Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

As just about everybody knows, Twitter is fast becoming one of the biggest social networks out there.  Heck, even Ashton and CNN were apparently battling it out to be top tweeter.  And given that Twitter limits you to just 140 characters, you have to make each one count.  As a result, you see lots of shorthand and acronyms in Twitter-land.  Some are ones you are probably pretty familiar with if you’ve already been using some kind of IM (that would be “Instant Messenger”), some, maybe not. 

In which case, sure is a good thing you’ve got us to help decipher that Twitter-code, huh?  Don’t worry, in no time, you’ll be tweeting like a crazybird (Uh…if that’s a good thing).

Some of the most often used phrases and acronyms you’ll probably be seeing on Twitter and what they mean are as follows:

@ - Added before any username to send a message to that person   ex. @iyaz Hey iyaz! That writer of yours jodie really rocks!
#topic - This is to add a hashtag to your tweet. (It adds more context and metadata kind of like tags on flickr)
AFAIK - As Far As I Know
b/c - because
BR - Best Regard
bt- about
BTW - By The Way
DM - Direct Message (this is a private message, and won’t appear in the public forums)
EM - Email
EMA - Email Address
FAIL - Describes a business or product that isn’t working. (ie APPLE FAIL)
FAVRD - To vote for a tweet to appear on the internet site textism.
FB - Facebook (ya know…that other social networking site??)
FTF - Face to Face (this is done IRL)
FTL - For the Loss (not good obviously)
FTW - For the Win (an expression of recommendation)
HT - Hat Tip (to give credit)
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
IRL - In Real Life (yes, some people step away from their computers, believe it or not)
j/k - just kidding
JSYK - Just So You Know
JV - Joint Venture
LMK - Let Me Know
OH - Overheard (this is a quotation of someone else’s remarks)
PRT - This one can be used two ways. First up…Partial ReTweet (this has been edited from the original, for size or other reasons) OR Please ReTweet (as in please forward to your tweet friends/followers)
RT - ReTweeting or forwarding the original tweet.
TMB - Tweet Me Back
twemes - lets you follow tags without following a specific account
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary (means what you experience may be different than what I experience)
YW - You’re Welcome

So there you go.  AFAIK, 30 of the acronyms most commonly used on Twitter, then again, YMMV.  IMHO, these will help though.  If so, EM or comment me and LMK!  And don’t forget to to check gadgetell out on twitter while you’re busy showing off all the new tweeting skills.  BR!!