http://wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=MissKat&feedformat=atomDreamwidth Notes - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T08:47:22ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.23.0//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/What_Goes_WhereWhat Goes Where2013-06-14T19:04:12Z<p>MissKat: added openid cat, edited accts and antispam</p>
<hr />
<div>A rough guide to categories for support on Dreamwidth, brought to you by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>, <dwuser>domtheknight</dwuser> and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
There are two types of categories: public and private. Public categories can be seen by anyone visiting the site, and any logged-in user is able to post a screened answer to the questions. Private categories are restricted to certain users with the applicable privs; only very specific people can see the requests at all, since they often contain sensitive information which might not be suitable for the public.<br />
<br />
Confused about some of the Support jargon? See [[Common Jargon]]. For more on Support, including the lifecycle of a request, see the [[Support process]] page.<br />
<br />
== Public categories ==<br />
In general, you should pick the cat which best fits the majority of the request, if there's more than one issue. If necessary, it's fine to switch cats midway through interacting with the user; maybe an answer you give for the Importer will bring up more questions which are really Entries related. There are people with privs in just one or two cats so moving requests does have an effect on who can approve answers or see discussion.<br />
<br />
=== General/Unknown (g/unk) ===<br />
catch-all for stuff which just doesn't fit anywhere else. You'd want to use this if it's something which doesn't fit any of the more specialized options.<br />
<br />
* creating an account help<br />
* OpenID issues<br />
* things of which you are unsure of their proper location<br />
* If you are not sure if something is a bug or suggestion, put in in G/unk for more in-depth investigation and sorting.<br />
* If you do know something is a bug, you can also dump it here for filing by Support members.<br />
<br />
=== Communities (comms) ===<br />
things specific to community use<br />
<br />
* moderation queue<br />
* managing members<br />
* Can overlap with styles and entries; try to determine if the issue is caused by a community or if it's a more general issue which just happens to apply to the community in this case. Example: if someone can't post an entry to a community but can post personal entries, that's a community issue. However, if the problem is more with html in the entry, which would happen in any entry, then it's an entries problem and not a comms problem.<br />
<br />
=== Entries (entries) ===<br />
entries-related problems<br />
<br />
* html encoding problems<br />
* the RTE<br />
* posting privately or to filters (although the basic creation of the filters is more G/unk).<br />
<br />
=== Styles (styles) ===<br />
styles-related problems<br />
<br />
* anything to do with selecting a new style<br />
* modifying that style<br />
* using custom CSS.<br />
<br />
In-depth help may be redirected to <dwcomm>style_system</dwcomm> for ease of communication.<br />
<br />
=== Site Interface (web) ===<br />
things for site display. If you are able to change the summary of a request that falls in this cat, mark it [docs].<br />
<br />
* problems with the site scheme<br />
* site copy and FAQ updates<br />
<br />
=== Importer (import) ===<br />
importer-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
* Some importer questions do require knowledge of the function of other sites to be answered. <br />
<br />
=== Crossposting (crossposting) ===<br />
crossposter-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
=== Feeds ===<br />
* For anything feed-related.<br />
<br />
=== OpenID ===<br />
* For anything OpenID-related.<br />
<br />
=== Tagged Items [tag] ===<br />
Requests may be tagged to help track an issue, or to flag it for further research. The tag will be in the following format: [tag]. These requests do not usually need to be moved, as they've already been handled by a senior Support volunteer or staff member.<br />
<br />
== Private categories ==<br />
Requests in private categories either contain information personal enough that it should not be on the publicly viewable support board, or require an answer from a member of a specific high-level team, or both. <br />
<br />
For all the private cats, it's not necessary to tell the user anything before you move it; just move it and let the specialized staff investigate and answer.<br />
<br />
=== Account Payments (accounts) ===<br />
accounts@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* anything about payments goes here<br />
* requests for invite codes of any size, from large numbers of invite codes for things like moving an RP to Dreamwidth to "can I have a few more invites for my friends". (This is less relevant during open account creation.) <br />
* Non-spam business propositions. ("Would you like to buy some V1@gr@?" is spam; "Are you in the market for new hosting? If so, would you like to use our fine establishment?" is probably not.)<br />
* Typos in usernames. <br />
* Wrong birthday on account, or underage user.<br />
* Anything needing the specific attention of Denise.<br />
<br />
=== Anti-Spam ===<br />
This category is answered by Anti-Spam leads, or a Terms of Service team member/staff member if they have time. <br />
<br />
* Reports of a registered user spamming (usually SEO spam)<br />
* Reports of an OpenID user spamming (if not deleted by journal owner)<br />
* Someone saying that their journal was suspended for spam, but they are not a spammer<br />
<br />
Most questions about general Dreamwidth anti-spam policies can be answered on the public boards.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback (feedback) ===<br />
feedback@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* Feedback!<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing right<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing wrong<br />
* Requests for changes that would not benefit from public discussion<br />
<br />
=== Peterstein (private support) ===<br />
support@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Support lead. <br />
<br />
* anything which involves personal information but does not fall under the purview of any of the other private categories.<br />
* Password issues can go here if needed.<br />
* Dead people (reports of the death of a Dreamwidth user). <br />
* Spam, or anything that looks like spam. Do NOT dequeue.<br />
<br />
=== Terms of Service (abuse, ToS) ===<br />
abuse@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Terms of Service team member. <br />
<br />
* anything which will require Terms of Service Team investigation should get moved here<br />
* reports of a user who is possibly in danger (suicide or similar). Also get in touch with a staff member in IRC as soon as possible.<br />
* reports of violations of the Terms of Service<br />
** Except for spam, which is anti-spam<br />
* user-to-user interaction<br />
* people registering complaints about each other<br />
* any request that explicitly names another user in a negative light<br />
** Except for complaints about spam that names another user as the spammer -- those are anti-spam.<br />
<br />
=== Webmaster (webmaster) ===<br />
webmaster@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
Items in this category typically need no answer.<br />
<br />
== Non-Support-Board ==<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw-suggestions</dwuser> ===<br />
* Requests for a new feature<br />
* Requests for site changes that would benefit from public discussion<br />
** If the change absolutely should be made, but there is a question of how it should <em>best</em> be done, this can often benefit from public discussion. <br />
** Exceptions: <br />
*** If the feature exists, G/unk<br />
*** If the feature does not exist, but a bug exists, G/unk and tell the user we're working on it.<br />
** If the feature does not exist, but a suggestion exists, ideally point to the specific suggestion. <br />
** If the feature does not exist, and neither a bug or a suggestion exists, suggestions time.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw_codesharing</dwuser> === <br />
This is only applicable when invite codes are required. <br />
<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes in comments elsewhere on the site<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes offsite<br />
Users who would like additional codes, people who would like larger amounts of codes to move a group, or someone opening a request, send to Accounts.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>style_system</dwuser> ===<br />
* Detailed advanced customization things. <br />
<br />
=== Bugzilla ===<br />
* Bugs as reported to Support. (Level of detail and duplication desired for filing?) <br />
* Bugs as reported elsewhere on the site. <br />
* Usability things (broken as designed) that would not benefit from user-level discussion on how to implement the fix. <br />
* Staff/volunteer-facing features and enhancements that do not require user-level discussion on implementation<br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Cheat_SheetCheat Sheet2013-06-14T18:53:15Z<p>MissKat: /* On Journal Page, Entry, or Community */</p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== On a journal page ==<br />
<br />
Journal page listing access/security filters to use:<br />
<br />
http://USERNAME.dreamwidth.org/security/<br />
<br />
== On an entry ==<br />
<br />
To use flat comments instead of threaded:<br />
<br />
?view=flat<br />
<br />
To manually select the style to view the page in:<br />
<br />
?style=mine<br />
?style=site<br />
?style=lynx <br />
...<br />
<br />
== On a community ==<br />
<br />
To filter down entries on a community to those from a certain person:<br />
<br />
?poster=USERNAME<br />
<br />
== On journal page, entry, or community ==<br />
<br />
To show raw output without HTML:<br />
?nohtml=1<br />
<br />
== On site skin pages ==<br />
<br />
To switch to another skin:<br />
<br />
?skin=celerity<br />
?skin=gradation-horizontal<br />
?skin=gradation-vertical<br />
?skin=lynx<br />
?skin=tropo-red<br />
?skin=tropo-purple<br />
<br />
You can also use the old argument, usescheme, instead.<br />
<br />
To see the ML label instead of the translation text:<br />
<br />
?uselang=debug<br />
<br />
[[Category: Index]]<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Cheat_SheetCheat Sheet2013-06-14T18:52:49Z<p>MissKat: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
== On a journal page ==<br />
<br />
Journal page listing access/security filters to use:<br />
<br />
http://USERNAME.dreamwidth.org/security/<br />
<br />
== On an entry ==<br />
<br />
To use flat comments instead of threaded:<br />
<br />
?view=flat<br />
<br />
To manually select the style to view the page in:<br />
<br />
?style=mine<br />
?style=site<br />
?style=lynx <br />
...<br />
<br />
== On a community ==<br />
<br />
To filter down entries on a community to those from a certain person:<br />
<br />
?poster=USERNAME<br />
<br />
== On Journal Page, Entry, or Community ==<br />
<br />
To show raw output without HTML:<br />
?nohtml=1<br />
<br />
== On site skin pages ==<br />
<br />
To switch to another skin:<br />
<br />
?skin=celerity<br />
?skin=gradation-horizontal<br />
?skin=gradation-vertical<br />
?skin=lynx<br />
?skin=tropo-red<br />
?skin=tropo-purple<br />
<br />
You can also use the old argument, usescheme, instead.<br />
<br />
To see the ML label instead of the translation text:<br />
<br />
?uselang=debug<br />
<br />
[[Category: Index]]<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Book_of_Wholesome_HobbiesBook of Wholesome Hobbies2013-06-14T18:27:06Z<p>MissKat: /* Book of Wholesome Hobbies that are Forbidden */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Book of Wholesome Hobbies That Denise And Mark Have Forbidden Their Staff and Volunteers From Taking Part In<br />
<br />
[http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6590883.html Originates from IRC.] (This is [http://www.jargon.net/jargonfile/h/hahaonlyserious.html ha-ha-only-serious].) <br />
<br />
=Book of Wholesome Hobbies that are Forbidden=<br />
<br />
* Getting hit by a bus (essential or non-essential)<br />
* Deleting every single comment that an ex-friend has left in your journal and marking it as spam. (It's the marking it as spam part that's forbidden. Delete to your heart's content.)<br />
* Feeding the trolls.<br />
* Hanging out with that guy who points AK-47s at you.<br />
* Making a large number of completely outlandish suggestions in <dwcomm>dw_suggestions</dwcomm> for the sole purpose of making the person handling the moderation queue crack up.<br />
* Tossing x-acto knife like it's a pen while bored waiting for things to run http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/258<br />
* Fall over and injure themselves<br />
* Stuff parmesan cheese up their noses<br />
* Turn Random Word hEll into a mutant supervillian (via gamma ray exposure, or any other method)<br />
* Summon Rah like an Elder God: http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/488 and http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/590<br />
* Buying chemical raw materials.<br />
* Playing with chemicals (unless that is part of your Actual Job Description at your Actual Job). http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/516<br />
* Getting gum stuck in your nose hair. http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6723816.html<br />
* Engaging in knife fights to determine who gets to keep their confusingly similar IRC nick and who must change<br />
* Any sort of knife fight at all<br />
* [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/547 We probably have a rule about committing while on drugs.]<br />
* Doing a burn test on unknown or possibly wool fibers with inadequate ventilation http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/225<br />
* Setting users on fire http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/588<br />
* Attempting to ride a Segway into the library http://misskat.dreamwidth.org/3452087.html<br />
* Throwing things off the hotel balcony<br />
* Buying unwise sparklers<br />
* Spending excessive amounts of money on nail polish<br />
* Stay up past bedtime<br />
* Especially when "staying up past bedtime" will constitute going against a direct order from The Bossen<br />
* Lick the keyboard (even if it is flavored)<br />
<br />
= Book of Unwholesome Hobbies that are Permitted = <br />
<br />
* [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/86193.html?thread=699057#cmt699057 Code tours that make unwary readers spray drinks through their noses]. <br />
* Going to the conference without pants <br />
* Having ice cream for breakfast<br />
<br />
[[Category:Jargon]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/What_Goes_WhereWhat Goes Where2013-04-25T03:32:29Z<p>MissKat: </p>
<hr />
<div>A rough guide to categories for support on Dreamwidth, brought to you by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>, <dwuser>domtheknight</dwuser> and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
There are two types of categories: public and private. Public categories can be seen by anyone visiting the site, and any logged-in user is able to post a screened answer to the questions. Private categories are restricted to certain users with the applicable privs; only very specific people can see the requests at all, since they often contain sensitive information which might not be suitable for the public.<br />
<br />
Confused about some of the Support jargon? See [[Common Jargon]]. For more on Support, including the lifecycle of a request, see the [[Support process]] page.<br />
<br />
== Public categories ==<br />
In general, you should pick the cat which best fits the majority of the request, if there's more than one issue. If necessary, it's fine to switch cats midway through interacting with the user; maybe an answer you give for the Importer will bring up more questions which are really Entries related. There are people with privs in just one or two cats so moving requests does have an effect on who can approve answers or see discussion.<br />
<br />
=== General/Unknown (g/unk) ===<br />
catch-all for stuff which just doesn't fit anywhere else. You'd want to use this if it's something which doesn't fit any of the more specialized options.<br />
<br />
* creating an account help<br />
* OpenID issues<br />
* things of which you are unsure of their proper location<br />
* If you are not sure if something is a bug or suggestion, put in in G/unk for more in-depth investigation and sorting.<br />
* If you do know something is a bug, you can also dump it here for filing by Support members.<br />
<br />
=== Communities (comms) ===<br />
things specific to community use<br />
<br />
* moderation queue<br />
* managing members<br />
* Can overlap with styles and entries; try to determine if the issue is caused by a community or if it's a more general issue which just happens to apply to the community in this case. Example: if someone can't post an entry to a community but can post personal entries, that's a community issue. However, if the problem is more with html in the entry, which would happen in any entry, then it's an entries problem and not a comms problem.<br />
<br />
=== Entries (entries) ===<br />
entries-related problems<br />
<br />
* html encoding problems<br />
* the RTE<br />
* posting privately or to filters (although the basic creation of the filters is more G/unk).<br />
<br />
=== Styles (styles) ===<br />
styles-related problems<br />
<br />
* anything to do with selecting a new style<br />
* modifying that style<br />
* using custom CSS.<br />
<br />
In-depth help may be redirected to <dwcomm>style_system</dwcomm> for ease of communication.<br />
<br />
=== Site Interface (web) ===<br />
things for site display. If you are able to change the summary of a request that falls in this cat, mark it [docs].<br />
<br />
* problems with the site scheme<br />
* site copy and FAQ updates<br />
<br />
=== Importer (import) ===<br />
importer-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
* Some importer questions do require knowledge of the function of other sites to be answered. <br />
<br />
=== Crossposting (crossposting) ===<br />
crossposter-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
=== Feeds ===<br />
* For anything feed-related.<br />
<br />
=== Tagged Items [tag] ===<br />
Requests may be tagged to help track an issue, or to flag it for further research. The tag will be in the following format: [tag]. These requests do not usually need to be moved, as they've already been handled by a senior Support volunteer or staff member.<br />
<br />
== Private categories ==<br />
Requests in private categories either contain information personal enough that it should not be on the publicly viewable support board, or require an answer from a member of a specific high-level team, or both. <br />
<br />
For all the private cats, it's not necessary to tell the user anything before you move it; just move it and let the specialized staff investigate and answer.<br />
<br />
=== Account Payments (accounts) ===<br />
accounts@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* anything about payments goes here<br />
* requests for invite codes of any size, from large numbers of invite codes for things like moving an RP to Dreamwidth to "can I have a few more invites for my friends". (This is less relevant during open account creation.) <br />
* Non-spam business propositions. ("Would you like to buy some V1@gr@?" is spam; "Are you in the market for new hosting? If so, would you like to use our fine establishment?" is probably not.)<br />
* Typos in usernames. <br />
* Anything needing the specific attention of Denise.<br />
<br />
=== Anti-Spam ===<br />
This category is answered by Anti-Spam leads, or a Terms of Service team member/staff member if they have time. <br />
<br />
* Reports of a registered user spamming (usually SEO spam)<br />
* Reports of an OpenID user spamming (if not deleted by journal owner)<br />
<br />
Most questions about general Dreamwidth anti-spam policies can be answered on the public boards.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback (feedback) ===<br />
feedback@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* Feedback!<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing right<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing wrong<br />
* Requests for changes that would not benefit from public discussion<br />
<br />
=== Peterstein (private support) ===<br />
support@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Support lead. <br />
<br />
* anything which involves personal information but does not fall under the purview of any of the other private categories.<br />
* Password issues can go here if needed.<br />
* Dead people (reports of the death of a Dreamwidth user). <br />
* Spam, or anything that looks like spam. Do NOT dequeue.<br />
<br />
=== Terms of Service (abuse, ToS) ===<br />
abuse@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Terms of Service team member. <br />
<br />
* anything which will require Terms of Service Team investigation should get moved here<br />
* reports of a user who is possibly in danger (suicide or similar). Also get in touch with a staff member in IRC as soon as possible.<br />
* reports of violations of the Terms of Service<br />
** Except for spam, which is anti-spam<br />
* user-to-user interaction<br />
* people registering complaints about each other<br />
* any request that explicitly names another user in a negative light<br />
** Except for complaints about spam that names another user as the spammer -- those are anti-spam.<br />
<br />
=== Webmaster (webmaster) ===<br />
webmaster@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
Items in this category typically need no answer.<br />
<br />
== Non-Support-Board ==<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw-suggestions</dwuser> ===<br />
* Requests for a new feature<br />
* Requests for site changes that would benefit from public discussion<br />
** If the change absolutely should be made, but there is a question of how it should <em>best</em> be done, this can often benefit from public discussion. <br />
** Exceptions: <br />
*** If the feature exists, G/unk<br />
*** If the feature does not exist, but a bug exists, G/unk and tell the user we're working on it.<br />
** If the feature does not exist, but a suggestion exists, ideally point to the specific suggestion. <br />
** If the feature does not exist, and neither a bug or a suggestion exists, suggestions time.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw_codesharing</dwuser> === <br />
This is only applicable when invite codes are required. <br />
<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes in comments elsewhere on the site<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes offsite<br />
Users who would like additional codes, people who would like larger amounts of codes to move a group, or someone opening a request, send to Accounts.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>style_system</dwuser> ===<br />
* Detailed advanced customization things. <br />
<br />
=== Bugzilla ===<br />
* Bugs as reported to Support. (Level of detail and duplication desired for filing?) <br />
* Bugs as reported elsewhere on the site. <br />
* Usability things (broken as designed) that would not benefit from user-level discussion on how to implement the fix. <br />
* Staff/volunteer-facing features and enhancements that do not require user-level discussion on implementation<br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/What_Goes_WhereWhat Goes Where2013-03-18T00:05:43Z<p>MissKat: /* [Tags] */</p>
<hr />
<div>A rough guide to categories for support on Dreamwidth, brought to you by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>, <dwuser>domtheknight</dwuser> and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
There are two types of categories: public and private. Public categories can be seen by anyone visiting the site, and any logged-in user is able to post a screened answer to the questions. Private categories are restricted to certain users with the applicable privs; only very specific people can see the requests at all, since they often contain sensitive information which might not be suitable for the public.<br />
<br />
Confused about some of the Support jargon? See [[Common Jargon]]. For more on Support, including the lifecycle of a request, see the [[Support process]] page.<br />
<br />
== Public categories ==<br />
In general, you should pick the cat which best fits the majority of the request, if there's more than one issue. If necessary, it's fine to switch cats midway through interacting with the user; maybe an answer you give for the Importer will bring up more questions which are really Entries related. There are people with privs in just one or two cats so moving requests does have an effect on who can approve answers or see discussion.<br />
<br />
=== General/Unknown (g/unk) ===<br />
catch-all for stuff which just doesn't fit anywhere else. You'd want to use this if it's something which doesn't fit any of the more specialized options.<br />
<br />
* anything feed-related<br />
* creating an account help<br />
* OpenID issues<br />
* things of which you are unsure of their proper location<br />
* If you are not sure if something is a bug or suggestion, put in in G/unk for more in-depth investigation and sorting.<br />
* If you do know something is a bug, you can also dump it here for filing by Support members.<br />
<br />
=== Communities (comms) ===<br />
things specific to community use<br />
<br />
* moderation queue<br />
* managing members<br />
* Can overlap with styles and entries; try to determine if the issue is caused by a community or if it's a more general issue which just happens to apply to the community in this case. Example: if someone can't post an entry to a community but can post personal entries, that's a community issue. However, if the problem is more with html in the entry, which would happen in any entry, then it's an entries problem and not a comms problem.<br />
<br />
=== Entries (entries) ===<br />
entries-related problems<br />
<br />
* html encoding problems<br />
* the RTE<br />
* posting privately or to filters (although the basic creation of the filters is more G/unk).<br />
<br />
=== Styles (styles) ===<br />
styles-related problems<br />
<br />
* anything to do with selecting a new style<br />
* modifying that style<br />
* using custom CSS.<br />
<br />
In-depth help may be redirected to <dwcomm>style_system</dwcomm> for ease of communication.<br />
<br />
=== Site Interface (web) ===<br />
things for site display. If you are able to change the summary of a request that falls in this cat, mark it [docs].<br />
<br />
* problems with the site scheme<br />
* site copy and FAQ updates<br />
<br />
=== Importer (import) ===<br />
importer-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
* Some importer questions do require knowledge of the function of other sites to be answered. <br />
<br />
=== Crossposting (crossposting) ===<br />
crossposter-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
=== Tagged Items [tag] ===<br />
Requests may be tagged to help track an issue, or to flag it for further research. The tag will be in the following format: [tag]. These requests do not usually need to be moved, as they've already been handled by a senior Support volunteer or staff member.<br />
<br />
== Private categories ==<br />
Requests in private categories either contain information personal enough that it should not be on the publicly viewable support board, or require an answer from a member of a specific high-level team, or both. <br />
<br />
For all the private cats, it's not necessary to tell the user anything before you move it; just move it and let the specialized staff investigate and answer.<br />
<br />
=== Account Payments (accounts) ===<br />
accounts@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* anything about payments goes here<br />
* requests for invite codes of any size, from large numbers of invite codes for things like moving an RP to Dreamwidth to "can I have a few more invites for my friends". (This is less relevant during open account creation.) <br />
* Non-spam business propositions. ("Would you like to buy some V1@gr@?" is spam; "Are you in the market for new hosting? If so, would you like to use our fine establishment?" is probably not.)<br />
* Typos in usernames. <br />
* Anything needing the specific attention of Denise.<br />
<br />
=== Anti-Spam ===<br />
This category is answered by Anti-Spam leads, or a Terms of Service team member/staff member if they have time. <br />
<br />
* Reports of a registered user spamming (usually SEO spam)<br />
* Reports of an OpenID user spamming (if not deleted by journal owner)<br />
<br />
Most questions about general Dreamwidth anti-spam policies can be answered on the public boards.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback (feedback) ===<br />
feedback@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* Feedback!<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing right<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing wrong<br />
* Requests for changes that would not benefit from public discussion<br />
<br />
=== Peterstein (private support) ===<br />
support@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Support lead. <br />
<br />
* anything which involves personal information but does not fall under the purview of any of the other private categories.<br />
* Password issues can go here if needed.<br />
* Dead people (reports of the death of a Dreamwidth user). <br />
* Spam, or anything that looks like spam. Do NOT dequeue.<br />
<br />
=== Terms of Service (abuse, ToS) ===<br />
abuse@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Terms of Service team member. <br />
<br />
* anything which will require Terms of Service Team investigation should get moved here<br />
* reports of a user who is possibly in danger (suicide or similar). Also get in touch with a staff member in IRC as soon as possible.<br />
* reports of violations of the Terms of Service<br />
* user-to-user interaction<br />
* people registering complaints about each other<br />
* any request that explicitly names another user in a negative light<br />
* complaint about spam that names another user as the spammer<br />
<br />
=== Webmaster (webmaster) ===<br />
webmaster@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
Items in this category typically need no answer.<br />
<br />
== Non-Support-Board ==<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw-suggestions</dwuser> ===<br />
* Requests for a new feature<br />
* Requests for site changes that would benefit from public discussion<br />
** If the change absolutely should be made, but there is a question of how it should <em>best</em> be done, this can often benefit from public discussion. <br />
** Exceptions: <br />
*** If the feature exists, G/unk<br />
*** If the feature does not exist, but a bug exists, G/unk and tell the user we're working on it.<br />
** If the feature does not exist, but a suggestion exists, ideally point to the specific suggestion. <br />
** If the feature does not exist, and neither a bug or a suggestion exists, suggestions time.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw_codesharing</dwuser> === <br />
This is only applicable when invite codes are required. <br />
<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes in comments elsewhere on the site<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes offsite<br />
Users who would like additional codes, people who would like larger amounts of codes to move a group, or someone opening a request, send to Accounts.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>style_system</dwuser> ===<br />
* Detailed advanced customization things. <br />
<br />
=== Bugzilla ===<br />
* Bugs as reported to Support. (Level of detail and duplication desired for filing?) <br />
* Bugs as reported elsewhere on the site. <br />
* Usability things (broken as designed) that would not benefit from user-level discussion on how to implement the fix. <br />
