Digital & Social Media Jargons

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Digital & Social Media Jargons

Anyone using with social media or digital marketing knows the pain of too many jargons and acronyms. For many people, posting a tweet, hashtagging an Instagram caption, and sending out an invite for a Facebook event on Facebook has become common practice.

Social media always dictates its own rules. Acronyms and abbreviations, for example, have become the part of the unique language spoken on social. If you don’t know the terms, you may be in deep trouble.

Check out the following list of social media jargons and acronyms to keep you in the know:

JARGONS

AddThis – AddThis is a web-tracking technology company that offers a wide range of social media and content tools — from responsive sharing buttons to custom follow buttons to recommended content plugins — designed to help you increase engagement on your website and earn more followers on social media.

AMA – AMA is an acronym for “ask me anything,” which originated in a popular subreddit where users will use the term to prompt questions from other users. Since its inception, the term has gone on to be used in other online social settings as well.

Avatar – An avatar is an image or username that represents a person online most often within forums and social networks.

Bitmoji – A Bitmoji is an avatar or emoji that users can create to look like them. Bitmojis can then be added to your personal or Snapchat keyboards so you can send them to fiends or use them in place of profile pictures.

Bio – A bio on social media refers to a short bit of explainer text that explains who the user is.

Blog – Blog is a word that was created from two words: “web log.” Blogs are usually maintained by an individual or a business with regular entries of content on a specific topic, descriptions of events, or other resources such as graphics or video. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Blogger – Blogger is a free blogging platform owned by Google that allows individuals and companies to host and publish a blog typically on a subdomain.

BoardReader – BoardReader is a free search engine that allows users to search for keywords only in posts and titles of online forums, a popular form of social networking.

Bookmarking – Bookmarking online follows the same idea of placing a bookmark in a physical publication — you’re simply marking something you found important, enjoyed, or want to continue reading later. The only difference online is that it’s happening through websites using one of the various bookmarking services available, such as Pocket, or right within your browser.

Chat – Chat can refer to any kind of communication over the internet but traditionally refers to one-to-one communication through a text-based chat application, commonly referred to as instant messaging (IM) applications.

Circles – Circles are clusters of a user’s friends, colleagues, family, or connections on the now-discontinued Google+. On the platform, you got to choose who went in what Circle, and what you shared with those individuals.

Comment – A comment is a response that is often provided as an answer or reaction to a blog post or message on a social network.

Connections – The LinkedIn equivalent of a Facebook ‘friend’ is a ‘connection.’ Because LinkedIn is a social networking site, the people you are connecting with are not necessarily people you are friends with, but rather professional contacts that you’ve met, heard speak, done business with, or know through another connection.

Conversion Rate – Conversion rate refers to a common metric tracked in social media that is the percentage of people who completed an intended action (i.e. filling out a form, following a social account, etc.).

Crowdsourcing – Crowdsourcing, similar to outsourcing, refers to the act of soliciting ideas or content from a group of people, typically in an online setting.

Direct Message (or DM) – Direct messages also referred to as “DMs” — are private conversations that occur on Twitter. Both parties must be following one another to send a message.

Emoji – Emojis are small cartoonish images that can be sent along with text in social media and private messages.

Endorsement – An endorsement on LinkedIn refers to an instance in which another LinkedIn user recognizes you for one of the skills you have listed on your profile.

Flash Mob – A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time and then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.

Follower – In a social media setting, a follower refers to a person who subscribes to your account in order to receive your updates.

Filter – Filters are used on certain social media platforms as a way for users to edit their photos. Each filter offers an overlayed effect that can be placed onto images. This feature is most popularly used on Instagram (#NoFilter — not).

Geotag – A geotag is the directional coordinates that can be attached to a piece of content online. For example, Instagram users often use geotagging to highlight the location in which their photo was taken.

GIF – GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format. In social media, GIFs serve as small-scale animations and film clips.

