How to Stay Hip on Internet Lingo

"No Texting @ Dinner!" read a recent MSNBC.com headline. The article is among the latest to highlight the digital divide between parents and their teens, and the stresses parents face when communicating with a plugged-in offspring: During the recent technology boom, texting has become a dominate form of communication for teens.

Technological advances have heightened the problem of typical teen self-absorption. Teens appear oblivious when it comes to how (turn off the phone!) and when to limit their texting or online activity. (No Facebook at Grandma's. No picture messages from the funeral. No phone when someone is talking to you. Where does it end?)

Parents need to be the model of good manners, to teach by example. You can't model it if you aren't doing it. If your teen is texting, you need to get hip to online lingo. (You may even find that it is the quickest and easiest way to stay in touch -- and easiest way to model proper texting etiquette.)

Follow these simple steps and you'll be on your way to bridging the digital divide with your teen via texting. Who knows, you may like it so much you even branch out to tweeting!

1 Familiarize yourself with the lingo before you begin texting your teen or coworkers. You don't want to look awkward or find yourself confused by the phrases you receive.

Here are common phrases you should know before you send or receive any messages: BRB-be right back, 2moro-tomorrow, 2nite-tonight, BTW-by the way, IDK-I don't know, IMHO-in my humble opinion, LOL-laugh out loud, J/K-just kidding, TTYL-talk to you later, and of course OMG-oh my god.

These are only a few of the many out there, but you'll get the hang of it once you start interacting.

2 Always text when you want to give your kid (or spouse) instructions.

Your teen doesn't want to hear your nagging voice on the other end of the line or in a long, drawn-out message telling him what time he needs to be home. If you text he is more likely to accept your order, and this usually preempts any opening to negotiate with you on the phone. This will save you from a power struggle and more gray hair.

3 Use the predictive text feature when you text.

The predictive text feature predicts the word you are trying to type (it learns the words you use often) and makes the whole process of texting quicker. This is especially the case for phones with only the numerical keypad. Rather than taping the key three times to get to the letter O, the predictive text feature generates the word you are trying to use and completes the word for you when you select this format.

4 Use your thumbs when you text.

Nothing shows your age (and your unhip status) more than poking out your message with your index finger. Thumbs are the way to go and with practice your speed will increase.

5 Know your plan and your coverage area.

Make sure that your cell phone plan covers unlimited texting and the additional features it allows. For an additional five or ten dollars a month most plans will allow you to send and receive as many texts as you want. Most give free text messages to those using the same provider, but make sure you know who your friend's carrier is before you send a million messages. It can get costly going over your allotted number of messages.

6 Opt out of texting when the message you have is too long.

Email works well for longer, non-urgent messages. If what you have to say is over 160 characters (the text limit of many service providers) email the recipient or bite the bullet and call.

Source: Net