Are you 'Posting', 'Tweeting', or 'Hashtagging'?

Social Media is everywhere and the new normal way to connect with friends and people in general; share opinions and tell the world about you or even broadcast your life! Humans are social creatures and we have moved from face to face, handshaking meetings to social networking. We are tied to technology the way fish need water. New verbs in English: we 'post', we 'tweet', we 'hashtag'

Some statistics from statista.com - there are over 2.8 billion people using social media sites. In the USA there are 79% of the population have social media profiles.

Social Media vocab as used on some of your favorites: Facebook, WhatsApp, QQ (China), WeChat, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter ......by the way, I tried to find out how many social media sites there are globally and could not get an exact answer.

APP: Abbreviation for 'application' = a piece o software designed for your mobile, tablet or some programs on computer

BLOG: A blog is short for Weblog, a place on the web (www) for articles about a certain topic. Anyone can write a blog and hope people read their story.

CAMPAIGN: A campaign can mean many different things in English but as far as 'social media' goes, a campaign is a marketing plan on a large scale to attract publicity.

CLOUD COMPUTING: Not the white fluffy cloud in the sky, this is a virtual space to keep your computer files and data. This info is available to you from anywhere there is internet access.

CLOUDFUNDING: This is 21st century solicitation for money. It is when people come together online to help you get enough money to complete your project.

CLOUDSOURCING: Cheap labor online. Like crowdfunding, companies use crowdsourcing to get people together to help complete an idea or task. These workers can be anywhere in the world and are not committed to just one company. No contract (called freelancers) Freelancers provide ideas & work at a lower cost to the company.

EBOOK: an electronic or digital book for your mobile devices.

FEED: maybe you have heard of a newsfeed - a feed organizes your files ( photos, articles, videos) into one easy place. However, be aware that unwanted files and information can also be in your feeds, so don't subscribe to too many groups online. A newsfeed is where all the news the internet thinks you might be interested is kept.

FLASH MOB: flash = sudden, mob is a large group of people - Now 'flash mobs' are large groups of people who arrange to meet or randomly get together in one public place and DANSE! Check it out on YouTube! Here is a site with 10 of the top flashmobs in the past decade. Click on the 1st photo.....but come back to finish your vocab study!!

LIFECASTING: a webcast. Lifecasting is broadcasting about your life over the internet. Usually seen online by streaming or 'on demand' Normal people like you and I or celebrities can film and share their daily lives with everyone.

MEME: basically, it is a picture with text or words on the image - often funny. Sometimes it is a photo of a famous person or character and then some text written on it.

MOBLOG: short for mobile blog - what people who write their blog from their smartphone and publish.

STREAMING MEDIA: is content that is given to us live, as it happens. Often sport or gaming events.

TRENDING: when something is very popular at that moment. Popular on twitter. Current and popular information broadcast over social media

TROLL: Horrible mean people. Trolls are people who intentionally try and make other people angry or emotional online. The trolls will constantly comment on your posts or harass you or make negative comments about you on social media outlets. 

VLOG: a video blog. It is like combining blogging and lifecasting

VIRAL: expression 'going viral' is what most people want their pictures or posts to do on social media. When something goes viral, a lot of people have seen your post and shared it with other people. 

If you are interested in technology but need to increase your vocabulary and enjoy stress-free conversation about this industry......join me at OLE Academy. Only $9.00 per lesson. No additional fees. Message me or email me with your questions.