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Online Customs & Etiquette - A Quick Guide

A quick guide to online customs and etiquette, sometimes referred to as "netiquette." This guide covers common abbreviations, "emoticons" (those little faces made with text), and some additional tips to ensure that you aren’t sending anyone the wrong message.

Abbreviations

TYVM = Thank you very much CMIIW = Correct me if I'm wrong OIC = Oh, I see FITB = Fill in the blank IAC = In any case LOL = Laughing out loud BYKT = But you knew that TTFN = Ta ta for now

LJBF = Let's just be friends OTOH = On the other hand AAMOF = As a matter of fact BTW = By the way TIC = Tongue in cheek BBFN = Bye bye for now IMHO = In my humble opinion EOL = End of lecture

Emoticons

:-) Smile ;-) Wink :-( Frown :'-( Crying :-8 Incoherent :'-) Happy and crying :-O Uh oh :-e Disappointed >:-> Devilish :-@ Screaming :-c Bummed out

:-o Surprised :-/ Skeptical :-* Kiss :-} Grin :-> Sarcastic :-& Tongue tied :-\ Undecided >:-< Mad :-D Laughing {} Hug :-P Nyah!

Email and messaging tips

Part of Internet safety is not giving people a reason to want to do you harm. In that spirit, here are some tips to help you keep online interaction friendly.

• Be careful when responding impulsively. Sometimes when we respond to email or other messages without taking the time to consider our response, we can end up saying messages that are hurtful, or even threatening. If you write something in the heat of the moment, it's a good idea to save it for later, and then reread it before sending it on to make sure that it's really what you mean to say.
• Never send threatening or offensive email to others, no matter what they may have sent to you. Besides heating up what may already be a tense situation, such messages may in themselves constitute harassment or another crime.