* Staff/volunteer-facing features and enhancements that do not require user-level discussion on implementation<br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/What_Goes_WhereWhat Goes Where2012-12-02T17:44:59Z<p>MissKat: /* Peterstein (private support) */</p>
<hr />
<div>A rough guide to categories for support on Dreamwidth, brought to you by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>, <dwuser>domtheknight</dwuser> and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
There are two types of categories: public and private. Public categories can be seen by anyone visiting the site, and any logged-in user is able to post a screened answer to the questions. Private categories are restricted to certain users with the applicable privs; only very specific people can see the requests at all, since they often contain sensitive information which might not be suitable for the public.<br />
<br />
Confused about some of the Support jargon? See [[Common Jargon]]. For more on Support, including the lifecycle of a request, see the [[Support process]] page.<br />
<br />
== Public categories ==<br />
In general, you should pick the cat which best fits the majority of the request, if there's more than one issue. If necessary, it's fine to switch cats midway through interacting with the user; maybe an answer you give for the Importer will bring up more questions which are really Entries related. There are people with privs in just one or two cats so moving requests does have an effect on who can approve answers or see discussion.<br />
<br />
=== General/Unknown (g/unk) ===<br />
catch-all for stuff which just doesn't fit anywhere else. You'd want to use this if it's something which doesn't fit any of the more specialized options.<br />
<br />
* anything feed-related<br />
* creating an account help<br />
* OpenID issues<br />
* things of which you are unsure of their proper location<br />
* If you are not sure if something is a bug or suggestion, put in in G/unk for more in-depth investigation and sorting.<br />
* If you do know something is a bug, you can also dump it here for filing by Support members.<br />
<br />
=== Communities (comms) ===<br />
things specific to community use<br />
<br />
* moderation queue<br />
* managing members<br />
* Can overlap with styles and entries; try to determine if the issue is caused by a community or if it's a more general issue which just happens to apply to the community in this case. Example: if someone can't post an entry to a community but can post personal entries, that's a community issue. However, if the problem is more with html in the entry, which would happen in any entry, then it's an entries problem and not a comms problem.<br />
<br />
=== Entries (entries) ===<br />
entries-related problems<br />
<br />
* html encoding problems<br />
* the RTE<br />
* posting privately or to filters (although the basic creation of the filters is more G/unk).<br />
<br />
=== Styles (styles) ===<br />
styles-related problems<br />
<br />
* anything to do with selecting a new style<br />
* modifying that style<br />
* using custom CSS.<br />
<br />
In-depth help may be redirected to <dwcomm>style_system</dwcomm> for ease of communication.<br />
<br />
=== Site Interface (web) ===<br />
things for site display. If you are able to change the summary of a request that falls in this cat, mark it [docs].<br />
<br />
* problems with the site scheme<br />
* site copy and FAQ updates<br />
<br />
=== Importer (import) ===<br />
importer-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
* Some importer questions do require knowledge of the function of other sites to be answered. <br />
<br />
=== Crossposting (crossposting) ===<br />
crossposter-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
=== [mrsj] ===<br />
Requests in public categories tagged [mrsj] require input from staff before answering, but once the input has been obtained, they may be answered by any volunteer. <br />
<br />
* Feeds wrongly named (can be renamed by a site admin) <br />
* Feeds with the wrong source (can have the source changed by a site admin) <br />
* Duplicate feeds (can be merged by a site admin)<br />
<br />
== Private categories ==<br />
Requests in private categories either contain information personal enough that it should not be on the publicly viewable support board, or require an answer from a member of a specific high-level team, or both. <br />
<br />
For all the private cats, it's not necessary to tell the user anything before you move it; just move it and let the specialized staff investigate and answer.<br />
<br />
=== Peterstein (private support) ===<br />
support@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Support lead. <br />
<br />
* anything which involves personal information but does not fall under the purview of any of the other private categories.<br />
* Password issues can go here if needed.<br />
* Dead people (reports of the death of a Dreamwidth user). <br />
* Spam, or anything that looks like spam. Do NOT dequeue.<br />
<br />
=== Feedback (feedback) ===<br />
feedback@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* Feedback!<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing right<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing wrong<br />
* Requests for changes that would not benefit from public discussion<br />
<br />
=== Terms of Service (abuse, ToS) ===<br />
abuse@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Terms of Service team member. <br />
<br />
* anything which will require Terms of Service Team investigation should get moved here<br />
* reports of a user who is possibly in danger (suicide or similar). Also get in touch with a staff member in IRC as soon as possible.<br />
* reports of violations of the Terms of Service<br />
* user-to-user interaction<br />
* people registering complaints about each other<br />
* any request that explicitly names another user in a negative light<br />
* complaint about spam that names another user as the spammer<br />
<br />
=== Account Payments (accounts) ===<br />
accounts@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* anything about payments goes here<br />
* requests for invite codes of any size, from large numbers of invite codes for things like moving an RP to Dreamwidth to "can I have a few more invites for my friends".<br />
* Non-spam business propositions. ("Would you like to buy some V1@gr@?" is spam; "Are you in the market for new hosting? If so, would you like to use our fine establishment?" is probably not.)<br />
* Typos in usernames. <br />
* Anything needing the specific attention of Denise.<br />
<br />
=== Webmaster (webmaster) ===<br />
webmaster@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
Items in this category typically need no answer.<br />
<br />
== Non-Support-Board ==<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw-suggestions</dwuser> ===<br />
* Requests for a new feature<br />
* Requests for site changes that would benefit from public discussion<br />
** Exceptions: <br />
*** If the feature exists, G/unk<br />
*** If the feature does not exist, but a bug exists, G/unk and tell the user we're working on it.<br />
** If the feature does not exist, but a suggestion exists, ideally point to the specific suggestion. <br />
** If the feature does not exist, and neither a bug or a suggestions exists, suggestions time.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw_codesharing</dwuser> === <br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes in comments elsewhere on the site<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes offsite<br />
Users who would like additional codes, people who would like larger amounts of codes to move a group, or someone opening a request, send to Accounts.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>style_system</dwuser> ===<br />
* Detailed advanced customization things. <br />
<br />
=== Bugzilla ===<br />
* Bugs as reported to Support. (Level of detail and duplication desired for filing?) <br />
* Bugs as reported elsewhere on the site. <br />
* Usability things (broken as designed) that would not benefit from user-level discussion on how to implement the fix. <br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/What_Goes_WhereWhat Goes Where2012-12-02T17:43:48Z<p>MissKat: /* Webmaster (webmaster) */</p>
<hr />
<div>A rough guide to categories for support on Dreamwidth, brought to you by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>, <dwuser>domtheknight</dwuser> and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
There are two types of categories: public and private. Public categories can be seen by anyone visiting the site, and any logged-in user is able to post a screened answer to the questions. Private categories are restricted to certain users with the applicable privs; only very specific people can see the requests at all, since they often contain sensitive information which might not be suitable for the public.<br />
<br />
Confused about some of the Support jargon? See [[Common Jargon]]. For more on Support, including the lifecycle of a request, see the [[Support process]] page.<br />
<br />
== Public categories ==<br />
In general, you should pick the cat which best fits the majority of the request, if there's more than one issue. If necessary, it's fine to switch cats midway through interacting with the user; maybe an answer you give for the Importer will bring up more questions which are really Entries related. There are people with privs in just one or two cats so moving requests does have an effect on who can approve answers or see discussion.<br />
<br />
=== General/Unknown (g/unk) ===<br />
catch-all for stuff which just doesn't fit anywhere else. You'd want to use this if it's something which doesn't fit any of the more specialized options.<br />
<br />
* anything feed-related<br />
* creating an account help<br />
* OpenID issues<br />
* things of which you are unsure of their proper location<br />
* If you are not sure if something is a bug or suggestion, put in in G/unk for more in-depth investigation and sorting.<br />
* If you do know something is a bug, you can also dump it here for filing by Support members.<br />
<br />
=== Communities (comms) ===<br />
things specific to community use<br />
<br />
* moderation queue<br />
* managing members<br />
* Can overlap with styles and entries; try to determine if the issue is caused by a community or if it's a more general issue which just happens to apply to the community in this case. Example: if someone can't post an entry to a community but can post personal entries, that's a community issue. However, if the problem is more with html in the entry, which would happen in any entry, then it's an entries problem and not a comms problem.<br />
<br />
=== Entries (entries) ===<br />
entries-related problems<br />
<br />
* html encoding problems<br />
* the RTE<br />
* posting privately or to filters (although the basic creation of the filters is more G/unk).<br />
<br />
=== Styles (styles) ===<br />
styles-related problems<br />
<br />
* anything to do with selecting a new style<br />
* modifying that style<br />
* using custom CSS.<br />
<br />
In-depth help may be redirected to <dwcomm>style_system</dwcomm> for ease of communication.<br />
<br />
=== Site Interface (web) ===<br />
things for site display. If you are able to change the summary of a request that falls in this cat, mark it [docs].<br />
<br />
* problems with the site scheme<br />
* site copy and FAQ updates<br />
<br />
=== Importer (import) ===<br />
importer-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
* Some importer questions do require knowledge of the function of other sites to be answered. <br />
<br />
=== Crossposting (crossposting) ===<br />
crossposter-related problems, issues and questions.<br />
<br />
=== [mrsj] ===<br />
Requests in public categories tagged [mrsj] require input from staff before answering, but once the input has been obtained, they may be answered by any volunteer. <br />
<br />
* Feeds wrongly named (can be renamed by a site admin) <br />
* Feeds with the wrong source (can have the source changed by a site admin) <br />
* Duplicate feeds (can be merged by a site admin)<br />
<br />
== Private categories ==<br />
Requests in private categories either contain information personal enough that it should not be on the publicly viewable support board, or require an answer from a member of a specific high-level team, or both. <br />
<br />
For all the private cats, it's not necessary to tell the user anything before you move it; just move it and let the specialized staff investigate and answer.<br />
<br />
=== Peterstein (private support) ===<br />
support@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Support lead. <br />
<br />
* anything which involves personal information but does not fall under the purview of any of the other private categories.<br />
* Password issues can go here if needed.<br />
* Dead people (reports of the death of a Dreamwidth user). <br />
* Something that might or might not have been spam, from the public board (will be reviewed by one of the Triumvirate before disposal).<br />
<br />
=== Feedback (feedback) ===<br />
feedback@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* Feedback!<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing right<br />
* Things Dreamwidth is doing wrong<br />
* Requests for changes that would not benefit from public discussion<br />
<br />
=== Terms of Service (abuse, ToS) ===<br />
abuse@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff or a Terms of Service team member. <br />
<br />
* anything which will require Terms of Service Team investigation should get moved here<br />
* reports of a user who is possibly in danger (suicide or similar). Also get in touch with a staff member in IRC as soon as possible.<br />
* reports of violations of the Terms of Service<br />
* user-to-user interaction<br />
* people registering complaints about each other<br />
* any request that explicitly names another user in a negative light<br />
* complaint about spam that names another user as the spammer<br />
<br />
=== Account Payments (accounts) ===<br />
accounts@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
This category is answered by staff. <br />
<br />
* anything about payments goes here<br />
* requests for invite codes of any size, from large numbers of invite codes for things like moving an RP to Dreamwidth to "can I have a few more invites for my friends".<br />
* Non-spam business propositions. ("Would you like to buy some V1@gr@?" is spam; "Are you in the market for new hosting? If so, would you like to use our fine establishment?" is probably not.)<br />
* Typos in usernames. <br />
* Anything needing the specific attention of Denise.<br />
<br />
=== Webmaster (webmaster) ===<br />
webmaster@dreamwidth.org to open a new request<br />
<br />
Items in this category typically need no answer.<br />
<br />
== Non-Support-Board ==<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw-suggestions</dwuser> ===<br />
* Requests for a new feature<br />
* Requests for site changes that would benefit from public discussion<br />
** Exceptions: <br />
*** If the feature exists, G/unk<br />
*** If the feature does not exist, but a bug exists, G/unk and tell the user we're working on it.<br />
** If the feature does not exist, but a suggestion exists, ideally point to the specific suggestion. <br />
** If the feature does not exist, and neither a bug or a suggestions exists, suggestions time.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>dw_codesharing</dwuser> === <br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes in comments elsewhere on the site<br />
* Non-users wanting small amounts of codes offsite<br />
Users who would like additional codes, people who would like larger amounts of codes to move a group, or someone opening a request, send to Accounts.<br />
<br />
=== <dwuser>style_system</dwuser> ===<br />
* Detailed advanced customization things. <br />
<br />
=== Bugzilla ===<br />
* Bugs as reported to Support. (Level of detail and duplication desired for filing?) <br />
* Bugs as reported elsewhere on the site. <br />
* Usability things (broken as designed) that would not benefit from user-level discussion on how to implement the fix. <br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Support_FAQSupport FAQ2012-12-01T23:36:03Z<p>MissKat: /* Things needing special powers */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page contains frequently identified issues, questions, and so forth with regards to support, relevant to you, the support volunteer.<br />
<br />
== What is Support? ==<br />
<br />
Technical support for users of the Dreamwidth.org site is partially crowdsourced. This includes general questions, and some technical support and customer service. (Some technical support and customer service is done by Dreamwidth staff.) Any registered Dreamwidth user can contribute answers on the Support board. All answers are subject to the approval of a trained senior volunteer before they are sent to the user. You can read more about the full [[Support process]].<br />
<br />
== Who can do Support? ==<br />
<br />
Anyone who feels like it can volunteer their time and expertise to Support. See the [[Support guide]] and [[Support process]].<br />
<br />
== Things needing special powers==<br />
A lot of requests are informational, and anyone who knows the answer can give an answer, but some support requests need special powers to actually carry out. <br />
<br />
=== Feed rename requests ===<br />
<br />
Example: "Could you rename the sample_feed feed to samples_feed?"<br />
<br />
Typically, you can just ignore these requests. Someone with the appropriate [[Privileges|privileges]] will handle it.<br />
<br />
If the user is complaining about the feed not working, take a look and see if the feed URL is still valid. If it is not valid, please look up the new one and leave is as an IC to the request.<br />
<br />
As an aside, please do not create a new feed.<br />
<br />
-- [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/13100.html Source].<br />
<br />
=== Feed source changes ===<br />
<br />
Example: "The source feed's URL has changed. Could you change the DW feed's URL, too?"<br />
<br />
You should treat these the same as rename requests.<br />
<br />
If the user is complaining about the feed not working, take a look and see if the feed URL is still valid. If it is not valid, please look up the new one and leave is as an IC to the request.<br />
<br />
=== Closing a support request ===<br />
<br />
Requests are typically closed when someone with request-closing privs has the time to close them. (Currently, this is <dwstaff>denise</dwstaff>, Kat, Dom, and Chemla.)<br />
<br />
Answered requests may remain open for a brief period of time for two reasons:<br />
<br />
# D, Kat, Dom or Chemla hasn't had the time to go 'round and close them.<br />
# We want to give the user ample time to respond, in case they're still having an issue.<br />
<br />
-- [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/17216.html Source].<br />
<br />
=== Spaaaaam! In the dungeon! ===<br />
<br />
Thought you should know!<br />
<br />
If you see spam on the board, just leave it. It will be handled by someone with the appropriate privs.<br />
<br />
If you have the '''movetouch''' priv, you must move the "request" to Peterstein. If you're unsure as to whether the request is actually spam, just move it to Peterstein. Someone will suss it out.<br />
<br />
-- [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/12489.html Source].<br />
<br />
== Answers that refer to a Bugzilla bug ==<br />
<br />
If your answer refers to a [[Bugzilla|bug]], please add an internal comment that links to the bug in Bugzilla.<br />
<br />
-- [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/12885.html Source].<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Mass-deletion of entries ==<br />
<br />
This is covered in the Dreamwidth FAQ, actually.<br />
<br />
Dreamwidth does not support mass-entry deletion within itself. There are [[Compatible clients|third-party tools]] that might be able to do this, but it's not recommended.<br />
<br />
DW doesn't have or want the functionality for two main reasons:<br />
<br />
# It is way too easy to slip and delete more than one intended to.<br />
# Not having that is one more obstacle, in case one's journal is hijacked.<br />
<br />
If you recommend that they seek out a third-party client, you must make sure to note that DW takes no responsibility for third-party clients.<br />
<br />
-- [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=210 Source].<br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2012-11-05T04:25:07Z<p>MissKat: /* Volunteer/IRC-Specific */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=[[Dreamwidth-Specific Jargon]]=<br />
{{:Dreamwidth-Specific Jargon}}<br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
; accessible, accessibility, a11y: Making things (websites, buildings, et cetera) able to be not only accessed but usefully and fully used by anyone, including but not limited to people in wheelchairs, people with other mobility impairments, people with visual impairments, people with hearing impairments, people with cognitive impairments, text-only browser users, screenreader-only users, keyboard-only users, custom keyboard users, pointing-device-only users, and more. The goal here is to make Dreamwidth as accessible as possible. Developers are encouraged to check out <dwcomm>dw_accessibility</dwcomm> and the [[Accessibility Wishlist]]. <dwcomm>accessibility_fail</dwcomm> is when people do accessibility wrong (or don't do it at all). <br />
: a11y is a Twitter-friendly abbreviation for 'accessibility': a + 11 letters (ccessibilit) + y. History of this mode of abbreviation: http://www.i18nguy.com/origini18n.html<br />
<br />
; anon-fail: Someone who intended to comment anonymously accidentally leaving the comment while fully identified, in a way that revealed their identity to anyone who happened to be watching (or subscribed to email notifications) before the comment was deleted. Usually said in relation to an ongoing anonymous discussion, especially in anonymemes. <br />
<br />
; anonymeme, anonymous meme: a discussion or game where all participants are meant to be anonymous. These are often associated with an uncensored, anything-goes attitude, and can be very high-volume. <br />
<br />
; backscroll, scrollback, scrool: Things that happened in IRC while someone was connected but not actively watching, often in the context of "What are you guys on about? BRB, reading backscroll." (Common to many IRC/chat forums, not just DW's.) <br />
<br />
; "bake you cookies and write you porn": The helpful response of a tight-knit (usually fannish) internet community when one of their number is going through a rough patch. <br />
<br />
; baleet, bahleet: emphatic/silly form of 'delete'. <br />
: delete + ban<br />
<br />
; bandom: fandom (usually fic-writing/reading fandom) of various bands. http://zen.transformativeworks.org/wiki/Bandom_%28Music_Source_Text%29<br />
<br />
; banninate: verb. Emphatic/silly form of 'ban'. <br />
<br />
; bingo: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_(U.S.) the game]. <br />
: A way of organizing the perennial invalid arguments/distraction tactics that come up against a divisive topic (particularly an anti-oppression topic), by collecting all the usual arguments and tactics and arranging them on a bingo card. See: [http://infotrope.net/blog/2009/06/16/the-porny-presentation-bingo-card/ porny presentation bingo], [http://bootshatesthat.blogspot.com/2009/01/racism-bingo.html racism bingo], [http://viv.id.au/blog/20070414.431/anti-feminist-bingo-a-master-class-in-sexual-entitlement/ anti-feminist bingo]. <br />
: "We have bingo": said when any given anti-oppression discussion or commenter to a particular anti-oppression discussion has trotted out a sufficient number of the listed problematic statements. <br />
<br />
; brainweasels: Nefarious little critters made of fear, doubt, and self-hatred that dwell in your head. The anthropormorphised (mustelidapormorphised?) representation of inwardly-directed negative thoughts. Not to be confused with the common domestic ferret, who are cute little house-weasels and a comfort rather than a source of dread. <br />
<br />
; B.S. Johnson: The [http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Bergholt_Stuttley_Johnson Discworld Character], infamous inventor. Known to include steam power in some of his "works". <br />
<br />
; cake: Gratuitous references to cake are often references to the "cake" motif in Portal, including the Jonathan Coulton song, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Alive "Still Alive"] ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs video]), that plays during the credits, although they may also refer to the meme "It is delicious cake. You must eat it." (from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan#.2Fb.2F /b/]), or even [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Park_(song) "MacArthur Park"]. However, gratuitous references to cake are sometimes merely referring to actual cake; one must not discount cake's innate tastiness.<br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. Also referred to as LOLcats. (From the internet.) See [http://icanhascheezburger.com/ I Can Has Cheezburger]. <br />
<br />
; "clean all the things"/"clean ALL the things?": Most often a reference to [http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult]. Snowcloned as "X 'all' the Y?" <br />
: Things using the "X 'all' the Y?" snowclone could also be a reference to the older [http://iownthepeas.ytmnd.com/ "I have ALL teh peas!!!" (has audio)]<br />
<br />
; Danga Interactive: The original company founded by <ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser> to manage LiveJournal. <br />
<br />
; darkroom: a game where people "enter the darkroom" and allow others to interact with them. Often sexually explicit and/or kinky. Anonymity is often allowed or encouraged. Not to be confused with a kinkmeme. <br />
<br />
; derailing: The conscious or unconscious process of destroying and confusing a conversation about productive but uncomfortable topics. [http://www.derailingfordummies.com/ Derailing for Dummies]<br />
<br />
; Dunning-Kruger effect: People who are sufficiently unskilled in a particular area lack knowledge of the benchmarks of that skill area, and perhaps the cognitive tools, to tell how bad they are, and will falsely estimate themselves at a far higher level of skill than they actually possess. (People at a high level of skill who assess their skills too low will often recalibrate their self-assessment upon seeing the actual performance of others.) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect Dunning-Kruger Effect on Wikipedia], [http://www.roughtheory.org/content/wearing-the-juice-a-case-study-in-research-implosion/ Rough Theory: "Wearing the Juice: a case study in research implosion" (#surveyfail)]<br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, EDS: A group of inherited connective tissue disorders. Also, why people in IRC tend not to freak out too badly when Rahaeli announces she's got another dislocated joint again. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ehlers-danlos-syndrome/DS00706 Mayo Clinic.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers-Danlos_syndrome Wikipedia.] <br />
<br />
; ENOPARSE: Modeled after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Errno.h the standard C error library] but [http://mailman.nginx.org/pipermail/nginx/2011-August/028358.html not actually present in it], this error code expands to "Error: Not Parsed" (or "Sorry, I didn't understand that.") <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fandom_wank, f_w: fandom_wank is an internet community, currently hosted on JournalFen.net, that collects and discusses reports of "wank" in the greater fandom community. "Wank" includes social trainwrecks and more, and the discussion allows anonymous commenting. Caveat lector: this community discusses social catastrophes anonymously, with a viewpoint valuing maximum humor/popcorn factor. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; frog: the "rip-it, rip-it" fashion of un-knitting, or un-crocheting too for that matter. <br />
<br />
; game, the: [http://www.losethegame.com/main.htm The only winning move is not to play.] If you click the link, you may start playing. [http://xkcd.com/391/ But not to worry!]<br />
<br />
; gender binary: the concept that all humans neatly fit into biological male or female, or into social masculine and feminine. This is untrue first because of genetic or developmental conditions that do not fit neatly into male or female, second because not everyone identifies with social masculine or feminine (or the standard that a person picks one and only one), and third because some people's physical sex does not match the societal gender presentation they identify most with. (From LGBTQ~ activism. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender Gender on Wikipedia].) <br />
<br />
; Glitch: From the website: "Glitch is a massively multi-player game built in the spirit of the web." http://www.glitch.com/ Has a lot of Kingdom of Loathing references. People talking cooking with ... really unusual recipes ... in IRC are sometimes playing Glitch. <br />
<br />
; hit points: A means of measuring someone's ability to withstand damage/attack or perform tasks. Notional "hit points" can be regained readily/predictably by a generally-able-bodied/mentally healthy person. Contrast 'spoons'. (By analogy from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_(gaming) hit points in gaming].) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. See also: bees.) <br />
<br />
; Ia! Ia!: The thing you say when summoning one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos Great Old Ones]. (In his house at Ry'leh Great Cthulhu lies dreaming, unless it's been summoned on irc again.) Also sometimes seen as "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fth'agn!"<br />
<br />
; Impostor Syndrome: A spurious sense of incompetence in one's chosen field. [http://xkcd.com/616/ Or even at adulthood, perhaps.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome Impostor Syndrome on Wikipedia, mostly useful for the references]. (Based on the Dunning-Kruger effect, looking at the actual performance of others may be helpful, though the publicly available information about others in that field may not include all of their missteps and self-doubt.) <br />
<br />
; intersectionality: The concept that a person in a disadvantaged situation is likely to have more than one factor contributing, and the factors involved are likely to compound the bad situation. For example, a person who cannot afford the power chair that would allow them to take a job outside of the home; a woman of color who is hesitant to report a sexist co-worker to a racist boss; a jobless gay man with no savings who cannot get assistance from government, family, or church. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality Intersectionality on Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
; Kaycee-Nicole: a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaycee_Nicole notable internet hoax] involving illness and death. <br />
<br />
; (the) keys are right next to each other, keys are right etc.: A joke made about typos, generally under one of the following conditions:<br />
:1) The keys are, in fact, literally right next to each other on that keyboard layout. (Uncommon.)<br />
: 2) Browser/phone/other interface autocomplete/autocorrect, or finger/other input autocomplete; so used to typing something that it comes out in situations where it's not entirely appropriate. <br />
: 3) Something completely weird and out of context with absolutely no reason for it to happen, such as <ljuser>bubba</ljuser> typing "emily" instead of "wireless" (and knowing no-one named Emily at the time): "My emily isn't working." <br />
: (Inherited from [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/support/320 LJ Support IRC]; may originate from [http://bash.org/?5300 bash.org].) <br />
<br />
; kinkmeme: an often-anonymous, often sexually explicit, fanfiction prompting game. Usually the game defines the fandom that the game is set in and ground rules. People leave prompts naming character(s) and themes or plot points (originally, specific kinks), and other people post "fills", usually in the form of short fiction that contains the specified character(s) and prompt(s). Not to be confused with a darkroom. <br />
<br />
