Social Media 101

Facebook Terms

  • BLOCK to prevent someone from searching for and viewing your profile; you can ban access temporarily or permanently
  • MINI-FEED a list of your most recent Facebook actions (e.g., you changed your Relationship Status to Single)
  • NEWS FEED a constantly updating list of stories about your friends’ Facebook activities, located on your wall (homepage)
  • POKE to virtually nudge, typically as a way to flirt or say hello
  • STATUS a message you update to tell friends what you’re doing…or simply share your “thoughts du jour”
  • SUPERPOKE to poke with pizzazz (or chutzpah); types include drop-kicking, head-butting, hugging, and throwing a sheep at friends (just remember to duck)
  • TAG to label friends in a photo and link to their profile pages; if tagged, you’re notified so you can de-tag or stay linked…your choice.
  • THE WALL area on your profile where friends post comments
  • GRAFFITI an application that allows you to draw — not just write — on a friend’s profile

Twitter Terms

Twitter

  • FOLLOWING Followers who are receiving your updates
  • TWEET An individual post
  • RETWEET A message that is reposted (usually with “RT” in front of it)
  • REFERENCES People refer to your account or your account refers to others
  • @USERNAME The beginning part of a post that is directed specifically at a user
  • HASHTAG The symbol # with a keyword that describes a topic of conversation
  • ACTIVE An account was considered active if a tweet had been posted in a specific seven day period according to Twitalyzer