MANILA, Philippines — I remember when I first got a hand at chatting online. It was the late 80’s and I was living in Los Angeles.  Being away from home loneliness sets in. I came across Prodigy, MIRC  (these were the internet chat relay applications at the time) where I got to talk to friends and relatives across the seas REAL TIME.  What is real time even? It means as it sounds and seems – talking via typing “actual time.”  But chat online is a world of its own:

DeMeritOYBAB: Hi. ASL?

HissingHussy50: 50ish/F/Las Pinas

DeMeritOYBAB: Oh so you’re a golden girl. ROTL

HissingHussy50: Yeah, I’m a pretty old hag. LOL. Hey, lemme send you my pic so you can see how this old hag looks.

Did all that seem like hieroglyphics to you? When someone tells you a hilarious joke, you're likely to respond by slapping your thigh, throwing your head back, and chortling with abandon. Should you discover that same joke in your email inbox, however, you're likely to respond with LOL, LMAO, ROTFL, or in the event of extreme mirth, by ROTFLMAO.  If you're new to chat rooms, instant messaging, or email, the above acronyms may seem vaguely official or even intimidating. Relax. Those particular alphabetical concoctions simply mean laughing out loud (LOL), rolling on the floor laughing (ROTFL), and laughing my ankles off (LMAO). They're just examples of everyday cyberspace shorthand used to convey emotions of approval and disapproval, love and hate--and everything in between.

“Web lingo” has evolved into a more diverse form and today I give way to requests via email and from PSCF friends Marlene and Leilani to share the info.

AAK Alive And Kicking

AAR At Any Rate

AAS Alive And Smiling

ADN Any Day Now

AFK Away From the Keyboard

AFN that's All For Now

AOTA All Of The Above

a/s/l or asl Age/Sex/Location - (used to ask a chatter their personal information)

b4 Before

BAK Back At Keyboard

(I'm back)

BBL Be Back Later

BBS Be Back Soon

b/f Boyfriend (also shown

as bf, B/F, or BF)

BEG Big Evil Grin

BFN Bye For Now

BMA Bite My A**

(became popular with the

Simpson's cartoon show)

boot To get kicked out of a chat room, or have to restart the computer because you couldn't talk in the chat room anymore.

BR Best Regards

BRB Be Right Back

BRH Be Right Here

BFF Best Friend Forever

BTW By The Way

btw BeTWeen you and me ...

chat room A web page where people gather using software that allows them to talk to one another in real time.

CRS Can't Remember S**t

CU See You - also posted

as cya

CNP Continued in Next Post (seen more on message boards than chat)

CUL8R See You Later

CUOL See You On Line

CYA See Ya

dd, ds, dh Darling or Dear: Dear Son, Dear Daughter, or Dear Husband.