Urban Dictionary
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| URL | www.urbandictionary.com |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Define Your World |
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Slang dictionary |
| Registration | Required only for editing |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Aaron Peckham |
| Created by | Aaron Peckham |
| Launched | 1999 |
| Alexa rank |  849 (April 2013[update])[1] |
| Current status | Active |
Urban Dictionary is a Web-based dictionary that contains more than seven million definitions as of 2 March 2013[update].[2] Submissions are regulated by volunteer editors and rated by site visitors. Time's Anita Hamilton included it on her 50 best websites of 2008 list.[3][4]
Contents |
History [edit]
The site was founded in 1999 by Aaron Peckham while he was a freshman computer science major at California Polytechnic State University. One of the first definitions on the site was "the man", defined as "the faces of 'the establishment' put in place to 'bring us down'".[5]
The website was referenced in a 2011 District Court complaint by ATF agents to document the meaning of the vulgarism "murk" as used in a criminal threat. It also consists of names and slang.[6]
Content [edit]
In the context of Urban Dictionary, "definitions" include not only literal definitions, but also descriptions. As such, "to define" a word or phrase on Urban Dictionary does not necessarily entail providing a strict definition; merely a description of some aspect of the word or phrase could suffice for inclusion in the dictionary.
Originally, Urban Dictionary was intended as a dictionary of slang or cultural words or phrases not typically found in standard dictionaries, but it is now used to define any word or phrase.[7] Words or phrases on Urban Dictionary may have multiple definitions, usage examples, and tags.
Visitors to Urban Dictionary may submit definitions without registering, but they must provide a valid e-mail address. Before they are included in the dictionary, all new definitions must be approved by voluntary editors. Editors are not given any guidelines to use when approving or rejecting definitions,.
Quality control [edit]
A valid e-mail address is required to submit a definition.[8] By default, each definition is automatically accepted or rejected based on the number of "Publish" or "Don't Publish" votes it receives by editors, comprising volunteers of the public. There are no criteria that editors have to follow in approving or rejecting definitions; often definitions are not even read during the decision process. A valid e-mail address was previously but is no longer required for editing.[9] Editors are distinguished by their IP address and through the site's usage of HTTP cookies, in order to limit each editor from voting on any particular definition too many times. If a definition is rejected, it is automatically rejected upon re-submission in the future if there are no changes to it. If a definition is published, it is immediately displayed on the site. The definition can then be voted "up" or "down" by site visitors, and may be removed for certain reasons.[10]
Traffic and users [edit]
As of April 2013[update], the site contains over 7 million definitions. As of April 2009[update], an average of 2,000 are submitted every day, and the site receives approximately 15 million unique visitors per month, with 80% of users being younger than 25.[5] As of February 2013[update], Urban Dictionary's Alexa rating is 845,[11] with a rating of 396 in the United States[11] and 43,559 sites linking in.[11]
See also [edit]
Books [edit]
- Peckham, Aaron (2005). Urban dictionary: fularious street slang defined. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, L.L.C. p. 320. ISBN 0-7407-5143-3. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
- Peckham, Aaron (2007). Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined. Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, L.L.C. p. 240. ISBN 0-7407-6875-1. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
References [edit]
- Notes
- ^ "Urbandictionary.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ Home page
- ^ "50 Best Web Sites – Podcast". TIME. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "Urban Dictionary – 50 Best Websites 2008". TIME. June 17, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ a b Heffernan, Virginia (July 5, 2009). "Street Smart: Urban Dictionary". New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
- ^ "Feds Consulted Urban Dictionary In Threat Case". The Smoking Gun. 31 August 2011.
- ^ http://blog.urbandictionary.com/post/40798875051/urban-dictionary-is-so-weird-once-it-was-used
- ^ Add definition
- ^ Edit definitions
- ^ Definition removal
- ^ a b c Urbandictionary.com Site Info
External links [edit]
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