How to Use OP in a Discussion?
‘OP’ has two meanings attached to it. It stands for ‘overpowered’ and ‘original poster’. OP is used in the former meaning mostly on online gaming forums. While, the latter meaning of OP, and more popularly used in this context, i.e. original poster, is usually used on online discussions or an online thread.
Here, online poster refers to the person who originally created the thread in the first place. So for people who have commented are discussing under the thread, might write OP, to mention the original poster in their comment.
OP or op?
You can write OP in upper case as well as lower case, it doesn’t make much difference in the meaning of the word. Just how we write other abbreviations in upper and lower case, OP can too, be written as however we wish to write it. People also use periods to separate the two letters, for instance, people might write O.P instead of writing OP.
But, as OP represents two words, i.e. Original Poster, you cannot write a capital O and the P in lower case, like ‘Op’. If you write ‘Op’, it won’t look like an abbreviation and people who are reading it might think it is a short word for something else.
How Can You Use OP in a Conversation?
To be sure of how to use OP in a discussion thread, you must read the following examples.
Example 1
User 1: In my opinion, people understand the drawbacks of cutting down trees and making products out of it.
User 2: Agreed, people understand the drawbacks of deforestation, just how the OP said it, that people are blinded by the profits that they are going to gain from wood related products. They need to be educated about what impact their ‘profitable business’ is causing to the rest of the world.
OP, is basically like calling out the name of the person who initiated the discussion on a certain topic. While there is a possibility that there might be more than one person in the group with the same name, therefore, writing OP in a discussion can direct the users towards the original poster.
Example 2
Jane: The OP surely didn’t realize how serious this discussion could get.
Ian: True, but the OP had a point when he said that the pressure on young students is increasing every year, and so is the rate of suicide. Schools need to understand this.
Jane: More than schools, parents need to understand this, so that they don’t pressurize their children to take decisions that could harm their lives.
Example 3
You can also use the abbreviation OP when you want to ask the original poster of the discussion something. For instance,
User 1: Can the OP please share the sources of the information that they shared on the rate of inflation for America?
OP (who would probably have a name here instead of OP written): I have shared the link to the sources that I have used in the next comment, please take a look.
User 1: Thank You, found it.
Original Posters, or OP’s as we know them, can be helpful in providing you information regarding the topic they have posted about. But that is not the case every time. Sometimes, people start a thread just to have a discussion about random things, which even they are not much aware about.
Example 4
Kate: Can we please keep the forum clean. It will be easier for everyone to come to a clean forum for once. Please. Regards, OP.
Jen: Thank You OP for pointing this out. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the new inventions in designing, and to learn more about designing. We don’t need to use abusive languages or discourage anyone for the work they share here, or for their opinion. Everybody can maintain a good code of conduct here.
OP, as we all know it, refers us or takes us back to the original poster of that discussion. Which is usually on the top of every page.
Since these threads are so popular, people from all over the world take part in these discussions, making the forum quiet long. And to get to the top of the page means you will have to go back a few pages to finally reach the OP.
Other Internet Abbreviations like OP
Other OP alike words which you can use include, TTT, which means ‘To The Top’. For instance, if you have to lead someone to the OP, you can tell them TTT, or if you want someone new to know what exactly is being discussed, you can tell them TTT so that they can go to the top of the page and read the thread right from where it started.
Another popular acronym used on such threads is QFT, which stands for ‘Quoted For Truth’. It is an acronym used to show your support for a certain discussion.
