ACK

Acknowledgment

ACK is the acronym for Acknowledgment.

A crucial concept in the context of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). In TCP, ACK is a signal or message one computer sends to another to acknowledge that it has received a data segment. When data is transmitted over a network using TCP, it is divided into smaller segments, and each segment is assigned a sequence number. The receiving computer returns an ACK message to the sender to confirm that it has received a specific segment.

Here’s a simplified explanation:

Data is sent in segments over a network.
When a segment is received, the receiver sends an ACK message to the sender.
If the sender doesn’t receive an ACK within a specific time, it assumes the segment was lost or corrupted and retransmits it.

This ACK mechanism helps ensure reliable data transfer over the Internet and other networks, making TCP a widely used protocol for applications such as web browsing, email, and file transfers.

Abbreviation: ACK

It all started as a book club.

Yes, I’m serious. I started my work on the web more than two decades ago. My first site was Helping Hand, which curated the best sites from around the web to help people with their computers and navigate resources on the Internet. Years later, I sold the domain to a company that helped folks quit smoking, one of my first big contracts.

I began blogging on Blogger and waxed poetic about everything from politics to Internet tools. I was all over the place and mostly wrote for myself – without much of an audience. I belonged to a Marketing Book club in Indianapolis that quickly grew out of control. Over time, I discovered that more and more of the group were coming to me for technology advice. The combination of my technology background and my business and marketing acumen was in high demand as the Internet rapidly changed the industry.

After reading Naked Conversations, I was motivated to better brand and control the content on the site. I also wanted more control over the look and feel of my blog, so I moved to my domain in 2006 and built my first WordPress site. Since I was focused on marketing technology, I didn’t want the domain with my name to get in the way, so I moved the site (painfully) to its new domain in 2008 where it’s grown ever since.

The Martech Zone is owned and operated by DK New Media, LLC, a company I started in 2009. After working with virtually every major online marketing department in my tenure at ExactTarget and launching Compendium, I knew there was a great demand for my expertise and guidance within such a complex industry.

DK New Media oversees my consulting, publications, podcasts, workshops, webinars, and speaking opportunities. Highbridge, my agency with two other partners, helps companies maximize their investment in sales, marketing, and related products. We offer integration, migration, training, strategic consulting, and custom development.

Thank you so much for your support over the years!

Douglas Karr
CEO, DK New Media