A guide to online dating speak

Top dating acronyms, abbreviations and jargon

AFAIK: As far as I know
BRB: Be right back (useful when you're chatting on instant messenger and you need the loo, kettle, new bottle of wine or whatever)
BTW: By the way
B4: Before
B4N: Bye for now
F2F: Face-to-face (as in, 'would you like to meet f2f?')
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
FWB: Friends with benefits
FWIW: For what it's worth
FYI: For your information
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IRL: In real life
LDR: Long distance relationship
LOL: Laugh out loud (or, very occasionally, 'lots of love'. The context should give it away)
LTR: Long-term relationship
Newbie: Internet jargon for newcomer
OMG: Oh my God
POV: Point of view
ROTFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
SYS: See you soon
2NITE: Tonight
TTFN: 'Ta ta' for now
W8: Wait

Smile, you're on instant messenger!

'Smileys' and other emoticons can be useful for giving you a 'tone of voice' in instant messaging and email. After all, you can't hear each other's real tone or see your facial expressions, and these are important in communication.

Here are some emoticons you might see in dating emails and messages:

:-) or :) smile

:-( or :( unhappy

;) or ;-) wink

:D or :-D laugh

:P or :-P cheeky; poking out tongue

:S or :-S confused

<3 heart

You can also add emotion to your messages by indicating actions in pointy brackets or asterisks. For example: , or *blush*.

The etiquette of online-speak

Internet dating has its own communication etiquette. Here are a few dos and don'ts:

DO go easy with the caps lock. Typing a word in upper case means you're shouting, and is considered rude in instant messaging or on discussion boards.

DON'T use 'smileys' in your online dating ad. An advert doesn't need a facial expression. You don't see this crime committed often, but culprits are usually men. One male online dater wrote: 'I guess I just want a lady who'll make me smile!!!! :-D :-))'. Friendly or annoying? I'll go for the latter.

DON'T use too many 'smileys' in email or messaging. They can add expression, but they can also look childish. Imagine chatting face-to-face with someone who can't stop grinning and laughing. Eventually you want to punch them.

DO pay attention to your spelling, grammar and punctuation in emails. Okay, so it's not a job application, but it's still good manners to care about what you write.

DO be wary of using more than one exclamation mark. If in doubt, go without.

DO use acronyms to keep your correspondent informed during an online chat. If you're a slow typist and you're taking a while to reply, a quick 'W8' ('wait') in the text box reassures him that you haven't disappeared.

DON'T over-use acronyms, though. Know how to recognise them, but don't batter your correspondent with them. A torrent of text-speak makes you look lazy and even geeky.

DO respect the style of the man you're emailing or chatting to. He'll warm to you if he thinks you speak a similar language. So if he uses 'smileys' and abbreviations, try using a couple yourself. You might even enjoy it :)

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