Say What? Five Old Words With New Meanings

 Technology is changing our vocabulary. It's got us writing in shorthand (OMG, I'm ROTFL!), and it's given us new meanings for lots of words. When I was a kid, tag was something I played outside. Today it's how I track friends and family photos on Facebook.

As you look at productivity solutions in the cloud for your business, you're bound to come across many more terms with newly coined definitions. Here is a list of words that we've compiled to help you better understand what Office 365 delivers:

1. Cloud:  A way that computer programs and services are delivered over the Internet to a device such as your PC or mobile phone rather than via software in a box. Phrases such as "web-based," "cloud-based" or software-as-a-service (SaaS) basically mean the same thing.
2. Virtual Community:  This is a group of people who share information in online locations, such as a forum. The Office 365 Community website is an active portal with blogs, wikis, a forum and troubleshooting page. Here you can interact with product experts at Microsoft and other Office 365 users including customers and partners.
3. Kiosk:  Kiosk Workers are "deskless", shift, or retail store workers who use shared computers. Learn how New Belgium Brewing, an Office 365 customer, supports its deskless workers.
4. Presence:  Presence tells people your online availability. For instance, if you're in a meeting, your "presence" status is red, indicating that you're busy. You can learn more about different ways to manage your Presence with Microsoft Lync, and how it's integrated into the Office 365 services here.
5. Dashboard:  Similar to what's in your car, a dashboard is a single display that shows the status of all Office 365 services and tools in real time. You'll also see this referred to as an administration user interface. Watch a video about Office 365 administration to learn more.

So let's hear it - what other words have taken on a new life with technology? Share your ideas in the comments below.

TAFN!