouds are not actually scalable, and is only marginally different from hosting services in that the fees are charged based more on usage than flat rental models. Great..

Growth Hack

This term is extremely vague and annoying. I’ve seen all kinds of marketing stunt grouped as an example of growth hacking. A managing director of 500 Startups (one of the branches), gave a talk in Thailand and offered 2 examples:

1. Him coming up with quicker way to draft proposal so that after field sales pitching, he can sit in his customer’s lobby and get a proposal back to them in 30 minutes or an hour. This boosted his sales by a lot.
2. His friend who is consistently did A/B test on the web and improved the conversion rate by xxx % (I don’t remember the exact number).

Other examples I’ve heard of include PayPal’s offer of $10 for signing up, DropBox’s extra storage for friend’s referral, etc. On this point, all mobile games offer some kind of item for inviting friends to play. Does this mean they have all “hacked growth”..?

At the end of the day, I think the term is extremely loose and are most often associated with good marketing campaigns done by successful companies. The term is vague enough and biased toward successful companies that, to me, it’s really just another word used to sound cool.

Leverage

This term is used a lot in the private world. I don’t have an issue with how the term is used in finance, but rather in business-strategy talk. As a verb, it is often used in place of the word “use” but with the connotation of being “strategic” or “smart”. Here’s an example:

Our connectivity service offers clients a range of options to process their messages in any standard, protocol or gateway via SWIFT, etc… By leveraging Calastone for these connections, it removes the costs and responsibility of infrastructure upgrades and standards maintenance.”

Here, the company is selling its service. the term leverage doesn’t add much logic to the sentence but sounds nice and strategic.

This is what The Economist has to say about the term in its style guide for good writing

Leverage: If you really cannot find a way of avoiding the word leverage, you must explain what it means (unless it is simply the use of a lever to gain a mechanical advantage). In its technical sense, as a noun, it may mean the ratio of long-term debt to total capital employed. But note that operating leverage and financial leverage are different. The verb is even viler than the noun (try lever).

Feel Free to contribute to the list! I’ll even create a section just for you.