Guidelines for Adding and Approving NetLingo Terms

1. Add terms about the Internet industry. This includes new terms in any of our categories: Acronyms, Business, Jargon, Marketing, Hardware, Software, Programming, Organizations, Technology and Technical Terms.  more >

You can include company names and individual's names but only if they are well-known organizations or people within the industry. If you're writing an example, you can use generic names to make your point, for example, "Jane caught John twittering when she took a biobreak on their date."

2. Add terms about the online culture. Here at NetLingo we track ALL of the language used in the online world, including slang! And while grammar is still important, we write in layman's language, in an easy-to-understand style, using examples and step-by-step explanations to help illustrate.  more >

Basically any word you see used online belongs in NetLingo, so you can add words whether or not they are in a real dictionary. Be careful not to misspell your words as many modern terms are in CamelCase or spelled phonetically.

3. It's okay to add words that include profanity but only if it's part of the term. This means that if a cuss word is part of the original term, you should include it but please do not spell it out, instead use f*** and sh**.  more >

For example, SNAFU - Situation Normal All F***ed Up. It's okay to spell out bitch, ass, and other cusskiddies, just not f*** and sh**.

4. It's okay to include racial and/or sexual slurs but don't include racist and/or sexist entries. Here at NetLingo we acknowledge that people use slurs in everyday speech, so they can be published, but we do not endorse racist or sexist remarks. Our job is to track the lingo, not censor it.   more >

Entries can document discrimination but not endorse it. Don't reject an entry because you disagree or are offended. Don't reject an entry because you think it's inaccurate. Different people in different regions use different jargon. For example, PITMEMBOAM - Peace In The Middle East My Brother Of Another Mother; Japanese Smileys; Siliconia.

5. Be as descriptive but concise as possible. The first paragraph of each definition appears in the various NetLingo Word of the Day emails and feeds so it's important to get your point across immediately. It is also important not to "date" a definition without including a specific year.  more >

NetLingo is a dictionary and as such, definitions are best written in a dictionary style. Try not to use an opinion unless it is useful to readers as an example. Try not to "date" a definition without including a specific year for example "In the past year WiFi has penetrated 50% of the air space" is incorrect; rather it should state "In 2007, WiFi penetrated 50% of the air space due to regulation and agreed-upon standards."

6. Do not add or approve sexual terms unless they are descriptive of a sector in the industry, a specific technology, or an acronym or text message shorthand phrase.  more >

Do not approve a sexual term or definition unless it is related to an Internet technology or the Internet industry, or it is a new media business term or an online communication phrase.

7. Do not add or approve nonsense.  more >

Do not add or approve nonsensical, circular, unspecific or all-caps entries. While non-English words and examples are okay, do not add or approve entries with non-English definitions. Be mindful to check for similar or duplicate entries before adding or approving a new term.

8. Do not add or approve ads for websites.  more >

Reject an entry whose only purpose is to advertise a website; NetLingo has an ad service for this.

9. Go ahead and add or approve if it looks reasonable. more >

It's better to publish a plausible entry than to reject it. You might not have heard the word, but it could be the next eating your own dog food.

10. Add or approve new terms that are submitted within the proper format. more >

Each field in the Add Your Own Lingo page appears within the dictionary definition so when appropriate, be sure to fill out as many fields as possible including "word," "acronym defined (if appropriate)," "prononciation (if appropriate)," "definition," "word image (if appropriate)," "see also," "term type," "link (names and URLs)," "download (names and URLs)," "search (names and URLs)."
See the example definition for an illustration of each field. If you have a PDF document to submit as a "more info" or "faq" page, please email it to info@netlingo.com.