Glossary

Internet slang and terminology is constantly evolving within the each online community, and are eventually spread to other communities such as Gaia Online or instant messenger slang.

This page list the most common terms used on Gaia.

0-9
Is a scam term to describe a false rumor stating that a user can receive more gold through a longer post than normal.
 * 14/28g Post

A
This is a title for those who manage the Gaia Online website.
 * Administrator (Admin)

This is a term for a defunct feature that was used in the forum header. A 'shocked_emote.gif' would appear next to a Gaian's avatar as a way to alert them that an event was happening on the page they were currently on. This feature was also used in Towns when giftboxes were implemented into the flashspace as a random event.
 * Alert Bubble

Is a term describe an unnatural price increase of items that normally wouldn't be in demand.
 * Artificial Inflation (AI)

Is a term frequently seen in the Exchange forum. It means the seller has an asking price for an item they want to sell but are willing to negotiate.
 * Asking Price (AP)

Is community session that involves Gaia staff answering questions by Gaians.
 * Ask the Admins /Staff (AtA /AtS)

Is a term frequently seen in the Exchange forum. If a seller has a price on an item for said amount and a buyer offered that price or more then they would 'automatically' get the item.
 * Autobuy (AB)

It is defined as an icon or figure representing a particular person in computer games, Internet forums. They are made to express who exactly a Gaia Online member is.
 * Avatar (Ava /Avi /Avvy)

Is a term frequently seen in forums such as the "Word Games and others" forum. Examples would be the original poster instructing others that post after them to 'make a comment to' or about the last poster. Usually these games consist of "Rate the Avatar above You".
 * Avatar Above You (AAY)

B
Is the act of restricting a user's access to their account. Administrators or Moderators determine when certain user has violated the Terms of Service.
 * Ban(ning) (Banned)

By definition, it is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money. On Gaia it is the unwanted solicitation of a donation.
 * Begging (Begger(s))

Is the term to describe a list that would commonly involve the names of people who are not wanted or barred from a personal thread, thus not being allowed to participate in an event set by the thread creator. This is usually result of breaking a set of rules or to prevent conflicts. Other forms of blacklisting involve listing behaviors that are not acceptable in a thread.
 * Blacklist

Is the act of using a program to automatically refresh pages or perform other actions while the owner is away.
 * Bot(ting) (Botter(s))

Is the act of posting in a thread to make sure it is moved to the top or first page of a forum, this keeps the thread visible for others to view.
 * Bump (Bring Up My Post)

The action of buying an item, frequently rendered to simply "[B]" in an Exchange forum topic.
 * Buying ([B])

C
Is an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Human Apart. This system implemented to the site in order to slow down botters. The Captcha has turned into a bit of an amusing pass time for some Gaians, finding captcha phrases that display certain words, screen capping it and then posting the results in the forums or displaying their find in signatures.
 * CAPTCHA

The name given to the first cash required shop, the La Victoire. This term can be applied to shops where cash is the primary currency in order to purchase an item.
 * Cash Shop (CS)

A Premium Item (container) that generates a random prized item or gold.
 * Chance Item (CI)

Is a term to describe a thread being moved to the Chatterbox forum due to it either being spam or low-content in the previous forum, according to the stickied rules and Moderator decision.
 * Chatterbox'd (CB'd)

Is a made-up slang term for "Congratulations".
 * Congrazzles (Congrazzies)

Is an online action in the form of roleplay in which two or more participants send erotic messages to one another.
 * Cybering (cybersex)

D
The former term given to items that are released for the current month. They are now called Monthly Collectibles.
 * Donation Item (DI)

Is a term to describe an Avatar that is equipped with specific items and a set appearance that a Gaian wants to obtain and achieve.
 * Dream Avatar

E
By definition, it is a person who believes that a system or society should be ruled or dominated by an elite. On Gaia it is viewed as a negative title for those whose wealth or status seem unattainable and unfair for the community as a whole.
 * Elitist(ism)

The term used for graphical icons that are seen in the forums and flash spaces. They are drawn with expressive emotions and are meant to add emphasis to a persons text post.
 * Emoticon (Emote /Smilies)

Is a term that refers to planned community happenings that Gaians can participate in.
 * Event(s)

A unique Premium Item that is set to change or "evolves" in stages over time until its completion.
 * Evolving Item (EI)

F
Is a scam term, it describes the actions of creating an image of an 'egg' during an Easter event and tricking scavengers into clicking on the image.
 * Fake Egg

Is a term for a thread dedicated to a Person, Place, or Thing.
 * Fanthread(s)

Is defined as posting messages that are hostile and insulting. To flamebait is to intentionally provoke an angry response (a "flame") or argument over a topic.
 * Flaming (Flamebait)

Is a term to describe a posting format. This involves a personalized image next to a format of text.
 * Flob (flobbergommer)

A collection of threads pertaining to a general topic or idea.
 * Forum

Formerly titled "Moderator Assistants." They have pink colored names, and are responsible for moving threads to their proper place.
 * Forum Assistant (FA)

