email conventions

[James E. Clapp]

A. Vine wrote:
>
> For emoticons, take a look at:
>
> http://wwws.enterprise.net/fortknox/emoticon/smiley.html
>
> Also, you might want to look at:
>
> http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/25smile.htm

To decrypt initialisms or search for initialisms whose expansions include
a particular word, see The World Wide Web Acronym and Abbreviation Server
at http://www.ucc.ie/info/net/acronyms/acro.html .

This site was just called to my attention today by someone whom I had to
write back to ask what he meant by AFAIK.  I told him I assumed (from the
context) that the FAIK means "for all I know," but couldn't figure out the
A.  He wrote back to say the abbreviation stands for "as far as I know."

This is what I meant when I wrote on this list that I find these
initialisms a pain, and am always having to go to a lot of trouble if I
want to know what the person writing them is actually trying to say.
Having a Web site to consult doesn't make them any less a pain, but some
of you researchers out there may find it interesting or useful.

James E. Clapp