How to Understand Instant Message Chat

WC. K. U r a newbie. AFAIK. Translation: "Welcome. Okay. You are new to this. As far as I know." Instant message chat is the shorthand used in chat rooms, messaging programs such as Yahoo!, AOL and MSN and now in the text messages sent via cell phones.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Remember that this is a form of shorthand. Two or more capital letters stand for a phrase. AFN, for instance, is "all for now." NP means "no problem." Just try putting the letters into the context of the conversation or message, and see what fits. (Sorry, no guarantee this always works, but it is worth a try).

2. Ask if you do not understand what someone is saying to you. The fastest way to do this is just type in a question mark and send it back. You also can just type, "Explain."

3. Familiarize yourself with some of the most commonly used chat words. If you are an adult, especially a parent, scroll through website guides. Of course, you can ask any teenager. Be prepared for much rolling of eyes, raising of eyebrows and questions about why on earth you need to know this.

4. Learn some of the keyboard shortcuts and symbols. By typing a colon and then the parenthesis closing mark, you have made the symbol that stands for a smile. Substitute the semicolon, and you have made a wink. Turn your head slightly to see how this works, if you don't see the smiling face right away!

5. Sound out numbers in a message to get the meaning. 2BZ4UQT is "too busy for you cutie." Sorry, though—again, this does not always apply. Some numbers have their own special meaning. Say the number 9 pops up on the screen. It means a parent is watching. 99 means the parent is gone.

6. Note that people say things in instant messaging that they would never dream of saying to your face or even over the phone. Part of the reason is that it is indeed instant. Often the thought that comes into the head is the one that immediately travels to the fingers and out into cyberspace.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes messages get garbled because instant messaging involves fast typing. Errors are imminent.
• If you grew up in a time when communicating was done by telephone, in person or a written letter, just give up your despair over the way things are done now. Instant messaging is here to stay.
• Phone texts tend to follow the same rules but can get more abbreviated because typing on tiny keys gets very tiring. Learn how to use the autofill text feature on your phone.
• Protect your image by learning at least enough to keep you from looking like an idiot before you start out.
• Look over your shoulder at who is watching you. There are news stories out there about how people have been caught doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.
• Many computers automatically save entire conversations. Check your settings if you do not want someone else to be able to read your chats.
• If you are a parent, know what you are looking at. Get familiar with some key terms.

Resources

• Learn the language of instant messaging at Net Lingo.