Groups – Facebook and LinkedIn offer a Groups feature where people in similar industries or with similar passions can join a group and discuss topics related to it.

Header Image – A header image refers to the large photo displayed at the top of your profile on Twitter. The header image is also commonly referred to as the banner image on LinkedIn or the cover image on Facebook.

Hashtag – A hashtag is a tag used on a variety of social networks as a way to annotate a message. A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a “#” (i.e. #InboundMarketing). Social networks use hashtags to categorize information and make it easily searchable for users.

IGTV – IGTV is where verified businesses and accounts can host long-form videos or place longer live streams after they’ve aired.

Instant Messaging – Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time, direct text-based communication between two or more people. More advanced instant messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

Influencer – A social media user who has the potential to reach a relevant audience – large or small – and create awareness about a trend, topic, brand, or product.

Story – A ‘Story’ — either on Instagram or on Facebook — is a collection of photos or videos compiled into one album that can be shared with other users on the platform.

Selfie – A photograph that one has taken of oneself. Typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via the social media.

Twitterati – The ‘Twitterati’ are users on Twitter who have an incredibly large number of followers and who post regularly.

Viral – When a piece of content achieves noteworthy awareness and goes bats**t crazy all over the Internet.

Webinar – Online seminar or presentation, hosted by an individual or a company. In marketing, webinars are used educate audiences about a particular topic. Using the webinar’s hashtag, discussion is encouraged on social media.

ACRONYMS

SoMe: Social Media, of course.

MT: If you’ve changed what has been initially written in a tweet when resharing it, for example, you’re now dealing with a “Modified Tweet.”

PM: While DM is more popular on Instagram, “Private Message” is more of a basic general term for communication between two people invisible to the public.

RT: This combination of letters is commonly used to ask someone to “Retweet” your post.

DP: Display Picture

PP: Profile Picture

BFF: “Best friends forever” has been used since the 80’s and 90’s, to underline warm relationships with friends.

BRB: Or “be right back.” There’s no term to replace this one when it comes to instant real-time messaging or chat. BRB is a classic acronym to let someone know that you’ll be away for a short time.

BTW: No explanation needed here, as it stands for “by the way.”

DYK: If you need to post a fun fact, why not start with “did you know?”

ELI5: A naive abbreviation popular on Reddit that asks people to explain complex issues. The acronym stands for “explain it to me like I’m five.”

FOMO: A short version of “fear of missing out.” This term is widely used in marketing. In fact, more than half of people that are active users of social networks suffer from FOMO.

FTW: First used in the gaming industry, “for the win” has become popular in other niches. People now use it as a success of victory.

FYI: Just a little reminder that this acronym means “For your information.”

GTG: In contrast to BRB, “got to go” is used to put an end to the conversation.

IDC: “I don’t care.”

IDK: “I don’t know.”

IMHO: If you need to express an opinion, “in my humble opinion” would be a great addition to it.

JK: Stands for “just kidding” and can be utilized in comments to alleviate possible tension between people.

LMK: To ask someone for a piece of information, use “let me know.”

LOL: A widely-known acronym that stands for “laughing out loud.”

NBD: “No big deal.”

NVM: If your message was misinterpreted, say “never mind.”

OH: If you’ve “overheard” a phrase that you like, you may cite it in a post, but don’t forget the acronym.

OMG: No explanation needed. This acronym stands for “oh my god” or “oh my gosh” and has been used over a billion times on social.

QOTD: This is a popular one, meaning “quote of the day.”

ROFL: Finally, my favourite one. This acronym is a short version of “rolling on the floor laughing.”

SMH: Disappointment on social starts with this acronym, which means “shaking my head.” From our experience, people also use it to show they’re shocked.

TBH: Stands for “to be honest.”

TL;DR: “Too long; didn’t read.” That’s exactly what you can say about this post.

YOLO: A beautiful acronym to use in inspiring posts, especially in the travelling industry. It means “you only live once.”