5 ms·

I just googled Mastodon, and I think you're right. Now I'm going to go tweet about it.

by dsabanin 5y ago

TulliusCicero 5y ago
Even when 'google' as a verb was brand new, I don't remember it sounding awkward.
- jjtheblunt 5y ago
  and "go ogle" actually has the approximate meaning that "google" took on as a verb (phrase).
- Blikkentrekker 5y ago
  I don't find “to toot” sound any stranger than “to tweet”.
  - imwillofficial 5y ago
    In the US, “toot” is not only a word used for something you might do with a horn. It also means “a fart.” A hilariously bad name if your humor is like that of a child. (Mine is)
    - wombatpm 5y ago
      My wife, exasperated at our two teenaged boys, asked me if men ever outgrow fart jokes. I laughed, said maybe, then asked her to pull my finger. Though when primed with the word Mastodon, I did think of the large trunk and a cartoon-like trumpeting of that trunk. Right after thinking how my grandmother would call her farts toots.
      - xnyan 5y ago
        Fart jokes have always been found funny at all age and maturity levels. Even Martin Luther made fart jokes: "When the argument that the Christian is without the law and above the law doesn’t help, I instantly chase him away with a fart."
        tesseract 5y ago
        The oldest known recorded joke, from ancient Sumeria, is a fart joke.
        bobthechef 5y ago
        Don't forget Mozart. He even went further with his shit jokes (it was a family affair).[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_and_scatology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_and_scatology
    - userbinator 5y ago
      A horn played badly also sounds like farting, so perhaps that's where the second meaning came from.
  - the_lonely_road 5y ago
    Toot is a sophomoric word for passing flatulence in the US. So hearing “to toot” summons the mental connection of farting which any marketing person on here will probably tell you people don’t want to be associated with their product.
    - bobthechef 5y ago
      Indeed. This isn't a question of maturity as some rather bizarre comments in that issue claim. The word is just phonetically and pragmatically asinine. Pick a word that isn't associated with comical bodily noises like "choochoo". Would anyone join a service where you "choochoo" at people? It sounds stupid and infantile. "Tweet" is bad enough. "Toot" goes further.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - octopoc 5y ago
    "toot" means "fart" where I'm from. Imagine a social network where they referred to posts by users as "farts". "Your fart was shared by 230 of your followers." "This fart is NSFW" "This fart has been promoted" "Pin this fart to the top of your feed" It does seem like a poor choice of words. Tweeting on the other hand didn't have a negative connotation until Twitter became what it is today and gave it a negative connotation.
    - fernandotakai 5y ago
      fun fact: that was kind of the plot of a letterkenny episode, called "Fartbook", from season 1. it's really good! https://letterkenny.fandom.com/wiki/Fartbook https://letterkenny.fandom.com/wiki/Fartbook
      - lc9er 5y ago
        That’s a Texas-sized 10-4 buddy!
    - Ntrails 5y ago
      There is a concept, on forums, of shitposting. There are common expressions such as "chatting shit" for unverified speculation or "shooting the shit" to mean talking about nothing and everything. I suspect most of the content on Mastodon, like twitter, is shit. The choice of words seems appropriate.
- selfhoster11 5y ago
  The difference is that "google" and "tweet" are something the general public is used to, whereas "toot" is not.
munk-a 5y ago
I actually just finished twatting about it. Talk about naming things in a cringey - these folks should think through all the verb tenses first.
- npteljes 5y ago
  The past form would be tweeted, no?
  - munk-a 5y ago
    For a while I believe that there was a push by twitter for it to be "twittered" but it's a made up word so we can craft our own tenses. To most english speakers tweet having a past tense of twat is perfectly reasonable (unless you're british but enjoy how quickly you speeded over this comment). Companies use BS word creation as a way to get around trademark collision and validity concerns but I strongly dislike the habit of making new words up so you can get an easy registration. I think it's perfectly legitimate to counter their BS with our own BS shaming them over their easy out and I'd encourage other folks to follow in suit. So, until the end of time, the name of that console is the X-Bone. When you're naming a thing you should be careful and deliberate in your process - generally coincidences will work against you, though you might get lucky and pull a Kit-Kat[1]. 1. https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/the-kit-kat-in-japan-a-transliteration-success/ https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/the-kit-kat-in-japan-a-trans...

