Tech Terms (continuation)

This time I'm going to continue listing the most popular tech terms. Learn them:

• mommy-save - slang for the act of indiscriminately clicking 'Save' without first choosing an appropriate folder to in which to store the document;
• morph or morphing - it most commonly refers to special effects morphing and it is the animated transformation of one image into another, by a gradual distortion of the first image;
• opt-out (a.k.a. opt out) - any time a user requests to be removed from any kind of online program, he or she is said to be "opting out";
• PING or ping (Packet Internet Groper) - traditionally this term refers to an Internet program used to determine whether a specific IP address is accessible or online;
• radar screen - in modern jargon, this refers to the range of interests that a company or individual is focused on;
• rant-and-rave - to speak on and on about something you feel passionate for;
• scaleable or scalability - refers to the ability of hardware or software to adapt to increased demands while continuing to work accurately;
• showstopper (a.k.a. a big bug) - slang for anything that has the potential to halt the shipment or to stop the launch of a new product;
• yoyo mode -the state in which a computer rapidly alternates several times between being up and being down.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Tech Terms

The tech terms I am going to mention have already become common expressions. Check your knowledge and decide whether you know them or not:

• 404 (I haven't a clue) - originally a technical term for Not Found 404 (which is an error message seen on a Web page to indicate a requested URL was not found on a server);
• age - actually it is "-age" which is a suffix used in slang to exaggerate a word and give it much larger meaning;
• brain dump - to empty one's brain of any and all information relating to a particular subject;
• cached out - slang for extremely tired;
• cryptic - primarily used as slang, it refers to anything that is hard to read;
• dead-tree version (a.k.a. forestware or tree version or treeware) - slang for a printed document or publication, as opposed to an electronic version;
• down time - this expression refers to lost production time due to a broken machine and its operator being unable to work;
• eye candy - slang for extra graphics (or images) included on a Web page with the intent of making it look better;
• huge pipes - slang for a high-bandwidth Internet connection;
• meatspace - slang for the real world, as opposed to cyberspace.
  
  to be continued...:)
  
  
  
  
  
  

Newbie Terms (continuation)

Here is the next portion of NetLingo terms for newbies:

• RTM (Read The Manual) - proper netiquette on newsgroups calls for users not to post newbie questions that could otherwise be answered by taking some time to "read the manual";
• sig file (short for: signature file) - a short statement at the end of an e-mail message; it identifies the sender and provides additional information, such as an address and phone number;
• silver surfer - an adult, generally 50 years of age or older, who frequently surfs the Web and spends time online ("silver" refers to the color of their hair);
• snail mail (a.k.a. smail) -  regular postal mail; the obvious connotation of this term is that postal mail is slow;
• texting (a.k.a. texting, text message, person-to-person messaging, p2p messaging, SMS) - the act of typing and sending a brief, electronic message (less than 160 characters) via a wireless network to another person so that they can view the short message on any number of mobile or handheld devices, such as a Blackberry, a cell phone, a PDA, a handy, or a pager;
• troll (a.k.a. trolling) - online it originally meant the act of posting a message in a newsgroup (and later on a blog) that is obviously exaggerating something on a particular topic, hoping to trick a newbie into posting a follow-up article that points out the mistake.
  
   

Newbie Terms

This time I am going to give some popular newbie terms everyone should know. Here they are:

• newbie - someone who is new to the Internet or new to computers in general; 
• access - to log on to the Internet, where you can browse information, view Web sites, retrieve data, and send or receive e-mail;
• B2B - an acronym that describes business-to-business relationships or applications;
• bookmark - a direct link to an often visited site, saved in your browser for easy access;
• debbie - a name for someone who is even newer than a newbie;
• e-commerce - simply put, it means conducting business online;
• encryption - the process of protecting information as it moves from one computer to another;
• FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - a list of questions and answers related to a Web site, newsgroup, software, or any kind of product or service;
• OSP (Online Service Provider) - a company that provides customer-only content to subscribers of its service;
• P2P (Peer-to-Peer or Person-to-Person) - the ability of two or more computers to communicate on a network without a file server.  

