NETiquette & Abbreviations


Are you new to the Internet or to our message boards, or just want to brush up on your online lingo? To help we came up with a list of the most common abbreviations and symbols used by members in the Oprah.com Community to talk to each other.


Acronyms

There are a number of acronyms that you may use in lieu of complete sentences. Here are a few to try out:


AKA: Also known as

BTW: By the way

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

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

LMAO: Laughing my asterisk off

NRN: No response necessary

OTOH: On the other hand

POV: Point of view

RL: Real life

ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing

TIA: Thanks in advance

TTFN: Ta-ta for now

TTYL: Talk to you later

WB: Welcome back

WTG: Way to go


Friendly Reminder

Typing in all capital letters, except when using these acronyms is considered 'shouting online,' plus it's a lot harder to read. We ask that members not type in all CAPS.


Emoticons

To add a little pizzazz to your conversation, you can use symbols called emoticons to express yourself. You create the symbols by typing dashes, colons, semicolons, and a variety of other keystrokes that look like faces when you view them sideways. These are some of the most popular emoticons:


Smiling

Frowning

Winking

Wearing cool shades
Crying