Are you still up to date with all the terms, abbreviations and new developments on social media? No? Perfect, because then you are the ideal reader of our 4-part blog: the ultimate social media dictionary. With each letter of the alphabet we’ll provide you with 4 interesting words. Time for G to M!
G
- Geotag
A geotag is a specific location that is added to a photo, video or other social media post. Geotags can show your messages to more people, as the content is often searched by location. A handy way to easily get your Instagram followers up to speed!
- GIF (/ɡɪf,dʒɪf/)
GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, a file format that supports both static and animated images. GIFs became popular as a way to respond to social media without words.
- Google Ads
Google Ads are a form of online advertising, you probably remember them under the name Google Adwords. Google Ads appear at the top of Google search results for your keywords.
- Groups
Facebook and LinkedIn offer a ‘Group function’ where people in similar industries or with similar passions can join a group and discuss topics related to it.
H
- Handle
Handle is the term used to describe someone’s @username on Twitter. The handle of Fienix on Twitter is @fienix.be.
- Header (image)
A header image refers to the large image at the top of your Twitter profile. The header is also often referred to as the banner image on LinkedIn or the cover image on Facebook.
- Hashtag
It couldn’t be forgotten: hashtag. A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the # sign. It is used on social media to ‘tag’ messages as part of a larger conversation. Clicking on a hashtag reveals the last messages containing the tag.
- Hangout
A Hangout is a video service on Google+ that allows you to video chat with up to 10 Google+ users. Interesting to work together remotely during the corona period.
I
- IGTV
IGTV (Instagram TV) is the place where verified companies and accounts can host long-form videos or post longer live streams after they have been broadcast. Videos that are longer than 1 minute are automatically formatted to IGTV.
- Impressions
Simply the number of times a social media post has been seen by users.
- Insights
Many social media networks, such as Facebook or Instagram, offer insights pages to their business account holders. These pages allow users to see valuable analysis about their page and how they perform compared to similar pages.
- Instant Message
An instant message (IM) is a real-time message sent via an online platform.
– J –
K
- KPI (Key performance indicator)
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a variable used to analyse company performance. Social media KPIs can consist of the growth rate of the audience, the reinforcement rate and the customer satisfaction score.
- Kik
Kik is a social media network where people can send short video messages to each other via the Kik mobile app.
- Klout
Klout was a social platform that gave social media users a “klout-score” on 100 to determine their level of online influence (or “clout”). Klout quit in 2018.
L
- Like
Everyone knows it, but still, for that one person who has lived under a stone in recent years: a Like is an action that can be made by a Facebook or Instagram user. Instead of writing a comment or sharing a message, a user can click on the ‘Like’ button as a quick way to show ‘approval’.
- Listed
The “list” on Twitter refers to the fact that a user compiles a custom list of Twitter users in order to keep track of their tweets more easily.
- Live stream
A live stream is a real-time video shared over the Internet. Most social networks now offer live streaming options to communicate with viewers, who can submit written comments and questions throughout the broadcast. (e.g.: IG-live)
- Lurker
A social media user who observes conversations but does not participate.
M
- Meme
An online meme is a joke or comment made to share on social networks. It usually appears in the form of a graph or GIF with text above the image or on top of each other. Memes are usually created with the font ‘Impact’.
- Mention
A mention is tagging a user in a social media message. You’ve already done it yourself, we suspect: mentioning your (best) friends on a Facebook and/or Instagram message.
- Microblogging
Microblogging is the publishing of short content updates for platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr.
- Mute
Mute is a social media feature that allows you to edit users from your feed without releasing or disconnecting them. You don’t see anything they post, but you remain ‘friends’.