Etsy's Handmade Blog
Forum Decorum: Say What?
Story by Community, RobWhite, stellaloella
Published on November 29, 2007 in Etsy News 		Photo by thedreamygiraffe

Slang is a funny thing. Within a culture, common words can take on new meaning. Sometimes we even forget why we started using them. Slang can make it confusing for new people to join a conversation if they aren't hip to the lingo. This week's Forum Decorum is going to clear up some classic Internet community slang you might find on Etsy.

Troll. According to Wikipedia, an Internet troll "is someone who intentionally posts controversial or contrary messages in an on-line community [...] with the intention of baiting users into an argumentative response." Trolling behavior is not allowed on the Etsy Forums, as it leads to fights and negativity. (Be careful not to confuse an Internet troll with the adorable little guys crafted by Etsy seller Trollflings, who genuinely mean no harm to anyone!)

Sock Puppet. It's tempting to have a secret identity that can say or do things you wouldn't normally want associated with your own name, right? Yeah, except this is called a sock puppet and isn't allowed on Etsy. Using an undisclosed alternate account is dishonest and can cause confusion in the community. Be brave and stand behind your words; don't speak through a gym sock with button eyes!

Flamewar. Fighting on the Forums is sometimes referred to as a flamewar or flaming. Sometimes trolls are involved, but flamewars can occur whenever a conversation becomes a hostile, personal dispute between people. Once again, this kind of behavior isn't allowed in our community.

Bump. A bump is a short post, usually without meaningful content, that is used to bring a thread back to the top of the Forums. We talked in depth about the etiquette of bumping in an earlier Forum Decorum.

Acronyms are like short-hand for busy typers. For clearest communication, it's best to not use acronyms, but some habits are hard to break. You'll often see a wide range of acronyms on the Forums. There are dozens of these in existence; here are just a few to help you understand your fellow Etsians:

  • LOL = laugh out loud
  • ROFL = rolling on the floor, laughing
  • FWIW = for what it's worth
  • IMHO = in my humble opinion
  • YMMV = your mileage may vary
  • OMG = oh my god/goodness
  • IRL = in real life

What are your favorite Internet or Etsy slang terms? Add yours to the comments below!

In the Forum Decorum series, Lauren (stellaloella) and RobWhite of the Community team explain some of the finer points of cultural etiquette in Etsy's community spaces. When something is an official site rule, we'll be sure to link you up to the DOs and DON'Ts or Terms of Use. Simply consider these as tips for avoiding a forum faux pas.

Tags acronym, bump, definitions, ETSY NEWS, Forum Decorum, slang, sock puppet, troll
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30 comments     Login to add your own!

Nov. 29, 2007 at 3:43 p.m. Vanessa

"OOAK" I see around a lot. It means One of a Kind, right?

Nov. 29, 2007 at 4:35 p.m. Lollibomb

I'm pretty fond of "carp", "snarky", and "hearting".

Nov. 29, 2007 at 5 p.m. tortillagirl

"Convo". I didn't know what it was until I started selling on etsy.

Nov. 29, 2007 at 5 p.m. dicopebisuteria

Finally I know what "lol" means XDD Thank you ^^

Nov. 29, 2007 at 5:55 p.m. littlegreycatdesigns

It works the other way too. My husband and his friends are all gamers and geeks, and there are so many acronyms in our daily conversations: np, stfu, lol, brb, afk...sigh :)

Nov. 29, 2007 at 10:07 p.m. knottwood

Snarky is a great one :) Oh and theres 'Threadies' or 'Boardies' - people who hang out in the forums together, often in the same thread... oh, thread is another one i guess :) And 'thread killer' - the last person to post on a thread :)

Nov. 30, 2007 at 1:10 a.m. simonewalsh

Carp is still one of my favourites. It now really means 'handmade stuff' and has neither positive nor negative connotations, but originally it started life as a typo for 'crap'.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 1:21 a.m. whitefluffydogs

OMG

WTF

This combo made a lot of us laugh when a certain admin almost posted the last comment on a thread he locked.

