Learn the Language of Your Community To Connect
Learn the Language of Your Community To Connect
When I'm in court and say, "Objection, 352," the trial judge knows I'm referring to a particular section of the California Evidence Code suggesting that the probative value of a piece of evidence offered by the other side is outweighed by the chance of prejudice. Using this objection, in the proper circumstances, saves time for everyone.
We were at dinner the other night with a neighbor who's an experienced ER doctor. When sharing a funny story about something happening to him with a patient, he talked about the "DX" of a patient. What my friend was referring to is the "diagnosis" of a patent.
Whatever you do for a living, there are abbreviations you make to save time, make a point, and frankly fit into the conversation. Even emojis can help you connect in your online communities but I’ll save that particular post for another time.
Abbreviations Help You Connect
Occupation and community abbreviations are worth your time and effort to learn because they help you relate to others. When used in written and oral conversations, they let the other side know that you respect and understand business or activity lingo and respect the desire of others to communicate in this way.
Just this past week, I became active in a new digital community focusing on leveraging web3 and our networks to do well and help others around the world.
Almost immediately, I needed to figure out what !RISE, OCM, LFG, and Ordinal all mean in a post or during conversations. I spent a few minutes in Discord, on the organization's blog, and on Twitter or X (whatever it's called) to try and understand the meanings of these abbreviations and more. Communicating with other members of the group leveraging these abbreviations helped me to quickly build rapport as I desired to do.
Final Thoughts
By mastering community slang and abbreviations, we tap into a communal ethos, becoming part of a shared understanding that transcends literal definitions and becomes a type of social bonding. These nuanced phrases give us access to the heart of a community, allowing us to connect at a deeper level and communicate more effectively. They serve not merely as efficient shorthands but as cultural signals, embodying a specific group's collective knowledge and context.
Embrace the process and give yourself permission to immerse, explore, and even stumble along the way. It's in these nuanced language patterns where your ability to connect and engage genuinely flourishes.
Until next time, do well while doing good, and never stop making each day your masterpiece.
The new communities I'm enjoying are MetaGood and its web3 component OCM aka OnChainMonkey
!RISE stands for (1) Respect, (2) Integrity, (3) Sustainability, and (4) Enrichment. Regarding LFG, the community is talking about "Let's f***ing go" or getting excited and taking massive action.