Now you know. LOL and OMW are my favourites, followed by OMG, BRB, ROFL and WTF. Sometimes, not very often, I’ll use IMHO, TMI and LMIMP. Please do not google the last one — it’s a tad dirty.

I might even use ROFLOL. I think it conveys a better image than ROFL.

But here’s the thing: I dislike it when other people who are not my friends or immediate acquaintances use it. Does this make me a bad person?

I’d like to think not. Yes, it is fun to use emoticons, but only when you are chatting on some Instant Messaging service. Or during a casual conversation when the person with whom you’re speaking will not wonder what the WTF is ROFLOL.

I read one of my MSN chat logs from last month and saw that often, the person I’m chatting to uses LOL to express something other than actually ‘laughing out loud’. She isn’t laughing and might not even find what I said to be funny. It’s become automatic. I even find this happening to me; the initialism LOL has become a filler.

The Royal Joyful: ag, i’ll be fine
The Royal Joyful: lol

Or it could be used to soften a statement.

So what I would like to know from you is this: do you use emoticons in emails and conversation? Disclaimer: I sometimes use LOL when talking to geeky friends. But only with them; anyone else would think I’m a bit dotty. I’d also like to know what you think of those who use emoticons in emails. Are they being lazy, too emotional or even childish?

Internet Slang Dictionary: lol – laugh out loud; omg – oh my god; brb – be right back; rofl – roll on (the) floor laughing; wtf – what the fuck; imho – in my humble opinion; tmi – too much information; omw – oh my word.