# What is a "vertical"? (apparently a jargon term) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-vertical-apparently-a-jargon-term/782320 "2017-03-16T16:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-vertical-apparently-a-jargon-term/782320/1 "2017-03-16T16:53:33Z")
[Amanda Marcotte](http://www.salon.com/2017/03/16/bad-boy-gone-worse-vice-co-founder-gavin-mcinnes-slides-from-right-wing-provocateur-to-the-neo-nazi-fringe/#comments) refers in passing to something on a website as a “vertical.” “_Vice_, a hip-but-professional news and culture website that invests in things like investigative journalism and a [feminist vertical](https://broadly.vice.com/en_us)” and she links to the portion of _Vice_ titled “Broadly.” This is all I could glean from the context. Having wasted entirely too much time searching for this sense of the noun in dictionaries online and offline, plus some valiant attempts with Google, I am left no wiser. It means a section of a website, or what? I guess it’s some kind of journalistic jargon. Why call it “vertical,” and what is the specific definition? What is its origin? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-vertical-apparently-a-jargon-term/782320/2 "2017-03-16T17:03:24Z")
In business, the term “vertical” has become popular over the past few years to describe a focus on a specific niche or group of people within an industry. That focus could mean that the company solely focuses on that niche, or that it has a division which focuses on that niche. > **[What Are 'Verticals' in Business?](https://smallbusiness.chron.com/verticals-business-26157.html)** > > Vertical markets are customer niches that help a business focus its products and its advertising. Catering to a vertical market is advantageous to a business because of this simplicity and clarity. This approach can be disadvantageous because it... In this context, it’s telling me that Vice has, as a particular focus, delivering stories and content on feminist issues. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-vertical-apparently-a-jargon-term/782320/3 "2017-03-16T17:23:15Z")
\*\*kenobi \*\*has it. It’s a business neologism meaning, more or less, all levels of a narrow market. The opposite would be a broad market. A city newspaper tries to reach a broad market, but might be known for having a business or sports vertical if they are strong and detailed on that topic. A gay issues site might cover the rainbow, but have a strong focus on lesbian topics - a vertical. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-vertical-apparently-a-jargon-term/782320/4 "2017-03-16T18:41:36Z")
Sounds like the old concept of vertical integration adapted to internet information. That I can make sense of. Thank you. I just hate it though when writers addressing the general public throw in bits of insider jargon whose meaning is not readily accessible anywhere. Usually when I come across an odd bit of British or Australian slang, the meaning can be found online easily enough. This one wasn’t, perhaps because _vertical_ is already a regular word with normal spelling and plenty of established non-jargon senses.