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A guide to online dating speak

Signing up for online dating can feel like buying a ticket to a foreign country with its different traditions, different etiquette and different language. The way to fit in is to do as the locals do. But what if you can't understand a word they're saying?

The emails and instant messaging you receive when you are dating online are full of jargon and acronyms. So if you're a 'newbie' online dater, it pays to know what they mean.

WLTM GSOH? LOL!

Cliched acronyms were a necessary evil when personal ads belonged solely in the newspaper. Advertisers paid per word, so 'GSOH' was four times cheaper than 'good sense of humour'.

But online dating ads can be hundreds of words long, so you hardly ever see traditional acronyms in online personals. Gone are the days of SWF (single white female) who WLTM (would like to meet) a SWM with a GSOH.

However, acronyms and abbreviations still have their place. Email, instant messaging and especially text messages are rich with a whole new generation of dating shorthand.

Today's acronyms are less about saving space, more about saving time. Rather than standing for descriptions like 'good sense of humour', they stand for common phrases that we can't be bothered to write in full. For example, 'by the way' becomes 'btw'.

Some people use this shorthand a lot in emails and messages. Sites like DatingDirect.com are based on email and instant messaging tools, so you'll need to know what your potential date means by 'LOL'. It may not mean what you think it does.

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