This will be enough for today. Wait for some continuation next time.

NetLingo and Smileys

Today I’m going start giving information on the second part of my task. It means I will talk about NetLingo.

NetLingo is Internet slang. NetLingo means using symbols, smileys, acronyms and new words while communicating over the Internet. All these things prevent us from wasting our precious time while writing long words and sentences, in fact NetLingo makes online communication much easier and faster.

For those who don’t know, NetLingo is an online dictionary of more than 3000 terms. It has definitions that explain the online world of business, technology, communication as well as computer and Internet terms. It started in 1995 and is monthly updated.

My first note concerning this topic is going to be the things we all know very well and use often. They are smileys and emoticons.

A smiley is a sequence of characters on your computer keyboard. Smileys usually follow after the punctuation (or in place of the punctuation) at the end of a sentence and they show what we really mean, express our emotions.

Here are some of the smileys we don’t really often use (for us to know, remember and use):

@>--;--  A rose

~~8-O  Bad-Hair Day

(:-{~  Beard – long

:-.)  Cindy Crawford

:-6  Eating Something Spicy

=:-H  Football player

~~:-(  Getting Rained On

:0  Hungry

%+{  Lost a Fight

:-(*)  Makes Me Sick

:^)  Personality

:-C  Real Unhappy

$__$  Sees Money

:-a  Tongue Touching Nose

:-{}  Wearing Lipstick

…and this is not the whole list! :-)

P.S. Guess who is that (_8^(|)

Email Netiquette (continuation)

Today I am going to give some more information to the previous note. It means this time I will finish the list of 10 most important rules of sending email. So pay attention to them:
6. Read the email before you send it: You can make many spelling and grammar mistakes in your email accidentally and a lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out. 
7. Do not use email to discuss confidential information: The contents of your email can be easily read by others without your knowledge. So it’s wise to avoid saying anything you wouldn't write on the back of a postcard.
8. Be careful with formatting: Remember that when you use formatting in your emails, the sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended. When using colors, use a color that is easy to read on the background.
9. Do not attach unnecessary files: Sending large attachments can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. If it’s possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus scanner in place.
10. Take care with rich text and HTML messages: Be aware that when you send an email in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. Most email clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

 

 So, I suppose this note will be the end of my topic about netiquette. I hope all the information was rather interesting for you. Use it, enjoy your communication over the Internet and make new friends easily.

Email Netiquette

We all use email. However not everyone knows how to communicate with its help properly. Dealing with email presupposes taking into consideration all netiquette rules mentioned above plus some new ones.

 

Today I am going to give 5 important rules you should follow when sending email:

1. Answer your e-mail, answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions: Don't leave customers hanging. If they don't receive a response from you within a reasonable amount of time, they will likely take their business elsewhere. If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration.

2. Reply within 24 hours: Get in the habit of replying immediately -- it is the polite thing to do, and the recipient will appreciate a prompt reply. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them.

3. Use proper structure & layout: Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.

4. Use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field when sending bulk email: If you're sending email to a whole list of people, put their email addresses in the BCC field. That way, the privacy of the recipient is respected, and spammers cannot harvest the email addresses for their dastardly purposes.

5. Use templates for frequently used responses: Some questions you get over and over again. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your message when you need them.

Business Netiquette

Apart from the general netiquette rules, there are also some business netiquette principles. Business netiquette is the professional code of doing business over the internet. It includes the norms and common practices of professional communication.

