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There's a lot of talk lately about the newest technologies that keep us all connected—but the new jargon can be really confusing. Find out what everyone's talking about with this list of definitions. We'll help you get a quick understanding of these terms and learn more about the online world.
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Emoticon: A simple symbol representing an emotion that?s made up of a sequence of keyboard characters. Emoticons usually are made up of colons, semicolons, and parentheses to create "faces" (when you look at the characters sideways). Popular emoticons are happy : ) or winking face ; ) or face with a tongue sticking out : P, and some have developed into more complex ?smiley face? graphics.
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Facebook: A social networking site that lets you express yourself and connect with friends, family, and coworkers online. You can use Facebook to share personal photos, videos, favorite links, or other personal information with the people you know. Once you find something in common with others on Facebook, you can form a network to help others connect with you. Networks usually are based on where you live, where you work, or your alma mater. Once you join a network, it's easy for your friends to find you on Facebook. But only those confirmed as your friends (or people in your network) can access your personal page.
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Firefox®: An open-source Web browser for Windows®, Linux, and Mac OS X. Firefox is available for free download from the Mozilla Foundation.
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Firewall: A combination of hardware and software that protects you from hackers trying to access your computer or network. This works by accepting only certain kinds of messages from the Internet.
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Flash: A type of animation software used to make moving images on webpages, games, and advertisements. Sometimes a site will ask if you have Shockwave®, Flash, or ActiveX®. This means your Web browser will need that programming language to view some of the content on the site.
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Forums: An online discussion group where you can post messages in response to various topics, from parenting to popular TV shows. (Also see message boards.)
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Identity Theft: When someone uses your personal information (Social Security number, credit card info, etc.) to impersonate you. Criminals use this information to rack up charges on a credit card, open new loans, and commit other acts in your name.
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IM (Instant Messaging): A type of real-time communication where you "talk" with someone by sending short messages back and forth through a simple program. To IM someone, both you and that person must have an IM program installed. (Also see chat.)
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Internet Explorer®: A Web browser from Microsoft® that is included with all Microsoft Windows® operating systems. (Also see browser.)
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ISP (Internet Service Provider): A company that provides you with an Internet connection. For a regular fee, the company provides you with the software and equipment you need and helps you set up user and email accounts.
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Getting lost in the language of mobile-phone shorthand can be a bit frustrating and confusing. This short list of common texting lingo can help you understand what everyone's talking about. You also can visit NetLingo or Webopedia™ for a longer list of phrases and translations. |
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143 means "I love you."
20 means "location" (What's your 20?).
2G2BT means "too good to be true."
404 means "I don't know" (also IDK).
9 means "parent is watching." (99 means "coast is clear.")
BFF means "best friends forever."
BRB means "be right back."
KPC means "keeping parents clueless."
L8R means "later."
LOL means "laugh out loud."
OMG means "oh my God."
ROTFL means "rolling on the floor laughing."
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