; lumberjack; gone off to be a lumberjack: quit working or disappeared, often in a flagrantly notable way. Errant servers are often said to have gone off to become a lumberjack. References the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lumberjack_Song Monty Python Lumberjack song]. (An ordinary man with a boring job declares his ambition to be a lumberjack in the middle of a broadcast, with backup singers; the sketch ends with confusion from the singers when the would-be lumberjack's number makes reference to his ambition to cross-dress.) <br />
<br />
; memetic prophylactic recommended, mpr: A warning that the content at the other end of the link, while entirely possibly free from any of the sexual, strong language, scatological, and/or violent properties that might warrant a standard NSFW warning, may in fact contain the sort of "PEOPLE ARE WRONG ON THE INTERNET" reaction that may cause various rage, disgust, and the need to place one's brain in a wrongheadedness-proof condom to keep all the <em>ew</em> out. Coined by collaboration between <ljuser>james_nicoll</ljuser> and his commenters: [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1678912.html James Needs a New Tag], [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1684116.html 'the new warning label will be "memetic condom recommended"'], [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1684116.html?thread=27922068#t27922068 metahacker suggests the final form]. [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1689567.html First use.]<br />
<br />
; Minecraft: "Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out, make sure to build a shelter before that happens." [http://minecraft.net Description from Minecraft's official website.] (Sort of like multiplayer Lego with optional exploding zombies.) If people in IRC are talking about grand construction and/or landscaping projects, it might be this. <br />
: The community for the DW IRC Minecraft server (moderated) is <dwcomm>minecraft_irc</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; mouse, mice: An anonymous user or users. (A-nonny-mouse.) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event involving exposed nipples in default userpics. (From LiveJournal.) This is not the Open Source Boob Project. <br />
<br />
; Open Source Boob Project: Charitably put, a convention social experiment that rather notably did not scale well when proposed to be taken outside of the environment at that particular convention with those particular people. This is not nipplegate. [http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Open_Source_Boob_Project On the Geek Feminism wiki]<br />
<br />
; pantsless website: when a website appears without its stylesheets, due to high load or other technical errors. This often appears as a white page showing only the main content text and images, missing all of the expected backgrounds and navigation links. Originated from nanowrimo.org load problems. <br />
<br />
; pastede on yey: very obviously an image manipulation, or some feature that has been very obviously added after the fact and in a particularly horrible way. (From a [http://www.journalfen.net/community/fwgreatesthits/4064.html fandom_wank] disaster wherein someone tried to claim an actor was her boyfriend with a "my hed iz pastede on yey" photo.) <br />
<br />
; ping: To briefly contact someone, generally on their preferred form of short-form contact. This is usually to get their attention prior to longer discussion, or to bring a matter that needs their attention to their attention. [http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/P/ping.html In general use in technical circles; this is definition 3 from the Jargon File.] <br />
:<dwuser>mark</dwuser> has a highlight set up for 'xb95' in IRC. <dwuser>denise</dwuser> prefers AIM, and tends to run silent (invisible status). [http://dw-lounge.dreamwidth.org/tag/contact+information Department head contact information viewable to other department heads.]<br />
:It can be helpful to quickly describe the reason for contact, for example, "Hi, one of your developers might be on fire; is this a good time to converse about fire safety measures and flame-retardant jackets?" has more detail than "Hi, can I ask you something?" The answers to "Do you have time for a social chat right now?" and "Do you have time for a technical chat on this subject?" may also be different, especially depending on whether someone is off-duty or on-duty at that time. <br />
<br />
; privilege: 1) An advantage or suite of advantages that most members of a non-minority class have as compared to most members of a minority class, often taken for granted by people who have this advantage. (A term of art from minority rights activism. [http://blog.shrub.com/archives/tekanji/2006-03-08_146 More])<br />
:2) Special access to administrative functions of the Dreamwidth site. See [[Common_Jargon#Technical|Technical]]. (Inherited from LiveJournal's terminology for the same special access.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; rabbit hole: a reference to Alice in Wonderland. Often used to describe discussions that may very quickly result in headaches for all involved. (could probably use some more expansion.)<br />
<br />
; Razz: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razz_(poker) A variant of poker.] According to Rah, "Razz is the reason why poker players drink." <s>Rah plays Razz too often.</s> rah no longer plays Razz too often because the DOJ shut down her online poker site :(<br />
<br />
; red cape: 1) [http://xkcd.com/239/ Cory Doctorow is said to wear a red cape and goggles and blog from a high-altitude balloon.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Doctorow#In_popular_culture Really.]<br />
: 2) The Dreamwidth official staff account user-head icon is a version of the regular user-head icon, with a red swirl, as of the swirl in the Dreamwidth stylized 'd', wrapped around it. This swirl has been referred to as the "red cape". <br />
<br />
; September, Eternal September: The (constant) influx of people unfamiliar with Usenet/internet basic netiquette, or unfamiliar with the local community's standards for conduct that differ from the internet at large. ([http://catb.org/jargon/html/S/September-that-never-ended.html The Jargon File], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September Wikipedia])<br />
<br />
; scary devil monastery: alt.sysadmin.recovery, the Usenet group<br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) [http://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash Slash on Fanlore]<br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; Spectacular Love (in pill form): from some spam in Peterstein (the private support category). Kat was tired.<br />
<br />
; spice: "I think so, Brain, but if the plural of mouse is mice, wouldn't the plural of spouse be spice?" From a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain Pinky and the Brain] segment. (In common use in the polyamory community.) <br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources, at a level significantly below average ability levels, to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy; term originated from an article on [http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/ But You Don't Look Sick?].) Compare 'hit points'. <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event, involving the mass-suspension of a number of accounts, and the later unsuspension of most of them. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; Tango Maureen and RENT, references to: The musical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(musical) RENT] contains a character named Mark. The song [http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/rent/rent.htm RENT] has the lines "The digital delay --- Didn't blow up (exactly); There may have been one teeny tiny spark-- YOU'RE NOT CALLING MARK!" and [http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/rent/tangomaureen.htm Tango Maureen] is the saga of Mark patching Maureen's broken equipment with Joanne. <br />
: Because <dwuser>mark</dwuser> is the person who usually gets paged when Dreamwidth blows up, this can sometimes result in IRC musical adventures. <br />
: Note: Twitter user [http://twitter.com/maureenjohnson @maureenjohnson] exists, but belongs to the YA author Maureen Johnson, not any incarnation of the RENT character Maureen Johnson (nor the Heinlein character Maureen Johnson). <br />
<br />
; trigger, trigger warning, tw: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_trigger trauma trigger] is an environmental stimulus that awakens the involuntary playback of memories of a traumatic event. This process is highly unpleasant. <br />
: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure_trigger seizure trigger] can cause seizures; of particular concern on the internet is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy photosensitive epilepsy]. <br />
: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine migraine] trigger. <br />
: Some subcultures, particularly ones with a high percentage of people who have experienced trauma, have seizure disorders or migraines, habitually label content that contains common trauma, seizure, or migraine triggers. These labels are known as "trigger warnings"; this is sometimes abbreviated "tw". <br />
: Some common triggers include: graphic description of abuse, violence, or rape; detailed descriptions of medical or dental procedures; detailed descriptions of self-harm behaviors, depressive thinking patterns, or disordered eating; sudden loud noises; and rapid blinking (including rapid changing in light levels or rapid changing of colors). Some of these triggers are unpleasant even for people who do not have traumatic memories that result in flashbacks. <br />
<br />
; wank: Aside from the obvious slang term, this also means any number of social upsets, generally of the sort that generate gossip and upsetness perhaps out of proportion with the actual problem. ("Did you hear about what Bit did to Figment?" "Yeah, talk about wank!") <br />
<br />
; wheelchair user: This is one of the preferred (by people who use wheelchairs) ways for their use to be described. "Confined to a wheelchair" is vastly inappropriate in many if not most cases, even if the person in question must exclusively use the wheelchair for even minor mobility; it would probably only be appropriate if the person in question felt their use of the wheelchair to be confining. See among other things [http://ysobel.dreamwidth.org/301593.html a general rant] from <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser>. In general when a long-term wheelchair user is confronted with stairs and other inaccessible architecture, the architect/designer gets the blame for not making the location adequately accessible, rather than the wheelchair taking the blame for not being able to traverse the stairs. <br />
<br />
; "wrong on the internet": A reference to [http://xkcd.com/386/ XKCD: Duty Calls]. <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #dreamwidth-games. (If you want to start a game, try recruiting players in #dreamwidth.) For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 6d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
== Common Abbreviations ==<br />
Abbreviations, acronyms, initialisms, and other fun shorthand. Some is internet-wide, some is specific to certain communities, and some is Danga-descended and Dreamwidth-specific. <br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; AO3, AOOO: [http://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], a project of the [http://transformativeworks.org/ Organization for Transformative Works], the other known majority-female Free Open Source Software project besides Dreamwidth. <br />
<br />
; BBB: Support shorthand for the Big Blue Box, also known as the Known Issues box. It can be found on the left-hand side of the [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/ main DW Support page]. Inherited from LiveJournal Support. Anyone calling it the BYB (Big Yellow Box) is stuck in the early 2000s. <br />
<br />
; bk: back. Returned from whatever AFK state. <br />
<br />
; BML: See [[#Technical]]. <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) More on [http://fanlore.org/wiki/BNF BNF on Fanlore]. <br />
<br />
; BPA: Blinkie Ponie Armie, a gaming guild composed mostly of former and current LiveJournal volunteers. (Crosses over with some current Dreamwidth volunteers.) <br />
<br />
; DMCA: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act Digital Millennium Copyright Act], which is less fun than [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y.M.C.A._%28song%29 YMCA, which at least has a fun song]. (It's harder to make a D with your arms and then get them back over your head for the M.) <br />
<br />
; FFF: In the context of IRC, usually Fey (<dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser>), rather than the [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF similar emphatic minced oath], which can repeat the letter any number of times, usually from three on up. <br />
<br />
; ffs: For Fuck's Sake<br />
<br />
; GSoC: Google Summer of Code. [http://code.google.com/soc/ Official GSoC site]; Dreamwidth wiki orientation page: [[Summer of Code]]; Dreamwidth participated in 2010. <br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know. Sometimes followed by [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nIUcRJX9-o "my bff jill?" in reference to a TV commercial] that aired in the US at one point.<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; ikr, inorite: I know, right? Often said by members of the Support Triumvirate when expressing agreement.<br />
<br />
; imo, imho, imao: In My Opinion, In My Humble Opinion, In My Arrogant (or other suitable A-word) Opinion<br />
<br />
; iydmma: If You Don't Mind My Asking<br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=147 FAQ] (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; OP: Original Poster. Usually the author of the entry; used in long comment threads. From message board slang. <br />
<br />
; OTW: Rather than Off The Wall or On The Way, this is likely to mean the [http://transformativeworks.org/ Organization for Transformative Works] when used in the context of Dreamwidth. They make the [http://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own]. <br />
:While the OTW's logo, a red arrow bent into a capital O, pointing counter-clockwise, enclosed in a red circle, can at a casual glance and small resolutions be confused with the simplified version of Dreamwidth's logo (a red line spiraling counterclockwise inward), the organizations are separate, with separate operations and leadership. There is some incidental overlap between OTW and Dreamwidth developers and technical support. <br />
<br />
; PC: In the context of comment threads, this is usually Parent Commenter rather than Personal Computer or Politically Correct. From message board slang. <br />
<br />
; ph: Phone. Away from keyboard on account of phone call. <br />
<br />
; PWD: Rather than an abbreviation for "password", People with Disabilities. From disability advocacy. <br />
<br />
; PWP: A type of fanfiction. Originally, this stood for "Plot? What Plot?", used of short mood pieces, smut without any attempt at a framing plot, or short action sequences without lead-in or resolution. As it is largely used for context-free smut, some readers have back-formed the initialism to stand for "Porn Without Plot". <br />
<br />
; RFC: Request For Comment. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; TAB: Temporarily Able-Bodied: someone who is currently without physical disablity. From disability advocacy. <br />
<br />
; tl;dr, tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; TT: Template Toolkit. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; ttants: Things That Are Not The Same. Two or more things that were generally recently mistaken for each other by the person who just said that, usually of similar spelling but wildly dissimilar meaning, often hilarious and/or wrong if one is substituted for the other. <br />
<br />
; UGT: Universal Greeting Time. http://www.total-knowledge.com/~ilya/mips/ugt.html Why "Good morning!" upon entering an IRC channel, regardless of anyone's local time, is a thing. <br />
<br />
; UTC: Co-ordinated Universal Time. The world standard baseline time, and generally server time as well. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/utc.htm<br />
<br />
; WIP: Work-In-Progress. Often said of a piece of fanfiction that is still being written (especially a piece of fanfiction that is being posted serially as it is being written), but also applies to other projects. <br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the Fuck"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get. <br />
<br />
; WYSINWYG, WYSI...: What You See Is Not What You Get, and other joke initialisms at the expense of the Rich Text Editor. What You See Has No Relation To What You Get. What You See Is Only Sometimes What You Get. What You See Just Ate What You Got. And so forth. <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
== Other Resources ==<br />
very large [http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp Webopedia list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
also very large [http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php Netlingo list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
[http://www.abbreviations.com/acronyms/CHAT Abbreviations.com list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
[http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/ gaarde.org list of internet acronyms and initialisms]<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) (OMG, Gmail is out of beta now!! WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO!?) ....Annnd Dreamwidth is out of beta as of [[Dreamwidth Timeline#April 2011 |2011 April 30]]! <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; bless, blessed, unblessed: [http://perldoc.perl.org/functions/bless.html Perl jargon involving objects]. <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: An obsolete priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be [[Roadmap#Milestone:_Site_Launch|launched]]/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place.<br />
<br />
; BML: A kind of scary language that Brad created to write parts of the site in. Stands for (Brad/Better/Block) Markup Language. See the [[BML]] article on this very wiki. [http://bradfitz.com/misc/bct/#bml Brad's History of BML] Dreamwidth is being migrated from BML to Template Toolkit, as BML makes it harder than it might be to separate code from design. <br />
<br />
; bug, b00g: Something that is broken (not working as intended), or broken-as-designed (working as intended, but "as intended" is not workable). <br />
: Any ticket filed in [http://bugs.dwscoalition.org Bugzilla], whether it is an actual bug, an enhancement, a new feature, a documentation request, or some other request-for-work. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; CARL: Cross-site Authenticated Reading List, the planned mechanism by which one will eventually be able to read locked entries from friends on other sites. It was originally intended for reading LiveJournal entries, but [http://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/27853.html that had to be abandoned, and when implemented, it will likely be limited to sites running the Dreamwidth code]. <br />
<br />
; CARP: Cross-site Authenticated Reading Page, a previous term for CARL. [[Cross-site_authenticated_RSS | Discussion.]]<br />
<br />
; Clone: An exact copy, or a copy that is identical in most major respects. In the context of the Dreamwidth project, this is generally used to refer to other journaling sites based on the LiveJournal code that have not made significant functional alterations to the code. Dreamwidth is not, strictly speaking, a clone of LiveJournal. See: Fork, [[LJ-based_Services]]. Dreamwidth itself now has a few daughter sites that could be termed clones. <br />
<br />
; Debian: [http://www.debian.org/ Debian] is a free operating system that uses the Linux kernel and some GNU operating system tools. <br />
:While Debian's logo, a spattered red line spiraling clockwise inward, reminiscent of the Fibonacci spiral, can at a casual glance and small resolutions be confused with the simplified version of Dreamwidth's logo (a smooth red line spiraling counterclockwise inward in a roughly circular shape, derived from Dreamwidth's stylized lower-case D), the organizations are separate. It is unknown how many Dreamwidth-affiliated developers and users prefer or use Debian. <br />
<br />
; Dragon: Dragon Naturally Speaking is dictation and accessibility software that can be used to give voice control of the computer. It can cause results similar to [http://damnyouautocorrect.com/ DamnYouAutoCorrect] (gallery of images of hilariously awful autocorrections, mostly iPhone, mostly not adequately alt-texted). <br />
<br />
; Edges: Data that makes <dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser> very happy. See [[Data_Sources]]. <br />
<br />
; Enhancement: A change that improves or enhances an existing feature. Not quite a true bug, because the feature would have been working OK before that, and not a whole new feature, just something that makes an existing feature better. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; FCKEditor, FCKEd, CKEditor: [http://ckeditor.com/what-is-ckeditor FCKEditor] is the open-source WYSIWYG editor used by Dreamwidth and LiveJournal, more familiarly known as the Rich Text Editor, or RTE. The FCKEditor is named for its creator, Frederico Caldeira Knabben. With version 3.0, it was renamed the CKEditor. <br />
<br />
; Fork, code fork: Like a fork in a road, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(software_development) code that has been taken in a different developmental direction from the main project]. In the context of Dreamwidth development, this generally is used to refer to Dreamwidth's relationship to LiveJournal, as Dreamwidth has active development in other directions. [http://rosemaryedghill.livejournal.com/8481.html?thread=89377#t89377 Colorful explanation.]<br />
<br />
; Gearman: An asynchronous job scheduling engine, of the type "do this somewhere else". Benefits: somewhere else, fast. Flaws: currently if it dies jobs are lost (apparently the team that manages it is working on that). Name is an anagram of "manager"; from LiveJournal days. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6323528.html IRC log with history/discussion] <br />
* [[Production_Notes#Gearman|Gearman on Dreamwidth]] <br />
* [[Setting up Gearman]] for the Dreamhack<br />
* [http://gearman.org/ gearman.org]<br />
<br />
; Git: the new-to-us [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revision_control code version control system], to help make tracking/sorting out the contributions of infinitely many developers sweating over infinitely many keyboards be less like attempting to keep a torrential rainstorm away from the delicate electronics with a rake, and more like a well-ordered hackspace. [[Git Getting Started]]<br />
<br />
; Guru meditation: an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Meditation error code thrown by the Varnish cache server (and others, elsewhere, but DW uses Varnish)]. This is generally a temporary error, indicating that the server wants to be a lumberjack and has to take a moment to adjust its suspenders and/or bra. <br />
<br />
; JAWS: a screenreader (assistive software for the visually impaired). [http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp JAWS homepage]<br />
<br />
; Leaning Toothpick Syndrome: the \/ and \\\\ stuff that tends to happen a lot in regexes<br />
<br />
; MogileFS: Mogile FileSystem, the system that runs behind the userpics, is an anagram of OMG FILES. From LiveJournal development. <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See [[#Volunteer/IRC-Specific|the Volunteer/IRC section]] for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; Peterstein, Disco King: The private support category that receives mail sent to the support@ email address. Blame Mark. ;) <br />
<br />
; Priv, privilege: Access to various special administrative site functions, such as viewing sensitive support requests, viewing screened proposed answers to support requests that other users have left, viewing spam reports, and taking various administrative actions. Privs are granted in a chain of trust that culminates with the site owners; one may be granted the priv to hand out more privs to others. Privs may be restricted by arguments or granted globally (unarged). "What privs do I have?" "Not enough to do your job. I'm granting you some more privs." (Inherited from LiveJournal.) See [[Privileges]]. <br />
<br />
; PubSubHubbub, PuSH: A way to make syndicated stuff update like greased lightning. From Google (and Brad!); the implementation is courtesy of our good friends in the LJ dev department. Sometimes also called Fred for short. <br />
<br />
; Puppet: an open source data center automation and configuration management framework. That is to say, a way for the system administrators to set up computers quickly. See [[Production Puppet]]<br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RFC: Request For Comment. An invitation for constructive and thorough criticism of the proposed concept. In general use in certain technical communities. Also, one of the founding documents describing standards that the internet attempts to abide by. Examples: [http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3330.html RFC 3330] [http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2324.txt RFC 2324] <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. It is built based on the open source FCKEditor. The LiveJournal and Dreamwidth implementations have a reputation for being (pick your favorite) delicate, buggy, or broken. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; screenreader: an item of assistive technology used primarily by visually impaired users. Screenreaders read text on web pages aloud, allowing users to use websites without seeing them. <br />
<br />
; TheSchwartz: An asynchronous job scheduling engine of the "Do this and tell me later" type. Has persistent queue support. It was named after Brad's manager, Mike Schwartz, the VP of Engineering at Six Apart, and may also have been a reference to Spaceballs (with Brad you never know). Solid, has a lot of overhead and a lot of setup. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6323528.html IRC log with history/discussion] [[Production_Notes#TheSchwartz|TheSchwartz on Dreamwidth]] [http://search.cpan.org/~bradfitz/TheSchwartz-1.07/lib/TheSchwartz.pm TheSchwartz on cpan.org]<br />
<br />
; Template Toolkit, TT: The templating system that's replacing BML when building site pages; all existing BML pages are planned to eventually be migrated to using TT. Free Open Source Software, 99% less Eldritch Horror. See [[Routing and Template Toolkit]] and http://template-toolkit.org/<br />
<br />
; Upstream: A flag in Dreamwidth's implementation of Bugzilla that is a courtesy to LiveJournal developers, to alert them that a bug inherited from the LiveJournal codebase has been patched. LiveJournal is actively encouraged to pick up patches that have been flagged for upstreaming. Yay Open Source! <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The Fuck", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
; WTF-8: When UTF-8 encoding, or lack thereof, causes problems.<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
==Staff==<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Fu</dwuser>: Afuna is the first full-time Dreamwidth employee. She answers to <dwuser>Afuna</dwuser> or Fu. <br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff Staff Page]: All staff, and most department heads.<br />
<br />
; <dwuser>Sarah</dwuser>: Married to <dwuser>denise</dwuser>, helps with technical support. <br />
; <dwuser>janinedog</dwuser>/Janine/J9: Was married to <dwuser>mark</dwuser>. A developer. <br />
; Ari: Mark's partner and co-parent. <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: Collectively, the people who can handle staff issues are sometimes known as "MrsJ", which was short for the owners and their wives at the time of site launch: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine. This personnel lineup has since changed, and now includes Mark (co-owner), Rah (co-owner), Fu (employee), Sarah (Rah's wife), and sometimes Robby (backup sysadmin).<br />
<br />
==Other People==<br />
;<ljuser>Brad</ljuser>: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
;People the owners have worked with/near in the past, partial list: Brad (<ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser>), Brad's Mom (<ljuser>sandy</ljuser>), Hachi (<ljuser>hachi</ljuser>), Abe (<ljuser>burr86</ljuser>), Mart (<ljuser>mart</ljuser>), MK, BB, Carrie (<ljuser>coffeechica</ljuser>), Dave "worst username evar" Recordon (<ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>), Tupshin (<ljuser>tupshin</ljuser>), Stacey (<dwuser>nova</dwuser>), Whitaker (<ljuser>whitaker</ljuser>) (but not [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6353528.html Whitaker's Mom]).<br />
<br />
; Dave "Worst Username Evar" Recordon (<ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>): a legacy LiveJournal employee, involved with the creation of OpenID. <br />
: [05:20] <V_PauAmma_V> [...] I'm not sure how the "worst username ever" joke got started, but when LJ started listing the "purged, available to rename to" usernames list, that joke was enshrined on the LJ homepage blurb for that page.<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> it started because NONE OF US COULD EVER TYPE HIS USERNAME<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> it took us like two years to learn the numbers<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> so brad dubbed him "worst username evar"<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> (plz to note that it's 'evar' and not 'ever')<br />
<br />
MissHat: <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>|MissKat speaks fluent typo. <br />
<br />
; Momijizukamori: "... the kanji combo is 'guardian of the maple tree burial mound'. More or less. It's a really dorky reference to an old CLAMP [manga] series."<br />
<br />
; PauAmma: Pau's nickname is a reference to [http://www.online-literature.com/poe/164/ The Crab that Played with the Sea]. The 'V's are pincers. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
;<strong>Confusingly similar nicks</strong>: Some people in IRC/mentioned in IRC look similar but aren't the same person. <br />
<br />
;~aeli: rahaeli is not niqaeli, although they are certainly friends. <br />
<br />
; Alex: there are now at least three regulars who answer to Alex. <br />
<br />
;az*: There are at least four IRC-folks over time starting with 'az': <br />
: <dwuser>azurelunatic</dwuser>|Azz (two zs)<br />
: azureye<br />
: azetidine|aze, <br />
: the former azalais|az (one z) <br />
<br />
;fitz: <ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser> is not [http://foxfirefey.dreamwidth.org/tag/cats:+fitzwilliam Fitzwilliam], <dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser>'s younger flame point cat. <br />
<br />
;j*c: jc|jc` and JDC|<dwuser>jd</dwuser> are not the same person, even though they've both been around since beginning days. <br />
<br />
;jl*: jlb and jld are different people, though they work together. <br />
<br />
;pineapple: pineapple and pineapplechild are not the same person, nor is pineapple the mother of pineapplechild. Nor the other way around.<br />
<br />
; RH|: Nicks starting with RH are either <dwuser>RebelsHeart</dwuser> in some afk mode, or a specific member of the Rhymers' House (<dwuser>not_a_sniglet</dwuser>). Check the whois in your IRC client if uncertain. <br />
<br />
; Ricky: both jeshyr and Amianym answer to Ricky offline. <br />
<br />
;simon: _Simon_ and _NotSimon_ are both Simon, just the latter is afk. <br />
<br />
<br />
;<strong>Nicknames from DW-Drew</strong>: <dwuser>dreamatdrew</dwuser>|DW-Drew|Algol (the Ogre star) has many nicknames for many people, many of which are not self-explanatory unless you happened to be there at the time. Sometimes other people also use these nicknames, but sometimes not. <br />
<br />
; Assface: A typo that DW-Drew assiduously attempts to avoid but sometimes runs into anyway, for Azzface (<dwuser>azurelunatic</dwuser>|Azz). <br />
<br />
; bible-stud: vlion, based on the time when his attempted nick-change to vlion|biblestudy got truncated by one letter. <br />
