Twitter Dictionary
James, November 7, 2012
Following on from our Introduction to Twitter, a few questions may have surfaced. For example what exactly is a hashtag!
Here is a quick rundown of some of the terms or abbreviations you may come across when using Twitter, reading tweets or taking the plunge and start tweeting yourself.
abt: An abbreviation for the word “about”
Attwicted: This is used to describe someone who is addicted to Twitter
avi: Profile picture, shortening of avatar
b4: Before
b/c: A commonly used term for “because”
bgd: “background”. This may refer to one’s previous experience in a job, for example.
BTW: By the way
BR: “Best regards”. This can be used to formally end a conversation.
#charitytuesday: A weekly way to promote your favourite charities on twitter. No one is hassled for money, but simply asked to give a show of support.
crank tweet: A false or misleading tweet.
CT: cut tweet - a retweet that is shortened so that everything can be fit into the 140-character limit
Deets: A shorthand version of “details”.
Direct Message (DM): This is shorthand for a Twitter function which allows users to send and receive private messages.
DYK: Did you know
EM/eml: An abbreviation for “email”.
#epicfail: Shorthand for total failure
F2F: An important term not to be forgotten; this is an acronym for “face-to-face”, as in a meeting or interview.
#fail: either used when disapproving of something, or a verb meaning approximately the same thing as the slang form of suck
Favourite: To favourite a Tweet means to mark it as one of your favourites by clicking the yellow star next to the message.
Follower: someone who subscribes to receives your updates
Following: the act of subscribing to recieve tweets from a particular user on your Twitter timeline
#followfriday (FF or Follow Friday): A recommendation used to call attention to a user's favourites which advises followers to have a look at anyone mentioned in a given post.
#freedom: A hashtag particular popular which signifies many things, calling attention to various political and civil movements worldwide and especially in the Middle East
FYI: an abbreviation of “for your information”
HAND: An acronym for “have a nice day”
Handle: Your Twitter handle refers to your username, e.g. @Jobsgopublic
Hashtag: This is how updates are organised on Twitter search engines. The hashtag (#) enables users to find other relevant tweets or updates.
ICYMI: An acronym for “In case you missed it.”. For the professional, this may be used in reference to an important previous post or a webinar, for example.
IDK: A commonly used slang term for “I don’t know”.
IMHO: in my humble opinion
JK: just kidding
LOL: Laugh out loud
Mention: When another user uses your username in a tweet
Microblog: This is a type of blog which users can publish updates. These can be published by email, instant messaging or Twitter itself.
MT: a "modified tweet," meaning the retweet that has been slightly edited for length or content
NSFW: Not safe for work
NTS: Shorthand for “note to self”. This is an easy way to post a reminder.
PRT: An abbreviation for “Please retweet”; useful if one has failed to find a previous post and wishes to be kept informed.
Retweet: Abbreviated as RT. A retweet is used to show you are tweeting something that was posted by another user. This can be seen as an endorsement.
ROFL: Rolling On Floor Laughing
Timeline: your list of tweets from people that you follow
Trends: If a certain hashtag or word is mentioned by numerous users it is said to be trending. A list of the most current popular hashtags or words appears on Twitter's front page.
Troll/Trolling: a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages
Tweet: short messages limited to 140 characters.
Twegal advice: A brief synopsis of legal advice sent on Twitter.
TY: thank you
YW: you're welcome
#whatimissmost: a hashtag reference the nostalgic memories of twitter users; named as one of the top ten hashtags in 2012.
Stay tuned for our guide on how Twitter can be used to help a hunt for that perfect job.
