In machine learning, Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are classification algorithms that you can use to label data into different classes. The SVM algorithm segregates data into two groups by finding a hyperplane in a high-dimensional space (or surface, in case of more than two features) that distinctly classifies the data points. The algorithm chooses the hyperplane that represents the largest separation, or margin, between classes.

SVM is extremely useful for solving nonlinear text classification problems. It can efficiently perform a non-linear classification using the "kernel trick," implicitly mapping the inputs into high-dimensional feature spaces.

In summary, SVM's distinguishing factors are:

• Hyperplanes: These are decision boundaries that help SVM separate data into different classes.
• Support Vectors: These are the data points that lie closest to the decision surface (or hyperplane). They are critical elements of SVM because they help maximize the margin of the classifier.
• Kernel Trick: The kernel helps SVM to deal with non-linear input spaces by using a higher dimension space.
• Soft Margin: SVM allows some misclassifications in its model for better performance. This flexibility is introduced through a concept called Soft Margin.