<br />
; Dracca: DW-Drew's mother. <br />
<br />
; fish, fishen: <dwuser>ghoti</dwuser>, ghoti14 on IRC. While theoretically [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti this is universal], in practice it is a mostly-from-Drew spelling. <br />
: "fish" may also refer to some of the "chatfish", members of a YA readers group of Azz's. <br />
: See also: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/quotes?qt0396991 "Fish are friends, not food."] (ghoti is a friend-grade fish, not sushi-grade.) <br />
<br />
; frog: <dwuser>woggy</dwuser>, whose default userpic is a frog and whose username comes from "polliwog". <br />
<br />
; Herbie: jeshyr|<dwuser>rb</dwuser>, referencing an Asimov story in which a robot with the letters RB became Herbie. <br />
<br />
; Iggy: <dwuser>ivorygates</dwuser>, formed from the initials I.G.<br />
<br />
; Mr. Zog: Azz's Motorola [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Zog's_Sex_Wax SURFboard] router. <br />
<br />
; Slaver: xb95; this references the game EVE Online, where xb95 has an [http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Amarr Amarr] pilot.<br />
<br />
==Artificial, Fictional or Otherwise Questionable Reality==<br />
These individuals, while present or mentioned in IRC from time to time, are not always inhabiting the same reality as most of the rest of us. Sometimes it's not wise to follow them to their home dimension. <br />
<br />
; Alertsy: a Nagios IRC bot. <br />
<br />
; Anna: a Support-bot originally programmed by Sophie (with features from past bots), for #lj_support. Named for the Basshunter song "Boten Anna". <br />
<br />
; Bit: Originally a standalone bot in #lj_support. See: Fig|Bit. <br />
<br />
; Charlotte: a legacy LJ bot. <br />
<br />
; <dwuser>fairlight</dwuser>: Sometimes present in IRC. See [http://tiferet.dreamwidth.org/profile/ Tiferet's profile] for details. <br />
<br />
; Fig|Bit: An IRC bot, run by <dwuser>sophie</dwuser>. The bot gives different responses when addressed as "Fig" than when addressed as "Bit". Fig is a Support-bot, an infobot, and has some other features. Bit is a decision bot. Most of the time, the bot's answers are pre-programmed. Very occasionally, not. See [[IRC]]. <br />
<br />
; Frank: Frank the Goat, LiveJournal's mascot. <br />
<br />
; Goat: a legacy #lj_support Support-bot. Notably rude. <br />
<br />
;INGVA: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/7 QUEEN] OF THE [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6281178.html?thread=11191002#ljcmt11191002 WILD PLACES]<br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/248 Fictional character], written by a number of people but usually Rah, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). See [http://www.kekkai.org/synecdochic/sg1/bw.html Broken Wings] and [http://www.kekkai.org/synecdochic/sg1/mezzanine/index.html Mezzanine]. (Warning: if you commence a scarily literary-crossed-with-lowbrow rant and find yourself losing your capital letters, you may have been channeling jdn. The standard cure is to finish writing the rant.) Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD or JDC.<br />
<br />
; RWHell: an IRC bot. See [[IRC]].<br />
<br />
=Volunteer/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; #dw: (Previously) The Official Dreamwidth IRC Channel. Either refers to when the channel was on Mark's server (prior to [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Dreamwidth_Timeline#March_2010 March 2010]) and was named #dw, or is shorthand for the current channel name. <br />
<br />
; #dreamwidth: The Official Dreamwidth IRC Channel, on irc.freenode.net, from [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Dreamwidth_Timeline#March_2010 March 2010] onward. See [[IRC]]. Sometimes referred to as #dw for short. All official Dreamwidth IRC channels on Freenode actually start with #dreamwidth- although people may say #dw- instead, as it is both the usual shorthand and was the channel name on Mark's old server. Sometimes sub-channels are abbreviated further, such as # -bitch for #dreamwidth-bitch, # -dev for #dreamwidth-dev, and so on. Sometimes unofficial channels, like #dw-tmi, are actually #dw-. <br />
<br />
; <nowiki>$lj::will_not_work_without_steam_radiator</nowiki>: A [http://www.dreamwidth.org/interests?int=%24lj::will_not_work_without_steam_radiator popular interest], originating at a time that involved a lot of code refactoring that converted $lj methods over to generic methods, and when Rah needed an interest that started with a non-alphanumeric character to test something. A reference to http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/73<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6222720.html For those who weren't there, a log: it was a bit too saucy for the QDB. Also long.]) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the [http://www.basshunter.se/ Basshunter] song [http://basshunter.tgl0be.org/video,BotenAnna,English "Boten Anna"] ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=RYQUsp-jxDQ YouTube], [http://www.lyrics007.com/Basshunter%20Lyrics/Boten%20Anna%20%5BEnglish%20Ver.%5D%20Lyrics.html English lyrics]), about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna, from whom the #dreamwidth bot [[IRC#Fig-Bit | Fig]] is descended/cloned. <br />
<br />
; axolotl: [http://rho.dreamwidth.org/12709.html Payments silliness.]<br />
<br />
; babydev: Affectionate term for a [[Dev_Getting_Started|beginning developer]]. Generally used of developers who are new at development in general, not just new to the project. Gender-neutral. <br />
<br />
; babydev-bait: An effort-minor bug that would be an excellent introductory bug for a beginning developer. See [[Newbie Guide for Windows People Working on Minor Bugs]].<br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; bees, full of bees: A certain kind of metaphorical stingy badness. Brought to IRC mainly by <dwuser>jld</dwuser>. References include [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo Eddie Izzard: "Covered in beeeees"], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_%28comics%29 the supervillain Swarm], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XcT49ms4yg Conan: Oprah bee giveaway sketch], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/keinsignal/468795874/ Urethra bees] and [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html "That'll get you bees."] See also: hivemind. <br />
<br />
; <dwcomm>beginningcocks</dwcomm>: In the early days of #dw, there was call for a 101-level cooking community. One person returned having created <dwcomm>boilingwater</dwcomm>. Another returned having created <dwcomm>beginningcooks</dwcomm>. Naturally, someone -- several someones -- mis-read the latter, in the same predictable way. And thus <dwcomm>beginningcocks</dwcomm> was created. <br />
<br />
; [[Book of Wholesome Hobbies]] (that Denise has forbidden her volunteers from taking part in): A list of ha-ha-only-serious rules for [[IRC]] denizens and volunteers. <br />
<br />
; Borg: Any of a generous number of possible monolithic large-corporate entities that certain members of channel may or may not work for. References the Star Trek villains. <br />
<br />
; botsmack: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/533 Sometimes Bit likes a good spanking.] See also: botsnack. <br />
<br />
; botsnack: a treat given to any of the channel's bots. See also: botsmack. <br />
<br />
; Brad, in his dorm room, with BML: Reminiscent of the solution to a game of Clue, this occasionally is said of inherited code that has generally not been modified since its creation on LiveJournal. An Azz-ism. <br />
<br />
; bunneh: (verb) to do something (answer a question, approve an entry in a moderation queue, etc.) faster than someone else. Common uses are "Bunnehed!" or "You bunnehed me!" Compare to "Jinx!" when someone has done something at the same time. <br />
: (noun) one who is fast and likely to bunneh others often. From "quick like bunneh", through a "Wow, that was fast!" user comment on a LiveJournal support request that got an answer very fast. (Note: the division of LiveJournal volunteers into bunnehs and sharks based on which requests they prefer to answer or act on appears far less common among Dreamwidth volunteers.) ([http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Bunneh Inherited from LiveJournal Support].) <br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; bus (non-essential and/or metaphorical, often seen being sent to hEll): A reference to [http://www.slate.com/id/2223749/ "hit by a bus" as "unexpected tragedy"], and discussions about what would happen if both Mark and Denise were to be hit by a bus at the same time. [[Operating_Agreement]]<br />
<br />
; Camp Permabanned: Where particularly enthusiastic/persistent spammers are sent. (An Azz-ism, and also a joke based on Camp Permafrost from Bujold's Vorkosigan series.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; catgoat: freerangefatty's cat Mau nibbles on <em>everything</em>. [http://caturday.dreamwidth.org/tag/mau Pictures of Mau]<br />
<br />
; channelstaples: notional staples that are said to keep someone who keeps disconnecting from the server stapled there. (Popular in LJ IRC, and perhaps other places.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; Commit-and-Ditch pony: When someone does something that breaks stuff, and leaves everybody else with the mess, they are awarded the Commit-and-Ditch Pony. This can take the form of an actual toy pony, a pony virtual gift, or merely informing the offender that they now hold the pony. (From [http://desh.livejournal.com/269183.html OpenMoko development], via LiveJournal volunteers.)<br />
<br />
; (gone to) Costa Rica (with the Peace Corps): The default example for someone who has gone away from the internet for an extended length of time, but has not abandoned their journal despite lack of activity. From LiveJournal volunteers: long-time LJ volunteer <ljuser>christine</ljuser> did just this. <br />
<br />
; Disco: Support's private category is powered by this. (Mark started it; Kat continued it.) See Technical, Peterstein. <br />
<br />
; Drewspeak, DW-Drew (obscure things said by): <dwuser>dreamatdrew</dwuser> has a set of jargon all his own, including some unique nicknames given to assorted channel regulars. "Drew, 'splain!" is a relatively common refrain. (Feel free to ask if you don't understand something that was said.) <br />
<br />
; ELF: Enthusiastic Little Fucker. Said of particularly prolific spammers before they are sent to Camp Permabanned. <br />
<br />
; finfers: typo for "fingers" (easy on qwerty keyboard). Subject to fish jokes. <br />
<br />
; fish and whistles: A more derisive variant of [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/B/bells-and-whistles.html "bells and whistles"], although it is probably useful to note that the power user is probably talking about [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/C/chrome.html "chrome"]. Specifically refers to features requested by users that would play out badly if implemented. (Originates from a [http://news.livejournal.com/98192.html?thread=44350352#t44350352 mock flamewar in LiveJournal news], and references the classic IRC concept of trouting.) <br />
<br />
; football field: Azz is probably looking for her cellphone headset. (Azz lives in a Faraday cage. Azz talks on her cellphone to MissKat a lot.) <br />
<br />
; Frank: LiveJournal's goat mascot. <br />
<br />
; Fred: a more friendly name for PubSubHubbub (see Technical). <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; gecko: Since Drew can't teleport very well, he sends a gecko to take care of his people. <br />
<br />
; Glitterhoof the Magic Fix Pony: <dwuser>mark</dwuser>, [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/105483.html by way of] <dwuser>john</dwuser>. <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. Goat reported on the current open support requests in a way similar to Anna, but with a different format. The command "Fig, be Goat" makes Fig give the report using Goat formatting. Goat made insulting comments to people who did not remember the syntax for his commands. Goat was probably named after LiveJournal's mascot, Frank the Goat. <br />
<br />
; going to the wiki: If you visit [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org http://wiki.dwscoalition.org] you see this message before it redirects to [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Main_Page http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Main_Page]. It has therefore become customary to announce "Going to the wiki!" in varying stages of capslock upon going to the wiki (to look up something or edit). (Popularized on IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). Green is usually referred to numerically ("How much green?" "10."), which refers to the number of green requests. It can also be referred to in relative terms ("Lots.") or figurative ("Enough to fill a swimming pool!"). The support category "General/Unknown", commonly referred to as "G/Unk", spawned the phrase "green gunk", or "lime slime". (From LiveJournal support, based on the color coding of the Support system's user interface, which shows requests that are awaiting an approved response with a green background in the list of support requests.) <br />
<br />
; hEll, RWHell, Random Word hEll: An [[IRC]] bot in #dreamwidth. <br />
: One sends an item to hEll. hEll sneaks out a scaly hand and grabs the item. hEll's depths emit a sudden roar as it expels a previously entered item. Sometimes, hEll's depths continue to roar as it expels a second previously entered item. (Occasionally, hEll will burp and not expel any other items.) <br />
: hEll is neither endothermic nor exothermic, but maintains a fairly constant balance of items entered to items ejected. The rumor that hEll is sentient is just that, a rumor. (We hope.) <br />
: Read the origin story of [[Random Word Hell]]! And then one day Rah mentioned the bot in #dw, and Sophie got coding, and suddenly there was hEll. And then at the time of the server move, hEll became RWHell.<br />
<br />
; hooker: Crocheter: a person who works with a crochet hook. A Drew-ism. <br />
<br />
; HTH HAND: Hope This Helps, Have A Nice Day. Inherited from LiveJournal Support. A phrase that was used as a bad example: support answers were generally unsigned, and the specific phrase "hope this helps" implied some doubt that it might help at all. Picked up for sarcastic use to friends by some LJ volunteers. <br />
<br />
; kill you in the morning: A [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/quotes Princess Bride reference]. What else do you expect from the Dread Pirate Rah-berts? <br />
<br />
; kiwi: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/321 Sometimes it's really hard to type 'wiki' correctly on the first try.]<br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; mango, odd references to: at one point Azz said "what the mango-shitting fuck" as a random intensifier to "what the fuck". This caught on with a few people. <br />
<br />
; Mart bug death: Someone proposes something tiny and specialized, then Mart (a notable [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000018.html architecture astronaut]) generalized it to the abstract case and said "we should do it this way so it can be used for this other stuff", turning it from a five-minute fix to a five-month fix. Then (the death part) whoever came along who could do the five-minute fix, but not the five-month fix, would look at it and go "screw this" and <strong>never do it</strong>. There were approximately four people who could do the five-month version, so it would never get done, because they had a gazillion five-month projects. (From [http://community.livejournal.com/lj_dev/658149.html LiveJournal development], seen in the wild mentioned by <ljuser>mart</ljuser> in '04.) <br />
<br />
; mean hat: When a delegate ops up and tells everyone to stop talking by muting #dreamwidth. This is usually done to give people time to cool down after a particularly argumentative time. Usually, MissKat wears the mean hat on top of her tact hat.<br />
<br />
; minion: Assistant or direct report. (I think Rah started saying she had minions, asking for minions to do various tasks, calling people minions, and/or people started calling themselves Rah's minions?) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: People who can handle staff issues (see [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Common_Jargon#Staff Staff]. (DW Support shorthand.) Also, the regular communication sent from Support to staff listing issues that only members of MrsJ can handle. <br />
<br />
; Muppet: If people start calling Mark "Muppet", it's [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/29363.html?thread=249523#cmt249523 MissKat's fault]. <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' (now '''Alertsy''' after the Freenode server move) is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; nethic: Internet hiccup. Often accompanied by a pingout. Someone who had an internet hiccup probably missed the last several lines of chat. <br />
<br />
; notwork, nyetwork: The network in geekosaur's motel-of-residence sort of doesn't. Work, that is. It is built on fail hardware that is not watertight enough to stand up to local rain, and additionally has absurdly bad topology and hilariously bad oversaturation on certain access points. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; pillowfort: refers to the secret hiding place of the Triumvirate + pony<br />
<br />
; plumbing not compatible: a reference to a [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/support/125 somewhat inappropriate conversation about orientation between Rah and Abe]. Often accompanied by little hand gestures. <br />
<br />
; qdb: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/ Quotes Database], a collection of particularly funny and/or memorable quotes uttered in various Dreamwidth IRC channels. This is maintained by <dwuser>sophie</dwuser>. (The Dreamwidth QDB was previously hosted on the same server as the [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/ LiveJournal volunteer IRC QDB], which also contains quotes from some staff and volunteers' shared history.) <br />
<br />
; Rahversation: refers to a conversation involving Rah (<dwuser>denise</dwuser>). Coined by <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser><br />
<br />
; SKULLBUTT THE TORMENTOR: Once upon a time, an underwear designer put a flaming skull on the front and back of a pair of briefs. (Ed Hardy. 2 Sword Skull.) Assorted #dw and #dw_nsfw people in and around <dwcomm>amusing_underwear</dwcomm> pointed and laughed. <ljuser>mayerman</ljuser> coined the name, and <dwuser>remark</dwuser> elevated it into a catchphrase. [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/File:Skullbutt.jpg Of course there's an icon.]<br />
<br />
; SNH, Still Needs Help: A support request that has already received at least one answer, but the user has "regreened" (indicated that they still need help, moving it from "answered, awaiting close", to "green"), and has replied with a follow-up question or more information. <br />
<br />
; Speaking of <x>, hello <y>: You may be greeted this way upon entering IRC. Likely as not, <x> has nothing to do with you; it was just the topic the moment before you entered. (This greeting habit was more prevalent in LJ volunteer IRC but still persists.) <br />
<br />
; spider: Since Drew can't teleport very well, the spider is his enforcer, like when people *cough*Inoru*cough* need to go to bed but aren't. <br />
<br />
; stekpanna: Swedish: skillet, frying pan. In Drewspeak, this is usually short for the Swedish "domedagengjutjärnstekpanna", which translates to "cast-iron skillet of doom". It is more of a weapon than a cooking implement. <br />
<br />
; teapatty, *|teapatty: Someone making reference to "teapatty" or changing their IRC nick to incorporate "teapatty" is either drunk or pretending not to be. At one point Wyn attempted to say "Not drunk, repeat, not drunk." Unfortunately for them, they were drunk enough that it came out "Not drunk, teapatty, not drunk." (From LiveJournal Support IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Tits Against the RTE: References a campaign to get the Rich Text Editor removed (or vastly improved) at LiveJournal during <ljuser>tupshin</ljuser>'s time there. <br />
<br />
; Triumvirate, The: refers to the current [[Support_process|support]] wranglers: <dwuser>Domtheknight</dwuser> (The Bug-Squashing Boots), <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser> (The Tact Hat) and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser> (The All-Purpose Boa). The Triumvirate + Pony is the Triumvirate with the addition of the Froot Loop Pony, also known as <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
; wgw, what goes where: A document detailing how (what department and process) handles a support request of any given type. (From LiveJournal support.) [[What Goes Where]]<br />
<br />
; worst username evar: David Recordon <ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>. Refers to a LiveJournal ad for rename tokens that featured his username. (From LJ.)<br />
<br />
= Emoticons =<br />
Dreamwidth IRC does not have very many non-standard emoticons in frequent use. There are occasional discussions where different non-standard emoticons are created, proposed, or used, but these are infrequent, and the same weird emoticon is rarely used twice. <br />
For example, '''[||||||| 8] \o/''' might represent a bus and an alarmed pedestrian, but this is rarely seen in actual chat. <br />
<br />
; User or community: '''()''', '''@''', and '''<^>''' are variously used to denote a user or community in text-only environments like IRC. <br />
: '''()xb95''' - user ; '''()omnomnom''' - community (regular)<br />
: '''@mark''' - user (official Dreamwidth user, or Twitter-style direct address for any DW user or IRC nick - Bugsy objects to '@' starting lines, however); '''@dw_news''' - community (official); sometimes used for regular communities <br />
: '''<^>lj_support''' - (usually) LiveJournal community; sometimes used for Dreamwidth community<br />
<br />
; '''*''': Surrounding a phrase, can indicate action or emotion, or emphasis: *grin*, *hugs*, "I *really* like it". <br />
<br />
; '''. o O (something)''': Thought bubble, thinking but not saying. <br />
<br />
; '''<_<''', '''>_>''': Eyes looking to the left or right and mouth. Sometimes used to indicate untrustworthiness of a statement ("I have no idea who ate the last piece of cake >_>"). <br />
<br />
; '''>_<''': Eyes tightly closed and frown. Disgust, self-deprecation, annoyance. <br />
<br />
; ''':|a''': Eyes, a flat mouth, and chin-scratching. Deep thought of some description. <br />
<br />
; '''o/''', '''\o''': Head with single (right or left) arm raised (waving, in greeting, or farewell). <br />
<br />
; '''\o/''': Head with two upraised arms: arms in the air cheering (genuine or sarcastic: "I just got a promotion \o/", "my toaster is on fire \o/"); enthusiastic greeting; arms in the air in confusion or panic, arms up over your head in water (drowning). <br />
<br />
; '''\o?''': common typographical error for '''\o/'''; (rare) scratching head in confusion. <br />
<br />
; '''o7''': a salute<br />
<br />
; '''/o\''': Arms protecting head, hands clutching head, or bucket on head. <br />
<br />
; '''~~\o/~~''': Waving (head with arms raised and motion squiggles) or drowning (head with arms raised and waves of water). <br />
<br />
; '''*\o/*''': Head with two upraised arms and pompoms: cheering. <br />
<br />
; '''*****\*o/''': Head with two upraised arms and a line of asterisks: running around, either with head on fire, or waving a feather boa. (Inherited from LiveJournal volunteer IRC.) <br />
<br />
; ''':U''', '''8U''', ''':V''': 3/4 profile face with mouth open<br />
<br />
== Other Emoticon Resources ==<br />
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons Wikipedia list of emoticons]<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
== Cultures ==<br />
;[http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wiki Fanlore fandom wiki]: Information on selected public forms of fannish expression, in convenient wiki format. From the Organization for Transformative Works folks. <br />
; [http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Geek_Feminism_Wiki Geek Feminism wiki]: A resource for and about women and people who are perceived as women in geek communities.<br />
<br />
== Jargon == <br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Category:Support_Jargon LiveJournal Support jargon]: there is some overlap of vocabulary due to the number of volunteers and IRC inhabitants who are former or current LiveJournal volunteers. <br />
; [http://knowyourmeme.com/ Know Your Meme]: Various bits of internet culture, sometimes the sort you'd find in a petri dish. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware. (Often not safe for work -- or for other things, for that matter.)<br />
;[http://www.sassydoesit.com/glossary/knitting-definitions/ Sassy Does It's Knitting Definitions] <br />
;[http://www.ravelry.com/wiki/pages/KnittingLingo Glossary: Ravelry and Knit and Crochet Lingo and Acronyms] (more extensive, however login is required, although accounts are free)<br />
<br />
== QDBs == <br />
<br />
QDB stands for "Quotes Database". <br />
<br />
;[http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/ Dreamwidth IRC QDB]: A collection of quotes from Dreamwidth's [[IRC]] channels<br />
; <dwcomm>metaquotes</dwcomm>: Hilarity from around Dreamwidth, after the example of <ljcomm>metaquotes</ljcomm><br />
; [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/ LiveJournal Support QDB]: Contains many quotes from the shared past of volunteers who originated in LiveJournal volunteer culture. <br />
;[http://www.bash.org/ bash.org]: A much larger, multi-network IRC quotes database. Contains notably uncensored language and potentially offensive content.<br />
; http://qdb.us/: Another QDB, a fork of the same source file as bash.org<br />
<br />
== Miscellaneous ==<br />
; [http://www.imdb.com IMDb]: the Internet Movie Database, with more information than you knew you needed to know about movies, TV shows, actors, directors, plots, and more. <br />
; [http://en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]: A user-updated encyclopedia of everything notable in the world. Not generally accepted for academic research, nor updated frequently enough for current events, but good for background reading, general overviews, and a list of preliminary sources for proper research. <br />
; [http://www.freebase.com Freebase]: an open database of variously useful information. Now owned by Google. <br />
<br />
[[Category: Getting Started]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2012-07-11T04:46:56Z<p>MissKat: /* Words */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=[[Dreamwidth-Specific Jargon]]=<br />
{{:Dreamwidth-Specific Jargon}}<br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
; accessible, accessibility, a11y: Making things (websites, buildings, et cetera) able to be not only accessed but usefully and fully used by anyone, including but not limited to people in wheelchairs, people with other mobility impairments, people with visual impairments, people with hearing impairments, people with cognitive impairments, text-only browser users, screenreader-only users, keyboard-only users, custom keyboard users, pointing-device-only users, and more. The goal here is to make Dreamwidth as accessible as possible. Developers are encouraged to check out <dwcomm>dw_accessibility</dwcomm> and the [[Accessibility Wishlist]]. <dwcomm>accessibility_fail</dwcomm> is when people do accessibility wrong (or don't do it at all). <br />
: a11y is a Twitter-friendly abbreviation for 'accessibility': a + 11 letters (ccessibilit) + y. History of this mode of abbreviation: http://www.i18nguy.com/origini18n.html<br />
<br />
; anon-fail: Someone who intended to comment anonymously accidentally leaving the comment while fully identified, in a way that revealed their identity to anyone who happened to be watching (or subscribed to email notifications) before the comment was deleted. Usually said in relation to an ongoing anonymous discussion, especially in anonymemes. <br />
<br />
; anonymeme, anonymous meme: a discussion or game where all participants are meant to be anonymous. These are often associated with an uncensored, anything-goes attitude, and can be very high-volume. <br />
<br />
; backscroll, scrollback, scrool: Things that happened in IRC while someone was connected but not actively watching, often in the context of "What are you guys on about? BRB, reading backscroll." (Common to many IRC/chat forums, not just DW's.) <br />
<br />
; "bake you cookies and write you porn": The helpful response of a tight-knit (usually fannish) internet community when one of their number is going through a rough patch. <br />
<br />
; baleet, bahleet: emphatic/silly form of 'delete'. <br />
: delete + ban<br />
<br />
; bandom: fandom (usually fic-writing/reading fandom) of various bands. http://zen.transformativeworks.org/wiki/Bandom_%28Music_Source_Text%29<br />
<br />
; banninate: verb. Emphatic/silly form of 'ban'. <br />
<br />
; bingo: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_(U.S.) the game]. <br />
: A way of organizing the perennial invalid arguments/distraction tactics that come up against a divisive topic (particularly an anti-oppression topic), by collecting all the usual arguments and tactics and arranging them on a bingo card. See: [http://infotrope.net/blog/2009/06/16/the-porny-presentation-bingo-card/ porny presentation bingo], [http://bootshatesthat.blogspot.com/2009/01/racism-bingo.html racism bingo], [http://viv.id.au/blog/20070414.431/anti-feminist-bingo-a-master-class-in-sexual-entitlement/ anti-feminist bingo]. <br />
: "We have bingo": said when any given anti-oppression discussion or commenter to a particular anti-oppression discussion has trotted out a sufficient number of the listed problematic statements. <br />
<br />
; brainweasels: Nefarious little critters made of fear, doubt, and self-hatred that dwell in your head. The anthropormorphised (mustelidapormorphised?) representation of inwardly-directed negative thoughts. Not to be confused with the common domestic ferret, who are cute little house-weasels and a comfort rather than a source of dread. <br />
<br />
; B.S. Johnson: The [http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Bergholt_Stuttley_Johnson Discworld Character], infamous inventor. Known to include steam power in some of his "works". <br />
<br />
; cake: Gratuitous references to cake are often references to the "cake" motif in Portal, including the Jonathan Coulton song, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Alive "Still Alive"] ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs video]), that plays during the credits, although they may also refer to the meme "It is delicious cake. You must eat it." (from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan#.2Fb.2F /b/]), or even [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Park_(song) "MacArthur Park"]. However, gratuitous references to cake are sometimes merely referring to actual cake; one must not discount cake's innate tastiness.<br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. Also referred to as LOLcats. (From the internet.) See [http://icanhascheezburger.com/ I Can Has Cheezburger]. <br />
<br />
; "clean all the things"/"clean ALL the things?": Most often a reference to [http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult]. Snowcloned as "X 'all' the Y?" <br />
: Things using the "X 'all' the Y?" snowclone could also be a reference to the older [http://iownthepeas.ytmnd.com/ "I have ALL teh peas!!!" (has audio)]<br />
<br />
; Danga Interactive: The original company founded by <ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser> to manage LiveJournal. <br />
<br />
; darkroom: a game where people "enter the darkroom" and allow others to interact with them. Often sexually explicit and/or kinky. Anonymity is often allowed or encouraged. Not to be confused with a kinkmeme. <br />
<br />
; derailing: The conscious or unconscious process of destroying and confusing a conversation about productive but uncomfortable topics. [http://www.derailingfordummies.com/ Derailing for Dummies]<br />
<br />
