Welcome to English as a Second Language.
Podcast number 406 Participating in Internet Discussion Groups.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 406.
Transcription by CastingWords.
The learning guides contain all of the vocabulary definitions, sample sentences, additional definitions, comprehension questions, cultural notes and a complete transcript of everything we say on this episode.
All that is on our website with our learning guides.
This episode is a conversation between Dale and Jesse talking about something which is very popular internet forums or internet discussion groups.
We'll talk about some vocabulary that you will commonly find when you are talking about these kinds of internet groups.
Let's get started.
I didn't know you read that forum.
What's your screen name?
It's Jessie Girl, but I don't post very often.
I like to lurk and follow the different threads, but I prefer to keep a low profile.
Really?
I post all the time.
I just put my new web address on my profile.
And check this out.
It's my new avatar.
That's cool.
I've been trying to figure out how to upload a picture for my avatar.
Are there instructions in the FAQs?
I'm not sure, but I can show you how to do it.
Have you been following the thread about the presidential campaign?
Why is that?
Oh, really?
Really?
Yeah, he started posting replies, writing in all caps, and letting people have it.
He quoted people out of context and attacked them.
What a jerk.
Yeah, that guy sounds like a jerk.
Never mind.
Our dialogue begins with Dale saying, I didn't know you read that forum.
What's your screen name?
A forum is another name for an internet discussion group where people write on a website and communicate about a particular topic.
Your screen name is usually a short message or combination of letters and numbers that someone uses to identify him or herself.
Many people don't want to use their real names, so they come up with these screen names that they use instead.
Jessie responds by saying It's Jessie Girl, meaning her screen name is Jessie Girl.
She says i don't post very often.
To post means to put text or photographs or video or something else on a website.
For example, i post to our blog our esl podcast blog about once a week.
You can post a comment to our blog posts whenever you'd like.
The word post has several different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
Jesse says, I like to lurk, L-U-R-K, and follow different threads.
To lurk L-U-R-K and in a forum or discussion group means that you go to the forum, you go to the website and you read what other people have written, but you don't participate yourself.
You don't post anything, any messages yourself.
To lurk in general means to be sort of hiding so that no one can see you, but you're observing.
This is a case where we use that verb to mean you read, but you don't reply, you don't post.
A thread, T-H-R-E-A-D, in an internet forum is a group of messages that are responses to each other.
They're a group of related messages.
We can also use this word more generally.
For example, someone says Meaning.
I don't quite understand the meaning.
How different things are connected to each other.
Thread as a noun is what you use in clothing to keep the clothing together, to keep different parts of the clothing together.
For example, on a shirt there are sleeves that go over the arms and those are probably connected or attached to the rest of the shirt using thread.
But thread here means a group of connected messages.
Jesse says that she prefers to keep a low profile.
To keep a low profile means to act in a way so that other people don't pay very much attention to you, don't notice you.
I'm going to keep a low profile.
I'm going to make sure people don't interest themselves in me.
Dale says, really?
I post all the time.
I just put my new web address on my profile and check this out.
It's my new avatar.
So Dale says he posts a lot.
He put his new website, his web address, on his profile.
A profile is a small collection of information about a person or perhaps a company.
In many websites, you can see other people's profiles.
You can see what they've said about themselves, perhaps their age, where they live, and so forth.
An avatar.
A-V-A-T-A-R is a small picture that represents a person on a website, usually something that you create or you select.
And so you'll see your name, and then underneath you'll see an avatar.
Most forums don't require an avatar, but people like to put pictures of themselves or their cats or other imaginary beings as their avatar.
I don't think I've ever used an avatar, but it's popular among many people on internet forums.
Jesse says, that's cool.
I've been trying to figure out how to upload a picture for my avatar.
To upload means to transfer files from your computer to a website.
Jesse says, are there instructions in the FAQs or the frequently asked questions?
Most websites have an FAQ or frequently asked questions page.
It's a list of the most common questions that people ask about a website or a product that is on the website, and it gives the answers.
It's the first place you look on a website for help if there's something you don't understand.
Dale says, I'm not sure.
I'm not sure if there are instructions in the FAQs, but I can show you how to do it.
Have you been following the thread about the presidential campaign?
Notice the use of the verb follow, to follow the thread.
We said earlier that you could use that in a conversation.
I'm not following the thread of your conversation.
We also use it in Internet discussion groups.
To follow a thread means to be reading all of the messages about a particular topic that are related to each other.
Jesse says, yes, I had been.
I was following it until today.
Dale says, why's that?
Meaning, what is the reason?
Why?
Jesse says I stopped reading when this one guy with the screen name Big Man started to flame everybody, saying that anyone who didn't agree with him is an idiot.
This is what I think, of course.
It's what we all think, that we're right about everything.
To flame F-L-A-M-E means to send a message or post a note that is considered rude impolite, angry.
It's a not very nice thing you say about someone else.
Often it's a personal attack on a person.
Flame has a couple of different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
So Jesse stopped following this thread because there was someone who was flaming everybody.
Dale says, oh really?
Jesse says, yeah.
He started posting replies, writing in all caps and letting people have it.
A reply is a response, an answer to a message.
Caps, C-A-P-S, refers to capital letters, what we sometimes call uppercase letters.
Usually you just use caps or a capital letter to begin a sentence or a name.
But if you type in all caps, many people on the Internet think that's like shouting.
Instead of using upper and lower case letters, you use all capital letters, all uppercase letters, all caps.
It's considered a little angry or impolite on an internet forum.
To let people have it.
To let someone have it means to show someone that you are angry with him or her, usually by yelling or shouting.
I let him have it means I shouted at him, I yelled at him, I told him I was angry.
Jesse says this person quoted people out of context and attacked them.
What a jerk.
To quote someone means to repeat what someone else has said.
That's very common on internet forums.
Out of context here means taking information and eliminating or leaving out the surrounding information, the information that tells you what it really means.
So you take one small thing a person said and you remove it from the comments around it.
That would make it seem sensible or logical, and And you use that quote to attack someone, to imply that they have a different meaning.
Dale says, yeah, that guy sounds like a jerk, a bad guy.
Jesse says, hey, what did you say your screen name was?
Jesse's wondering what Dale's screen name was.
And Dale says, never mind.
Never mind is a phrase used to show that something is not important and should be forgotten.
Of course.
Perhaps Dale is this big man, this person who was flaming other people and he didn't want to admit that to his friend Jesse.
I certainly hope you don't flame anyone on your internet forums if you participate in them.
I don't generally participate in internet forums, but some people really love them and find they are a good way to connect to other people.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
I didn't know you read that forum.
What's your screen name?
It's Jessie Girl, but I don't post very often.
I like to lurk and follow the different threads, but I prefer to keep a low profile.
Really?
I post all the time.
I just put my new web address on my profile and check this out.
It's my new avatar.
That's cool.
I've been trying to figure out how to upload a picture for my avatar.
Are there instructions in the FAQs?
I'm not sure, but I can show you how to do it.
Have you been following the threat about the presidential campaign?
Why's that?
Oh, really?
Yeah, he started posting replies, writing in all caps, and letting people have it.
He quoted people out of context and attacked them.
What a jerk.
Yeah, that guy sounds like a jerk.
Hey, what did you say your screen name is?
Never mind.
The script for this episode was by Dr. Lucy Say, who likes to keep a low profile.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thanks for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2008.
