I have a love/hate relationship with buzzwords: I’m greatly amused when I hear a burst of buzzwords come out of a competent colleague’s mouth, but it’s infuriating to watch them used to wiggle out of responsibility or cover up a coworker’s underwhelming skill set. Sometimes I wonder if so-called “business acumen” is nothing more than the frequent use of buzzwords and glittery business jargon.
So, I decided to learn a new sub-dialect of English: buzzword.
I was previously using Buzzwhack as my buzzword dictionary of choice, but I was recently shown Unsuck It, a buzzword haven where you can view their collection of carefully curated buzzwords, submit new entries and even take a shot at “unsucking” one of the undefined terms with a concise, sensible translation. It’s really pushing the envelope of bleeding edge, web 2.0 crowdsourcing! Just kidding, it’s an interesting project, and it will obviously grow as it gains momentum from submissions and definitions. Maybe Unsuck It will become the Merriam-Webster of buzzwords. So, if you wonder what “solutioneering” might mean, or are puzzled by the term “bucketize,” this is the place where you can learn it, submit it or define it.
Unsuck It (courtesy of Mule Design)
When I found this website it was a great way to demystify the corporate-business speech. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Checked out both. Liked both, though Unsuck It seems to suffer from a Google hangover, but it looks really snazzy (does anyone even use that word anymore?).