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The problem with email is that you can't convey to the reader that
you're being sarcastic. Or winking. Or mad. Or having such a bad hair
day that you resemble Ronald Reagan. Well, of course you can
-- it's done in novels and short stories all the time -- but the
other problem with email is that you want it to be as thorough as
possible but also be as brief as possible. Sort of like a Reader's
Digest condensed book. You want to be complete, but that would
take too long. Everything you type in email has to be transmitted. So
instead of typing "by the way," many people will type BTW. It
transmits faster, and it's easier for your average two-fingered
typist to type. Here are some common email abbreviations:
BTW By the way IMHO In my humble opinion LOL Laughing out loud ROFL Rolling on (the) floor laughing OTOH On the other hand TNG Star Trek: The Next Generation
Similarly, clever email geeks have created a series of codes that
indicate when they are smiling, smirking, having a bad hair day, etc.
These are sometimes called "emoticons" by people with an
anal-retentive need to have a scientific, important-sounding name for
everything. These are (usually) composed of punctuation marks that
form little faces when viewed sideways. Following are the most
common:
:) Your basic smiley -- just eyes and a smile. :-) A little more anatomically correct, includes a nose. 8-) Sender wears glasses and is smiling :-> A smirk, or a devilish grin. Most popular among "Calvin & Hobbes" fans ;-> A variation on the above, but the sender is winking :-} A sheepish grin :-( Sender is unhappy :-\ Sender is confused or dissatisfied :-O Sender is open-mouthed with astonishment 7:-| Sender resembles Ronald Reagan
For a more complete list, consult the
"Unofficial Smiley
Dictionary." But be prepared to wait . . . the list is quite long
. . .