EMOTICONS & ACRONYMS As explained elsewhere, e-mail is often written in a chatty, informal manner but when it is received it appears as stark black and white with no hint of emotion or context. The judicious use of a few emoticons can go a long way to avoiding misunderstandings or causing unintended offence. It is far safer to put a smilie :-) after a comment you intend to be taken lightly than to lose a friend or spend time smoothing hurt feelings. Emoticons       Writer... (:-) ...is bald |:-) ...has bushy eyebrows :*) ...has got a cold 8-) ...wears glasses :-) ...is happy :-x ...sends a kiss :-D ...is laughing out loud :-| ...is stern-faced |:] ...is Robocop :-( ...is sad O:-) ...is a saint :-O ...is shocked :-V ...is shouting |-) ...is/was sleeping :o) ...is stout :O) ...is really stout :-\ ...is undecided :-/ (or is it this way?) :-[ ...is a vampire ;-) ...is winking       Acronyms AFAIK As Far As I Know BFN Bye For Now BTDT Been There, Done That BTW By The Way EOD End Of Discussion FAQ Frequently Asked Question FITB Fill In The Blank FUBAR Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition FWIW For What It's Worth FYI For Your Information GD&R Grin, Duck and Run GMTA Great Minds Think Alike HTH Hope That Helps IAC In Any Case IIRC If I Recall Correctly IMHO In My Humble Opinion IOW In Other Words IUD Insert Usual Disclaimers LOL Laugh(ing) Out Loud NBD No Big Deal OTOH On The Other Hand PBKAC Problem (is) Between Keyboard And Chair POV Point Of View ROFL Roll On Floor Laughing ROFLOL Roll On Floor Laughing Out Loud RTFI Read The Flaming Instructions! SOP Standard Operational Procedure TIA Thanks In Advance TLA Three Letter Acronym TPTB The Powers That Be INTRO VIRUSES SCAMS E-MAIL NETIQUETTE EMOTICONS SPAM ANTI-SPAM HISTORY  With thanks to Internet Lodge for providing this content. DISCLAIMER: No responsible will be accepted for any consequences arising from downloading and installing programs listed in these pages. We have no control over these programs which are supplied by third parties and brought to your attention in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure you follow the instructions they provide carefully and properly. If you are not fully confident in what you are doing we suggest you seek qualified assistance and do not proceed.