; Dunning-Kruger effect: People who are sufficiently unskilled in a particular area lack knowledge of the benchmarks of that skill area, and perhaps the cognitive tools, to tell how bad they are, and will falsely estimate themselves at a far higher level of skill than they actually possess. (People at a high level of skill who assess their skills too low will often recalibrate their self-assessment upon seeing the actual performance of others.) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect Dunning-Kruger Effect on Wikipedia], [http://www.roughtheory.org/content/wearing-the-juice-a-case-study-in-research-implosion/ Rough Theory: "Wearing the Juice: a case study in research implosion" (#surveyfail)]<br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, EDS: A group of inherited connective tissue disorders. Also, why people in IRC tend not to freak out too badly when Rahaeli announces she's got another dislocated joint again. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ehlers-danlos-syndrome/DS00706 Mayo Clinic.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers-Danlos_syndrome Wikipedia.] <br />
<br />
; ENOPARSE: Modeled after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Errno.h the standard C error library] but [http://mailman.nginx.org/pipermail/nginx/2011-August/028358.html not actually present in it], this error code expands to "Error: Not Parsed" (or "Sorry, I didn't understand that.") <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fandom_wank, f_w: fandom_wank is an internet community, currently hosted on JournalFen.net, that collects and discusses reports of "wank" in the greater fandom community. "Wank" includes social trainwrecks and more, and the discussion allows anonymous commenting. Caveat lector: this community discusses social catastrophes anonymously, with a viewpoint valuing maximum humor/popcorn factor. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; frog: the "rip-it, rip-it" fashion of un-knitting, or un-crocheting too for that matter. <br />
<br />
; game, the: [http://www.losethegame.com/main.htm The only winning move is not to play.] If you click the link, you may start playing. [http://xkcd.com/391/ But not to worry!]<br />
<br />
; gender binary: the concept that all humans neatly fit into biological male or female, or into social masculine and feminine. This is untrue first because of genetic or developmental conditions that do not fit neatly into male or female, second because not everyone identifies with social masculine or feminine (or the standard that a person picks one and only one), and third because some people's physical sex does not match the societal gender presentation they identify most with. (From LGBTQ~ activism. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender Gender on Wikipedia].) <br />
<br />
; Glitch: From the website: "Glitch is a massively multi-player game built in the spirit of the web." http://www.glitch.com/ Has a lot of Kingdom of Loathing references. People talking cooking with ... really unusual recipes ... in IRC are sometimes playing Glitch. <br />
<br />
; hit points: A means of measuring someone's ability to withstand damage/attack or perform tasks. Notional "hit points" can be regained readily/predictably by a generally-able-bodied/mentally healthy person. Contrast 'spoons'. (By analogy from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_(gaming) hit points in gaming].) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. See also: bees.) <br />
<br />
; Ia! Ia!: The thing you say when summoning one of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos Great Old Ones]. (In his house at Ry'leh Great Cthulhu lies dreaming, unless it's been summoned on irc again.) Also sometimes seen as "Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fth'agn!"<br />
<br />
; Impostor Syndrome: A spurious sense of incompetence in one's chosen field. [http://xkcd.com/616/ Or even at adulthood, perhaps.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome Impostor Syndrome on Wikipedia, mostly useful for the references]. (Based on the Dunning-Kruger effect, looking at the actual performance of others may be helpful, though the publicly available information about others in that field may not include all of their missteps and self-doubt.) <br />
<br />
; intersectionality: The concept that a person in a disadvantaged situation is likely to have more than one factor contributing, and the factors involved are likely to compound the bad situation. For example, a person who cannot afford the power chair that would allow them to take a job outside of the home; a woman of color who is hesitant to report a sexist co-worker to a racist boss; a jobless gay man with no savings who cannot get assistance from government, family, or church. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality Intersectionality on Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
; Kaycee-Nicole: a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaycee_Nicole notable internet hoax] involving illness and death. <br />
<br />
; (the) keys are right next to each other, keys are right etc.: A joke made about typos, generally under one of the following conditions:<br />
:1) The keys are, in fact, literally right next to each other on that keyboard layout. (Uncommon.)<br />
: 2) Browser/phone/other interface autocomplete/autocorrect, or finger/other input autocomplete; so used to typing something that it comes out in situations where it's not entirely appropriate. <br />
: 3) Something completely weird and out of context with absolutely no reason for it to happen, such as <ljuser>bubba</ljuser> typing "emily" instead of "wireless" (and knowing no-one named Emily at the time): "My emily isn't working." <br />
: (Inherited from [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/support/320 LJ Support IRC]; may originate from [http://bash.org/?5300 bash.org].) <br />
<br />
; kinkmeme: an often-anonymous, often sexually explicit, fanfiction prompting game. Usually the game defines the fandom that the game is set in and ground rules. People leave prompts naming character(s) and themes or plot points (originally, specific kinks), and other people post "fills", usually in the form of short fiction that contains the specified character(s) and prompt(s). Not to be confused with a darkroom. <br />
<br />
; lumberjack; gone off to be a lumberjack: quit working or disappeared, often in a flagrantly notable way. Errant servers are often said to have gone off to become a lumberjack. References the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lumberjack_Song Monty Python Lumberjack song]. (An ordinary man with a boring job declares his ambition to be a lumberjack in the middle of a broadcast, with backup singers; the sketch ends with confusion from the singers when the would-be lumberjack's number makes reference to his ambition to cross-dress.) <br />
<br />
; memetic prophylactic recommended, mpr: A warning that the content at the other end of the link, while entirely possibly free from any of the sexual, strong language, scatological, and/or violent properties that might warrant a standard NSFW warning, may in fact contain the sort of "PEOPLE ARE WRONG ON THE INTERNET" reaction that may cause various rage, disgust, and the need to place one's brain in a wrongheadedness-proof condom to keep all the <em>ew</em> out. Coined by collaboration between <ljuser>james_nicoll</ljuser> and his commenters: [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1678912.html James Needs a New Tag], [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1684116.html 'the new warning label will be "memetic condom recommended"'], [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1684116.html?thread=27922068#t27922068 metahacker suggests the final form]. [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/1689567.html First use.]<br />
<br />
; Minecraft: "Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out, make sure to build a shelter before that happens." [http://minecraft.net Description from Minecraft's official website.] (Sort of like multiplayer Lego with optional exploding zombies.) If people in IRC are talking about grand construction and/or landscaping projects, it might be this. <br />
: The community for the DW IRC Minecraft server (moderated) is <dwcomm>minecraft_irc</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; mouse, mice: An anonymous user or users. (A-nonny-mouse.) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event involving exposed nipples in default userpics. (From LiveJournal.) This is not the Open Source Boob Project. <br />
<br />
; Open Source Boob Project: Charitably put, a convention social experiment that rather notably did not scale well when proposed to be taken outside of the environment at that particular convention with those particular people. This is not nipplegate. [http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Open_Source_Boob_Project On the Geek Feminism wiki]<br />
<br />
; pantsless website: when a website appears without its stylesheets, due to high load or other technical errors. This often appears as a white page showing only the main content text and images, missing all of the expected backgrounds and navigation links. Originated from nanowrimo.org load problems. <br />
<br />
; pastede on yey: very obviously an image manipulation, or some feature that has been very obviously added after the fact and in a particularly horrible way. (From a [http://www.journalfen.net/community/fwgreatesthits/4064.html fandom_wank] disaster wherein someone tried to claim an actor was her boyfriend with a "my hed iz pastede on yey" photo.) <br />
<br />
; ping: To briefly contact someone, generally on their preferred form of short-form contact. This is usually to get their attention prior to longer discussion, or to bring a matter that needs their attention to their attention. [http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/P/ping.html In general use in technical circles; this is definition 3 from the Jargon File.] <br />
:<dwuser>mark</dwuser> has a highlight set up for 'xb95' in IRC. <dwuser>denise</dwuser> prefers AIM, and tends to run silent (invisible status). [http://dw-lounge.dreamwidth.org/tag/contact+information Department head contact information viewable to other department heads.]<br />
:It can be helpful to quickly describe the reason for contact, for example, "Hi, one of your developers might be on fire; is this a good time to converse about fire safety measures and flame-retardant jackets?" has more detail than "Hi, can I ask you something?" The answers to "Do you have time for a social chat right now?" and "Do you have time for a technical chat on this subject?" may also be different, especially depending on whether someone is off-duty or on-duty at that time. <br />
<br />
; privilege: 1) An advantage or suite of advantages that most members of a non-minority class have as compared to most members of a minority class, often taken for granted by people who have this advantage. (A term of art from minority rights activism. [http://blog.shrub.com/archives/tekanji/2006-03-08_146 More])<br />
:2) Special access to administrative functions of the Dreamwidth site. See [[Common_Jargon#Technical|Technical]]. (Inherited from LiveJournal's terminology for the same special access.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; rabbit hole: a reference to Alice in Wonderland. Often used to describe discussions that may very quickly result in headaches for all involved. (could probably use some more expansion.)<br />
<br />
; Razz: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razz_(poker) A variant of poker.] According to Rah, "Razz is the reason why poker players drink." <s>Rah plays Razz too often.</s> rah no longer plays Razz too often because the DOJ shut down her online poker site :(<br />
<br />
; red cape: 1) [http://xkcd.com/239/ Cory Doctorow is said to wear a red cape and goggles and blog from a high-altitude balloon.] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Doctorow#In_popular_culture Really.]<br />
: 2) The Dreamwidth official staff account user-head icon is a version of the regular user-head icon, with a red swirl, as of the swirl in the Dreamwidth stylized 'd', wrapped around it. This swirl has been referred to as the "red cape". <br />
<br />
; September, Eternal September: The (constant) influx of people unfamiliar with Usenet/internet basic netiquette, or unfamiliar with the local community's standards for conduct that differ from the internet at large. ([http://catb.org/jargon/html/S/September-that-never-ended.html The Jargon File], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September Wikipedia])<br />
<br />
; scary devil monastery: alt.sysadmin.recovery, the Usenet group<br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) [http://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash Slash on Fanlore]<br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; Spectacular Love (in pill form): from some spam in Peterstein (the private support category). Kat was tired.<br />
<br />
; spice: "I think so, Brain, but if the plural of mouse is mice, wouldn't the plural of spouse be spice?" From a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain Pinky and the Brain] segment. (In common use in the polyamory community.) <br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources, at a level significantly below average ability levels, to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy; term originated from an article on [http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/ But You Don't Look Sick?].) Compare 'hit points'. <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event, involving the mass-suspension of a number of accounts, and the later unsuspension of most of them. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; trigger, trigger warning, tw: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_trigger trauma trigger] is an environmental stimulus that awakens the involuntary playback of memories of a traumatic event. This process is highly unpleasant. <br />
: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure_trigger seizure trigger] can cause seizures; of particular concern on the internet is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy photosensitive epilepsy]. <br />
: A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine migraine] trigger. <br />
: Some subcultures, particularly ones with a high percentage of people who have experienced trauma, have seizure disorders or migraines, habitually label content that contains common trauma, seizure, or migraine triggers. These labels are known as "trigger warnings"; this is sometimes abbreviated "tw". <br />
: Some common triggers include: graphic description of abuse, violence, or rape; detailed descriptions of medical or dental procedures; detailed descriptions of self-harm behaviors, depressive thinking patterns, or disordered eating; sudden loud noises; and rapid blinking (including rapid changing in light levels or rapid changing of colors). Some of these triggers are unpleasant even for people who do not have traumatic memories that result in flashbacks. <br />
<br />
; wank: Aside from the obvious slang term, this also means any number of social upsets, generally of the sort that generate gossip and upsetness perhaps out of proportion with the actual problem. ("Did you hear about what Bit did to Figment?" "Yeah, talk about wank!") <br />
<br />
; wheelchair user: This is one of the preferred (by people who use wheelchairs) ways for their use to be described. "Confined to a wheelchair" is vastly inappropriate in many if not most cases, even if the person in question must exclusively use the wheelchair for even minor mobility; it would probably only be appropriate if the person in question felt their use of the wheelchair to be confining. See among other things [http://ysobel.dreamwidth.org/301593.html a general rant] from <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser>. In general when a long-term wheelchair user is confronted with stairs and other inaccessible architecture, the architect/designer gets the blame for not making the location adequately accessible, rather than the wheelchair taking the blame for not being able to traverse the stairs. <br />
<br />
; "wrong on the internet": A reference to [http://xkcd.com/386/ XKCD: Duty Calls]. <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #dreamwidth-games. (If you want to start a game, try recruiting players in #dreamwidth.) For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 6d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
== Common Abbreviations ==<br />
Abbreviations, acronyms, initialisms, and other fun shorthand. Some is internet-wide, some is specific to certain communities, and some is Danga-descended and Dreamwidth-specific. <br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; AO3, AOOO: [http://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], a project of the [http://transformativeworks.org/ Organization for Transformative Works], the other known majority-female Free Open Source Software project besides Dreamwidth. <br />
<br />
; BBB: Support shorthand for the Big Blue Box, also known as the Known Issues box. It can be found on the left-hand side of the [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/ main DW Support page]. Inherited from LiveJournal Support. Anyone calling it the BYB (Big Yellow Box) is stuck in the early 2000s. <br />
<br />
; bk: back. Returned from whatever AFK state. <br />
<br />
; BML: See [[#Technical]]. <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) More on [http://fanlore.org/wiki/BNF BNF on Fanlore]. <br />
<br />
; BPA: Blinkie Ponie Armie, a gaming guild composed mostly of former and current LiveJournal volunteers. (Crosses over with some current Dreamwidth volunteers.) <br />
<br />
; DMCA: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act Digital Millennium Copyright Act], which is less fun than [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y.M.C.A._%28song%29 YMCA, which at least has a fun song]. (It's harder to make a D with your arms and then get them back over your head for the M.) <br />
<br />
; FFF: In the context of IRC, usually Fey (<dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser>), rather than the [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF similar emphatic minced oath], which can repeat the letter any number of times, usually from three on up. <br />
<br />
; ffs: For Fuck's Sake<br />
<br />
; GSoC: Google Summer of Code. [http://code.google.com/soc/ Official GSoC site]; Dreamwidth wiki orientation page: [[Summer of Code]]; Dreamwidth participated in 2010. <br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know. Sometimes followed by [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nIUcRJX9-o "my bff jill?" in reference to a TV commercial] that aired in the US at one point.<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; ikr, inorite: I know, right? Often said by members of the Support Triumvirate when expressing agreement.<br />
<br />
; imo, imho, imao: In My Opinion, In My Humble Opinion, In My Arrogant (or other suitable A-word) Opinion<br />
<br />
; iydmma: If You Don't Mind My Asking<br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=147 FAQ] (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; OP: Original Poster. Usually the author of the entry; used in long comment threads. From message board slang. <br />
<br />
; OTW: Rather than Off The Wall or On The Way, this is likely to mean the [http://transformativeworks.org/ Organization for Transformative Works] when used in the context of Dreamwidth. They make the [http://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own]. <br />
:While the OTW's logo, a red arrow bent into a capital O, pointing counter-clockwise, enclosed in a red circle, can at a casual glance and small resolutions be confused with the simplified version of Dreamwidth's logo (a red line spiraling counterclockwise inward), the organizations are separate, with separate operations and leadership. There is some incidental overlap between OTW and Dreamwidth developers and technical support. <br />
<br />
; PC: In the context of comment threads, this is usually Parent Commenter rather than Personal Computer or Politically Correct. From message board slang. <br />
<br />
; ph: Phone. Away from keyboard on account of phone call. <br />
<br />
; PWD: Rather than an abbreviation for "password", People with Disabilities. From disability advocacy. <br />
<br />
; PWP: A type of fanfiction. Originally, this stood for "Plot? What Plot?", used of short mood pieces, smut without any attempt at a framing plot, or short action sequences without lead-in or resolution. As it is largely used for context-free smut, some readers have back-formed the initialism to stand for "Porn Without Plot". <br />
<br />
; RFC: Request For Comment. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; TAB: Temporarily Able-Bodied: someone who is currently without physical disablity. From disability advocacy. <br />
<br />
; tl;dr, tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; TT: Template Toolkit. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; ttants: Things That Are Not The Same. Two or more things that were generally recently mistaken for each other by the person who just said that, usually of similar spelling but wildly dissimilar meaning, often hilarious and/or wrong if one is substituted for the other. <br />
<br />
; UGT: Universal Greeting Time. http://www.total-knowledge.com/~ilya/mips/ugt.html Why "Good morning!" upon entering an IRC channel, regardless of anyone's local time, is a thing. <br />
<br />
; UTC: Co-ordinated Universal Time. The world standard baseline time, and generally server time as well. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/utc.htm<br />
<br />
; WIP: Work-In-Progress. Often said of a piece of fanfiction that is still being written (especially a piece of fanfiction that is being posted serially as it is being written), but also applies to other projects. <br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the Fuck"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get. <br />
<br />
; WYSINWYG, WYSI...: What You See Is Not What You Get, and other joke initialisms at the expense of the Rich Text Editor. What You See Has No Relation To What You Get. What You See Is Only Sometimes What You Get. What You See Just Ate What You Got. And so forth. <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
== Other Resources ==<br />
very large [http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp Webopedia list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
also very large [http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php Netlingo list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
[http://www.abbreviations.com/acronyms/CHAT Abbreviations.com list of abbreviations]<br />
<br />
[http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/ gaarde.org list of internet acronyms and initialisms]<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) (OMG, Gmail is out of beta now!! WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO!?) ....Annnd Dreamwidth is out of beta as of [[Dreamwidth Timeline#April 2011 |2011 April 30]]! <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; bless, blessed, unblessed: [http://perldoc.perl.org/functions/bless.html Perl jargon involving objects]. <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: An obsolete priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be [[Roadmap#Milestone:_Site_Launch|launched]]/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place.<br />
<br />
; BML: A kind of scary language that Brad created to write parts of the site in. Stands for (Brad/Better/Block) Markup Language. See the [[BML]] article on this very wiki. [http://bradfitz.com/misc/bct/#bml Brad's History of BML] Dreamwidth is being migrated from BML to Template Toolkit, as BML makes it harder than it might be to separate code from design. <br />
<br />
; bug, b00g: Something that is broken (not working as intended), or broken-as-designed (working as intended, but "as intended" is not workable). <br />
: Any ticket filed in [http://bugs.dwscoalition.org Bugzilla], whether it is an actual bug, an enhancement, a new feature, a documentation request, or some other request-for-work. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; CARL: Cross-site Authenticated Reading List, the planned mechanism by which one will eventually be able to read locked entries from friends on other sites. It was originally intended for reading LiveJournal entries, but [http://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/27853.html that had to be abandoned, and when implemented, it will likely be limited to sites running the Dreamwidth code]. <br />
<br />
; CARP: Cross-site Authenticated Reading Page, a previous term for CARL. [[Cross-site_authenticated_RSS | Discussion.]]<br />
<br />
; Clone: An exact copy, or a copy that is identical in most major respects. In the context of the Dreamwidth project, this is generally used to refer to other journaling sites based on the LiveJournal code that have not made significant functional alterations to the code. Dreamwidth is not, strictly speaking, a clone of LiveJournal. See: Fork, [[LJ-based_Services]]. Dreamwidth itself now has a few daughter sites that could be termed clones. <br />
<br />
; Debian: [http://www.debian.org/ Debian] is a free operating system that uses the Linux kernel and some GNU operating system tools. <br />
:While Debian's logo, a spattered red line spiraling clockwise inward, reminiscent of the Fibonacci spiral, can at a casual glance and small resolutions be confused with the simplified version of Dreamwidth's logo (a smooth red line spiraling counterclockwise inward in a roughly circular shape, derived from Dreamwidth's stylized lower-case D), the organizations are separate. It is unknown how many Dreamwidth-affiliated developers and users prefer or use Debian. <br />
<br />
; Dragon: Dragon Naturally Speaking is dictation and accessibility software that can be used to give voice control of the computer. It can cause results similar to [http://damnyouautocorrect.com/ DamnYouAutoCorrect] (gallery of images of hilariously awful autocorrections, mostly iPhone, mostly not adequately alt-texted). <br />
<br />
; Edges: Data that makes <dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser> very happy. See [[Data_Sources]]. <br />
<br />
; Enhancement: A change that improves or enhances an existing feature. Not quite a true bug, because the feature would have been working OK before that, and not a whole new feature, just something that makes an existing feature better. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; FCKEditor, FCKEd, CKEditor: [http://ckeditor.com/what-is-ckeditor FCKEditor] is the open-source WYSIWYG editor used by Dreamwidth and LiveJournal, more familiarly known as the Rich Text Editor, or RTE. The FCKEditor is named for its creator, Frederico Caldeira Knabben. With version 3.0, it was renamed the CKEditor. <br />
<br />
; Fork, code fork: Like a fork in a road, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(software_development) code that has been taken in a different developmental direction from the main project]. In the context of Dreamwidth development, this generally is used to refer to Dreamwidth's relationship to LiveJournal, as Dreamwidth has active development in other directions. [http://rosemaryedghill.livejournal.com/8481.html?thread=89377#t89377 Colorful explanation.]<br />
<br />
; Gearman: An asynchronous job scheduling engine, of the type "do this somewhere else". Benefits: somewhere else, fast. Flaws: currently if it dies jobs are lost (apparently the team that manages it is working on that). Name is an anagram of "manager"; from LiveJournal days. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6323528.html IRC log with history/discussion] <br />
* [[Production_Notes#Gearman|Gearman on Dreamwidth]] <br />
* [[Setting up Gearman]] for the Dreamhack<br />
* [http://gearman.org/ gearman.org]<br />
<br />
; Git: the new-to-us code version control system, to help make tracking/sorting out the contributions of infinitely many developers sweating over infinitely many keyboards be less like attempting to keep a torrential rainstorm away from the delicate electronics with a rake, and more like a well-ordered hackspace. [[Git Getting Started]]<br />
<br />
; Guru meditation: an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Meditation error code thrown by the Varnish cache server (and others, elsewhere, but DW uses Varnish)]. This is generally a temporary error, indicating that the server wants to be a lumberjack and has to take a moment to adjust its suspenders and/or bra. <br />
<br />
; JAWS: a screenreader (assistive software for the visually impaired). [http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp JAWS homepage]<br />
<br />
; MogileFS: Mogile FileSystem, the system that runs behind the userpics, is an anagram of OMG FILES. From LiveJournal development. <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See [[#Volunteer/IRC-Specific|the Volunteer/IRC section]] for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; Peterstein, Disco King: The private support category that receives mail sent to the support@ email address. Blame Mark. ;) <br />
<br />
; Priv, privilege: Access to various special administrative site functions, such as viewing sensitive support requests, viewing screened proposed answers to support requests that other users have left, viewing spam reports, and taking various administrative actions. Privs are granted in a chain of trust that culminates with the site owners; one may be granted the priv to hand out more privs to others. Privs may be restricted by arguments or granted globally (unarged). "What privs do I have?" "Not enough to do your job. I'm granting you some more privs." (Inherited from LiveJournal.) See [[Privileges]]. <br />
<br />
; PubSubHubbub, PuSH: A way to make syndicated stuff update like greased lightning. From Google (and Brad!); the implementation is courtesy of our good friends in the LJ dev department. Sometimes also called Fred for short. <br />
<br />
; Puppet: an open source data center automation and configuration management framework. That is to say, a way for the system administrators to set up computers quickly. See [[Production Puppet]]<br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RFC: Request For Comment. An invitation for constructive and thorough criticism of the proposed concept. In general use in certain technical communities. Also, one of the founding documents describing standards that the internet attempts to abide by. Examples: [http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc3330.html RFC 3330] [http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2324.txt RFC 2324] <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. It is built based on the open source FCKEditor. The LiveJournal and Dreamwidth implementations have a reputation for being (pick your favorite) delicate, buggy, or broken. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; screenreader: an item of assistive technology used primarily by visually impaired users. Screenreaders read text on web pages aloud, allowing users to use websites without seeing them. <br />
<br />
; TheSchwartz: An asynchronous job scheduling engine of the "Do this and tell me later" type. Has persistent queue support. It was named after Brad's manager, Mike Schwartz, the VP of Engineering at Six Apart, and may also have been a reference to Spaceballs (with Brad you never know). Solid, has a lot of overhead and a lot of setup. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6323528.html IRC log with history/discussion] [[Production_Notes#TheSchwartz|TheSchwartz on Dreamwidth]] [http://search.cpan.org/~bradfitz/TheSchwartz-1.07/lib/TheSchwartz.pm TheSchwartz on cpan.org]<br />
<br />
; Template Toolkit, TT: The templating system that's replacing BML when building site pages; all existing BML pages are planned to eventually be migrated to using TT. Free Open Source Software, 99% less Eldritch Horror. See [[Routing and Template Toolkit]] and http://template-toolkit.org/<br />
<br />
; Upstream: A flag in Dreamwidth's implementation of Bugzilla that is a courtesy to LiveJournal developers, to alert them that a bug inherited from the LiveJournal codebase has been patched. LiveJournal is actively encouraged to pick up patches that have been flagged for upstreaming. Yay Open Source! <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The Fuck", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