Business netiquette has more strict rules than the general one. That is why it requires special knowledge and awareness of how to “behave” properly online:

1. Originating e-mail: When originating e-mail, say where you obtained the e-mail address of the person to whom you are writing, or mention the web page name or URL. Many business people have more than one page on the internet and knowing from where or why you are contacting them is helpful. Do not send ‘attachments’ (files attached to an e-mail message) with your e-mail before you have first asked your correspondent if it can be accepted. Always put something in the subject box.
2. Electronic Mailheads and Signatures: Create an e-mail letterhead for formal proposals, contracts, offers, and the like. But use it only when appropriate, to make it clear that the message is from your company, not yourself. Create a signature for consistency. Keep it short and concise. Include your e-mail address in case the signature gets separated from the header. Don't duplicate in your signature any material you have in your e-mailhead.
3. Capitalizing: Business communication requires proper use of written language. It requires proper use of capital letters. Some offices permit - even encourage - all lower-case for internal memos. But, this is rude and slovenly when used for inter-company communications.
4. The Message: Correspondents frequently try hard to be brief. This is desirable, but business messages will usually be longer than personal notes.
5. Don't use “smileys” (:-) ;-) :-/ etc.): These are fine for personal notes but are quite inappropriate for business use. The meaning of your words should be contained within the words themselves, and not need additional explanation with funny faces!
6. Form of Address: When initiating contact, use titles (“Mr.,” “Ms.,” “Ms”) if you wish to be formal--or first name if not--but be prepared to switch your approach if the recipient responds formally. If you are not sure how to address the recipient, do not send a salutation with the first message. Be guided by your correspondent's signature when replying. If both given and family name are signed, it is best to reply formally, but if a single name is used, you may use that name. Use of first names may be adopted later, if the business correspondence takes on characteristics of a personal chat.

10 Core Rules of Netiquette (continuation)

Last week I started my blog with the top 5 most important netiquette rules. This week I would like to continue this list by giving some more tips. As a result we will get the list of 10 core rules of netiquette. So here are they:
6. Be Yourself: Sometimes people do the things online they would never do in reality. Be ethical and don't break the law. Adhere the behaviour you would use in real life.
7. Tell the Truth in Your Profiles: This will create the best experience. You know the line honesty is the best policy.
8. Be Brief Online: A lot of people are busy. That is why it is important to keep messages short. Don't include more information than you need to include to get your point across. The reader will not only appreciate the brevity of the message, it will save the author’s valuable time typing the message. Remember, keep it short and be brief!
9. Obey Copyright Laws: There are millions of wonderful things online, everyone can find information on just about any topic! However, these things have copyrights and licenses. Copying the works of someone else without permission or saying it is your own will not only ruin your online reputation, but could land you with hefty fines and lawsuits! So better respect others' copyrights!
10. Pay Attention to Language Issues: Improper, inappropriate or bad language may get a participant kicked out or permanently banned from a forum or group. It is also important to remember people from other countries may be participating in the conversation and language barriers may be an issue.

This list of 10 Best Rules of Netiquette will help not only you but others have a much more enjoyable online experience.   

Netiquette: definition & background rules

We all should know how to communicate properly. Communication online has its own rules, too. They are called netiquette.
The word "netiquette" stands for "Internet Etiquette", and  was created to make the Internet experience pleasant for everyone. The most important rule of netiquette is "Think before you post".
Good netiquette means respecting others' privacy and not doing anything online that will annoy or frustrate other people. There are three areas where good netiquette is highly stressed: online chat, e-mail, and newsgroups.  

There is a great number of netiquette rules, but I would like to start with top 5 most important ones.
So they are:
1. The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself. This is an old but a true rule. Avoid obscene jokes, offensive comments and don't send anything that will reflect badly on you or anyone else.
2. DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS: It's understood as SHOUTING at people and moreover it hurts our eyes. You can only type in caps a word or two to accentuate something.
3. Use Proper Grammar & Spelling: It is normal when typos and basic spelling mistakes happen because spelling is not always easy, however you should try not to use too much web jargon and to write clear, organized messages.
4. No "Flaming": Sending personal insults and verbal abuse, harassing or insulting someone gives you a bad reputation. This will surely not help you to gain many online friends.
5. Do not Spam: Spam and pop-advertising is not really secure for you.