ListProc: Acronyms & Smileys

Emailing can mean a lot of typing. The world of email has developed its own typing shortcuts. The following list will help you navigate the email acronyms, although many email discussion lists will have their own acronyms and shortcuts. Many discussion groups periodically post a list of their abbreviations for newcomers.

Acronyms

AFAIK

As Far As I Know

AKA

Also Known As

BTW

By the way

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

FWIW

For what it's worth

FUA

Frequently Used Acronyms

FYI

For Your Information

IAE

In any event

IMO

In my opinion

IMHO

In my humble opinion

IMCO

In my considered opinion

IOW

In other words

JM2C

Just my 2 cents

LOL

Laugh out loud

NRN

No reply necessary

OTOH

On the other hand

PMFJI

Pardon Me For Jumping In

ROFL

Rolling on floor laughing.

RSN

Real Soon Now (which may be a long time coming)

RTFM

Read the #@$*&^ manual

SITD

Still in the dark

TANSTAAFL

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

TIA

Thanks In Advance

TIC

Tongue in cheek

TWIMC

To Whom It May Concern

WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get

YMMV

Your Mileage May Vary (you may have a different experience)

YWIA

You're welcome in advance

Another feature of communication via email is emoticons. Also known as smileys, these constructions (when viewed with your head tilted to the left) help show emotions in an environment where body language and voice inflection are not available. Here are some of the most widely used emoticons to help you get started.

Smileys

:-) or : ) A basic smiley
;-) or ; ) A winking smile
:-( or : ( Frowning or sad
(-: or ( :

Writer is left-handed
(tilt head to right)

:D Laughter
{:-) Writer wears a toupee
Prepared by Carine Ullom of Academic Computing Services, The University of Kansas. August 1999.