New web words for 2009

A list of "words to watch" for 2009, many of which take their roots from internet-based activities, has been announced by the dictionary compilers Collins.

Included in the short list is the phrase "social notworking", a pun on the phrase social networking.

Many people will be familiar with "social notworking" - the practice of spending time unproductively on social-networking websites, especially when one should be working - even if they are not so familiar with the phrase itself.

The popularity of social-networking websites shows no signs of abating. On January 2, Facebook passed the 150m users milestone. Half of its users log on everyday, the website said.

Many of the other words on the shortlist reflect the ongoing financial gloom. Recessionista is a person whose sartorial tastes reflect the economic woes, while Brickor mortis describes a period of difficult times in the housing industry.

Collins will monitor how often and where the words are used before deciding which ones will be allowed in its dictionary.

Other web words on the list include defriend, to remove someone from a list of friends on a social-networking website, and anti-social networking site - a website for people to list things and people they do not like.

Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins, said: "We'll be keeping an eye on these rather gloomy expressions. With a bit of luck most of these will have slipped off the radar this time next year."

Folksomony, a term which describes internet classification systems, topped an online poll to find the worst "weblish" words in 2007.