IB4TL is an acronym meaning "In Before The Lock." It's a '
game', of sorts, that
people play in Internet discussion groups.
You
will see this acronym used on web boards, blogs, forums, et cetera. Using it sparingly is a good strategy for boosting your post count. When you KNOW a discussion is about to be locked, you can throw a quick 'IB4TL' reply in there, and get credited as if it were a normal post, even though it is basically a useless, one-word observation.
While this is a dishonest tactic, it is generally acceptable to most moderators and admins, and the message is left to stand, as-is, towards your overall post count. High post counts are a status symbol on many sites.
The gamble is, if the thread isn't locked, it makes YOU look
like a fool - a poor judge of character. Sometimes a moderator or admin
will leave a discussion open, that would otherwise be locked, just to make YOU look
silly. As I said, it's a '
game'...
Troll: hi just wanna to tell everone hear u suck
Member: Then why are you here?
Troll: cuz yall sux
Member#2: Can we knock it off, please?
Troll: i like to knock u off
Member: IB4TL!
Member#2: LoL! IB4TL
Troll: waz tha mean u gay or sumpin
Moderator: That does it! I'm locking this thread. Troll, clean up your act or you'll be banned!
