Techy Translator

You probably don’t miss the good old days of typewriters and mimeographs, but the pace of technological invention today requires serious dedication just to keep up. The lingo has become such a part of everyday language, that it may sound like “techies” are speaking another language.

Some commonly used terms that reference technology:

Chat - Going online to have a realtime conversation with a group, usually people you have never met face to face.

Discussion Forum – An online interchange of ideas or conversation. Users type responses to each other, which are immediately posted online.
Also Called - Forum, Discussion Board, Bulletin Board

IM - Short for Instant Messaging. Messages are sent in a realtime chat style, but from a PC with software. AOL’s Instant Messenger (AIM) is a popular brand. Also called - ICQ

iPod - A type of portable music player that plays mp3 files.

ListServ - An email list that goes out to a group of people through one email address.

MP3 - A format of music 10% of the size of an audio CD; ideal for downloading.

PDA - A portable computing device that provides practical business applications as well as games. Also called a “Palm,” or “ PalmPilot,” which is one of the leading manufacturers of PDAs.

Texting - A way of communicating between two people usually by keying text into a mobile phone.

Readers respond: What other techy terms should be added to this list?