"FYI" is a common abbreviation of "for your information" (or "for your interest").
"FYI" is commonly used in
email
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
,
instant messaging
Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...
and other messages to indicate an informational message, with an intent to communicate to the receiver that they may be interested in the given topic, but does not suggest any action or require a response. It is also commonly used in informal and business spoken conversations.
The usage of "FYI" dates back at least as far as 1941.
Among
Internet Standard
In computer network engineering, an Internet Standard is a normative specification of a technology or methodology applicable to the Internet. Internet Standards are created and published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). They allow ...
s, FYIs are a
subset
In mathematics, Set (mathematics), set ''A'' is a subset of a set ''B'' if all Element (mathematics), elements of ''A'' are also elements of ''B''; ''B'' is then a superset of ''A''. It is possible for ''A'' and ''B'' to be equal; if they are ...
of the
Request for Comments
A Request for Comments (RFC) is a publication in a series from the principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for the Internet, most prominently the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). An RFC is authored by individuals or g ...
(RFC) series. The FYI series of notes is designed to provide
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
users with a central repository of information about any topics which relate to the Internet. FYIs topics may range from historical memos on "Why it was done that way" to answers to commonly asked operational questions.
References
Initialisms
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