BL

What does BL stand for?

Buddy list

BL is a short form for buddy list. It’s a term you might have heard during the heydays of instant messaging programs, like AIM. To put it simply, a buddy list is just a collection of your friends that you have added to your instant messaging app.

This list is usually displayed in a small window on your screen. It shows you how many buddies you have in total and who among them are online and ready for a chat.

The term BL was especially popular in the 2000s, when AIM was a big deal among teenagers. It was their go-to platform for catching up with friends.

However, times have changed. With the rise of smartphones, teens have moved on from AIM and other similar instant messaging platforms. Consequently, the usage of BL has also seen a steep decline.

Example for using ‘BL’ in a conversation

Hey, are you online?

Yeah, just added you to my BL!

Cool, now we can chat anytime!

Definitely! BLs make it so easy.