Glossary & mini-primer of common net words, jargon, protocol & commands & help for chat rooms online in internet communication via modems or WebTV.

The Language of Chat

Learning NetSpeak: A Glossary

COMMON NET WORDS

afk -- away from keyboard

bbl -- be back later

bbiab -- be back in a bit

brb -- be right back

btw -- by the way

channel -- another name for room or chat room

cya -- see ya

gmta -- great minds think alike

imho -- in my humble opinion

j/k -- just kidding

irl -- in real life

lag -- this occurs when a server gets overloaded and transfer of messages becomes extremely slow.

lol -- laughing out loud

netsplit -- a too common occurrence where a network's servers get overloaded and split away from each other temporarily. Thus those on different servers will break away so that it appears to each group that the other group has left the channel. Usually these splits last only a few minutes.

network -- an organization of servers and channels; #my_channel may exist on two different networks, but it will likely, though not always, be managed by totally different people on each network

nick -- internet nickname

op -- operator or person who helps control the channel. Ops are distinguished in various ways according to software used, but often designated by @ in front of their nick

rotfl -- rolling on the floor laughing

server -- the entry portal for a network; most networks have at least two, some have many servers

ttfn -- ta ta for now

ttyl -- talk to you later

wb -- welcome back

COMMON NET EMOTIONS or "EMOTICONS"

<grin> a grin
(((((((((( nick )))))))))) a "cyberhug"
:) or :-) smile
:( or :-( frown
;) or ;-) wink
:P or :-P sticking tongue out (sometimes done playfully among friends)
:-/ -- confused of perplexed
:-0 shocked

TYPING IN ALL CAPS is considered SCREAMING and is generally frowned upon

*If you wish to emphasize something* enclose it in *astericks* rather than CAPS

Grammar and spelling take a back seat to instant communication. Humor has it that poor spelling and frequent typos are a requirement for proper chat protocol ;-)

Most of the chat room software as well as the website entryways provide some type of popup or click-on for the most common chat room commands. However it is a good idea to learn the most common ones in order to be able to navigate easily if you are using an unfamiliar entryway. Chat room commands are always preceeded by a forward slash " / " .

/join #nameofchannel -- always put a " # " before the name of the channel you wish to join

/join #name_of_channel -- be sure to type the channel exactly as listed. Some will separate words with hyphens; some won't. No spaces are allowed in channel names

/me is glad to meet you -- "me" will be replaced by the nick of the person entering the command, thus "SuzyS is glad to meet you" will be posted into the channel when SuzyS enters this command.

/msg patches3 how are you? -- send a private message to patches3 asking "how are you?"

For more net terminology, see:

CNet Glossary