G
Was a slang term used to describe a certain style of posting [speaking] displayed by the Gaia community. The term was more prevalent during Gaia Online's early years as Go-Gaia and held a connotation that was both negative and neutral, given that the forum was one of the largest communities around at the time and was always available for the viewing public.
 * Gaiaspeak

Is a term used for Gaia Online's original site characters.
 * Gaia NPC (Non-Playable Character)

Is the term used to describe a user of the Gaia Online website.
 * Gaian

Is a term that uses the combination of Gaia + Anniversary. It is sometimes used for personal reasons to signify a memorable or important date.
 * Gaiaversary

Is a satire character that was created as a reminder (and mocker) about how one can be too passionate to Gaia Online.
 * GCD McSourface

Is defined as the range of characteristics pertaining to, and differentiating between, masculinity and femininity. On Gaia it is a term used to describe the Male and Female avatars physical appearance.
 * Gender (Sex)

Were a form of currency that would be purchased with real money. It could be spent in places such as the Gaia Shops.
 * Gift Credits

Is the primary currency of use on the site. It can be earned through activities and spent in places, such as the Gaia Shops.
 * Gold

This term can be applied to shops where gold is the primary currency in order to purchase an item.
 * Gold Shop (GS)

Is defined as an economic process by which currency (ex. 'gold'), or any item that can be valued against it, is removed.
 * Gold Sink

Is a term used to describe someone who is adamant about the proper use of English grammar and punctuation. These people have no relation to the Third Reich, but the term "nazi" is used to denote the strictness with which they adhere to the proper use of English grammar. The term probably originated from users who do not use proper grammar and disliked others' "fascist" adherence to it, but the term is now used by "Grammar Nazis" themselves as a source of pride.
 * Grammar Nazi

H
Is defined as "unauthorized access to another user's account". See also: Phishing.
 * Hack(er) (Hacking)

I
Is defined as the general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.
 * Inflation

Is internet terminology used to describe a person who posts rude or offensive messages on the Internet, such as on online discussion forums, to disrupt discussion or to upset its participants.
 * Internet Troll

Is the term used for Gaia Online created item works that users can interact with.
 * Item

Are a list of items that are displayed for the viewer. This is done by thumbnail image, by text, or a combination of both. An example of a Item List is when new a Chance Item container is released, and some users are quick to create a lists of items that are gradually released from the container. This gives everyone easy access to the items in a form of order.
 * Item List

J
Is the registered date of an accounts creation.
 * Join Date

K
K is shorthand for thousand. Example: 1,000g can be rendered as 1K.
 * K (kilo)

L
Refers to how the items, such as clothing and accessories, equip to an Avatar. Certain items can go over top of other items, while most items will either unequip when another item is equipped onto it or it may result in a glitch. Some items on Gaia still follow an outdated form of layering, in that certain items that should be the top layer end up being the bottom, when this happens a user will post about the possibilities to change the items layering in order to fix the layering issue.
 * Layering'

Is a term on Gaia that refers to things that have been accidentally made public, such as developing features or unreleased items.
 * Leaks

Is defined as a scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance. On Gaia users create thread lotteries that involve the distribution of gold, items, or artwork.
 * Lottery (Lotto)

Is a term for when a user browses a site and reads other people's posts, but does not post themselves.
 * Lurker (ing)

M
A Giftbox, similar to the Enchanted trunk, is another rare event. It shows up floating across the screen. Once captured it will be sent to the inventory. Once there it can then be opened for a chance to receive an item.
 * Magical Giftbox

Is a thread that consists of edited images using the Storyline Manga or Mini Comics.
 * Manga Mash-Up

Is a number that was assigned to an account upon its registration.
 * Member ID (User ID)

Is a user-made thread created with the goal of reaching one million pages (or more).
 * Million page thread

This is a title for those who manage the Gaia Online forums.
 * Moderator (Mod)

The term given to Premium Items that are released for the current month.
 * Monthly Collectible (MC)

Is a term to describe a secondary account apart from ones main account.
 * Mule

N
Is an informal term for 'naked'. The option to remove an avatars clothing while in dress-up mode. However an Avatar can not be completely nude by default.
 * Nakie (Nekkid)

Is an event term for a user-run holiday on Gaia which requires users to remove the items from their avatar.
 * Nakie Day

Is a term to describe members of a site that have little experience with the site and its history or are a younger generation of person (physically). On Gaia Online the term has been applied to members that joined Gaia in its recent years.
 * Newbie(s)

A term for a character in a role-playing game whose actions are determined by the 'gamemaster' or a character who can not be controlled by said player. NPCs may populate a fictional world of a game. On Gaia, this title is given to their original characters that are featured as shopkeepers, protagonist, antagonists, tertiary characters from items, and interactive characters in zOMG.
 * Non-player character (NPC)

A derogatory name for an inexperienced and/or ignorant or unskilled person. Also used for those who want to be intentionally disruptive.
 * Noob (N00b)

O
Is a term used by oldbie Gaians to describe the earlier years of Gaia Online.
 * Old Gaia

