Fuzzy about social media terms? Check out this guide
Social media is something that exists in most of our lives, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, many of us still have no idea what most of the terms associated with social media mean. This simple guide can reduce some of that confusion by explaining some of the more common social media terms.
1. Tag
A tag can refer to a number of things, depending on how it is used. When referring to blogs, tags usually refer to the keywords that were used in the post. Tagging keywords in blogs allows search engines to recognize your post as relating to certain topics, and helps the post rank higher.
Tag might also be used in reference to tagging someone in, or linking someone to, photos. Facebook photo tagging now utilizes facial recognition software to help you tag friends in photos.
You may also tag your friends in posts and status updates so they are alerted to your post. Depending on your friend’s privacy settings, the post will also show up on their wall for their other friends to see.
2. Troll
A troll is a person who contributes to social networks with the goal of provoking others. They are the people that become fans of pages or join groups and then make comments that they know will anger other group members.
3. Friend
We all know what a friend is in the conventional sense, but in social media it can be used as a verb. When you add a person as a friend over a social network, many users refer to this as “friending” someone.
4. Stream
Stream, like tag, can have a few different meanings. When it’s used as a verb it pertains to a constant streaming of information, like a webcast. In the form of a noun it typically refers to the information and updates that show up on someone’s Twitter or Facebook home page.
5. At mention
An at mention, or @ mention, is when you mention someone on Twitter. It’s similar to Facebook tagging in that it will show up on the person’s Twitter stream if you mention them, and alert them to your post.
Although social media terms can often be confusing, this guide can surely help clear up some of the confusion. If you’d like even more social media definitions, take a look at this article.