![Michael Dippery](http://gravatar.com/avatar/015c999a9db79ffb3030b3cc207d0be8?d=http://v1.monkey-robot.com/static/images/michael.png)
February 27th 2005 “Offline” vs. “Off the Internet”
Some might consider this picky, but I get really annoyed when you ask a person where they bought something, or where he heard about something, and he responds, “Offline.” “Offline” has increasingly become a slang term meaning “Off the Internet,” as it seems to be a shortened form of that phrase. However, it’s annoying to hear it used in that way, because “offline” actually means “not connected to a network.” Therefore, it only makes sense to say, “I got this jacket offline” if you bought it in a store in real life. Otherwise, it’s just stupid. So make the extra effort to say “Off the Internet” instead of just “Offline.” It will keep me from getting overly annoyed.