In RetroTech: NetLingo Blog

NetLingo.com announces the Top 10 Internet Words of 2009! Listed in alphabetical order and chosen for their popularity, here are the Top 10 Internet Words of 2009 according to NetLingo.com:

anime - the reason why kids are learning Japanese
cloud computing - software as a service is a must know
flash mob - how social media impacts world revolutions
meme - the new viral, it's an idea that spreads quickly
OMG - I thought he'd never leave, next year it will be ZMG
sexting - to send sexy pics on cell phones is all the rage
Twitter - #1 most popular term is spawning a new lingo
twitterverse - check it out for 12 more twitterati terms
unfriend - New Oxford American Dictionary word of year
Web 2.0 - the one millionth word added to English

Make one of your New Year's resolutions to learn more lingo by signing up for our Word of the Day newsletters... Happy New Year 2010 everyone!
HHTYAY,
Erin

Erin Jansen, founder of NetLingo.com, has been named to the first annual AlwaysOn "Top 25 Women in Tech to Watch" List. This year's winners will be celebrated at a special luncheon, presented by Accenture, at "Venture Summit Silicon Valley," taking place Tuesday, December 8, 2009. Selection for the list was based on the following criteria: overall innovation, ability to identify new market opportunities, commercialization of new products and services, creation of stakeholder value, and media buzz and awareness in the tech community.

Venture Summit Silicon Valley is a two-day gathering that highlights the significant economic, political, and technology trends impacting the global growth investor. The Venture Summit features the most influential venture capitalists and angel investors, corporate buyers, investment bankers, and entrepreneurs in keynote presentations and panel debates. Erin will be attending the Venture Summit, you can learn more about her here!

That's the punchline my girlfriend is using these days, she even wants to get t-shirts made. But despite all of the viral jokes about Tiger's philandering, it's sad. The lesson? Aside from his infidelity issues, Tiger got caught because of his digital footprint. That's right, recently called telephone numbers left on his cell phone and hundreds of text messages saved on someone else's mobile device got Tiger caught in the digital act.

As I research technology and the psychological impact it has on our lives, I find myself questioning what do we value most? Judging by how we spend our time, it's definitely our computers. Most people spend more time with their computers than with their spouse or significant other. More than 80% report that they grow more dependent on their computer every year and 24% say the Internet can serve as a substitute for a significant other. The fact that 1 in 3 boys ages 13 and 14 are considered heavy online porn users, and that 11% of adults say they'd be willing to implant a device in their brains that would allow them to access the Internet, causes reason for concern. (Source: The Week)

Computers are also a growing source of stress. The average person experiences frustrating computer problems twice a month and wastes 12 hours a month due to computer problems and hours each day due to the side effects of multitasking. Not to mention the stress and humiliation of getting busted because you left your digital footprint behind! As I've said before, the advice is to either not engage in improper activities or only communicate about such activities in person, in real time. Just ask Tiger, this thing hasn't even gone viral yet.

The new NetLingo book is a handy guide of every text abbreviation and chat acronym you'll ever need to know! Just in time for the holidays, "NetLingo: The List" is a great "gag" gift and conversation starter to say the least. Not recommended for children under 12 due to adult content, this "coffee table meets toilet humor" book contains thousands of hilarious sayings used by millions of people.

NetLingo is the leader in tracking online terms and "NetLingo: The List" is the largest collection of text and chat acronyms to date! More than 82 million people text regularly, it's no wonder you've seen some of this cryptic looking code... but you haven't seen it all until you've seen "NetLingo: The List." Get a few copies to give to your peeps today!

* Material is not appropriate for children under 12 due to mature and suggestive themes
* Contains a cornucopia of crude humor, sexual content, profanity, drug & alcohol references,
* It's modern, it's shocking, it's funny, it's real, it's timely, it's handy, it educates, it entertains
* It's for parents and professionals, educators and enthusiasts, everyone who gets online
* Explains the difference between acronyms, abbreviations, shorthand, initialisms, and leetspeak
* Take an inside look at the dynamic language that eludes conformity or consistency
* People magazine says "The NetLingo Guide to acronyms is super!"
* Great gift for adults, only $9.95, get copies of "NetLingo: The List" here!

Happy December everyone,
Erin