I just googled Mastodon, and I think you're right. Now I'm going to go tweet about it.

TulliusCicero 5y ago

Even when 'google' as a verb was brand new, I don't remember it sounding awkward.

jjtheblunt 5y ago
and "go ogle" actually has the approximate meaning that "google" took on as a verb (phrase).
Blikkentrekker 5y ago
I don't find “to toot” sound any stranger than “to tweet”.
- imwillofficial 5y ago
  In the US, “toot” is not only a word used for something you might do with a horn. It also means “a fart.” A hilariously bad name if your humor is like that of a child. (Mine is)
  - wombatpm 5y ago
    My wife, exasperated at our two teenaged boys, asked me if men ever outgrow fart jokes. I laughed, said maybe, then asked her to pull my finger. Though when primed with the word Mastodon, I did think of the large trunk and a cartoon-like trumpeting of that trunk. Right after thinking how my grandmother would call her farts toots.
    - xnyan 5y ago
      Fart jokes have always been found funny at all age and maturity levels. Even Martin Luther made fart jokes: "When the argument that the Christian is without the law and above the law doesn’t help, I instantly chase him away with a fart."
      - tesseract 5y ago
        The oldest known recorded joke, from ancient Sumeria, is a fart joke.
      - bobthechef 5y ago
        Don't forget Mozart. He even went further with his shit jokes (it was a family affair).[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_and_scatology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_and_scatology
  - userbinator 5y ago
    A horn played badly also sounds like farting, so perhaps that's where the second meaning came from.
- the_lonely_road 5y ago
  Toot is a sophomoric word for passing flatulence in the US. So hearing “to toot” summons the mental connection of farting which any marketing person on here will probably tell you people don’t want to be associated with their product.
  - bobthechef 5y ago
    Indeed. This isn't a question of maturity as some rather bizarre comments in that issue claim. The word is just phonetically and pragmatically asinine. Pick a word that isn't associated with comical bodily noises like "choochoo". Would anyone join a service where you "choochoo" at people? It sounds stupid and infantile. "Tweet" is bad enough. "Toot" goes further.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- octopoc 5y ago
  "toot" means "fart" where I'm from. Imagine a social network where they referred to posts by users as "farts". "Your fart was shared by 230 of your followers." "This fart is NSFW" "This fart has been promoted" "Pin this fart to the top of your feed" It does seem like a poor choice of words. Tweeting on the other hand didn't have a negative connotation until Twitter became what it is today and gave it a negative connotation.
  - fernandotakai 5y ago
    fun fact: that was kind of the plot of a letterkenny episode, called "Fartbook", from season 1. it's really good! https://letterkenny.fandom.com/wiki/Fartbook https://letterkenny.fandom.com/wiki/Fartbook
    - lc9er 5y ago
      That’s a Texas-sized 10-4 buddy!
  - Ntrails 5y ago
    There is a concept, on forums, of shitposting. There are common expressions such as "chatting shit" for unverified speculation or "shooting the shit" to mean talking about nothing and everything. I suspect most of the content on Mastodon, like twitter, is shit. The choice of words seems appropriate.
selfhoster11 5y ago
The difference is that "google" and "tweet" are something the general public is used to, whereas "toot" is not.

munk-a 5y ago

I actually just finished twatting about it. Talk about naming things in a cringey - these folks should think through all the verb tenses first.

npteljes 5y ago
The past form would be tweeted, no?
- munk-a 5y ago
  For a while I believe that there was a push by twitter for it to be "twittered" but it's a made up word so we can craft our own tenses. To most english speakers tweet having a past tense of twat is perfectly reasonable (unless you're british but enjoy how quickly you speeded over this comment). Companies use BS word creation as a way to get around trademark collision and validity concerns but I strongly dislike the habit of making new words up so you can get an easy registration. I think it's perfectly legitimate to counter their BS with our own BS shaming them over their easy out and I'd encourage other folks to follow in suit. So, until the end of time, the name of that console is the X-Bone. When you're naming a thing you should be careful and deliberate in your process - generally coincidences will work against you, though you might get lucky and pull a Kit-Kat[1]. 1. https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/the-kit-kat-in-japan-a-transliteration-success/ https://thediplomat.com/2019/08/the-kit-kat-in-japan-a-trans...