Nowadays, abbreviations and emotions are used in online communications such as MSN instant messenger, emails and many more. Abbreviations or acronyms, such as BTW for "by the way," are commonly used to save time in all types of communications. They are being used with increased frequency in text messaging and e-mail switched via wireless phones, since text entry is slow using just a phone key-pad.
Emotions – also sometimes called smiley – allow people to add an emotional tone to written online communications. Without these symbols, it is sometimes difficult to tell if a comment is serious or a joke, since you can not see the individual's face or hear his or her tone of voice.
Most people would agree that these abbreviations and symbols are fine to use with personal and casual communications but they are not normally viewed as appropriate for formal business communications.
Here are some of the common acronyms used in online communications.
Common Chat Approonyms:
A
AFAIK – "As far as I know"
AKA – "Also known as"
ASAP – "As soon as possible"
ASL – "Age, sex and location"
B
b / c – "Because"
b4 – "Before"
BFF – "Best friends forever"
BRB – "Be right back"
BTW – "By the way"
C
CTN – "Can not talk now"
cya – "See ya"
CYE – "Check your email"
D
DIY – "Do it yourself"
dl – "Download"
E
ETA – "Estimated arrival time"
F
FYI – "For your information"
G
gb – "Goodbye"
GG – "Good Game"
gr8 – "Great"
GTG – "Got to go"
H
HOAS – "Hold on a second"
HTH – "Hope this helps"
I
IAC – "In any case"
IC – "I see"
IDK – "I do not know"
IIRC – "If I remember correctly"
IMHO – "In my humble opinion"
IMO – "In my opinion"
J
JK – "Just kidding"
JC – "Just curious"
K
k – "Ok"
L
L8 – "Late"
L8r – "Later"
LMK – "Let me know"
LOL – "Laughing out loud"
M
MSG – "Message"
MYOB – "Mind your own business"
N
N / A – "Not available"
NC – "No comment"
NP – "No problem"
O
OMG – "Oh my gosh / god"
P
pls – "Please"
ppl – "People"
pwn – "Own"
Q
qt – "Cutie"
R
ROTFL – "Rolling on the floor laughing"
S
sup – "What's up"
T
TBC – "To be continued"
TC – "Take care"
thx – "Thanks"
TTYL – "Talk to you later"
U
UR – "Your / You are"
W
w / e – "Whatever"
w / o – "Without"
W8 – "Wait"
X
XOXO – "Hugs and kisses"
Y
y – "Why"
YW – "You're welcome"
Z
ZZZ – "Sleeping"
Emotions:
🙂 Smile
🙁 Frown
😉 Wink
😀 Laugh
😛 Sticking out tongue
: -> Sarcastic
>: – Angry
<: -> Dumb
: -S Kind of like it
: -O Surprise
(@@) You're kidding!
(H)) Big hug
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