Definitions & Voting

The heart of define.wtf is its definitions. Unlike a static glossary, define.wtf lets the community vote on which definitions are most helpful. This guide explains how definitions work and how your votes shape the dictionary.

One Acronym, Many Definitions

Most acronyms have multiple definitions, reflecting different contexts, departments, or interpretations.

Why Multiple Definitions?

• Ambiguity: Some acronyms have multiple legitimate meanings (e.g., "API" in software vs. "API" in other contexts)
• Organizational variance: Teams define terms slightly differently
• Evolution: Definitions evolve over time; old and new may coexist
• Nuance: Acronyms have strategic, tactical, technical, and business interpretations

Example: OKR

OKR: Objectives and Key Results

Definition 1 (Primary, 287 upvotes)
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A goal-setting framework where teams define quarterly objectives
and measurable key results. Used for strategic planning.
Added by: Sarah (Product)
Department: Product, Engineering

Definition 2 (42 upvotes)
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Internally: "O for Objectives, K for Key Results". Common framework
at post-Series B companies for goal alignment.
Added by: Marcus (People)
Department: HR

Definition 3 (Deprecated, 15 upvotes)
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"Old term for OG Resources" — legacy internal definition, no longer used.
Added by: James (Legacy Admin)
Department: Legacy

The Primary Definition

Every acronym has a primary definition — the one displayed first on the acronym page, in search results, and in Slack lookups.

How Primary Is Determined

1. Editor/Admin selection: Editors and admins can manually set any definition as primary (highest authority)
2. Community vote: If no manual selection exists, the highest-voted definition becomes primary
3. Recency: Ties are broken by most recent

Why It Matters

• Slack integration: /define OKR shows only the primary definition
• Browse cards: The browse page card displays the primary definition
• Authority: It's seen as the "official" team definition
• Trust: Most users see it first before alternatives

Who Can Set Primary?

• Editors and above (assigned by admin)
• Admins (full authority)

Regular users can vote to influence which definition becomes primary through upvotes.

Voting System

Define.wtf uses a simple upvote/downvote system to rank definitions by community consensus.

How Voting Works

Upvoting

Click the thumbs-up icon to upvote a definition you find helpful, accurate, or clear.

• One vote per definition per user: You can vote once; click again to remove your vote
• Toggle behavior: Clicking upvote again un-votes (removes your vote)
• Visible immediately: Vote count updates in real-time
• Vote flip: If you've downvoted, upvoting flips your vote (you can't upvote and downvote simultaneously)

Downvoting

Click the thumbs-down icon to downvote a definition you find unclear, inaccurate, or misleading.

• Same toggle rules: One vote per user, click again to remove
• Vote flip: Downvoting flips an upvote (mutual exclusion)
• Signaling help: Downvotes signal to editors that a definition needs review

Vote Count Display

Each definition shows its net vote count (upvotes minus downvotes):

👍 287 votes
👎  12 downvotes
─────────────
Net: +275

Definitions are sorted by net vote count (highest first), so the best definitions naturally rise to the top.

Voting Etiquette & Best Practices

When to Upvote

• ✅ The definition is accurate
• ✅ The explanation is clear and helpful
• ✅ It matches your understanding of the term
• ✅ You found it useful for onboarding or reference

When to Downvote

• ❌ The definition contains false information
• ❌ The explanation is unclear or confusing
• ❌ It's outdated or marked as deprecated
• ❌ It's vague or doesn't really explain the acronym

When NOT to Vote

• 🚫 You don't understand the definition (scroll to another one)
• 🚫 You're voting based on who wrote it, not its quality
• 🚫 You're voting strategically to promote your own definition (be honest!)

Definition Details

Each definition shows metadata to help you assess quality:

Definition Header

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Objectives and Key Results                     │
│ 👍 287  👎 12                                   │
│ Added by: Sarah (Product)  2 months ago        │
│ Department: Product, Engineering               │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Metadata Fields

Edit History (Admin Feature)

Admins can view edit history for a definition to see who made changes and when.

Adding a New Definition

If you disagree with existing definitions or see a gap, add a new definition:

1. Navigate to the acronym page
2. Click "Add Definition" button
3. Fill in the form (title, description, department, tags)
4. Click "Add Definition"

Your definition starts with 0 votes and appears below higher-voted ones. If you believe your definition is better, encourage colleagues to upvote it through discussion in Slack or email.