; WTF-8: When UTF-8 encoding, or lack thereof, causes problems.<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
==Staff==<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Fu</dwuser>: Afuna is the first full-time Dreamwidth employee. She answers to <dwuser>Afuna</dwuser> or Fu. <br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff Staff Page]: All staff, and most department heads.<br />
<br />
; <dwuser>Sarah</dwuser>: Married to <dwuser>denise</dwuser>, helps with technical support. <br />
; <dwuser>janinedog</dwuser>/Janine/J9: Was married to <dwuser>mark</dwuser>. A developer. <br />
<br />
Collectively, the people who can handle staff issues are sometimes known as "MrsJ", which was short for the owners and their wives at the time of site launch: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine. This personnel lineup has since changed, and now includes Mark (co-owner), Rah (co-owner), Fu (employee), Sarah (Rah's wife), and sometimes Robby (backup sysadmin).<br />
<br />
==Other People==<br />
;<ljuser>Brad</ljuser>: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
;People the owners have worked with/near in the past, partial list: Brad (<ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser>), Brad's Mom (<ljuser>sandy</ljuser>), Hachi (<ljuser>hachi</ljuser>), Abe (<ljuser>burr86</ljuser>), Mart (<ljuser>mart</ljuser>), MK, BB, Carrie (<ljuser>coffeechica</ljuser>), Dave "worst username evar" Recordon (<ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>), Tupshin (<ljuser>tupshin</ljuser>), Stacey (<dwuser>nova</dwuser>), Whitaker (<ljuser>whitaker</ljuser>) (but not [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6353528.html Whitaker's Mom]).<br />
<br />
; Dave "Worst Username Evar" Recordon (<ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>): a legacy LiveJournal employee, involved with the creation of OpenID. <br />
: [05:20] <V_PauAmma_V> [...] I'm not sure how the "worst username ever" joke got started, but when LJ started listing the "purged, available to rename to" usernames list, that joke was enshrined on the LJ homepage blurb for that page.<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> it started because NONE OF US COULD EVER TYPE HIS USERNAME<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> it took us like two years to learn the numbers<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> so brad dubbed him "worst username evar"<br />
: [05:23] <rahaeli> (plz to note that it's 'evar' and not 'ever')<br />
<br />
MissHat: <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>|MissKat speaks fluent typo. <br />
<br />
; Momijizukamori: "... the kanji combo is 'guardian of the maple tree burial mound'. More or less. It's a really dorky reference to an old CLAMP [manga] series."<br />
<br />
; PauAmma: Pau's nickname is a reference to [http://www.online-literature.com/poe/164/ The Crab that Played with the Sea]. The 'V's are pincers. <br />
<br />
<br />
;<strong>Confusingly similar nicks</strong>: Some people in IRC/mentioned in IRC look similar but aren't the same person. <br />
<br />
;~aeli: rahaeli is not niqaeli, although they are certainly friends. <br />
<br />
;az*: There are at least four IRC-folks over time starting with 'az': <br />
: <dwuser>azurelunatic</dwuser>|Azz (two zs)<br />
: azureye<br />
: azetidine|aze, <br />
: the former azalais|az (one z) <br />
<br />
;fitz: <ljuser>bradfitz</ljuser> is not [http://foxfirefey.dreamwidth.org/tag/cats:+fitzwilliam Fitzwilliam], <dwuser>foxfirefey</dwuser>'s younger flame point cat. <br />
<br />
;j*c: jc|jc` and JDC|<dwuser>jd</dwuser> are not the same person, even though they've both been around since beginning days. <br />
<br />
;jl*: jlb and jld are different people, though they work together. <br />
<br />
;pineapple: pineapple and pineapplechild are not the same person, nor is pineapple the mother of pineapplechild. <br />
<br />
; RH|: Nicks starting with RH are either <dwuser>RebelsHeart</dwuser> in some afk mode, or a specific member of the Rhymers' House (<dwuser>not_a_sniglet</dwuser>). Check the whois in your IRC client if uncertain. <br />
<br />
;simon: _Simon_ and _NotSimon_ are both Simon, just the latter is afk. <br />
<br />
<br />
;<strong>Nicknames from DW-Drew</strong>: <dwuser>dreamatdrew</dwuser>|DW-Drew|Algol (the Ogre star) has many nicknames for many people, many of which are not self-explanatory unless you happened to be there at the time. Sometimes other people also use these nicknames, but sometimes not. <br />
<br />
; Assface: A typo that DW-Drew assiduously attempts to avoid but sometimes runs into anyway, for Azzface (<dwuser>azurelunatic</dwuser>|Azz). <br />
<br />
; bible-stud: vlion, based on the time when his attempted nick-change to vlion|biblestudy got truncated by one letter. <br />
<br />
; Dracca: DW-Drew's mother. <br />
<br />
; fish, fishen: <dwuser>ghoti</dwuser>, ghoti14 on IRC. While theoretically [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti this is universal], in practice it is a mostly-from-Drew spelling. <br />
: "fish" may also refer to some of the "chatfish", members of a YA readers group of Azz's. <br />
: See also: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/quotes?qt0396991 "Fish are friends, not food."] (ghoti is a friend-grade fish, not sushi-grade.) <br />
<br />
; frog: <dwuser>woggy</dwuser>, whose default userpic is a frog and whose username comes from "polliwog". <br />
<br />
; Herbie: jeshyr|<dwuser>rb</dwuser>, referencing an Asimov story in which a robot with the letters RB became Herbie. <br />
<br />
; Iggy: <dwuser>ivorygates</dwuser>, formed from the initials I.G.<br />
<br />
; Slaver: xb95; this references the game EVE Online, where xb95 has an [http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Amarr Amarr] pilot.<br />
<br />
==Fictional or Otherwise Questionable Reality==<br />
These individuals, while present in IRC from time to time, are not always inhabiting the same reality as most of the rest of us. Sometimes it's not wise to follow them to their home dimension. <br />
<br />
; Alertsy: a Nagios IRC bot. <br />
<br />
; <dwuser>fairlight</dwuser>: Sometimes present in IRC. See [http://tiferet.dreamwidth.org/profile/ Tiferet's profile] for details. <br />
<br />
; Fig|Bit: An IRC bot, run by <dwuser>sophie</dwuser>. The bot gives different responses when addressed as "Fig" than when addressed as "Bit". Most of the time, the bot's answers are pre-programmed. Very occasionally, not. See [[IRC]]. <br />
<br />
;INGVA: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/7 QUEEN] OF THE [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6281178.html?thread=11191002#ljcmt11191002 WILD PLACES]<br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/248 Fictional character], written by a number of people but usually Rah, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). See [http://www.kekkai.org/synecdochic/sg1/bw.html Broken Wings] and [http://www.kekkai.org/synecdochic/sg1/mezzanine/index.html Mezzanine]. (Warning: if you commence a scarily literary-crossed-with-lowbrow rant and find yourself losing your capital letters, you may have been channeling jdn. The standard cure is to finish writing the rant.) Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD or JDC.<br />
<br />
; RWHell: an IRC bot. See [[IRC]].<br />
<br />
=Volunteer/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; #dw: (Previously) The Official Dreamwidth IRC Channel. Either refers to when the channel was on Mark's server (prior to [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Dreamwidth_Timeline#March_2010 March 2010]) and was named #dw, or is shorthand for the current channel name. <br />
<br />
; #dreamwidth: The Official Dreamwidth IRC Channel, on irc.freenode.net, from [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Dreamwidth_Timeline#March_2010 March 2010] onward. See [[IRC]]. Sometimes referred to as #dw for short. All official Dreamwidth IRC channels on Freenode actually start with #dreamwidth- although people may say #dw- instead, as it is both the usual shorthand and was the channel name on Mark's old server. Sometimes sub-channels are abbreviated further, such as # -bitch for #dreamwidth-bitch, # -dev for #dreamwidth-dev, and so on. Sometimes unofficial channels, like #dw-tmi, are actually #dw-. <br />
<br />
; <nowiki>$lj::will_not_work_without_steam_radiator</nowiki>: A [http://www.dreamwidth.org/interests?int=%24lj::will_not_work_without_steam_radiator popular interest], originating at a time that involved a lot of code refactoring that converted $lj methods over to generic methods, and when Rah needed an interest that started with a non-alphanumeric character to test something. A reference to http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/73<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there. [http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/6222720.html For those who weren't there, a log: it was a bit too saucy for the QDB. Also long.]) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the [http://www.basshunter.se/ Basshunter] song [http://basshunter.tgl0be.org/video,BotenAnna,English "Boten Anna"] ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=RYQUsp-jxDQ YouTube], [http://www.lyrics007.com/Basshunter%20Lyrics/Boten%20Anna%20%5BEnglish%20Ver.%5D%20Lyrics.html English lyrics]), about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna, from whom the #dreamwidth bot [[IRC#Fig-Bit | Fig]] is descended/cloned. <br />
<br />
; axolotl: [http://rho.dreamwidth.org/12709.html Payments silliness.]<br />
<br />
; babydev: Affectionate term for a [[Dev_Getting_Started|beginning developer]]. Generally used of developers who are new at development in general, not just new to the project. Gender-neutral. <br />
<br />
; babydev-bait: An effort-minor bug that would be an excellent introductory bug for a beginning developer. See [[Newbie Guide for Windows People Working on Minor Bugs]].<br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; bees, full of bees: A certain kind of metaphorical stingy badness. Brought to IRC mainly by <dwuser>jld</dwuser>. References include [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs-tl6GBOBo Eddie Izzard: "Covered in beeeees"], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_%28comics%29 the supervillain Swarm], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XcT49ms4yg Conan: Oprah bee giveaway sketch], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/keinsignal/468795874/ Urethra bees] and [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html "That'll get you bees."] See also: hivemind. <br />
<br />
; <dwcomm>beginningcocks</dwcomm>: In the early days of #dw, there was call for a 101-level cooking community. One person returned having created <dwcomm>boilingwater</dwcomm>. Another returned having created <dwcomm>beginningcooks</dwcomm>. Naturally, someone -- several someones -- mis-read the latter, in the same predictable way. And thus <dwcomm>beginningcocks</dwcomm> was created. <br />
<br />
; [[Book of Wholesome Hobbies]] (that Denise has forbidden her volunteers from taking part in): A list of ha-ha-only-serious rules for [[IRC]] denizens and volunteers. <br />
<br />
; Borg: Any of a generous number of possible monolithic large-corporate entities that certain members of channel may or may not work for. References the Star Trek villains. <br />
<br />
; botsmack: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/533 Sometimes Bit likes a good spanking.] See also: botsnack. <br />
<br />
; botsnack: a treat given to any of the channel's bots. See also: botsmack. <br />
<br />
; Brad, in his dorm room, with BML: Reminiscent of the solution to a game of Clue, this occasionally is said of inherited code that has generally not been modified since its creation on LiveJournal. An Azz-ism. <br />
<br />
; bunneh: (verb) to do something (answer a question, approve an entry in a moderation queue, etc.) faster than someone else. Common uses are "Bunnehed!" or "You bunnehed me!" Compare to "Jinx!" when someone has done something at the same time. <br />
: (noun) one who is fast and likely to bunneh others often. From "quick like bunneh", through a "Wow, that was fast!" user comment on a LiveJournal support request that got an answer very fast. (Note: the division of LiveJournal volunteers into bunnehs and sharks based on which requests they prefer to answer or act on appears far less common among Dreamwidth volunteers.) ([http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Bunneh Inherited from LiveJournal Support].) <br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; bus (non-essential and/or metaphorical, often seen being sent to hEll): A reference to [http://www.slate.com/id/2223749/ "hit by a bus" as "unexpected tragedy"], and discussions about what would happen if both Mark and Denise were to be hit by a bus at the same time. [[Operating_Agreement]]<br />
<br />
; Camp Permabanned: Where particularly enthusiastic/persistent spammers are sent. (An Azz-ism, and also a joke based on Camp Permafrost from Bujold's Vorkosigan series.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; catgoat: freerangefatty's cat Mau nibbles on <em>everything</em>. [http://caturday.dreamwidth.org/tag/mau Pictures of Mau]<br />
<br />
; channelstaples: notional staples that are said to keep someone who keeps disconnecting from the server stapled there. (Popular in LJ IRC, and perhaps other places.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; Commit-and-Ditch pony: When someone does something that breaks stuff, and leaves everybody else with the mess, they are awarded the Commit-and-Ditch Pony. This can take the form of an actual toy pony, a pony virtual gift, or merely informing the offender that they now hold the pony. (From [http://desh.livejournal.com/269183.html OpenMoko development], via LiveJournal volunteers.)<br />
<br />
; (gone to) Costa Rica (with the Peace Corps): The default example for someone who has gone away from the internet for an extended length of time, but has not abandoned their journal despite lack of activity. From LiveJournal volunteers: long-time LJ volunteer <ljuser>christine</ljuser> did just this. <br />
<br />
; Disco: Support's private category is powered by this. (Mark started it; Kat continued it.) See Technical, Peterstein. <br />
<br />
; Drewspeak, DW-Drew (obscure things said by): <dwuser>dreamatdrew</dwuser> has a set of jargon all his own, including some unique nicknames given to assorted channel regulars. "Drew, 'splain!" is a relatively common refrain. (Feel free to ask if you don't understand something that was said.) <br />
<br />
; ELF: Enthusiastic Little Fucker. Said of particularly prolific spammers before they are sent to Camp Permabanned. <br />
<br />
; fish and whistles: A more derisive variant of [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/B/bells-and-whistles.html "bells and whistles"], although it is probably useful to note that the power user is probably talking about [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/C/chrome.html "chrome"]. Specifically refers to features requested by users that would play out badly if implemented. (Originates from a [http://news.livejournal.com/98192.html?thread=44350352#t44350352 mock flamewar in LiveJournal news], and references the classic IRC concept of trouting.) <br />
<br />
; football field: Azz is probably looking for her cellphone headset. (Azz lives in a Faraday cage. Azz talks on her cellphone to MissKat a lot.) <br />
<br />
; Frank: LiveJournal's goat mascot. <br />
<br />
; Fred: a more friendly name for PubSubHubbub (see Technical). <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; gecko: Since Drew can't teleport very well, he sends a gecko to take care of his people. <br />
<br />
; Glitterhoof the Magic Fix Pony: <dwuser>mark</dwuser>, [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/105483.html by way of] <dwuser>john</dwuser>. <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. Goat reported on the current open support requests in a way similar to Anna, but with a different format. The command "Fig, be Goat" makes Fig give the report using Goat formatting. Goat made insulting comments to people who did not remember the syntax for his commands. Goat was probably named after LiveJournal's mascot, Frank the Goat. <br />
<br />
; going to the wiki: If you visit [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org http://wiki.dwscoalition.org] you see this message before it redirects to [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Main_Page http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Main_Page]. It has therefore become customary to announce "Going to the wiki!" in varying stages of capslock upon going to the wiki (to look up something or edit). (Popularized on IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). Green is usually referred to numerically ("How much green?" "10."), which refers to the number of green requests. It can also be referred to in relative terms ("Lots.") or figurative ("Enough to fill a swimming pool!"). The support category "General/Unknown", commonly referred to as "G/Unk", spawned the phrase "green gunk", or "lime slime". (From LiveJournal support, based on the color coding of the Support system's user interface, which shows requests that are awaiting an approved response with a green background in the list of support requests.) <br />
<br />
; hEll, RWHell, Random Word hEll: An [[IRC]] bot in #dreamwidth. <br />
: One sends an item to hEll. hEll sneaks out a scaly hand and grabs the item. hEll's depths emit a sudden roar as it expels a previously entered item. Sometimes, hEll's depths continue to roar as it expels a second previously entered item. (Occasionally, hEll will burp and not expel any other items.) <br />
: hEll is neither endothermic nor exothermic, but maintains a fairly constant balance of items entered to items ejected. The rumor that hEll is sentient is just that, a rumor. (We hope.) <br />
: Read the origin story of [[Random Word Hell]]! And then one day Rah mentioned the bot in #dw, and Sophie got coding, and suddenly there was hEll. And then at the time of the server move, hEll became RWHell.<br />
<br />
; HTH HAND: Hope This Helps, Have A Nice Day. Inherited from LiveJournal Support. A phrase that was used as a bad example: support answers were generally unsigned, and the specific phrase "hope this helps" implied some doubt that it might help at all. Picked up for sarcastic use to friends by some LJ volunteers. <br />
<br />
; kill you in the morning: A [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/quotes Princess Bride reference]. What else do you expect from the Dread Pirate Rah-berts? <br />
<br />
; kiwi: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/321 Sometimes it's really hard to type 'wiki' correctly on the first try.]<br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; Mart bug death: Someone proposes something tiny and specialized, then Mart (a notable [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000018.html architecture astronaut]) generalized it to the abstract case and said "we should do it this way so it can be used for this other stuff", turning it from a five-minute fix to a five-month fix. Then (the death part) whoever came along who could do the five-minute fix, but not the five-month fix, would look at it and go "screw this" and <strong>never do it</strong>. There were approximately four people who could do the five-month version, so it would never get done, because they had a gazillion five-month projects. (From [http://community.livejournal.com/lj_dev/658149.html LiveJournal development], seen in the wild mentioned by <ljuser>mart</ljuser> in '04.) <br />
<br />
; minion: Assistant or direct report. (I think Rah started saying she had minions, asking for minions to do various tasks, calling people minions, and/or people started calling themselves Rah's minions?) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: People who can handle staff issues (see [http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/Common_Jargon#Staff Staff]. (DW Support shorthand.) Also, the regular communication sent from Support to staff listing issues that only members of MrsJ can handle. <br />
<br />
; Muppet: If people start calling Mark "Muppet", it's [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/29363.html?thread=249523#cmt249523 MissKat's fault]. <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' (now '''Alertsy''' after the Freenode server move) is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; nethic: Internet hiccup. Often accompanied by a pingout. Someone who had an internet hiccup probably missed the last several lines of chat. <br />
<br />
; notwork: The network in geekosaur's motel-of-residence sort of doesn't. Work, that is. It is built on fail hardware that is not watertight enough to stand up to local rain, and additionally has absurdly bad topology and hilariously bad oversaturation on certain access points. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; pillowfort: refers to the secret hiding place of the Triumvirate + pony<br />
<br />
; plumbing not compatible: a reference to a [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/support/125 somewhat inappropriate conversation about orientation between Rah and Abe]. Often accompanied by little hand gestures. <br />
<br />
; qdb: [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/ Quotes Database], a collection of particularly funny and/or memorable quotes uttered in various Dreamwidth IRC channels. This is maintained by <dwuser>sophie</dwuser>. (The Dreamwidth QDB was previously hosted on the same server as the [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/ LiveJournal volunteer IRC QDB], which also contains quotes from some staff and volunteers' shared history.) <br />
<br />
; Rahversation: refers to a conversation involving Rah (<dwuser>denise</dwuser>). Coined by <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser><br />
<br />
; SKULLBUTT THE TORMENTOR: Once upon a time, an underwear designer put a flaming skull on the front and back of a pair of briefs. (Ed Hardy. 2 Sword Skull.) Assorted #dw and #dw_nsfw people in and around <dwcomm>amusing_underwear</dwcomm> pointed and laughed. <ljuser>mayerman</ljuser> coined the name, and <dwuser>remark</dwuser> elevated it into a catchphrase. [[http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/File:Skullbutt.jpg Of course there's an icon.]]<br />
<br />
; SNH, Still Needs Help: A support request that has already received at least one answer, but the user has "regreened" (indicated that they still need help, moving it from "answered, awaiting close", to "green"), and has replied with a follow-up question or more information. <br />
<br />
; Speaking of <x>, hello <y>: You may be greeted this way upon entering IRC. Likely as not, <x> has nothing to do with you; it was just the topic the moment before you entered. (This greeting habit was more prevalent in LJ volunteer IRC but still persists.) <br />
<br />
; spider: Since Drew can't teleport very well, the spider is his enforcer, like when people *cough*Inoru*cough* need to go to bed but aren't. <br />
<br />
; stekpanna: Swedish: skillet, frying pan. In Drewspeak, this is usually short for the Swedish "domedagengjutjärnstekpanna", which translates to "cast-iron skillet of doom". It is more of a weapon than a cooking implement. <br />
<br />
; teapatty, *|teapatty: Someone making reference to "teapatty" or changing their IRC nick to incorporate "teapatty" is either drunk or pretending not to be. At one point Wyn attempted to say "Not drunk, repeat, not drunk." Unfortunately for them, they were drunk enough that it came out "Not drunk, teapatty, not drunk." (From LiveJournal Support IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Tits Against the RTE: References a campaign to get the Rich Text Editor removed (or vastly improved) at LiveJournal during <ljuser>tupshin</ljuser>'s time there. <br />
<br />
; Triumvirate, The: refers to the current [[Support_process|support]] wranglers: <dwuser>Domtheknight</dwuser> (The Bug-Squashing Boots), <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser> (The Tact Hat) and <dwuser>chemicallace</dwuser> (The All-Purpose Boa). The Triumvirate + Pony is the Triumvirate with the addition of the Froot Loop Pony, also known as <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
; wgw, what goes where: A document detailing how (what department and process) handles a support request of any given type. (From LiveJournal support.) [[What Goes Where]]<br />
<br />
; worst username evar: David Recordon <ljuser>daveman692</ljuser>. Refers to a LiveJournal ad for rename tokens that featured his username. (From LJ.)<br />
<br />
= Emoticons =<br />
Dreamwidth IRC does not have very many non-standard emoticons in frequent use. There are occasional discussions where different non-standard emoticons are created, proposed, or used, but these are infrequent, and the same weird emoticon is rarely used twice. <br />
For example, '''[||||||| 8] \o/''' might represent a bus and an alarmed pedestrian, but this is rarely seen in actual chat. <br />
<br />
; User or community: '''()''', '''@''', and '''<^>''' are variously used to denote a user or community in text-only environments like IRC. <br />
: '''()xb95''' - user ; '''()omnomnom''' - community (regular)<br />
: '''@mark''' - user (official Dreamwidth user, or Twitter-style direct address for any DW user or IRC nick - Bugsy objects to '@' starting lines, however); '''@dw_news''' - community (official); sometimes used for regular communities <br />
: '''<^>lj_support''' - (usually) LiveJournal community; sometimes used for Dreamwidth community<br />
<br />
; '''*''': Surrounding a phrase, can indicate action or emotion, or emphasis: *grin*, *hugs*, "I *really* like it". <br />
<br />
; '''. o O (something)''': Thought bubble, thinking but not saying. <br />
<br />
; '''<_<''', '''>_>''': Eyes looking to the left or right and mouth. Sometimes used to indicate untrustworthiness of a statement ("I have no idea who ate the last piece of cake >_>"). <br />
<br />
; '''>_<''': Eyes tightly closed and frown. Disgust, self-deprecation, annoyance. <br />
<br />
; ''':|a''': Eyes, a flat mouth, and chin-scratching. Deep thought of some description. <br />
<br />
; '''o/''', '''\o''': Head with single (right or left) arm raised (waving, in greeting, or farewell). <br />
<br />
; '''\o/''': Head with two upraised arms: arms in the air cheering (genuine or sarcastic: "I just got a promotion \o/", "my toaster is on fire \o/"); enthusiastic greeting; arms in the air in confusion or panic, arms up over your head in water (drowning). <br />
<br />
; '''\o?''': common typographical error for '''\o/'''; (rare) scratching head in confusion. <br />
<br />
; '''o7''': a salute<br />
<br />
; '''/o\''': Arms protecting head, hands clutching head, or bucket on head. <br />
<br />
; '''~~\o/~~''': Waving (head with arms raised and motion squiggles) or drowning (head with arms raised and waves of water). <br />
<br />
; '''*\o/*''': Head with two upraised arms and pompoms: cheering. <br />
<br />
; '''*****\*o/''': Head with two upraised arms and a line of asterisks: running around, either with head on fire, or waving a feather boa. (Inherited from LiveJournal volunteer IRC.) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Other Emoticon Resources ==<br />
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons Wikipedia list of emoticons]<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
== Cultures ==<br />
;[http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wiki Fanlore fandom wiki]: Information on selected public forms of fannish expression, in convenient wiki format. From the Organization for Transformative Works folks. <br />
; [http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Geek_Feminism_Wiki Geek Feminism wiki]: A resource for and about women in geek communities.<br />
<br />
== Jargon == <br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Category:Support_Jargon LiveJournal Support jargon]: there is some overlap of vocabulary due to the number of volunteers and IRC inhabitants who are former or current LiveJournal volunteers. <br />
; [http://knowyourmeme.com/ Know Your Meme]: Various bits of internet culture, sometimes the sort you'd find in a petri dish. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware. (Often not safe for work -- or for other things, for that matter.)<br />
;[http://www.sassydoesit.com/glossary/knitting-definitions/ Sassy Does It's Knitting Definitions] <br />
;[http://www.ravelry.com/wiki/pages/KnittingLingo Glossary: Ravelry and Knit and Crochet Lingo and Acronyms] (more extensive, however login is required, although accounts are free)<br />
<br />
== QDBs == <br />
<br />
QDB stands for "Quotes Database". <br />
<br />
;[http://qdb.dreamwidth.net/ Dreamwidth IRC QDB]: A collection of quotes from Dreamwidth's [[IRC]] channels<br />
; <dwcomm>metaquotes</dwcomm>: Hilarity from around Dreamwidth, after the example of <ljcomm>metaquotes</ljcomm><br />
; [http://support.livejournal.org/qdb/ LiveJournal Support QDB]: Contains many quotes from the shared past of volunteers who originated in LiveJournal volunteer culture. <br />
;[http://www.bash.org/ bash.org]: A much larger, multi-network IRC quotes database. Contains notably uncensored language and potentially offensive content.<br />
; http://qdb.us/: Another QDB, a fork of the same source file as bash.org<br />
<br />
== Miscellaneous ==<br />
; [http://www.imdb.com IMDb]: the Internet Movie Database, with more information than you knew you needed to know about movies, TV shows, actors, directors, plots, and more. <br />
; [http://en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]: A user-updated encyclopedia of everything notable in the world. Not generally accepted for academic research, nor updated frequently enough for current events, but good for background reading, general overviews, and a list of preliminary sources for proper research. <br />
; [http://www.freebase.com Freebase]: an open database of variously useful information. Now owned by Google. <br />
<br />
[[Category: Getting Started]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Support_guideSupport guide2011-12-30T18:24:59Z<p>MissKat: /* General phrasing */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is a braindump page for the Dreamwidth support answering style. It isn't entirely complete, so please feel free to update as necessary. <br />
<br />
For technical details on how the Support Board itself works, see [[Support process]]. <br />
<br />
= Dreamwidth's support style =<br />
<br />
Dreamwidth's support answering style can be summed up in 4 points:<br />
<br />
# Be courteous.<br />
# Be professional.<br />
# Be human.<br />
# Treat everyone as though they're the most important user we have.<br />
<br />
The fine points, of course, is where all the details lie.<br />
<br />
= Points to consider =<br />
<br />
== General phrasing ==<br />
<br />
* Speak with a human voice. You're a person; the person on the other end of the screen is a person. Support answers should be person-to-person and human-to-human, with a tone that is both respectful and friendly. Your answers should sound like your voice -- the way ''you personally'' would explain something to a coworker or a professional contact. Don't be afraid of contractions or the word "I".<br />
<br />
* Responses should be addressed as "Dear $name" (where the name is any name that they provide, or their username if they don't sign one), and signed with your name (whatever name you'd like to give). You can use any signoff you'd like, such as "Regards," "Best," or whatever signoff you feel most comfortable with.<br />
<br />
* A casual tone is okay, but at the same time, casual can translate as "insulting" across cultural boundaries and through language difficulties. Triple-check to make sure that your answer doesn't sound condescending or insulting. You can read the [[Manual of Style]] for specific advice.<br />
<br />
* Apologize for anything that's frustrating the user, but don't make it into the user's fault -- "I'm sorry this is frustrating" is okay, but "I'm sorry that you feel this is frustrating" is not. (The former validates the user's feelings; the latter places the blame on the user for feeling frustrated.)<br />
<br />
* Light wittiness in answers is okay if the user is approaching us in that tone or style, but humor doesn't translate well across cultural and subcultural boundaries, so try to avoid it unless you have reason to believe that the user will be receptive.<br />
<br />
