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

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
:-) Smiling, with a nose
:-( Frowning
>:-( Upset or annoyed
: -D Laughing
:-o Shouting
:-O Shouting loudly
:-* Puckering for a kiss
:-x User's lips are sealed
:-{ User has a moustache
:-() Big mouth
;-) Winking
8-) Wearing glasses
B-) Wearing cool shades
@>--,--- A rose
(-: User is left-handed
:'-( User is crying
:-@ User is screaming

A 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.

Published 07/09/2008