• by George Simpson , Featured Contributor, January 31, 2005

If you have children and they are online, you know that they have developed their own language consisting of initials and abbreviations so that they can keep 17 IM conversations open simultaneously (even if, on a normal day they'd never speak face-to-face with say, eight of them).

But a brief story on the Sales & Marketing Management Web site discloses that, "Text messaging is no longer just a lingo for the kids. Today, the virtual shorthand is increasingly prevalent in the workplace." The story goes on to list the 10 most commonly used workplace acronyms, among them:

NP (No problem) JK (Just kidding) CB (Call back) TTYL (Talk to you later)

That's a nice start but I don't think it covers all of the important things that business people need and/or want to say to each other each day. For example, here are some of my own:

L8AGN? (show up at 10 again and you'll be back in direct marketing in a heartbeat)

CCNY? (This is just horrible. Who taught you to write copy?)

$Yes$ (pad the billings, bigtime)

NOWAY (give it up, she knows you are married and she's dating a Tae Kwon Do instructor at the Y)

P-U! (Mexican food for lunch again?)

OHFCK! (I got assigned to the integrated marketing media measurement group)

HGOVR (Do it yourself, I was out with an important client last night)

$NO$ (good luck on the media budget)

SUX (I think it could use a little touch up)

LOL (read your performance review)

WWMS? (Interesting, I wonder what Jim Meskauskas would say?)

rucmug8bwacubchdybmn.b?m (sorry, fell asleep on my keyboard)

KMASS (no)

CYA (we lost the account and human resources wants to see all of us on Friday at 3:30)

I'll bet you have some of your own. Send them along and we'll post the funniest ones in a future column.