Chat Anyone?
by Jan Sopshier I have a friend who absolutely loves to chat, I'll refer to my friend as MW. Every single morning at work, MW informs me of the trials and tribulations of Tom, Dick, and Harry . . . her chat partners (names have been changed to protect the innocent). I feel like I know these people personally. The recurring saga of my friend's online chat buddies reminds me of an unscripted soap opera. MW thinks nothing of staying up all hours of the night in order to chat. I've ask her why she thinks more about chatting than her sleep, and she'll quickly respond with, "I have to stay up because everyone is in a different time zone." Almost every morning, she'll drag into work exhausted from lack of sleep after a long night of communicating with her online friends. CHATTING TIPS Never use all capital letters because it is considered shouting and rude. Do not repeat yourself over and over again. It's considered rude. Forget about asking A/S/L (age/sex/location) or giving out yours because it is very unsafe. Choose your words carefully since other chatters cannot "hear" you or see your facial expressions, and some words are easily misinterpreted. Never use foul language. You never know who is on the chat receiving end. It could easily be a young child. Definitely do not talk bad about other chatters. This is a form of "flaming" and could possibly cause severe problems with your future get togethers. Be careful when choosing your nickname. Everyone will jump at the chance to get your attention if you are named Sexpot. Stick with non-sexy names. Don't flirt unless you can handle the consequences. Don't accept files unless you're positive it is virus free. - Netiquette should be your top priority when chatting. Watch your P's & Q's because proper etiquette will keep you safe.
COMMON CHAT ABBREVIATIONS - AFK = Away From Keyboard
- LOL = Laughing Out Loud
- BRB = Be Right Back
- OIC = Oh, I See
- BBIAB = Be Back In A Bit
- OTOH = On The Other Hand
- BBL = Be Back Later
- PITA = Pain In The Ahem ;)
- BTW = By the Way
- ROFL = Rolling On Floor Laughing
- CYA = See ya
- ROFLOL = Rolling On Floor Laughing Out Loud
- FWIW = For What It's Worth
- GMTA = Great Minds Think Alike
- SO = Significant Other
- GR8 = Great
- HB = Hurry Back
- TY = Thank You
- IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
- IMO = In My Opinion
- JAS = Just A Sec
- WFM = Works For Me
- L8R = Later
- YW = You're Welcome
- J/K = Just Kidding
FINAL NOTE Chats can be fun, especially if there are topics which interests you. Behave yourself and you should do just fine. You certainly do not want other chatters to start a flame war with you if you happen to cross the boundary since chatters have been known to gang together and insult people who step out of line. As far as my friend goes........guess she'll continue to come to work after staying up half the night, and I'll continue to hear the tales of the late night saga with her chatting partners.
Jan Sopshier
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