Do you BlogSpeak? Use Wolfie’s new guide
I do a lot of reading of blogs, forums, etc and I often come across abbreviations that seem to be common knowledge to most people but which, for one reason or another, I take a while to work out. I figured that I couldn’t be the only one that felt that way so I decided to inaugurate Wolfie’s BlogSpeak Dictionary.
I’m going to start with the first few that spring to mind for me, but what I want is for you to tell me the ones that you’ve come across that baffled you to start with (or still do) and we’ll see if we can come up with the definitive reference guide. To those of you who are more geekspeak-savvy, these may seem simple but bear with us.
So, in no particular order:
FWIW - For What It’s Worth.
Usually meaning that actually I think it’s worth quite a bit, but I’m trying not to seem overly strident about it. Or else, indicating that there’s nothing anyone can do to fix it, but FWIW, everyone agrees that it needs fixing.
FYI - For Your Information.
You’ve been a complete dick and I think you need to know these facts so that you don’t continue to be a complete dick.
HTH - Hope That (This) Helps.
IMHO - In My Humble (Honest) Opinion.
This is what I really think.
IMO - In My Opinion.
This is what I really think, but I don’t feel particularly humble today.
LOL - Laugh Out Loud / Lots Of Laughs.
Great big belly-laughs were caused by what you just wrote - could be sarcastic!
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary.
This is what happened when I tried this, but it may not work as well for you.
TPTB - The Powers That Be.
Forum moderators, company CEO’s, Mac in the post-room: whoever’s responsible for making the decisions around here.
OMG - Oh. My. God!
BTW - By The Way
And one more thing, while we’re still arguing…
FAQ - Frequently Asked Question.
As in, “What does FAQ mean?”
IIRC - If I Remember (Recall) Correctly
Please tell me I’m not going insane; it did use to be like that, didn’t it?
AFAICS - As Far As I Can See
But there’s probably something very obvious I’m missing .
b0rked
Something somewhere has gone terrible wrong.
That’s just a few (with some possible indications of how and when they might be used 
) but there must be lots more. Add your submissions in the comments and I’ll start including them in the entry.
Shakespeare. Yea, or nonny-nonny-no?
Rolly Dollar has asked the question - based on recent the recent experience of his son - of whether Shakespeare is outdated and needs to be replaced in the classroom. As he himself mentions, it is a subject that comes up quite often, with many voices on each side of the argument.
Having done English Literature at ‘O’ and ‘A’ level, I’d have to say that I’d take Shakespeare any day over the likes of Milton or Chaucer. Even over ‘modern’ authors like Austen or the Brontes - even Dickens. Even over a lot of comtemporary authors. I agree though that Shakespeare can be hard to get used to when you’re first confronted with him; for me Shakespeare didn’t come alive until after reading a play in class - and getting the historical background to it - we then went and saw it performed. There is nothing to beat a theatrical performance of Hamlet or Macbeth.
And seeing the plays performed (or, better still, performing them yourself) is an important part of understanding them. They are, after all, plays - originally written to be performed, not read. When you marry the words to the actions, however minimalist the production may be in terms of set design, etc, you really get an emotional understanding of the material. OK, the odd word may be unfamiliar - I never knew what a ‘bodkin’ was until I read Hamlet - but the context makes understanding easier. I remember seeing Merchant of Venice in a Globe-style theatre that had no set dressing, with an audience full of 12 to 14 year old schoolkids, all of whom were totally enraptured by the performance, and not having any difficulty following the action.
The films that have been made from his work tend not to work so well for me, in comparison to a live performance. They often are very truncated (understandably so, some of the plays are very long which doesn’t work for movie audiences) and I’m not a big fan of the modernised versions, although I agree they can be a good way to give someone a ‘gentle’ introduction to Shakespeare. Even Branagh’s full-text film of Hamlet (which I love) is not as good as seeing it in a theatre with real live actors.
Shakespeare has stood the test of time; part of that is the language he uses (once you understand the basic structure, it opens the door for you and shows you its beauty) but the larger part is story. He’s one of the originals, forging a path for those that came after him. I think It would be a mistake to remove him from the curriculum entirely, but perhaps focusing on a selection of the more ‘pacy’ plays would be of use. Along with plenty of live performances.
English, as she is written
As well as tapping away producing all this stuff for the Wolf’s Howl, I also read a lot of websites, blogs, Twitters, Facebook updates and all sorts of other stuff. In addition to all the books I read; you could say that I’m a bit of fan of the English language and all its little foibles - even if some of them are amazingly frustrating.
But I get annoyed when people don’t use proper English when they are writing their posts; I’ve already commented on the “your / you’re” issue, but I’ve also come across people using “no” when they mean “know”, not using capitals, punctuation and all other sorts of trangressions. I don’t claim to write the best English in the world, but I know bad English when I see it and it infuriates me. (And those around me when I complain about it incessantly as I’m doing now).
Which is why it’s such a joy to read Stephen Fry’s blog. If you ask pretty much anyone to name one person who can be relied upon to use correct English - and usually sprinkling it with a generous amount of fruity, little used, gorgeous words along the way - they’ll give you his name. If you’ve ever seen him on QI and wanted more, then his blog and the series of “blessays” so far posted is a brilliant place to start.
For all bloggers, this is how it’s done. Stephen Fry is the gold standard for blogging; he’s the SI measurement; the yardstick by which other bloggers shall be measured.
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