Emoticons are keyboard-simulated facial expressions
that can also help convey your attitude. They consist of a combination of dashes, colons,
semicolons and other keystrokes. Here are some of the more common
emoticons:
:) Smiling
:-) Smiling, with a nose
:-> Ironic or devious smile
:-( Frowning
:-< Very sad
>:-( Upset or annoyed
:-D Laughing
:-o Shouting
:-O Shouting loudly
:-* Puckering for a kiss
:-x Lips are sealed
:-() Big mouth
;-) Winking
Using abbreviations in the place of often-used phrases
reduces typing time, and many standard abbreviations are widely understood by the Internet
community. Here are some of the more common abbreviations:
AKA: Also known as
AFK: Away from keyboard
BAK: Back at keyboard
BFN: Bye for now
BIF: Basis in fact
BRB: Be right back
BTW: By the way
CU: See you
CUL: See you later
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
FWIW: For what it's worth
FYA: For your amusement
FYI: For your information
GMTA: Great minds think alike
GR&D: Grinning, running, and ducking
HHOK: Ha ha, only kidding
HHOS: Ha ha, only serious
IAC: In any case
IMO: In my opinion
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IMNSHO: In my not-so-humble opinion
IMAO: In my arrogant opinion
IOW: In other words
LOL: Laughing out loud
MOTD: Message of the day
NBIF: No basis in fact
NRN: No response necessary
OTOH: On the other hand
PMJI: Pardon my jumping in
PC: Politically correct or personal computer
PI or PIC: Politically incorrect
POV: Point of view
RL: Real life
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
RSN: Real soon now
TIA: Thanks in advance
TIC: Tongue in cheek
TTFN: Ta-ta for now
TYL: Talk to you later
WB: Welcome back
WTG: Way to go
YMMV: Your mileage may vary
unPC: Not politically correct
