Netspeak

People who spend a lot of time chatting and/or using discussion forums have come up with some excellent ways to shorten the amount of time and space required to say things and provide context (i.e., a wink can let people know you're joking, etc). In this class, I'd like to officially make these communication shortcuts fair game for students who would like to use them. If you don't want to, that's OK, but print this out and keep it handy for those who do. To some degree, convention suggests that the extent of abbreviation used be based upon the form of communication. In chat, for example, where you have to be able to get your ideas across quickly, anything goes, whereas on discussion forums people typically use these a bit less.

Now before I go any further, this is important: Abbreviations and emoticons are frowned on by many instructors who feel that they are unprofessional. So, don't use them elsewhere, just in this specific class, unless your instructors say its OK. One thing that's worth noting is that your students will be likely to use these pretty frequently. To me, the emoticons are absolutely vital for online discussion, as they tend to suggest meaning that is not inherent within the verbal message. Abbreviations simply save time and space (important for text messages, where you are limited to 160 characters). Below are some common examples of each, which I intend to use in my chat/discussion as I see fit. There are many, many more - let's stick with these for the time being so as to prevent mass confusion. If you need to use another, give us a little lesson on what it means at the bottom of your post.

:) - Smile (happy, not used to mock or indicate sarcasm)

;) - Wink (used as a wink would be used, or to indicate sarcasm)

:/ - Straight face (usually disappointment or irony)

:( - Frown (sad, or unfortunate)

:o - Surprise

o.O - Raised eyebrow (many uses - I typically use to indicate that I find something to be odd)

AFAIK - As Far As I Know
AFK - Away From Keyboard
ASAP - As Soon As Possible
BRB - Be Right Back
BTW - By The Way
CU - see you
F2F - Face to Face
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
FWIW - For What It’s Worth
FYI - For Your Information
IIRC - If I Remember Correctly
JK - Just Kidding
IMO - In My Opinion
IOW - In Other Words
IRL - In Real Life
LOL - Laughing Out Loud
OMG - Oh My Gosh!
OTOH - On The Other Hand
ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing
ROFLMAO - Rolling On the Floor Laughing My A** Off (perhaps inappropriate for some, but very common)
THX - Thanks
TIA - Thanks In Advance
TTYL - Talk To You Later