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by Victor Cheung, Hong Kong SAR, PRC

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The hit-and-misses of Oxford's Word of the Year 2009

Nov 18, 2009 14:17

By now, you probably know that the word "unfriend" has been selected as Oxford's Word of the Year 2009, but what other tech buzzwords did it miss along the way? Let's take a look.

According to the Oxford University Press Blog, the other tech buzzwords that have come close include:

Hashtag--a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) which contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets

Intexticated--distracted because texting on a cell phone while driving a vehicle

Netbook--a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory

Paywall--a way of blocking access to a part of a Web site, which is available only to paying subscribers

Sexting--the sending of sexually explicit text and pictures by cell phone

As for the misses, check out the following ones which I picked up from a post over at Urlesque:

JFGI: "Just f*cking Google it." Because typing the phrase takes almost as long as Googling it yourself instead of being a jerk.

Facebrag: To brag on Facebook, e.g. with a status update about how cool your life is, or a photo of your hot boyfriend.

Ghost tweeter: Hired by the lowest of the low, a ghost tweeter writes the 140-character Twitter updates that his or her employer is apparently too busy to pop off. To accuse someone of hiring a ghost tweeter is a serious charge.

Mindcasting: According to WordSpy: "Posting a series of messages that reflect one's current thoughts, ideas, passions, observations, readings, and other intellectual interests." The minutiae that didn't even make it into lifecasting gets transmitted in mindcasting. See also: Self-tracker, one who tracks their weight, running habits, work hours, or such using technology. [I know a lot of Tweeters are mindcasting all the time, LOL]

Last texter: Someone who responds to a conversation-ending text with a useless confirmation like "k" or "yeah". 10 cents never felt so wasted.

Do you have your own list of hits and misses?

Source: Oxford University Press Blog, Urlesque

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About Victor Cheung

A true tech junkie at heart, Victor Cheung has been obsessed with all tech gadgets since his college days. His favorite gizmos span from tablet PCs to UMPC, to PMPs, gaming consoles, mobile phones and anything with WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 on it. A newcomer to the blog scene, he started his own quasi-tech blog, The Hong Kong Phooey in October 2006.