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Emoticons / Smilies | Abbreviations
 In deference to all the (most welcome) "newbies" who are joining us on the internet, lots of you have asked me about emoticons and abbreviations. Here's what they mean.

Q. What the heck are all the cryptic little punctuation marks and initials I see so often on the internet? What to they mean? What do they stand for?
A. These are "shorthand" methods of communicating in a limited medium (e-mail messages, etc.); they started during the earliest days of the internet, and before the Web was so pervasive. It's a way to communicate feelings, meanings, and emotions. They are "Emoticons" also called "Smileys" - and here's what they mean:
Symbol  Meaning

 :-)
 Classic Smile 1

 :)
 Classic Smile 2

 =-)
 Classic Smile 3

 =)
 Classic Smile 4 or top hat 1

 :-(
 Frown 1

 :(
 Frown 2
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=-(
 Frown 3

 =(
 Frown 4 or top hat 2

 ;-)
 Wink (usually to convey humor or "I'm kidding")

 ;-(
 BEWARE...

 :-0
 Nift 1 (yes, that's spelled right)

 :-O
 Nift 2
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*<:-)
 Birthday or Elf

 *<:-(
 Dunce

<:-( 
 Conehead

 :-\
 Huh 1

:-/ 
 Huh 2

 :-|
Kinda stoic

 ~:-)
Alfalfa boy

:-> 
 Devilish grin

 :-<
 Devilish frown

;-> 
 Devilish wink

 ;-<
 Unknown???
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 :-x
 Hush 1

:-X 
 Hush 2

 |-)
Robot guy

 §-)
 RUNAWAY!!!! (eyes opt.-6)

 :·)
Honk (for the nose, opt. 8)

;-#
In a fight

 =|:-)
 Abe 1

 =):-)
 Abe 2

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Abbreviations
Q. What the heck are all the cryptic abbreviations I see so often on the internet? What to they mean? What do they stand for?
A. The abbreviations, like the emoticons above, are "shorthand" methods of communicating in a limited medium (e-mail messages, etc.); they, too, started during the earliest days of the internet, and before the Web (and its graphical capabilities) was so pervasive. It's a way to communicate feelings, meanings, and emotions via abbreviations.
Abbreviation  Meaning

 Newbie
Welcome, newbies! A "newbie" is a new member of the internet community; someone who has developed the wisdom to "get with it" and "get connected" to the internet, but who hasn't yet learned their way around the web and net. "Newbies" will soon discover that the internet community is filled with kind, generous, and loving people from every corner of the vast earth we all share, and who are more than willing to help the "newbie" navigate the vast and wonderful electronic world. But just as in the "Real" world, there are the few vile and reprehensible individuals who would lie and cheat us, so beware of anyone who asks you for sensitive information (your social security number, your credit card numbers, etc.). But feel free to ask for help - I promise you, you'll be amazed with the kindness and generosity of the internet community!
[Note: Most of the time, the periods are omitted from the abbreviations]

 B.T.W. (BTW)
 By the way
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F.Y.I. (FYI)
 For your info

 HAND
 Have a nice day

 HTH
 Hope this helps

 HTDH
 Hope this dosen't help

 RTFM
 Read the f^$*!@$ manual

 IMO
 In my opinion

 IMHO
 In my humble opinion

 RTFM2
 Read the f^$*!@$ manual, again!

 LOL
 Laughing out loud

 YMMV
 Your mileage may vary

 ILY
 I LOVE YOU!!!

 EMS
 Eat my shorts
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 WUD
 What's up Doc

 HTD
 HANG TEN, DUDE

 HB
 Hey Baby

 AYOK
 Are you O.k.?

 ICF
 I can fly

 WTH
 What the heck?

 CTO
 check this out

 WAYD
 what are you doing?

 AYHFY
 Are you having fun yet?

 HDYDI
 How do you do it?

 BS
 Big Secret
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 IWTBA
 I want to be alone

 WKOMDYH
 What kind of Mac (Macintosh) do you have?

 TIA
 Thanks in advance

ROTFL/ROFL
 Rolling on the floor laughing

HB
 Hey Baby

WTH
 What the heck?

 MUSH
 multi-user simutanious hallucination
There are, of course, many more abbreviations, and if your favorites are missing, just let me know what they are, and I'll be glad to add them. Thanks for your visit!

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