Download the PDF version of "New Media Glossary" (413 KB).

New media, also known as social media, facilitates online communication, as well as idea and content sharing. These web tools have made it easier for people with similar interests to interact with each other, and the recovery community should take advantage of these opportunities by learning how to use these tools.

The following glossary is offered to help you use online tools to promote National Recovery Month: Prevention Works, Treatment is Effective, People Recover (Recovery Month), as well as the effectiveness of treatment and the possibility of recovery. Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Recovery Month engages thousands of individuals within the recovery community, treatment, and recovery support services fields, local organizations, and individuals who participate online.

To help you reach these audiences and engage the online community, review the following glossary for background information on key online terms:

Blog – User-generated websites, short for "web log," which give online users an opportunity to share news or opinions on a particular subject, such as a person's success in achieving recovery, the hardships of untreated substance use and mental disorders, or questions individuals have concerning a problem and what they can do to get help.

Discussion Board (or Forum or Message Board) – Contains conversations, or "threads," which are made up of multiple posts about specific topics. Members of the recovery community have started discussion board communities to find support, such as The Second Road, The Sober Recovery Community, and In the Rooms.

Facebook – A social networking site where people create an online profile and "Friend" people or "Like" organizations or campaigns to form a network. You can share personal interests, photos, and other information in your profile. Join Recovery Month's Facebook page and engage others in the ongoing dialogue. Below are some terms specifically related to Facebook that might help you when navigating the site.

• "Friend" – Connecting with other individuals that share your interests, and who you want to get to know better on their personal page.
• "Like" – "Liking" a page or a status, shows interest and support; used when joining an organization's page.
• "Wall" – The space on a profile or page that allows friends and users to post messages for your network to see.
• "Status" – A feature that allows you to display a short message up to 420 characters. Your status can describe your whereabouts and actions and can also "share" photos, videos, events, and links.
• "Event" – A page to show information about a certain happening in your community and send invites to your friends or network.
• "Tag" – A designation for photos to link directly to another Facebook user's profile or to an organization's page.

Flickr – A popular site for photo sharing, storage, and searching. Search for photos of other events to post in your office, get ideas from other events' visuals, or find members for your coalition.

Foursquare – A location-based social application that allows users to "check-in" from locations using applications on smart phones (e.g., iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Palm) or using mobile internet. Checking in updates your location for other Foursquare users to see if anyone else on the network is at the same location. People can check in at Recovery Month events to indicate a large following.

Google Blog Search – Offers a continuously updated search index. Results include blog posts and can be viewed and filtered by date.

Micro-blogs – Brief text updates, photos, or audio clips from users. (See Twitter.)

Podcast – A digital media file that can be downloaded through web syndication and played back on a mobile device or computer. Recovery Month offers a large selection of audio and video podcasts that you can promote on your own website. A video podcast, or online delivery of a video clip, also can be referred to as a vodcast.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) or Web Syndication – Enables users to avoid constantly refreshing their favorite websites to check for updates. An RSS reader, such as Google Reader, collects individual posts from blogs and news sites, and presents them as they arrive. Set up a feed to receive the latest news and blog posts from the recovery community directly to your inbox.

Social Network – Links individuals based on similar interests, beliefs, or relationships. Use these social networks to build a coalition that spans communities across the country. (See Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr.)

Twitter – Allows its users to send text-based posts of a maximum of 140 characters to their profiles. These posts then appear on other Twitter members' home pages, who have subscribed to a user's feed. Follow Recovery Month's Twitter page and engage others in the ongoing dialogue. Search Twitter for other people who "tweet" about their Recovery Month events or talk about their personal recovery experience. Below are some terms related to Twitter to help you navigate the site.

• "Following" – Allows you to subscribe to other Twitter users and their tweets will show up on your Twitter homepage.
• "Re-tweet" – Allows you to copy someone else's tweet and post it on your own account. It's usually done if you want to share someone else's tweet with your "followers", or add commentary on what was posted. You will usually see a "RT" in front of the text if it is a re-tweet.
• "Hashtag" – Using the # (hashtag) symbol in front of a phrase or word so it can be easily grouped and found through a search of that keyword.
• "@" – Replying to a tweet with an "@" symbol directly before a Twitter user's name directs the tweet to a specific person.
• "Trending topics" – The most common phrases appearing in tweets and a list of trending topics can be found on the sidebar.
• "Direct messages" – Private tweets that can be sent between you and another Twitter user. Both accounts must be following each other to send or receive a direct message. This is sometimes referred to as "DM."

Viral Marketing – Using the Internet to brand a campaign or product. Recovery Month uses Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Widget – An online tool added to websites that displays or shares information from various sources. Instructions for adding the Recovery Month event widget to your blog or site are available at http://www.recoverymonth.gov.

Webcast – A file that streams over the Internet to allow people everywhere to tune in to your coalition-building meeting or event. Recovery Month presents The Road to Recovery Television and Radio Series that features panels of nationwide experts in the field of treatment and recovery available for online viewing.

Wikipedia – A community-researched encyclopedia with over 10 million entries and 77 million monthly visitors. The site is community oriented and anyone can update entries. Organizations are discouraged from editing their own entries, as it is considered a conflict of interest.

YouTube – Promotes online video-sharing allowing users to post videos they've created. Users create their own channels that host all their videos and allow others to find them based on related interests. Check Recovery Month's channel often and post a video of your own!

Inclusion of websites and other resources mentioned in this document and on the Recovery Month website does not constitute official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Back to Top