* If a user has a point -- if things are difficult to understand, confusing, or not explained as well as they could be -- explicitly acknowledge the point, without getting defensive. (This applies double if the user is frustrated, upset, or angry.)<br />
<br />
== Terminology to use ==<br />
<br />
* Work with the user's chosen vocabulary as much as possible. If they call something by a name that's not entirely accurate, work within their terminology as much as possible without being actively misleading. (If you want to know what the "official" terminology is, refer to the [[Terminology]] page.)<br />
<br />
* Tailor your answer to the user's experience level. If you aren't sure what the user's experience level is, aim for as basic as possible, and be sure to acknowledge that they might already know what you're saying.<br />
<br />
* It's all right to use technical language, especially if it helps to clarify, but be sure that the first time you use any technical term, you define what the term means. (It's okay to do this in an aside or a parenthetical.)<br />
<br />
== What about bugs? ==<br />
<br />
* It's okay to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it.<br />
<br />
* If you're going to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it, make sure it's in [[Bugzilla]] first.<br />
<br />
* If something's broken and it's not in Bugzilla yet, take ownership of getting it in there if you're going to answer the request.<br />
<br />
* When answering requests about a bug, please put the Bugzilla URL regarding the bug into an [[Support process#Four_types_of_responses | Internal Comment]]. <br />
<br />
* Set expectations accordingly. If something's prioritized for the next milestone, you can tell the user that. If something hasn't been prioritized yet, tell the user that it's in our bug tracking system, but we haven't set a date for when we'd like to fix it.<br />
<br />
* Remember that everyone uses the service in different ways. If the user is asking how to do something that you think is a "wrong" use, it's probably not; it's just a use that we haven't thought of yet. Make sure that someone knows what the user is trying to do, so they can consider implementing it.<br />
<br />
== Possibly answered elsewhere ==<br />
<br />
* If the user has mentioned that they've already read the FAQ, don't send them to the FAQ without acknowledging that they've already read it.<br />
<br />
* It's okay to say something like "Before we go into advanced troubleshooting, I'd like to just rule out some of the most common causes of this problem. Can you confirm that you've already tried $commonsolution, and let me know what happened when you did?"<br />
<br />
* Use your best judgment when choosing whether to rephrase the material in a FAQ for the user.<br />
<br />
== More info needed == <br />
<br />
* Never be afraid to ask the user to clarify something. If they're asking a question that could be X, but might be Y, answer X, but say "You might also mean Y. If you do, here's the quick overview, and if that doesn't answer your question, let us know."<br />
<br />
* Never be afraid to ask the user for more information. If they say "X is broken", don't be afraid to say something like, "So that we can diagnose the problem, can you tell me exactly what happens when you try to X?" (Of course, be sure to go and try X yourself first, to see if you can figure out why the user thinks it's broken and save some time.)<br />
<br />
== Unasked questions ==<br />
<br />
* Respond to both the question the person is literally asking, and the one that they don't know that they need to ask. Answer the question they've actually asked first, and explicitly.<br />
<br />
* Aim for answering all of the user's questions (even the questions they don't know they need to ask) in a single contact, but don't worry if you can't get it. If you ever think that you might not have given them a complete answer, if you think that they might have more questions, or if you're offering them a fix that might or might not fully solve their problem, include an explicit invitation for them to come back to the request and let you know if it doesn't work.<br />
<br />
== "But Whyyyy?" ==<br />
<br />
* Explain the reasoning for why things are the way they are, without coming off as sounding like those things will never change. If it ''is'' something you think will never change, confirm it with someone first, then link the user to the official explanation of why things are that way. (If there isn't an official explanation of why things are that way, poke someone to make sure that it gets written.)<br />
<br />
* If the user doesn't like the fact that a particular thing will never change, or that it won't change for now, acknowledge the validity of their not liking it and let them know, in as courteous a method as possible, the reasons for the decision. Not everyone will like every decision we make, but they deserve to know the reasons behind the decision.<br />
<br />
== "Hasn't this been answered 50 times already?" ==<br />
<br />
* We'd rather hear about something for the 50th time than not hear about it at all.<br />
<br />
* Even if it's the 50th time you've answered that question today, to the person who is asking the question, it's the first time ''they've'' asked it. Respond to the 50th question as though it was the first.<br />
<br />
== Third-party tech support ==<br />
<br />
* Some importer and crossposter stuff requires knowledge of how the other sites work. <br />
* Some client questions require knowledge of the clients. <br />
* The full policy on support that involves third-party stuff needs better documenting; when in doubt, ask. <br />
<br />
== General stuff ==<br />
<br />
* Remember that there is always room for us to improve. <br />
<br />
* Everyone has a different learning style. Some people need text; some people need diagrams; some people need step-by-step detailed instructions. Tailor your answers to what you can divine of the user's learning style as much as possible. If you're having trouble getting across to someone, grab a friend who has a different explaining style and ask them to take a stab at it.<br />
<br />
* People will take your words, your gestures, and your actions as an official communication of Dreamwidth Studios, even if all you're doing is explaining how to confirm their email address. For many people, you will be their first and only contact with us. Make the impression as positive as you can.<br />
<br />
* Go the extra mile. If there's something you can do to make things more awesome for the user, whether it's contacting the site copy team to make instructions clearer, pointing them to an official community with more information about their problem, pointing them to an unofficial community that offers resources they might be interested in, or logging a bug to get their pet peeve fixed, do it whenever possible.<br />
<br />
* If the question is being asked now, answer it now, even if the answer is "We won't have an answer for that until later". Be sure to define "later". Also, be sure to come back and update the person when that thing happens.<br />
<br />
= Workflow = <br />
This is a description of the usual steps in successfully and fully answering a user request. Everyone has a slightly different process, and all steps are not necessarily done in the same order. <br />
<br />
* Select a request. (You don't necessarily have to commit to answering the request, just find one that looks interesting to you.)<br />
* Read the whole request. <br />
* Figure out all of the questions being asked and/or issues being brought up. <br />
* Find the answers to the questions, address the issues, and/or direct the query to the proper area. <br />
** Look through FAQs, both general and Issues. <br />
** Search Bugzilla<br />
* Gather any FAQs you will be linking to the user. <br />
* Write down the answers to be sent to the user, in accordance with the support style. <br />
* Review any FAQs to make sure the information that will help the user is still there; FAQs are subject to change and revision. <br />
* Make an internal comment linking to anything in Bugzilla that you reference in your answer. <br />
* Work collaboratively with SupportHelps and others and revise as needed. http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4499.html<br />
<br />
= Support resources =<br />
<br />
== Questions & Feedback == <br />
You can ask questions about general things or specific situations. <br />
<br />
* Look at resolved requests <br />
* Ask questions in <dwcomm>dw_support_training</dwcomm><br />
* See if there's anyone around for real-time chat in [[IRC]], in #dreamwidth, #dreamwidth-support, or private message. <br />
* If you are more comfortable with a [http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Review LiveJournal Support-style review of your recent answers], feel free to put together one and ask for a review.<br />
* Contact info for the Triumvirate: http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/5229.html<br />
* A random q&a: http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html<br />
<br />
== General ==<br />
<br />
A list of some resources that you may find useful for support can be found [[Support_Resources|here]].<br />
<br />
If the issue seems to be browser-related, see [[Support_browser_issues|here]].<br />
<br />
== "Model answers" ==<br />
<br />
The following is some information put together to aid support volunteers in answering questions. Obviously, don't copy and paste what they've written as is, as it doesn't exactly follow the support guidelines right now, but anything linked here should have been okayed for use in support answers by the author and so you're free to use this information, edited it as necessary, in support answers. (Please do not copy this information as is - personalise it!)<br />
<br />
* [http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/421478.html OpenID users not getting invite codes] (by <dwuser>piranha</dwuser><br />
<br />
* [http://blog.xugglybug.co.uk/post/97371863 How to get an invite code] (by <dwuser>tajasel</dwuser><br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Support_guideSupport guide2011-12-30T18:24:01Z<p>MissKat: /* General phrasing */</p>
<hr />
<div>This page is a braindump page for the Dreamwidth support answering style. It isn't entirely complete, so please feel free to update as necessary. <br />
<br />
For technical details on how the Support Board itself works, see [[Support process]]. <br />
<br />
= Dreamwidth's support style =<br />
<br />
Dreamwidth's support answering style can be summed up in 4 points:<br />
<br />
# Be courteous.<br />
# Be professional.<br />
# Be human.<br />
# Treat everyone as though they're the most important user we have.<br />
<br />
The fine points, of course, is where all the details lie.<br />
<br />
= Points to consider =<br />
<br />
== General phrasing ==<br />
<br />
* Speak with a human voice. You're a person; the person on the other end of the screen is a person. Support answers should be person-to-person and human-to-human, with a tone that is both respectful and friendly. Your answers should sound like your voice -- the way ''you personally'' would explain something to a coworker or a professional contact. Don't be afraid of contractions or the word "I".<br />
<br />
* Responses should be addressed as "Dear $name" (where the name is any name that they provide, or their username if they don't sign one), and signed with your name (whatever name you'd like to give). You can use any signoff you'd like, such as "Regards," "Best," or whatever signoff you feel most comfortable with.<br />
For example:<br />
Dear zarhooie,<br />
At this time, Dreamwidth has no plans to replace your llama.<br />
Best,<br />
Kat<br />
<br />
* A casual tone is okay, but at the same time, casual can translate as "insulting" across cultural boundaries and through language difficulties. Triple-check to make sure that your answer doesn't sound condescending or insulting. You can read the [[Manual of Style]] for specific advice.<br />
<br />
* Apologize for anything that's frustrating the user, but don't make it into the user's fault -- "I'm sorry this is frustrating" is okay, but "I'm sorry that you feel this is frustrating" is not. (The former validates the user's feelings; the latter places the blame on the user for feeling frustrated.)<br />
<br />
* Light wittiness in answers is okay if the user is approaching us in that tone or style, but humor doesn't translate well across cultural and subcultural boundaries, so try to avoid it unless you have reason to believe that the user will be receptive.<br />
<br />
* If a user has a point -- if things are difficult to understand, confusing, or not explained as well as they could be -- explicitly acknowledge the point, without getting defensive. (This applies double if the user is frustrated, upset, or angry.)<br />
<br />
== Terminology to use ==<br />
<br />
* Work with the user's chosen vocabulary as much as possible. If they call something by a name that's not entirely accurate, work within their terminology as much as possible without being actively misleading. (If you want to know what the "official" terminology is, refer to the [[Terminology]] page.)<br />
<br />
* Tailor your answer to the user's experience level. If you aren't sure what the user's experience level is, aim for as basic as possible, and be sure to acknowledge that they might already know what you're saying.<br />
<br />
* It's all right to use technical language, especially if it helps to clarify, but be sure that the first time you use any technical term, you define what the term means. (It's okay to do this in an aside or a parenthetical.)<br />
<br />
== What about bugs? ==<br />
<br />
* It's okay to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it.<br />
<br />
* If you're going to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it, make sure it's in [[Bugzilla]] first.<br />
<br />
* If something's broken and it's not in Bugzilla yet, take ownership of getting it in there if you're going to answer the request.<br />
<br />
* When answering requests about a bug, please put the Bugzilla URL regarding the bug into an [[Support process#Four_types_of_responses | Internal Comment]]. <br />
<br />
* Set expectations accordingly. If something's prioritized for the next milestone, you can tell the user that. If something hasn't been prioritized yet, tell the user that it's in our bug tracking system, but we haven't set a date for when we'd like to fix it.<br />
<br />
* Remember that everyone uses the service in different ways. If the user is asking how to do something that you think is a "wrong" use, it's probably not; it's just a use that we haven't thought of yet. Make sure that someone knows what the user is trying to do, so they can consider implementing it.<br />
<br />
== Possibly answered elsewhere ==<br />
<br />
* If the user has mentioned that they've already read the FAQ, don't send them to the FAQ without acknowledging that they've already read it.<br />
<br />
* It's okay to say something like "Before we go into advanced troubleshooting, I'd like to just rule out some of the most common causes of this problem. Can you confirm that you've already tried $commonsolution, and let me know what happened when you did?"<br />
<br />
* Use your best judgment when choosing whether to rephrase the material in a FAQ for the user.<br />
<br />
== More info needed == <br />
<br />
* Never be afraid to ask the user to clarify something. If they're asking a question that could be X, but might be Y, answer X, but say "You might also mean Y. If you do, here's the quick overview, and if that doesn't answer your question, let us know."<br />
<br />
* Never be afraid to ask the user for more information. If they say "X is broken", don't be afraid to say something like, "So that we can diagnose the problem, can you tell me exactly what happens when you try to X?" (Of course, be sure to go and try X yourself first, to see if you can figure out why the user thinks it's broken and save some time.)<br />
<br />
== Unasked questions ==<br />
<br />
* Respond to both the question the person is literally asking, and the one that they don't know that they need to ask. Answer the question they've actually asked first, and explicitly.<br />
<br />
* Aim for answering all of the user's questions (even the questions they don't know they need to ask) in a single contact, but don't worry if you can't get it. If you ever think that you might not have given them a complete answer, if you think that they might have more questions, or if you're offering them a fix that might or might not fully solve their problem, include an explicit invitation for them to come back to the request and let you know if it doesn't work.<br />
<br />
== "But Whyyyy?" ==<br />
<br />
* Explain the reasoning for why things are the way they are, without coming off as sounding like those things will never change. If it ''is'' something you think will never change, confirm it with someone first, then link the user to the official explanation of why things are that way. (If there isn't an official explanation of why things are that way, poke someone to make sure that it gets written.)<br />
<br />
* If the user doesn't like the fact that a particular thing will never change, or that it won't change for now, acknowledge the validity of their not liking it and let them know, in as courteous a method as possible, the reasons for the decision. Not everyone will like every decision we make, but they deserve to know the reasons behind the decision.<br />
<br />
== "Hasn't this been answered 50 times already?" ==<br />
<br />
* We'd rather hear about something for the 50th time than not hear about it at all.<br />
<br />
* Even if it's the 50th time you've answered that question today, to the person who is asking the question, it's the first time ''they've'' asked it. Respond to the 50th question as though it was the first.<br />
<br />
== Third-party tech support ==<br />
<br />
* Some importer and crossposter stuff requires knowledge of how the other sites work. <br />
* Some client questions require knowledge of the clients. <br />
* The full policy on support that involves third-party stuff needs better documenting; when in doubt, ask. <br />
<br />
== General stuff ==<br />
<br />
* Remember that there is always room for us to improve. <br />
<br />
* Everyone has a different learning style. Some people need text; some people need diagrams; some people need step-by-step detailed instructions. Tailor your answers to what you can divine of the user's learning style as much as possible. If you're having trouble getting across to someone, grab a friend who has a different explaining style and ask them to take a stab at it.<br />
<br />
* People will take your words, your gestures, and your actions as an official communication of Dreamwidth Studios, even if all you're doing is explaining how to confirm their email address. For many people, you will be their first and only contact with us. Make the impression as positive as you can.<br />
<br />
* Go the extra mile. If there's something you can do to make things more awesome for the user, whether it's contacting the site copy team to make instructions clearer, pointing them to an official community with more information about their problem, pointing them to an unofficial community that offers resources they might be interested in, or logging a bug to get their pet peeve fixed, do it whenever possible.<br />
<br />
* If the question is being asked now, answer it now, even if the answer is "We won't have an answer for that until later". Be sure to define "later". Also, be sure to come back and update the person when that thing happens.<br />
<br />
= Workflow = <br />
This is a description of the usual steps in successfully and fully answering a user request. Everyone has a slightly different process, and all steps are not necessarily done in the same order. <br />
<br />
* Select a request. (You don't necessarily have to commit to answering the request, just find one that looks interesting to you.)<br />
* Read the whole request. <br />
* Figure out all of the questions being asked and/or issues being brought up. <br />
* Find the answers to the questions, address the issues, and/or direct the query to the proper area. <br />
** Look through FAQs, both general and Issues. <br />
** Search Bugzilla<br />
* Gather any FAQs you will be linking to the user. <br />
* Write down the answers to be sent to the user, in accordance with the support style. <br />
* Review any FAQs to make sure the information that will help the user is still there; FAQs are subject to change and revision. <br />
* Make an internal comment linking to anything in Bugzilla that you reference in your answer. <br />
* Work collaboratively with SupportHelps and others and revise as needed. http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4499.html<br />
<br />
= Support resources =<br />
<br />
== Questions & Feedback == <br />
You can ask questions about general things or specific situations. <br />
<br />
* Look at resolved requests <br />
* Ask questions in <dwcomm>dw_support_training</dwcomm><br />
* See if there's anyone around for real-time chat in [[IRC]], in #dreamwidth, #dreamwidth-support, or private message. <br />
* If you are more comfortable with a [http://wiki.livejournal.org/index.php/Review LiveJournal Support-style review of your recent answers], feel free to put together one and ask for a review.<br />
* Contact info for the Triumvirate: http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/5229.html<br />
* A random q&a: http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html<br />
<br />
== General ==<br />
<br />
A list of some resources that you may find useful for support can be found [[Support_Resources|here]].<br />
<br />
If the issue seems to be browser-related, see [[Support_browser_issues|here]].<br />
<br />
== "Model answers" ==<br />
<br />
The following is some information put together to aid support volunteers in answering questions. Obviously, don't copy and paste what they've written as is, as it doesn't exactly follow the support guidelines right now, but anything linked here should have been okayed for use in support answers by the author and so you're free to use this information, edited it as necessary, in support answers. (Please do not copy this information as is - personalise it!)<br />
<br />
* [http://piranha.dreamwidth.org/421478.html OpenID users not getting invite codes] (by <dwuser>piranha</dwuser><br />
<br />
* [http://blog.xugglybug.co.uk/post/97371863 How to get an invite code] (by <dwuser>tajasel</dwuser><br />
<br />
[[Category: Support]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/How_to_do_a_Code_TourHow to do a Code Tour2009-12-15T01:09:44Z<p>MissKat: /* How to do a Bugs (old and new) Tour */</p>
<hr />
<div>== What is a code tour? ==<br />
<br />
A code tour lists information about all of the bugs in [[Bugzilla]] that have been closed in the past week. You can view previous code tours in <dwcomm>dw_dev</dwcomm> [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/tag/code+tour here].<br />
<br />
== How to make a code tour ==<br />
<br />
First, get a link to a Bugzilla search from <dwuser>denise</dwuser> or by putting the start and end dates of the week into [http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/query.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2009-09-21&chfieldto=2009-09-27&query_format=advanced&resolution=FIXED this search form]. Then, put the information each bug into this example format:<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=NNNN">Bug NNNN</a>:</b> Bug Title<br />
<b>Category:</b> What section of the site is this bug about?<br />
<b>Patch by:</b> <user name="username"> or submitter name<br />
<b>Description:</b> What problem does this bug solve, or what new feature does it add?<br />
<br />
Then, make a post to <dwuser>dw_dev</dwuser> tagged "code tour". The time to do these is generally Monday, so they can be included in the <dwuser>dw_news</dwuser> update.<br />
<br />
Makes sure to double check the bug--sometimes the "patch by" field only includes who made the patch, but other people may have worked on it, especially in the arena of themes.<br />
<br />
== Template Making Script ==<br />
<br />
If you are comfortable with using Python on the command line, here is a script that can help you make a template with all the bugs in a CSV download of the week's bugs. (You can find the CSV download link on the bottom of the search page. You'll want to make sure to have these columns listed: Full Summary, Component, Assignee Realname, and Resolution.)<br />
<br />
<source lang="python">#!/usr/bin/env python<br />
<br />
# usage: python code_tour_template.py bugs-2009-09-15.csv<br />
<br />
import csv, re, sys<br />
<br />
def parse_assignment(assign):<br />
"""Attempt to parse the assignment for the submitter's username.<br />
Use the full assignment field otherwise."""<br />
# [:username]<br />
match = re.search('\[\:([a-z0-9_]+)\]', assign);<br />
<br />
try:<br />
return "".join(['<user name="', match.group(1), '">'])<br />
except (IndexError, AttributeError):<br />
return assign<br />
<br />
# Get the CSV file for the bugs<br />
bugs_file = sys.argv[1]<br />
<br />
bugReader = csv.DictReader(open(bugs_file))<br />
<br />
# This is a template for a bug record<br />
template_record = """<br />
<b><a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=%(bug_id)s">Bug %(bug_id)s</a>:</b> %(title)s<br />
<b>Category:</b> %(category)s<br />
<b>Patch by:</b> %(patch_by)s<br />
<b>Description:</b> FILL IN<br />
"""<br />
<br />
# For each row in the bug CSV file, put the appropriate variables into<br />
# the template and print<br />
for row in bugReader:<br />
replacements = { "patch_by": parse_assignment(row["assigned_to_realname"]),<br />
"bug_id": row["bug_id"],<br />
"category": row["component"],<br />
"title": row["short_desc"] }<br />
<br />
print template_record % replacements</source><br />
<br />
== How to do a Bugs (old and new) Tour ==<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=XX">Bug XX</a>: SUMMARY<br />
Category:<br />
Reported on DATE by <user name="NAME"><br />
Severity and Priority:<br />
Status: assigned to/unassigned<br />
Description:</b><br />
<br />
Then, make a post to <dwuser>dw_dev</dwuser> tagged "code tour". The time to do these is generally Monday, so they can be included in the <dwuser>dw_news</dwuser> update.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Development]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/How_to_do_a_Code_TourHow to do a Code Tour2009-12-15T01:07:43Z<p>MissKat: </p>
<hr />
<div>== What is a code tour? ==<br />
<br />
A code tour lists information about all of the bugs in [[Bugzilla]] that have been closed in the past week. You can view previous code tours in <dwcomm>dw_dev</dwcomm> [http://dw-dev.dreamwidth.org/tag/code+tour here].<br />
<br />
== How to make a code tour ==<br />
<br />
First, get a link to a Bugzilla search from <dwuser>denise</dwuser> or by putting the start and end dates of the week into [http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/query.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2009-09-21&chfieldto=2009-09-27&query_format=advanced&resolution=FIXED this search form]. Then, put the information each bug into this example format:<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=NNNN">Bug NNNN</a>:</b> Bug Title<br />
<b>Category:</b> What section of the site is this bug about?<br />
<b>Patch by:</b> <user name="username"> or submitter name<br />
<b>Description:</b> What problem does this bug solve, or what new feature does it add?<br />
<br />
Then, make a post to <dwuser>dw_dev</dwuser> tagged "code tour". The time to do these is generally Monday, so they can be included in the <dwuser>dw_news</dwuser> update.<br />
<br />
Makes sure to double check the bug--sometimes the "patch by" field only includes who made the patch, but other people may have worked on it, especially in the arena of themes.<br />
<br />
== Template Making Script ==<br />
<br />
If you are comfortable with using Python on the command line, here is a script that can help you make a template with all the bugs in a CSV download of the week's bugs. (You can find the CSV download link on the bottom of the search page. You'll want to make sure to have these columns listed: Full Summary, Component, Assignee Realname, and Resolution.)<br />
<br />
<source lang="python">#!/usr/bin/env python<br />
<br />
# usage: python code_tour_template.py bugs-2009-09-15.csv<br />
<br />
import csv, re, sys<br />
<br />
def parse_assignment(assign):<br />
"""Attempt to parse the assignment for the submitter's username.<br />
Use the full assignment field otherwise."""<br />
# [:username]<br />
match = re.search('\[\:([a-z0-9_]+)\]', assign);<br />
<br />
try:<br />
return "".join(['<user name="', match.group(1), '">'])<br />
except (IndexError, AttributeError):<br />
return assign<br />
<br />
# Get the CSV file for the bugs<br />
bugs_file = sys.argv[1]<br />
<br />
bugReader = csv.DictReader(open(bugs_file))<br />
<br />
# This is a template for a bug record<br />
template_record = """<br />
<b><a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=%(bug_id)s">Bug %(bug_id)s</a>:</b> %(title)s<br />
<b>Category:</b> %(category)s<br />
<b>Patch by:</b> %(patch_by)s<br />
<b>Description:</b> FILL IN<br />
"""<br />
<br />
# For each row in the bug CSV file, put the appropriate variables into<br />
# the template and print<br />
for row in bugReader:<br />
replacements = { "patch_by": parse_assignment(row["assigned_to_realname"]),<br />
"bug_id": row["bug_id"],<br />
"category": row["component"],<br />
"title": row["short_desc"] }<br />
<br />
print template_record % replacements</source><br />
<br />
== How to do a Bugs (old and new) Tour ==<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bugs.dwscoalition.org/show_bug.cgi?id=XX">Bug XX</a>: SUMMARY<br />
Category:<br />
Reported on DATE by <user name="NAME"><br />
Severity and Priority:<br />
Status: assigned to/unassigned<br />
Description:<br />
<br />
Then, make a post to <dwuser>dw_dev</dwuser> tagged "code tour". The time to do these is generally Monday, so they can be included in the <dwuser>dw_news</dwuser> update.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Development]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Volunteerism.pngFile:Volunteerism.png2009-11-24T05:57:24Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: studies have shown that participation in #dw may result in volunteerism in test subjects.
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: studies have shown that participation in #dw may result in volunteerism in test subjects.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Projectteam.pngFile:Projectteam.png2009-11-24T05:56:38Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: studies have shown that participating in #dw may result in blacking out and discovering, when you come to, that you've agreed to lead a DW project team.
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: studies have shown that participating in #dw may result in blacking out and discovering, when you come to, that you've agreed to lead a DW project team.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Nsfb.pngFile:Nsfb.png2009-11-24T05:55:29Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: #dw is not only occasionally NSFW, it's occasionally Not Safe For Brain...
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: #dw is not only occasionally NSFW, it's occasionally Not Safe For Brain...<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Unfunnywarnings.pngFile:Unfunnywarnings.png2009-11-24T05:54:35Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: studies have shown that #dw causes you to be unable to think up funny or clever warnings
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: studies have shown that #dw causes you to be unable to think up funny or clever warnings<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Labrats.pngFile:Labrats.png2009-11-24T05:53:17Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: studies have shown that #dw causes loss of time and mad laughter in lab rats.
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: studies have shown that #dw causes loss of time and mad laughter in lab rats.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/File:Entirelife.pngFile:Entirelife.png2009-11-24T05:52:08Z<p>MissKat: Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser>
Warning: #dw is capable of eating your entire day. In fact, #dw is capable of eating your entire life.
