Internet Language

So I'm a librarian at my church. I make copies for people, and I manage materials that get checked in and out of the library for the meetings. And my ward is the last to meed in the building for the day, so at the end of the day I have to make sure everything has been checked in, and mark down anything still out so the person who checked that item out can be tracked down and reminded they forgot to return the items they checked out. We keep track of these things with a clipboard, where people write down their name and what they're taking out, and cross out their name when they bring their item back.

Yesterday after church, as I was going over the list to make sure everything was checked in, I noticed someone decided to design the paper on one of the clipboards. Specifically, on the bottom of it they drew a stick figure, and next to it wrote the word "Lol".

Now, anyone that's chatted with me over MSN or on forums knows, I use 'lol'. I use it rather extensively, and there's a specific reason. I am under the belief that anything said should get an acknowledgment, like in the older days of the radio. If what was said is funny, I'll reply with 'lol', if what was said required some other form of acknowledgment then I'll use 'i see', 'ahh', or 'heh', though I use the latter less because to some people it comes across as some sort of sarcastic remark. But, in all cases, I use these on the internet only, not in the real world.

I know how to communicate in the real world, I don't use internet slang that will be understood by few. I don't need to, I know how to speak. Some people don't. Some people don't know how to separate the two worlds. I do, and I keep them separate. You won't hear me saying 'lol' out loud.

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Date posted: 04 June, 2007
Tags: anecdote internet
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