I am often asked what or who is TED and what is a TEDster or TEDx, so to playfully clear up any confusion, I offer a first draft of my understanding of all terms TED.

Please add to the list or correct anything you feel needs improvement in the comments section below.

TEDTalk :: a 3-18 minutes highly curated remuneration-free talk given by someone passionate about their subject matter and an interest in sharing it with curious and passionate listening people.

TEDhead :: One who voraciously devours virtually all releases of online TED talks posted to TED.com

TEDster :: An enthusiast and/or an attendee of the TED conference in Long Beach or Palm Springs.

TEDActivator :: An attendee of the TEDActive simulcast conference in Palm Springs

TEDizen :: A TEDster, who resists connecting with the word TEDster and prefers TEDizen as their label. A TED Citizen.

TEDx-er :: An attendee of one or more TEDx events

TEDJunkie :: One who simply cannot resist another TEDTalk or TED conference, even though work or family await attention.

TEDx organizer :: A person who has been bitten by the curiosity and passion of TED and just had to organize a TED event.

TEDx Licensee :: A TEDx organizer, who went through the proper channels and received official endorsement from the TED organization to put on a TEDx event.

TEDDy :: a stuffed bear children like to drag around by one paw.

TEDCurator :: Chris Andersen, the guy that helps hold the vision of passion, curiosity and the spread of ideas in the world.

TEDPatron = Big Big Wig

TEDDonor = Big Wig

TEDU :: A talk or group of talks given at TED in Long Beach by a TED attendee.

TEDYou :: A talk or group of talks given in the desert near Palm Springs or on the show lounge stage at TEDActive, by a TEDActivator

TEDache :: The feeling on day 2-4 of a TED conference where you think your head might explode from all the input.

ExhausTED :: Post TED conference tiredness from days of high energy talks, connections and after parties.

TEDify :: Brain child of  Maria Popova – a blog dedicated to capturing the common tangents between TED‘s incredibly diverse speakers in order to connect the dots to make the bigger social and cultural points.

TEDwithdrawal :: The feeling of yearning for next years conference immediately following this years conference. Also know as PTDS (Post TED Departure Syndrome).