Every week, 4th Floor Digital will feature a “throwaway word.” These are words that have lost their meaning due to overuse, or have become outdated. We’re throwing some of these words away like the expired yogurt in the back of the fridge. For others, we’re clarifying an updated definition.

Today’s word:

Gatekeeper

What it used to mean: Any editor, reporter or assignment desk manager at a print or broadcast publication who decided whether or not a PR practitioner’s pitch would become or be featured in a story.

What it means now: Anyone who decides whether or not information will pass through to the public or group with whom he or she communicates. We now hear PR practitioners talking about “Facebook Group Administrator Relations” and “Twitter pitches.” The meaning of “gatekeeper” has shifted for some people. So let’s get more specific from now on. When we talk about passing information through a “gate,” are we talking about pitching editors or are we talking about commenting with a link on a popular blog post and hoping the author doesn’t delete it? “Gatekeeper” isn’t specific enough for the new ways of PR on the Web.