Is a term to describe members of a site that have experience with the site and its history or are an older generation of person (physically). On Gaia Online the term has been applied to members that joined Go-Gaia in '03-'04 (and sometimes early '05).
 * Oldbie(s)

A term of reference for the one who starts a thread.
 * Original Post(er)

P
A set of characters which is used to gain access to an account or to keep personal information inaccessible from others.
 * Password (Pass)

Is defined as the action of requesting confidential information over the Internet under false pretenses in order to fraudulently obtain credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal data.
 * Phishing

This is a feature that formerly appeared when users browsed the forums. A topic link would literally appear in a shade of pink. It has since been replaced with a giftbox version of the same name.
 * Pink Link

Is a feature in the forums that allows users to create voting options and to have those options be selectable by others.
 * Poll

Is a nickname given to those who will answer a poll in a thread just for the gold it gives.
 * Poll whore (PoHo)

Is a feature that is an email-like message which can be sent privately from one user to another.
 * Private Message (PM /Mail)

This term was given to an items individual number. Meaning if there are multiple versions of the same item, then each of them have their own unique number. So while their marketplace URLs are the same their existence as individually owned items are not. This was popularized in 2004 to 2010 and was used as a method to evaluate the amount of items released as well as currency value if there were collectors; the lower the proc number the more value it was stated to have. The procs were assumed to be started at '1000' and would increase from there, so anyone with an item numbered after the first would have the first released item.
 * Proc number

However, developers have stated the numbers are simply randomized.

Is a feature on the site. This personalized page is given to registered accounts. It can be customized to display a summary about a person, their interest, friends, and comments etc.
 * Profiles (Pro)

Is an internet term stemmed from the word 'Prominent' and is used to describe a Gaian who has notable status in the General Discussions forum.
 * Prommie

Is a term commonly seen in the Exchange forum. It is used to describe Gold currency. For example, users will ask for "Pure only," which means they only want gold (no items) for their trades. It is also used when users talk about how much their account is "worth." Someone might say "I have 3400k worth of items and 800k pure, so I'm worth 4200k."
 * Pure

Q
A multiple use term for a series of tasks a user will go through to be rewarded. Types of quest consist of: NPC tutorials, sponsorships tasks, saving up currency to purchase a valuable item, or completing a task in a game.
 * Quest

Is a made-up term used to describe the act of affecting another persons forum status or avatar by simply quoting their post.
 * Quote Transmitted Disease

R
Is a term to describe an event happening in which the user is granted an item from browsing the site.
 * Random event

Is a phrase that often shows up in the Site Feedback forum by frustrated Gaians who want to express their disappoint over a feature or general maintenance of the site.
 * Really Gaia, really?

Is a term used to describe users who frequent a particular forum. In the majority of forums, they are a welcome presence, giving kind and intelligent input. However, some regs are looked upon with disdain, and the term "reg" tends to develop a negative connotation in forums depending on different attitudes of its frequent users.
 * Regular(s) (Reg(s))

Is a feature used for reporting ToS violations.
 * Report

The informer name for a Premium Item (container) that generates a random prized item. They are officially called Chance Item(s).
 * Random Item Generator (RIG)

Is described as the practice of two or more individuals telling a story together, with themselves or characters created by them as the protagonists.
 * Roleplay (RP)

Is the act of staff resetting an aspect of Gaia to how it was on a certain day.
 * Rollback

S
Is defined as a fraudulent business scheme. On Gaia it is a method of cheating a user out of his or her gold, items, or his or her entire Gaia account.
 * Scam(ming)

Is the act or an instance of selling something back that one had previously bought.
 * Sellback

The action of selling an item, frequently rendered to simply "[S]" in an Exchange forum topic.
 * Selling ([S])

Is the title given to Gaia's interactive characters that own a Gaia Shop.
 * Shopkeeper

Is a visible text or image bellow a persons post while they are forums or private message.
 * Signature (Sig /Siggy)

Is a term for a feature that prevents an item(s) from being traded or sold for currency.
 * '''Soulbound

Is a term to describe unsolicited advertising, bumping, or any posts or private messages that do not contribute anything, but rather prevent communication and/or slow down.
 * Spam (Stupid, Pointless and Meaningless)

By definition, they are a group of people employed by a company. On Gaia there are Executives, Administrators, Developers, Artist, and Moderators, etc.
 * Staff

T
Is a term frequently seen in the Exchange forum. If a seller is open to various offers for what they are selling.
 * Taking Offers ([T/O])

Are rules which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Terms of service can also be merely a disclaimer, especially regarding the use of websites.
 * Terms of Service (ToS)

Is a group of messages or postings on forum, all relating to a single topic.
 * Thread

Provoking users by making inflammatory remarks.
 * Troll(ing)

U
Is a name someone chooses to use in order to represent themselves on the internet.
 * Username

V
Is a term for someone who sells something in the marketplace. It basically means 'seller'.
 * Vendor

Is the act of someone buying and selling items on the marketplace to make a profit.
 * Vending

W
Is the term to describe a list that would commonly involve the names of people who are valued in a personal thread. Other forms of whitelisting involve listing behaviors that are acceptable in a thread.
 * Whitelist