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Acronyms
Generally used on IRC channels and
NewGroups
Abbreviations
Emoticon
What is a troll
These are all
abbreviations for specific phrases commonly used in informal
written computer correspondence. Following is a list of some common acronyms and
their meanings:
| AFAIC |
As far as I'm concerned
|
| AFAIK |
As far as I know
|
| AFK |
Away from keyboard
|
| BRB |
Be right back |
| BTDT |
Been there, done that
|
| BTW |
By the way |
| BUAG |
Butt-ugly ASCII graphic
|
| C/C |
Comments and criticism
|
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked Question |
| FWIW |
For what it's worth
|
| FYI |
For your information
|
| HTH |
Hope this helps
|
| IANAL |
I am not a lawyer
|
| IMHO |
In my honest opinion
|
| IMNSHO |
In my not so humble opinion
|
| IMO |
In my opinion |
| IOW |
In other words
|
| LOL |
Laughing out loud
|
| MOTAS |
Member of the appropriate sex
|
| MOTOS |
Member of the opposite sex
|
| MOTSS |
Member of the same sex
|
| NG |
Newsgroup |
| OTOH |
On the other hand
|
| RL |
Real Life, as opposed to the Internet
|
| ROTFL |
Rolling on the floor laughing
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| RTFM |
Read The F***ing Manual. This may be interpreted as: "You
have asked a question which would best be answered by consulting the
manual (or FAQ, or other help files), a copy of which should be in your
possession. The question you have asked is clearly answered in the
manual and you are wasting time asking people to read it to you." It's
good netiquette to mail this type of answer to another user rather than
post it in public messages. |
| SO |
Significant other, used to refer to someone's romantic
partner without making any assumptions about gender or preference.
|
| TLA |
Three letter acronym
|
| WTF |
What the F*** |
| WTH |
What the Hell |
| YMMH |
You might mean here
|
| YMMV |
Your mileage may vary
|
| {g} |
Grin |
| {BG} |
Big grin |
The notation :-) is known as a smiley, and means that the statement it
follows was intended as humor. Tilt your head to the side if you don't see the
smiling face; the : is the eyes, the - the
optional nose, and the ) the mouth.
This notation is often used in
IRC Channels and
Usenet newsgroup postings to
communicate emotional context that would otherwise be lost or unclear. A
statement that was intended to be humorous might be found offensive by some
people if taken seriously, and thus punctuation such as the smiley is used to
avoid misinterpretation. While people also use smilies in email messages, they
are informal and best used only in personal messages.
There are many other similar symbols used to convey emotion, although the
smiley is most often used. These are collectively known as emoticons, and
include some of the following:
| Emoticon
|
Emotion |
Interpretation
|
| :) or :-) |
Happy |
This was a joke.
|
| ;) or ;-) |
Happily winking
|
I'm pulling your leg.
|
| :P or :-P |
Sticking out tongue
|
"Nyahh" or "Bleh".
|
| :D or :-D |
Open-mouthed grin
|
I'm delighted!
|
| :( or :-( |
Unhappy |
I'm sad about this.
|
| :~( |
Crying |
I'm VERY sad about this.
|
| :-| |
Unemotional |
I'm less than thrilled.
|
| >:-( |
Very unhappy |
I'm upset! |
| 8-) |
Wide-eyed happiness
|
This surprised me.
|
| :-O |
Shouting |
I'm yelling, and likely upset!
|
| 8-O |
Wide-eyed shouting
|
I'm even more upset!
|
| >8-O |
Mad wide-eyed shouting
|
Now I'm really angry!
|
| |-| |
Asleep |
Zzzzzz... |
| ==|:-) |
Silly |
I'm Abraham Lincoln (top hat). |
Hundreds of other emoticons have been devised by the Usenet community. See
the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.ascii for discussion of emoticons and
other pictures drawn with text characters.
What is a troll
On IRC and newsgroups, a troll is not a grumpy monster that lives beneath a
bridge accosting passers-by, but rather a provocative statement or posting
intended to produce a large volume of frivolous responses. The term can also
refer to someone making such a posting ("a troll") or to the action ("trolling",
"to troll").
The content of a troll posting generally
falls into one of several categories. Generally consisting of either
 |
Foolish
contradictions to common knowledge. |
|
|
Deliberately offensive insult to the members of the IRC channel, or
readers of a newsgroup or mailing list. |
|
|
A broad
request for trivial follow-up postings.
The result is frequently a flood of angry responses. In IRC this can
start arguments and most times resulting
in the trolling party being banned from the channel. In Newsgroups, the
follow-up messages posted in response to a troll can constitute a large
fraction of the contents of a newsgroup or mailing list for as long as
several weeks. These messages are transmitted around the world to
thousands of computers, wasting network resources and costing money for
people who pay to receive Usenet news or download email. Troll threads
also frustrate people who are trying to carry on intelligent and
meaningful discussions. |
People post such messages to get
attention, to disrupt discussion, and to make trouble. The best response to a
troll is no response. If you post a follow-up message, you are
contributing to the resulting clamor and most likely delighting the troller.
Before posting a response, consider the following questions:
- Have responses already been posted by
others?
- Will my post add any information that
others are not likely to be aware of already?
- Is the issue resolvable, or will
discussion turn into name-calling?
- Should I send private email instead
of posting publicly?
- Will I later regret the contents of
what I am posting?
On IRC the the OP's (channel operators)
responsibility to deal with trolls. In newsgroup settings you are asked not to
encourage, respond to, or participate in trolling. You will help make Usenet and mailing lists
much more enjoyable forums for discussion.
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