www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/kidtalk.mspx
Netiquette 101 * * Graphic of computer slang characters While it's important to respect your children's privacy, understanding wh at your teenager's online slang means and how to decipher it is importan t as you help guide their online experience. While it has many nicknames , information-age slang is commonly referred to as leetspeek, or leet fo r short. Leet (a vernacular form of "elite") is a specific type of compu ter slang where a user replaces regular letters with other keyboard char acters to form words phoneticallycreating the digital equivalent of pig Latin with a twist of hieroglyphics. Leet words can be expressed in hundreds of ways using different substitut ions and combinations, but once one understands that nearly all characte rs are formed as phonemes and symbols, leetspeek isn't difficult to tran slate. Key points for learning leetspeek Numbers are often used as letters. The term "leet" could be written as "1 337," with "1" replacing the letter L, "3" posing as a backwards letter E, and "7" resembling the letter T "0" (zero) will typically replace th e letter "O." Characters of similar appearance can be used to replace the letters they resemble. Using "Z" for a final letter S, and "X" for words ending in the letters C or K is common. For example, leetspeekers might refer to their computer "5x1 llz" (skills). Many leetspeekers will capitalize eve ry letter except for vowels (LiKe THiS) and otherwise reject conventiona l English style and grammar. Common typing misspellings (or typos) suc h as "teh" instead of "the" are left uncorrected and may be adopted to r eplace the correct spelling. Non-alphanumeric characters may be combined to form letters. For example, using slashes to create "/\/\" can substitute for the letter M, and two pipes combined with a hyphen to form "|-|" is often used in place of th e letter H Thus, the word "ham" could be written as "|-|4/\/\." It's important to remember that the leetspeek community encourages new fo rms and awards individual creativity, resulting in a dynamic written lan guage that eludes conformity or consistency. The following is a sample of key words that haven't change d fundamentally (although variations occur) since the invention of leets peek. The first series is of particular concern, as their use could be a n indicator that your teenager is involved in the theft of intellectual property, particularly licensed software. Leet words possibly indicating illegal activity: "warez" or "w4r3z": Illegally copied software available for download. "sploitz" (short for exploits): Vulnerabilities in computer software used by hackers. "pwn": A typo-deliberate version of own, a slang term that means to domin ate. This could also be spelled "0\/\/n3d" or "pwn3d," among other varia tions.
Online video game bullies or "griefers" often use this term. Other common leet words: "kewl": A common derivation of "cool." "m4d sk1llz" or "mad skills": Refers to one's own talent. "n00b," "noob," "newbie," or "newb": Combinations synonymous with new use r Some leetspeekers view "n00b" as an insult and "newbie" as an affecti onate term for new users. "w00t" or the smiley character \o/: A common interjection, analogous to " woohoo!" "rox0rs" Used in place of "rocks," typically to describe something impres sive. "d00d": Replaces the greeting or addressing someone as a "dude." "ph": often replaces "f," as in "phear" for "fear" (as in "ph34r my l33t skillz") and vice versa, such as spelling "phonetic" as "f0|\|371(."
|
http://csua.com/feed/