This post is for anyone who is new to communicating on the internet. It's like a whole new language of communication and it can be overwhelming. So, here are a few things to help you out.
To start, a couple little "guidelines" to consider:
1. When writing a comment or a post in social medias such as Facebook, remember that you are using text. Tone of voice is not recognized by the people on the other end. So, be sure to be clear and concise in what you're saying. Proof read your post before hitting the "enter" key to submit it. And remember, sarcasm doesn't always translate to text as it would if the person were listening to your voice.
2. Caps MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE SCREAMING/SHOUTING AT SOMEONE and can be offensive. It's best to use caps at little as possible and ONLY if you're actually intended to shout at someone, or you are attempting to emphasize one particular word, as I have done.
3. Just as in real life, face to face contact with people, do your best to use the manners your mother taught you. We all respond better to honey rather than vinegar.
4. Do your best to use punctuation. By using commas and periods in the appropriate places, you will be less likely to mis-communicate a thought and you will show that you an intelligent person who's thoughts are worth investing time into reading.
If you remember these two small things, you will likely avoid a landslide of irritated replies, or find that people either stop talking to you or disconnect.
Now, you're probably saying, "What about all the jargon? What do all those acronyms mean?" Well, I will list the most common terms below for you and "translate" them to English.
LOL = Laughing out Loud (most people use this in place of typing, "hahaha" to show they find something funny)
LMAO = Laughing My Ass Off (see notes on LOL. Also, this one may also be written as LMBO = Laughing My Butt Off, for those who prefer not to swear)
ROFLMAO = Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off (is often shortened to ROFL for convenience)
OMG = Oh My God (used to express and exclamation as it is used in verbal communication)
OMFG = Oh My F&*^%#$@ God (extreme use of OMG)
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
WTF = What The F$%# (in proper grammar, should be completed with a question mark)
NP = No Problem
BRB = Be Right Back
HB = Hurry Back
WB = Welcome Back
TY = Thank You
YW = You're Welcome
K = OK
There are more, as you might imagine, but I believe these are the most common you will find in every day online social networks, texts, and IM chats.
I hope this crash course was helpful! Please post comments or questions. Did I miss anything important?
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