Word-a-Day: instant message

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

To complement Saturday's "email":

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instant message
A real-time message sent to a user on an instant messaging
network.  Use "instant messaging" as an adjective.  Do not
hyphenate.  Do not use the abbreviation "IM", except where
space is constrained and the context of instant messaging
is well established.

Do not use the term "instant messenger" for an application,
as this term is strongly associated with a particular
proprietary instant messaging service.  Use the phrase
"instant messaging application" instead.

Do not use "instant message" or "IM" as a verb.  Use the
phrase "send an instant message".
===========================================================

I used "instant messaging network" in the definition of
"instant message", which is not ideal.  Suggestions for
improvement are welcome.

We don't currently have a guideline for this.  Apple does.
They encourage the abbreviation and allow it to be used as
a verb.  Maybe I'm just being old here.

And maybe "instant messenger" is a perfectly good term.
It's just that whenever I hear it, I think of AIM.

In short, dissenting views will not be scoffed. :)

--
Shaun