Abbreviation Babblings

This is actually pretty wild to think about. I have never really done so before. For all the abbreviations already mentioned, I usually think the full words out in my head. With the exception of two. The first being AFK. I just think AFK. Mostly because Away From Keyboard is just too long for my brain to want to care/think about. hehe.. The other is ROFL. Which I hear in my head something like Rooffflll. Again, I think it is just because Rolling on the Floor Laughing is too long. BUT! When I see ROFLMAO, I do think it out word for word. It is longer than the others, so why do I do that? How odd the brain is.

Alright! I'll admit it. I have been in the world of chat for over 10 years now and I have no idea what AFK stands for. I know you put it up when you have to go do something but I have no idea what it means, at all. I remember asking someone once and they told me it was "Away From Computer" ... but there seems to be a problem with that.. C.. K.. C.. K..
Hints? Make me feel less innocent and torment me not for my cluelessness.

AFK means Away From Keyboard

I suppose it could also mean Away From Komputor or something I suppose, but mostly Away From Keyboard is what it means. Could also mean Away For Killing, but that'd just make you insane.

For me, AFK in my head sounds like the letters A-F-K, but those three letters have a sense of "awayness" to me, so I'm not identifying it as letters. I tend to get the sense of an empty computer desk chair.

lol usually sounds like laughter in my head. I tend to "hear" the people behind the avatars (I even automatically imagine what a lot of you look like -I'm sure we'd both be surprised) So, when you type lol to me, the "you" that is in my head laughs, which I hear, and I might even see the physical motion of your "body" shaking.

WTF and ROFLMAO I hear as the words they represent. It just happens. It would be difficult for me to read a sentence with wtf in it and NOT think the words it represents. Oh, and Pendari, you said you "wordify" ROFLMAO, but not ROFL. I bet you as well think the words for WTF, and psychologically, for both of us and others, its probably becuase those two have "naughty" words in them. They probably tickle the "teehee" sections of our brain

Until now, I've never been a big online chatter. The majority of abbreviations are easy enough to pick out and I knew without having to ask. Others, while I haven't had to ask, have given me pause while I had to work out the context. Any that have given me pause in the past (AFAIK, AFOAF, and FWIW are examples) tend to continue to give me that brief moment of confusion even though I now Know what they are.

Interesting to think about. . . thanks

"loll"

I am SO relieved that other ppl do this. I've been wondering for quite some time if it was just me. ROFL, too. Kinda like "roffle".
*feels less silly*


Onei;
" (I even automatically imagine what a lot of you look like -I'm sure we'd both be surprised)"

Teehee, there is this guy I always see on my way to take neil to work in the mornings that looks JUST like your avatar. For some reason this guy, in my mind's eye, has become the face-of-Onei-RL.

Oh dear! hehe.. you are probably right! *blush*

I tend to sound them out, one way or another, AFK I use the letters (keep in mind this is in my head, I dont say them when im not chatting) but ROFL I pronounce ROHFEL. However, WTF Is wierd for me. In my head it sounds like WHA TI FFFFF?

BRB GGP!

Ack! TMI

Now for some reason GGP sounds like GaGaP in my head... stupid comercials. Also TMI reminds me of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT).

OMG! hehe.. blast from the past there.

TMI I always think in my head T-M-I, *then* I think Too Much Information. One of the few were my mind says two things back to back like that. Odd.