*gasp*

Nov. 30, 2007 at 1:34 a.m. Peldyn

Don't forget that a certain sock puppet is not ALL bad! Aunt Fanny never mean anyone harm, as long as your don't get to close are are overcome by the gin fumes!

Nov. 30, 2007 at 3 a.m. SupernovaDesigns

snarky is a favorite of mine. i use it in every day conversation, and while most people can sort of figure out what it means, many are bewildered.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 10:50 a.m. Trollflings

Vanessa says:

"OOAK" I see around a lot. It means One of a Kind, right?

Yes One of a kind=OOAK

Thank you for clearing that up for me. It is hard to see the word troll used in such a bad light over and over..I really appreciate it! Troll collectors (and there are a lot of them) appreciate it as well!

Nov. 30, 2007 at 11:29 a.m. thymbyldesigns

Catch this, ye trolls!
<

(it's a red herring...)

And, of course RTFM.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. thymbyldesigns

oh great... well, it was a red herring anyways.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 12:06 p.m. sheridesthelion

wow! we are all......geeks

Nov. 30, 2007 at 12:28 p.m. Blondezillabeads4fun

How about WWKD ....

What Would Kibbles Do ?

Boner !

Nov. 30, 2007 at 12:46 p.m. hanabi

'Calling out' is basically Etsy slang.
New comers don't know what you mean by that.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 12:52 p.m. julietpaints

One acronym I've noticed a lot on blogs is "DH", which I later found out is "Dear Husband". Why don't people just say husband? Whatever gets the point across..

Nov. 30, 2007 at 1:03 p.m. lepetitbijou

When I first saw DH, in the context it was used I thought it meant either 'drunk' or 'dumb' husband. Now I too know it is 'dear/darling husband'

Nov. 30, 2007 at 3:35 p.m. ZestyB

I think you're both right, and I've heard DammHusband too...some days both *are* right. :D

There is also this great resource for acronyms (TLAs anyone?) on the EtsyWiki:

http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?tit...

~Betsy

Nov. 30, 2007 at 4:52 p.m. eclipse

I want to give another vote of appreciation for that wiki article Zesty B posted. The majority of initial work on the article done by ZenithJade. Thanks Zenith!
Most of the acronyms are not specific to Etsy, but the list contains just about any acronym you see on the Etsy forums.

Nov. 30, 2007 at 7:16 p.m. whitefluffydogs

How could I have forgotten 'snark'?

Nov. 30, 2007 at 7:28 p.m. dangerousmezzo

Don't forget TMI = too much information :)

Dec. 4, 2007 at 2:29 a.m. SweetWolf

KWIM--know what I mean

or my new fave- lqtm....laughing quietly to myself

Dec. 4, 2007 at 4:05 p.m. BerryPatchDesigns

ROFLMAO = Rolling On the Floor Laughing My A** Off

RTFM = Read the Friendly Manual

DJ = Day Job ("real" job)

RTFS = Read the Friendly SCREEN

PEBKAC = Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair

"ID10T problem" = re-read and think about it

PPF = PayPal Faery/Fairy (as in "I got a visit from the PPF!" >> "speaker" made a sale!)

/does the happy dance = celebrates

Dec. 5, 2007 at 1:14 p.m. cuppycakegumdrops

twss = that's what she said (a little slang courtesy of a man/legend name of michael scott)

Dec. 5, 2007 at 1:26 p.m. TeenAngster

Good one, Heather!

July 6, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. Sneddonia

RTFM?

There's a few I'd never heard of here! "Read the Friendly SCREEN"? I don't even know what the translation means ... I like the PayPal Fairy one, and I shall use it.

July 6, 2008 at 2:48 p.m. Sneddonia

I'm guessing RTFM means Read The F***ing er, something?

July 6, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. Sneddonia

I should read the friendly comments above :D

Oct. 21, 2009 at 12:13 p.m. LondonParticulars

Thanks for the info!

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