I'm an editor for British blog directory, and it came to light that British bloggers who don't read lots of American blogs have never heard the word meme to describe a blog quiz or activity you pass on to other people. So I'd like to ask if anyone knows where the word came from and how it started being used, it did occur to me it might be initials of something but what I don't know.
Oh and I was knocked of 25 peeps in 1 day :( but I've applied again with a better photo, I'll let you know when I'm up again.
2 comments:
Meme (pronounced meem, not me-me as many people seem to believe) is a real English word. It means 'A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.'
It started to be applied to internet quizzes because of the viral way they spread across the blogosphere, but the word meme should only really be applied to an idea and not a pre-prepared set of questions.
A real internet meme is something such as colourbars.
hi nancy, hope all is well
i actually came here to let you know i've changed my URL (see below) and to please update your blogroll but then i saw this entry and wanted to comment!
i remember the first time i saw this word used on a friend's live journal and i was all, huh?! no idea what it was, had to look it up. and the definition i found was pretty much the same as what alwayscrashing has down: "A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by nongenetic means (as by imitation)". I absolutely use it in the wrong context constantly... but i can't help it, i just like the sound of meme much more than quiz or questionnaire.
anyhow... the updated info: the blog was known as "i used to think that was cute" @ http://www.tabulas.com/~instantloser. it has since been changed to http://www.tabulas.com/~vapidosity - still known as "i used to think that was cute"... and thats that :-)
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