Category: Dreamwidth Icons</p>
<hr />
<div>Icon title, by <dwuser>zarhooie</dwuser><br />
<br />
Warning: #dw is capable of eating your entire day. In fact, #dw is capable of eating your entire life.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Dreamwidth Icons]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Talk:Bug_Report_Workflow_(Support)Talk:Bug Report Workflow (Support)2009-08-09T00:56:48Z<p>MissKat: </p>
<hr />
<div>In LJ support, when there's something in the public board that needs senior support to move it off, one of the accepted protocols is to holler in support IRC for the attention of someone who has the ability to move out of the category that the thing is in, and then pass the link to them in PM, without linking to it in the main channel. The rationale for this policy is so that a) fewer volunteers who have no Need To Know will see the private information, and b) if anyone not of the support community happens to have joined channel, they will have less of a chance of seeing it. <br />
<br />
[[User:Azurelunatic|Azurelunatic]] 05:49, 15 April 2009 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Proposed workflow (very very very beta)<br />
<br />
Bugs<br />
<br />
* It's okay to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it. <br />
* If you're going to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it, make sure it's in Bugzilla first. <br />
* If something's broken and it's not in Bugzilla yet, take ownership of getting it in there if you're going to answer the request. If you need help with Bugzilla, contact an SH or a developer for help. If you can't find anyone to help you, leave an IC saying that it's not in 'zilla and you had trouble putting it in there.<br />
* Set expectations accordingly. If something's prioritized for the next milestone, you can tell the user that. If something hasn't been prioritized yet, tell the user that the developers are aware of the issue but there is not an estimated time frame for when it will be resolved.<br />
* Remember that everyone uses the service in different ways. If the user is asking how to do something that you think is a "wrong" use, it's probably not; it's just a use that we haven't thought of yet. You may want to point the user towards Suggestions or dw_coolhunters<br />
* The workflow with bugs is as follows:<br />
o User reports a bug.<br />
o Try to replicate.<br />
+ If you can't replicate, see if anyone else can replicate.<br />
# If someone else can replicate, look it up in Bugzilla.<br />
# If no one else can replicate, tell the user and request more information.<br />
+ If you can replicate, then look it up in Bugzilla.<br />
o If the bug is in Bugzilla, leave an Internal Comment (IC) with the bug URL, and then tell the user that we know about it and are working to resolve it. Give a timeframe if appropriate.<br />
o If the bug is NOT in Bugzillla, put it in Bugzilla. Continue with previous workflow.<br />
o If the user is reporting strange behavior but you're not sure if it's a bug, ask one of the Triumvirate for help.<br />
* Bonus points (of the imaginary non-high-scores variety) to be awarded for anyone who does their own research on a bug. If you run into trouble, ask for help. Be sure to document what steps you took. ICs are useful for this.<br />
* See the More Info Needed section for ways to get more info about a bug from a user.<br />
* In general, we do not provide links to Bugzilla for normal users. It can be confusing and also may lead to zilla spam. If they display a Clue or mention Bugzilla in their request, then you can link to zilla.<br />
<br />
Written by Kat, looked over by no one.</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Talk:Bug_Report_Workflow_(Support)Talk:Bug Report Workflow (Support)2009-08-09T00:55:17Z<p>MissKat: </p>
<hr />
<div>In LJ support, when there's something in the public board that needs senior support to move it off, one of the accepted protocols is to holler in support IRC for the attention of someone who has the ability to move out of the category that the thing is in, and then pass the link to them in PM, without linking to it in the main channel. The rationale for this policy is so that a) fewer volunteers who have no Need To Know will see the private information, and b) if anyone not of the support community happens to have joined channel, they will have less of a chance of seeing it. <br />
<br />
[[User:Azurelunatic|Azurelunatic]] 05:49, 15 April 2009 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Proposed workflow (very very very beta)<br />
<br />
Bugs<br />
<br />
* It's okay to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it. <br />
<br />
* If you're going to tell someone that something's broken and that we're working on fixing it, make sure it's in Bugzilla first. <br />
<br />
* If something's broken and it's not in Bugzilla yet, take ownership of getting it in there if you're going to answer the request. If you need help with Bugzilla, contact an SH or a developer for help. If you can't find anyone to help you, leave an IC saying that it's not in 'zilla and you had trouble putting it in there.<br />
<br />
* Set expectations accordingly. If something's prioritized for the next milestone, you can tell the user that. If something hasn't been prioritized yet, tell the user that the developers are aware of the issue but there is not an estimated time frame for when it will be resolved.<br />
<br />
* Remember that everyone uses the service in different ways. If the user is asking how to do something that you think is a "wrong" use, it's probably not; it's just a use that we haven't thought of yet. You may want to point the user towards Suggestions or dw_coolhunters<br />
* The workflow with bugs is as follows:<br />
o User reports a bug.<br />
o Try to replicate.<br />
+ If you can't replicate, see if anyone else can replicate.<br />
# If someone else can replicate, look it up in Bugzilla.<br />
# If no one else can replicate, tell the user and request more information.<br />
+ If you can replicate, then look it up in Bugzilla.<br />
o If the bug is in Bugzilla, leave an Internal Comment (IC) with the bug URL, and then tell the user that we know about it and are working to resolve it. Give a timeframe if appropriate.<br />
o If the bug is NOT in Bugzillla, put it in Bugzilla. Continue with previous workflow.<br />
o If the user is reporting strange behavior but you're not sure if it's a bug, ask one of the Triumvirate for help.<br />
* Bonus points (of the imaginary non-high-scores variety) to be awarded for anyone who does their own research on a bug. If you run into trouble, ask for help. Be sure to document what steps you took. ICs are useful for this.<br />
* See the More Info Needed section for ways to get more info about a bug from a user.<br />
* In general, we do not provide links to Bugzilla for normal users. It can be confusing and also may lead to zilla spam. If they display a Clue or mention Bugzilla in their request, then you can link to zilla.</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2009-05-16T20:12:09Z<p>MissKat: /* Support/IRC-Specific */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) <br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html That'll get you bees.]) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. (FAQ not yet available; link to it when it is.) (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) <br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy.) <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #zilch. For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 1d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; ffs: For F-ck's Sake<br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the F***"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: A priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be launched/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See the Support/IRC section for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The F---", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff.bml Staff Page]<br />
<br />
;Brad: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
=Support/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there.) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the Basshunter song "Boten Anna", about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna. <br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. Fictional character, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD. <br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine; the Dreamwidth owners and their spice. (DW Support shorthand.) <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; pillowfort: refers to the secret hiding place of the Triumvirate + pony<br />
<br />
; Rahversation: refers to a conversation involving Rah (<dwuser>denise</dwuser>). Coined by <dwuser>ysobel</dwuser><br />
<br />
; The Triumvirate: refers to the current support wranglers: Domtheknight (The Bug-Squashing Boots), zarhooie (The Tact Hat) and chemicallace (The All-Purpose Boa). The Triumvirate + Pony is the Triumvirate with the addition of the Froot Loop Pony, also known as ysobel.<br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware.</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2009-05-16T20:10:02Z<p>MissKat: /* Support/IRC-Specific */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) <br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html That'll get you bees.]) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. (FAQ not yet available; link to it when it is.) (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) <br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy.) <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #zilch. For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 1d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; ffs: For F-ck's Sake<br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the F***"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: A priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be launched/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See the Support/IRC section for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The F---", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff.bml Staff Page]<br />
<br />
;Brad: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
=Support/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there.) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the Basshunter song "Boten Anna", about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna. <br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. Fictional character, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD. <br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine; the Dreamwidth owners and their spice. (DW Support shorthand.) <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; pillowfort: refers to the secret hiding place of the Triumvirate + pony<br />
<br />
; Rahversation: refers to a conversation involving Rah (<user name="denise">). Coined by <user name="ysobel"><br />
<br />
; The Triumvirate: refers to the current support wranglers: Domtheknight (The Bug-Squashing Boots), zarhooie (The Tact Hat) and chemicallace (The All-Purpose Boa). The Triumvirate + Pony is the Triumvirate with the addition of the Froot Loop Pony, also known as ysobel.<br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware.</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/IRCIRC2009-05-15T02:07:29Z<p>MissKat: /* Channels */</p>
<hr />
<div>* The server is <tt>irc.dreamwidth.org</tt><br />
* The main channel is: [irc://irc.dreamwidth.org/dw #dw]<br />
* The mentoring channel is: [irc://irc.dreamwidth.org/dw_kindergarten #dw_kindergarten]<br />
* If you need more information on how this all works, see [[IRC help]].<br />
* [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/ IRC quote database]<br />
* No idea what people in IRC are saying? [[Common Jargon]]<br />
<br />
== Bots ==<br />
<br />
=== Figment ===<br />
<br />
Figment has several different features, and will answer to "Figment" or "Fig" interchangeably, as well as "Infobot" and "Bit". <br />
<br />
==== Infobot ====<br />
<br />
There is a DW-specific infobot in the channel named Figment; the commands to use him are:<br />
<br />
; '''infobot, ''<x>'' is ''<y>'''''<br />
: This is how you ask Figment to remember a factoid ''<x>''. For example, you might say:<br />
infobot, wiki is http://wiki.dwscoalition.org/notes/<br />
: which would ask him to remember that the factoid "wiki" was the URL to Dreamwidth's development wiki. This command works only in PM. You can ask him to recall a factoid with the command below.<br />
<br />
; '''infobot, ''<x>'''''<br />
: This asks Figment to recall a factoid that was previously remembered. You can use this in channel or in PM.<br />
<br />
; '''infobot, no, ''<x>'' is ''<y>'''''<br />
: If Figment already knows a factoid when you try to ask him to remember one, he'll tell you that he already knows it and he won't remember the new definition. This command tells him to change the factoid to the new definition anyway. This command works only in PM.<br />
<br />
; '''infobot, forget ''<x>'''''<br />
: This asks Figment to forget the factoid ''<x>''. This command works only in PM.<br />
<br />
You can use "info," instead of "infobot," for any of these commands if you wish.<br />
<br />
==== Bit ====<br />
<br />
Ask Bit a yes or no question, or ask Bit to pick between comma-separated options. Bit will choose! <br />
<br />
; '''Bit, tally ''' will make Bit give a tally of the yes and no answers since the last time Bit was rebooted. <br />
<br />
<br />
==== Support-bot ==== <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, green'''<br />
: This asks Figment to retrieve the stats on the support requests without approved answers. <br />
<br />
Figment functions like Anna for a support-bot, for those who are familiar with Anna. <br />
<br />
These may be addressed to "Fig" as well. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, tags'''<br />
: This asks Figment to retrieve the bracketed tags in the subjects of support requests. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, stars'''<br />
: This asks Figment to retrieve a list of categories that have reached their defined thresholds. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, be Goat'''<br />
: Figment will give the green count in Goat style. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, points <x>'''<br />
: Figment will give the number of support points for the given user or category, or (if not user or category is given) the total number of points available on the board if one were to leave an approved answer for all the open questions right now. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, stale'''<br />
: Figment will give stats on the requests that have been open longest. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, recent'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, recenttags'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, kittens'''<br />
: Figment will give a list of the categories that are under their defined thresholds. (Categories = cats = small cats = kittens) <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, random'''<br />
: Figment will give a random support request, optionally within a given category. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, search'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, stats'''<br />
<br />
==== Others ====<br />
<br />
These may be addressed to "Fig" as well. <br />
<br />
; '''Figment, countdown <time> <timezone>'''<br />
: Gives the time remaining until the specified time. '''fig, countdown 9pm EDT'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, gmt'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, is DW up?'''<br />
: Asks Figment to check if DW is up. "up" can be replaced with "down" synonymously.<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, math'''<br />
<br />
; '''Figment, twitter <x>'''<br />
: Reports the last tweet posted by a Twitter user. Defaults to @[http://twitter.com/dreamwidth dreamwidth] if no username is given.<br />
<br />
=== hEll bot ===<br />
<br />
You can feed items to hell. When an item is fed to hell, hell will most likely spew out random items it has consumed.<br />
<br />
; <b>feed <x> to hell</b><br />
; /me <b>feeds <x> to hell</b><br />
: This feeds an item to Hell. Hell will probably at this point in time spew out one or two items it has been holding. It may also burp and not expel anything new.<br />
<br />
: (Hell recognises a number of synonyms for "feed". The current list is "feed", "send", "damn", "punt", "toss", "smite", "condemn", "hurl", "throw" and "kick". These can also be used in their equivalent form as part of a /me - for example, "/me damns <x> to hell".)<br />
; <b>hell, tally</b><br />
: This tells you how many items hell is currently holding. <br />
<br />
Hell does not have a search function, so the only way to know what is in hell at any given time is to have kept track (or ask hell's minder). <br />
<br />
There is a separate level of hell for every channel that hell is in, so objects that are fed to it in its testing channel will not re-emerge in #dw, and vice versa. <br />
<br />
The rumor that hell is sentient is just that: a rumor. Really. We swear. ...We hope.<br />
<br />
=== Bugsy ===<br />
<br />
Bugsy is a bot that notifies the channel when bugs are opened, closed, or receive patches. It will also bring up more information about any bug that you link to in channel.<br />
<br />
; '''bug <x>''' said in channel, anywhere in the sentence, will result in Bugsy linking the bug in question. <br />
<br />
;'''@<x>'''<br />
: when starting a line with this, it does something, mostly Bugsy telling you that it wasn't a valid command (if you say "@denise that was awesome", for example).<br />
<br />
=== Nagios === <br />
<br />
[http://www.nagios.org/ Nagios] is a bot that pages Mark when the site is down. Or up.<br />
<br />
Not to be mistaken for '''_nagios_''', who is usually D being Very Silly at Mark's expense.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Temporary === <br />
<br />
<strike>; '''!openbeta''' <br />
: For a limited time only, <dwuser>exor674</dwuser> is running a script with a countdown to Open Beta.</strike> Open Beta has started! This is no longer available.<br />
<br />
== Channels == <br />
<br />
<br />
=== #dw === <br />
<br />
General Dreamwidth chatter, including owners, developers, support, and cheerleaders. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== #dw_antispam === <br />
<br />
For the anti-spam team. Currently fairly quiet. <br />
<br />
=== #dw_docs ===<br />
<br />
For discussing documentation.<br />
<br />
=== #dw_kindergarten === <br />
<br />
Intensive developer training; often quiet until someone asks a question. <br />
<br />
=== #dw_nsfw === <br />
<br />
What it says on the can. For the NSFW discussions that sometimes pop up in #dw<br />
<br />
=== #dw_ops ===<br />
<br />
Mark, Denise, and Nagios the Annoying Wonder Bot. <br />
<br />
=== #dw_styles ===<br />
<br />
For discussing the styles system.<br />
<br />
=== #dw_support ===<br />
<br />
For support-types to hang out, ask questions, and learn.<br />
<br />
=== #dw_tmi === <br />
<br />
For medical discussion and any of those generally interesting but actually occasionally a little gross discussions that sometimes start up. <br />
<br />
=== #dw_work === <br />
<br />
A development/support/testing-focused channel without side-chatter. <br />
<br />
<br />
=== #acrobot === <br />
<br />
For games of Acrophobia. <br />
<br />
=== #figment === <br />
<br />
Testing channel for Figment<br />
<br />
=== #hell === <br />
<br />
Testing channel for the hellbot. <br />
<br />
=== #zilch === <br />
<br />
For playing Zilch. <br />
<br />
[[Category: Community]]</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2009-05-15T01:59:22Z<p>MissKat: /* Support/IRC-Specific */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) <br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html That'll get you bees.]) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. (FAQ not yet available; link to it when it is.) (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) <br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy.) <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #zilch. For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 1d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; ffs: For F-ck's Sake<br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the F***"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: A priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be launched/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See the Support/IRC section for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The F---", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff.bml Staff Page]<br />
<br />
;Brad: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
=Support/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there.) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the Basshunter song "Boten Anna", about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna. <br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. Fictional character, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD. <br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine; the Dreamwidth owners and their spice. (DW Support shorthand.) <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; pillowfort: refers to the secret hiding place of the Triumvirate + pony<br />
<br />
; The Triumvirate: refers to the current support wranglers: Domtheknight (The Bug-Squashing Boots), zarhooie (The Tact Hat) and chemicallace (The All-Purpose Boa). The Triumvirate + Pony is the Triumvirate with the addition of the Froot Loop Pony, also known as ysobel.<br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware.</div>MissKat//wiki.dreamwidth.net/wiki/index.php/Common_JargonCommon Jargon2009-05-14T23:32:03Z<p>MissKat: /* Support/IRC-Specific */</p>
<hr />
<div>The Dreamwidth project has some jargon in common use that may not be familiar to the general public. While these are not official terms that you should know, or necessarily Dreamwidth-specific, general explanations or definitions may be helpful. <br />
<br />
=Words= <br />
<br />
; BNF: Big Name Fan. All the conflicting definitions seem to boil down to "a fan who is (very) famous within fandom". (From Western science fiction/fantasy book & media fandom.) <br />
<br />
; cat macros: Images of cats with funny captions. Sometimes used as a form of protest and/or mockery. (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; earworm: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm a song that gets stuck in your head]. See <dwcomm>earworm</dwcomm> and <dwcomm>earwormhole</dwcomm>. <br />
<br />
; fandom: A general term for a community of people who are fans of things, such as "sports fandom", or "Star Trek fandom". When used without qualification, it often (but not always) refers to Western science fiction and fantasy book and media fandom, or a certain subset of same. <br />
<br />
; fisting: A sexual practice that gets mentioned a lot in IRC. [http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/fsfist.htm Probably more information on it than you wanted.] (Inherited habit from LJ Support IRC. <ljuser>burr86</ljuser> may be to blame.) <br />
<br />
; hivemind: Sharing the same brain or thoughts, usually expressed by saying the same thing at the same time. Commonly caused by spending too much time in IRC. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hive_mind General term], popularized in IRC. [http://community.livejournal.com/metaquotes/5989568.html That'll get you bees.]) <br />
<br />
; nipplegate: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; NSFW/NWS: Not Safe For Work / Not Work-Safe. Content that the average boss/mother-in-law might not appreciate. You can mark an entry as NSFW by setting the Age Restriction to Viewer Discretion Advised, and get warned about NSFW entries [http://www.dreamwidth.org/manage/settings/?cat=display by setting your Viewing Adult Content setting to Content Should Be Viewed with Discretion]. (FAQ not yet available; link to it when it is.) (From the internet.) <br />
<br />
; pumpkin time: The time after which one will turn into a pumpkin. Generally a departure time or a bedtime. (Used in IRC, a reference to the Cinderella story.) <br />
<br />
; slash: Fanfiction involving same-sex attraction, sex, or romance. The most restrictive definition would apply this only to sex/romance between two men who are straight or unspecificed in the source text. N00bs sometimes use it to refer to any sexually explicit fanfiction. (From the fanfictiony parts of fandom.) <br />
<br />
; snowflake, special snowflake: Someone who demands special treatment based on their unique circumstances, particularly when their circumstances are not unique, or when they believe themselves to be in an extreme circumstance and are unaware that others have surpassed their record. [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=special%20snowflake Urban Dictionary definition]<br />
<br />
; spoons: Finite physical/mental/emotional resources to handle daily tasks. More: [http://echan.dreamwidth.org/1086.html WTF Spoons]. (From disability advocacy.) <br />
<br />
; strikethrough: A controversial LiveJournal event. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; zilch: An addictive dice-rolling game, with a computer that cheats. Can be found in [[IRC]], in #zilch. For all mentions of Zilch, developers take 1d6 hit to productivity.<br />
<br />
=Abbreviations=<br />
<br />
; afaik: As Far As I Know<br />
<br />
; afk: Away From Keyboard<br />
<br />
; ffs: For F-ck's Sake<br />
<br />
; iawtc: I Agree With This Comment<br />
<br />
; idk: I Don't Know<br />
<br />
; iirc: If I Recall Correctly<br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor. See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; tl,dr: Too Long, Didn't Read. Usually said as either a joke or an insult. Sometimes "written out" or pronounced as Teal Deer.<br />
<br />
; wtf: Often "What the F***"; on Dreamwidth, also "Watch-Trust-Friend"; see Technical <br />
<br />
; ymmv: Your Mileage May Vary; this is my experience or general experience, but yours may be different. ("your mileage may vary" is a disclaimer from auto commercials)<br />
<br />
=Technical= <br />
<br />
; Beta: Contrary to the precedent set by things like Gmail, "beta" actually means "we expect that stuff is going to be broken, that's why it's not out of beta yet". (From geek jargon.) <br />
<br />
; Bikeshed(ding): Descending into increasingly-fine hair-splitting and world-ending pro/con over an issue that's rather small in the grander scheme of the project, particularly in a "push" environment such as e-mail. See [[Bikeshed]]. (From the Open Source technical community.) <br />
<br />
; Blocking Launch: A priority classification status for Dreamwidth bugs. Items that <strong>must</strong> be fixed before Dreamwidth can be launched/considered out of beta. Features that are listed as blocking launch will not be artificially delayed until the time of launch, but launch cannot happen until all of these are fixed/in place. <br />
<br />
; Cacti: A [http://www.cacti.net/ network graphing tool] that Mark uses a lot. <br />
<br />
; ESN: Event-Subscription-Notification, the original development name for what eventually became the inbox/[http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq.bml#notify notification] system. (From LiveJournal developers.) <br />
<br />
; Nagios: A [http://www.nagios.org/ monitoring system] used to advise Mark (and IRC) about whether Dreamwidth is functioning properly. See the Support/IRC section for further info. <br />
<br />
; OpenID: A way for a website to know that you totally are who you claim to be from that other website over there. [http://azurelunatic.livejournal.com/6054113.html An informal explanation.] [http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=62 Dreamwidth OpenID FAQ] (From LiveJournal; Brad developed it!) <br />
<br />
; replicate, cannot replicate, replication: Dreamwidth has two master databases that are supposed to be identical copies of each other. Nagios freaks out when one copy is lagging behind the other. Nagios also cheerfully informs everyone when things are back to normal. <br />
<br />
; RTE: Rich Text Editor, something that lets you add formatting to text as well as just do plain text. Contrast with HTML editor (plain text, although you can type in HTML formatting manually). LJ's RTE gathered a lot of dislike from LJ volunteers. (From internet in general & LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; WTF/Project WTF: Rather than "What The F---", this is Watch-Trust-Friend(s), the project of splitting LiveJournal's original Friends into Watch/Trust (this eventually became Read/Access). (From LiveJournal development and then Dreamwidth development.)<br />
<br />
=People= <br />
<br />
;<dwuser>Mark</dwuser>: Mark Smith is one half of the founding team of Dreamwidth. He is also known as <dwuser>xb95</dwuser>.<br />
;<dwuser>Denise</dwuser>: Denise Paolucci is one half of the founding team of the site. She is known as Rahaeli or rah on IRC. She is also known as D and <dwuser>synecdochic</dwuser>.<br />
<br />
; [http://www.dreamwidth.org/site/staff.bml Staff Page]<br />
<br />
;Brad: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick Brad Fitzpatrick] is the original creator of LiveJournal. While he is not affiliated with the Dreamwidth project, if someone name-drops "Brad", it's probably him. (However, <dwuser>brad</dwuser> is not him.)<br />
<br />
=Support/IRC-Specific=<br />
<br />
; Alton Brown anal nachos: Alton Brown's perhaps unnecessarily fussy [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ultimate-nachos-recipe2/index.html recipe for nachos]. (From IRC. You really had to be there.) <br />
<br />
; Anna: Usually a reference to the Basshunter song "Boten Anna", about an IRC bot named Anna. LJ Support IRC has a support-bot named Anna. <br />
<br />
; bananas: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/1697.html Make like a banana in the presence of ice cream and split!] (Kat got bored)<br />
<br />
; butterfinger: A candy bar or a finger that is buttered. Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.) <br />
<br />
; Cat: Short for Support Category. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; chemla, the: [http://dw-support-training.dreamwidth.org/4161.html a dance]. Not to be confused with Chemla, who is <dwuser>ChemicalLace</dwuser> the volunteer. <br />
<br />
; clocktower: If someone in IRC has 'clocktower' after their name, it means they're pretty mad about something. (From LJ Support IRC, an irreverent reference to crazed campus shooters.) <br />
<br />
; coed(s), invite coed(s): A deliberate misspelling of 'code', as in 'invite code(s)'. (From LiveJournal.) <br />
<br />
; fruit loops: Appropriate-answer silliness. <br />
:<code>[17:31] * ysobel dies giggling. you know, one of these days I really AM going to have to answer a request with gibberish</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <MissKat> Even if she's like "and then the pink sparkley ponies will come and delete all your entries and replace them with froot loops!" I figure it's isa and she must know what she's talking about.</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> OMG PINK SPARKLY PONIES</code><br />
:<code>[17:31] <domtheknight> FRUIT LOOPS</code><br />
:(from IRC) <br />
<br />
; Goat: Usually a reference to a legacy LiveJournal Support bot of that name. <br />
<br />
; Green: a technical support question without an answer (or without an answer that has been reviewed and approved by senior support). (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; jdn: <dwuser>twopointoh</dwuser> & <dwuser>jdn</dwuser>. Fictional character, sometimes shows up in IRC (as jdn). Not to be confused with <dwuser>jd</dwuser>, who is in IRC as JD. <br />
<br />
; Kitten: a support category that has very few requests in it. Wordplay. Support Category = Category = Cat; cat that is very small = kitten. (From LiveJournal support.) <br />
<br />
; MrsJ: Mark, Rah, Sarah, and Janine; the Dreamwidth owners and their spice. (DW Support shorthand.) <br />
<br />
; nagios: In IRC, nick '''nagios''' is the monitoring bot. Various people will change their nicks to '''_nagios_''' or similar variations to make jokes about the bot. [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/137 History of the HEY MARK HEY MARK HEY MARK jokes] See Technical for more information. <br />
<br />
; !pleh: 'Help!' spelled backwards. (From LiveJournal Support.) <br />
<br />
; twix: A candy bar, or a play on words involving "twixt". Mark branched out into [http://qdb.zhzh.org/dw/46 fanfiction]. (From IRC.)<br />
<br />
=Other Resources=<br />
;[http://catb.org/jargon/ Jargon File]: Many words from a gentler, more precise era of technology, although some are still in use today. <br />
;[http://www.urbandictionary.com/ Urban Dictionary]: Let the reader beware.</div>MissKat