Here’s a true story from Corkthedigitalk-er Lisa. It involves an iPod, some digitalk and an overactive imagination.

Flashback to 2010. On one of my trips to the local library, I noticed a competition to celebrate National Library Week. All you had to do was just submit a book review, to go in the draw to win an iPod. Seemed easy enough, so I entered.

A few months later, I received an email from rameeka.s@library.gov.au* with the message:

email*names changed for privacy reasons

My reaction was, YAY! I’ve never won anything in my life! But wait…what library competition? I don’t remember entering into any competition. But sure enough, in my online library account there was a record of my book review. A few measly sentences, enough to win me an iPod? This was too good to be true.

I showed my mum the email and she proceeded to lecture me about stranger danger and everything. This sent my imagination into overdrive…maybe this is all a ruse to get me out of the house and then she’s going to kidnap me. It might even be a man! Or maybe they give me the prize, and then secretly follow me home…

But then again, I did submit a book review, and it’s just my local library and the letterhead looks professional. And yes, maybe I was tempted by the iPod as well.

I replied to Rameeka, saying:

email 2

My sister read my email and told me, “You know legit is not a real word right?”

What? Sure it is! Legit means real, genuine etc. legitMy sister told me “Er…no. Legit is short for legitimate. And you just used it in your formal email to the librarian. She’s probably going to revoke your prize now!”

REVELATION. I’d heard people around me use the word legit so much that I actually had no idea it wasn’t an actual word. And then I felt embarrassed because I’d used ‘legit’ in a formal email, plus, implied that she was some sort of paedophile.

So, digitalk, or internet slang does have consequences in real life. Like me, if you hear a word used so much by your friends, it can be hard to tell what’s right and what’s wrong. So #corkthedigitalk and don’t embarrass yourself like I did. And in front of a librarian of all people!

But wait, what happened with the iPod?

Rameeka emailed me about the bona fides of the competition and we met in the safety of the local library surrounded by everyone, and I walked away with a new iPod!

This doesn’t mean I didn’t wait one hour at the library to make sure she was gone and also do a detour on the way home. You can never be too safe!

— Lisa

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