Multiple Definitions Strategy

You can add a definition that:

• Complements existing ones (technical + business perspective)
• Adds context (use case, history, evolution)
• Fixes inaccuracy (better than downvoting alone)
• Simplifies (a clearer version for newcomers)

Voters will decide which approach resonates most.

Deprecating a Definition

As an editor or admin, you can mark a definition as deprecated to signal it's outdated.

Deprecated Badge

Deprecated definitions show a gray "Deprecated" badge on their card:

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"Use REST API instead"
👍 15  👎 2  [DEPRECATED]
Added by: James  3 years ago

When to Deprecate

• Technology has evolved (old frameworks, protocols)
• Company changed direction (legacy projects retired)
• Better alternative exists
• Acronym falls out of use

Note: Deprecation is soft delete. The definition remains searchable and viewable, but is visually de-emphasized. Only admins can permanently delete.

Your Definition

When you add a definition, you become its author. Your name and profile link appear on the definition card.

Actions as Author

• Edit: Modify your definition (if enabled)
• Delete: Soft-delete your own definition (admins can permanently delete)
• Respond: Leave a comment if discussion is enabled (future feature)

Visibility

• Your definition appears immediately (no moderation queue)
• It starts at 0 votes; build consensus to rise in rankings
• If you add a definition, you can't vote on your own (conflict of interest)

Department Context

Each definition can be tagged with a department context to help users understand scope:

Department: Product, Engineering
Tags: strategic, quarterly-planning, alignment

This helps people in other departments quickly see if a definition applies to them.

Community Voting in Action

Scenario 1: Multiple Interpretations

Acronym: API

Definition 1: "Application Programming Interface" (287 upvotes) → Technical interpretation, highest-voted

Definition 2: "Advanced Programming Integration" (42 upvotes) → Rare alternative meaning

Definition 3: "API-first architecture is a design pattern..." (156 upvotes) → Architecture-specific interpretation, second-highest

Result: API now has three definitions ranked by relevance. Users see all three and can upvote the one most relevant to their search.

Scenario 2: Addressing Inaccuracy

Initial Definition: "ROI means Robots Optimized for Integration" (120 upvotes) → Incorrect! This spreads misinformation.

Your Action: Add new definition: "ROI means Return on Investment — a financial metric..." (14 upvotes) → Starts lower, but is accurate.

Community Response: Your colleagues upvote the correct definition. Within days, it outranks the false one.

Result: Misinformation is corrected by the community without admin intervention.

Sorting Definitions

On an acronym page, definitions are sorted by:

1. Primary (pinned at top if manually selected)
2. Vote count (highest to lowest)
3. Recency (most recent first as tie-breaker)

You can change the sort order with the Sort dropdown (if enabled):

• Most Voted (default)
• Newest (recent additions)
• Oldest (historical context)

Privacy & Visibility

Who can see definitions? All users in your organization can view any definition.

Who can vote? Only logged-in users. You get one vote per definition.

Reporting Low-Quality Definitions

If a definition is:

• Offensive or inappropriate: Report via flag icon (if available)
• Incorrect or misleading: Downvote and add a better alternative
• Spam or vandalism: Contact admins

Most issues are resolved by community voting, but serious violations can be reported to moderators.

Definition Statistics

On an acronym page, you may see statistics:

• Total definitions: How many interpretations exist
• Average rating: Mean vote score
• Total votes cast: Community engagement metric
• View count: How many people have seen this acronym

These help you understand how established and trusted an acronym is.

Tips for Quality Voting

Read First, Vote Later

• Read the full definition (not just the title)
• Click to expand if the description is truncated
• Understand context before voting

Vote for Clarity, Not Agreement

• A definition can be accurate but unclear — downvote for clarity
• A definition can be technically correct but too jargony — vote for ones that explain better

Use Votes to Signal Quality

• Upvotes tell contributors: "This is helpful, keep adding more like this"
• Downvotes tell contributors: "This needs improvement; try another approach"

Encourage Discussion

• Found a controversial definition? Discuss it in Slack
• "This definition conflicts with X. Which is correct?" helps resolve ambiguity
• Community dialogue improves definitions over time

Next Steps

• Add Acronyms — contribute your knowledge
• Browse — discover new terms and vote on their definitions
• Your Profile — see your voting history and contributions