FWIW there are a lot of acronyms out there, especially on AIM, YIM, MSN, and IRC. I am FAQ about what these things mean. It would be nice to tell people to RTM, but AFAIK there aren’t very many comprehensive lists available (BICBW). So, here is a list of many common acronyms I’ve seen used from time to time. HTH. IAE, if I left some favorite ones out, BMG to add them in the comments. Just keep them kid-friendly. Thx!

A/S/L … Age/Sex/Location
AFAIK … As far as I know
AFK … Away from keyboard (especially mobile users not at a computer)
AIM … AOL Instant Messenger; also verb for transferring files via AIM
ASAP … As soon as possible
ATM … At the moment
B … Back
BAK … Back at keyboard (typically used after AFK or BRB)
BBL … Be back later
BBS … Be back soon
BC … Because
BCNU … Be Seein’ You
BFF … Best Friends Forever
BFN … Bye for now
BG … Big grin
BIAB … Back in a bit
BICBW … But I could be wrong
BMG … Be my guest
BRB … Be right back
BTA … But then again
BTW … By the way

Continued on page 1: A-B / 2: C-I / 3: J-R / 4: S-Z