An historical rendering of the Internet language. With the advent of texting, most people today use, or at least understand, online abbreviations. The abbreviation \u201clol\u201d meaning laughing out loud, is often used both in texting and online. The language has changed over the years and it is amazing to see its evolution through the years. The following text shows some of the basics of online communication, especially as it was seen many years ago.<\/p>\n
A glossary of online terms and symbols that\u2019ll get you fluent in no time<\/span><\/p>\n Talking in cyberspace is not impersonal; you just have to know how to speak the language. People express emotions online with \u201cemoticons,\u201d symbols that denote happiness, sadness, anger, and other garden variety, as well as complex, feelings. Abbreviations are short cuts for commonly used online idioms: slang, in other words. Online etiquette requires knowing the language; you would be well-advised to learn the following emoticons and abbreviations before you go online, just as you would study a bit of useful French before you travel to France.<\/span><\/p>\n Frequently used abbreviations:<\/span><\/p>\n *word* Asterixes that flank a word in the same way that quotation marks are used for emphasis in lieu of underlining or boldfacing. <\/span><\/p>\n <bg> \u2013 Big grin.<\/span><\/p>\n <g> or <G> – Grin.<\/span><\/p>\n AFKB \u2013Away from keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n BTW \u2013 By the way.<\/span><\/p>\n F2f \u2013 Face to face, used when you\u2019re referring to meeting an online friend in person, or when you\u2019d like to.<\/span><\/p>\n FAQ \u2013 Frequently Asked Questions (see below).<\/span><\/p>\n IMHO \u2013 In my humble opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n IMNSHO \u2013 In my not so humble opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n IOW \u2013 In other words.<\/span><\/p>\n IRL \u2013 In real life.<\/span><\/p>\n ITRW \u2013 In the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n LOL \u2013 Laughing Out Loud.<\/span><\/p>\n MorF? Male or female? Used when your online name is gender-neutral.<\/span><\/p>\n OTF \u2013 On the floor (laughing).<\/span><\/p>\n BTFM \u2013 Read the f***ing manual, usually in response to a question you could have figured out on your own.<\/span><\/p>\n WRT \u2013 With regard to.<\/span><\/p>\n YMMV \u2013 Your mileage may vary.<\/span><\/p>\n Frequently Used terms<\/span><\/p>\n Browser \u2013 Software, such as Mosaic or Netscape that allows one to point and click one\u2019s way around the World Wide Web instead of using UNIX commands.<\/span><\/p>\n Bulletin board service (BBS) \u2013 Cheaper than major online services, BBSes are generally run by a small number of people as a hobby, bringing together people who share a common interest; most are regional. Generally, you join a BBS by paying an annual fee (between $30 to $50 a year), as well as an hourly online fee (35 cents to $2.50 an hour). To find lists of BBSes (there are thousands of them), consult your local computer users\u2019 group, a computer store, or magazines such as Boardwatch magazine, or Computer Shopper.<\/span><\/p>\n Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) \u2013 Electronic handbooks filed at most Usenet newsgroups that answer most questions you\u2019ll have about that site. Read them before you participate to avoid getting flamed.<\/span><\/p>\n Finger \u2013 An Internet tool that gives you information on the identity (name, online location, last log-in) of another Internet user.<\/span><\/p>\n Flame \u2013 An inflammatory statement that is often rude, and occasionally crude. Flames are common on online services and the Internet. Newcomers sometimes are flamed for ignoring \u201cnetiquette.\u201d When two or more people send flames back and forth over a period of days, it\u2019s considered a \u201cflame war\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Gopher \u2013 A search tool that helps you find files, services, and sites on the Internet by listing them in menu form. People at the University of Minnesota developed the software, so they got to name it (after their mascot).<\/span><\/p>\n Home page \u2013 The reception area for World Wide Web sites (see below). A home page welcomes you, lists the site\u2019s features and areas, and gives you a menu of choices that you can access.<\/span><\/p>\n Hypertext \u2013 Highlighted text in a file that is linked electronically to another file. Point and click on a word, and a new file pops up. Hypertext is the primary means of navigating the World Wide Web (see below).<\/span><\/p>\n Internet Relay Chat (IRC) \u2013 Instead of exchanging messages via e-mail, this tool lets you talk in \u201creal time\u201d with people. It\u2019s a typed, instead of spoken, conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n Lark \u2013 To read posts in a Usenet newsgroup (see below) for a time without posting \u2013 virtually listening in on conversations without participating in them. Lurking is encouraged when you first join a newsgroup to get a sense of the atmosphere and conversations, but if you lurk for too long, you may inspire suspicion and get flamed.<\/span><\/p>\n Telnet \u2013 This nifty tool lets you log onto various sites or services on the Internet and use their computers \u2013 and the games, databases, files, and programs \u2013 as if they were on your own computer. Telnet systems can be public or private.<\/span><\/p>\n Usenet newsgroups \u2013 the group of over 7,000 Internet discussion groups, whose topics range from Elvis to toxic waste to computer programming. <\/span><\/p>\n World Wide Web (WWW) \u2013 This tool is like Gopher, only it\u2019s more sophisticated. You can search globally for articles, services, databases \u2013 for the most part, whatever you like \u2013 by pointing and clicking through hypertext menus.<\/span><\/p>\n Commonly Expressed Emoticons<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some codes for getting your point across in cyberspace conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n : -) \u2013 Smile; happy; I\u2019m joking.<\/span><\/p>\n : – ( – Frown; sadness; Bummer.<\/span><\/p>\n : ( or : ) – variations of previous emoticons.<\/span><\/p>\n : – D – Big, delighted grin – Wink, denotes pun or sly joke.<\/span><\/p>\n : – P \u2013 Sticking out your tongue.<\/span><\/p>\n : – O \u2013 Yelling, or completely shocked.<\/span><\/p>\n % – ) \u2013 Confused but happy, drunk or under influence of controlled substances.<\/span><\/p>\n : – | – Can\u2019t decide how to feel; no feelings either way.<\/span><\/p>\n : \u2018 \u2013 ( – Crying.<\/span><\/p>\n :\u2019 \u2013 ) Crying happy tears.<\/span><\/p>\n : – ] or : – } = Sarcastic smile.<\/span><\/p>\n : – \\ – Mixed feelings, but mostly happy.<\/span><\/p>\n : – \/ – Mixed feelings, but mostly sad.<\/span><\/p>\n : – () \u2013 Can\u2019t )or won\u2019t) stop talking.<\/span><\/p>\n % – ( – Confused and unhappy.<\/span><\/p>\n [ ] Hug.<\/span><\/p>\n *- Kiss.<\/span><\/p>\n {{{***}}} \u2013 Hugs and kisses.<\/span><\/p>\n : – & – Tongue-tied.<\/span><\/p>\n : – X \u2013 Lips are sealed.<\/span><\/p>\n : – ) ~ – Drooling.<\/span><\/p>\n | – 0 \u2013 Yawning or snoring.<\/span><\/p>\n B – ) \u2013 User wears horn-rimmed glasses.<\/span><\/p>\n : – # – User wears braces.<\/span><\/p>\n -\uf04a – User has a mohawk.<\/span><\/p>\n + – : – ) \u2013 User is the Pope or holds some Christian office.<\/span><\/p>\n C= : -) \u2013 User is a chef.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00adSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n