Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Fax Numbers - Internet Shorthand The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, July 19, 2001 Table of Contents 01. Fax Numbers 02. Internet Shorthand *01 Fax Numbers Welcome to The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. This week, we received an e-mail complaining about the information we collect to create a free listing. The complaintant accurately pointed out that we didn’t need all the information we require to create a listing. My problem is, I agree with him. A listing only shows the Company Name, Toll Free Number, State and Key Words. Other than the email address, we really have no need for anything else. Since we do not sell, distribute, lease or otherwise share the information we gather and have no need for anything beyond the basic info, you might be asking, "why do we require it on our Listing request form?" To answer this question, let me tell you how it was before we implemented this policy. When we first started, we only required the basic information needed for a listing. We received thousands of listing requests per day. The problem is, when we called to verify these listings, about 90% of the requests were bogus. So, we made the decision to expand the submission field, requiring street address, fax number, a contact name & title. The listing requests dropped into the hundreds, with 95% of the submissions valid requests for listings. One of the required fields for submitting a listing is the fax number. Six years ago, fax numbers seemed like an important piece of information to gather. Even today, most business forms and applications still ask for fax numbers. Several months ago, we created new letterhead and cards for our company. We chose not to display the fax number on any of our printed collateral. While we still have a fax machine, it is only because a few of our customers still are not completely up to speed with their computers. Personally, I believe the days of faxing is dwindling, as e-mail is supplanting the fax. So why collect fax numbers? I can’t think of one good reason and will soon have our submission form changed so that the fax number is not a required field. If you have any thoughts on this subject or any ideas that could be helpful to the others in this group send them to me (Chuck Arning) at chuck@inter800.com *02 Internet Shorthand Today's article is a basic primer for understanding the Internet's unique shorthand. For those logging on to a message board, online game room or chat room for the first time, it can seem like you've just stepped off a plane into the most foreign of countries. Even though what you're reading appears to be English, there are several words or groups of letters/punctuation that seem to make no sense. I will now attempt to provide you with translations of some of the Internet's "secret code". First, and most important, writing in ALL CAPS is percieved as shouting. If you are a poor typist or merely lazy (you know who you are), it would be better if you type with no caps rather than ALL. An intelligent post or email may be completely disregarded because the reader feels you are irate. The only time you should write something in all caps is when you are shouting. Got it? Good, LET'S MOVE ALONG. Because most people online can't type as fast as they can think, a myriad of acronyms have popped up to save typing time. Most simply replace commonly used phrases. Here are the ones I see most often: Aka: also known as Lol: laughed out loud Btw: By the way Imho: In my humble opinion (also, Imo is the same, without being humble) Lmao: Laugh my a** off Omg: Oh my gosh Otoh: on the other hand RL: Real Life (pertaining to life away from the Internet, aka the 'real world') Rotfl: rolling on the floor laughing Wtf: What the f***? Wtg: Way to go! If you spend time playing card games online, you might also see: gg=Good game, nt=Nice try, brb=Be right back, wb=Welcome back, ty=Thank you, yw=You're welcome, and the one I see directed at me most often: Wai=What an idiot! Another part of this "secret code" uses punctuation to create pictures. These are called emoticons. The most commonly used emoticon is :) This represents a smiley face and either indicates friendship, merriment, or means, "just kidding", depending on its use. There are a multitude of variations on this theme :( Sad or unhappy :-O shouting, loud, or big mouthed ;-) winking and of course, my favorite $-) The Yuppie For a more complete explanation of terms, coupled with a HUGE collection of emoticons, visit: http://www.netlingo.com/ George Paul (george@inter800.com) Thanks for taking to time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. All Contents Copyright ©1995-2001 The Internet 800 Directory Subscribe To The Newsletter: |