I think people use it initially to reduce typing time, and in text messages or sms, to reduce cost. so that they don't have to send a long sms.
And lately, it gets more confusing because kids these days, sometimes substitute letters with numbers, like: h3y, LM! h0w 4Re y0U? 1'm gR8!
(Hey, LM! How are you? I'm great.)

agree with lady sparrow. it can get confusing & annoying sometimes as its hard to read as well. well my personal favs are these two:

ROTFL = roll on the floor laughing
LMAO = laugh my as* off

hope this helps! :)

AFK - Away from keyboard
GTG - Got to go
FTW - For the win

I never text people like this though. I'd rather just spend the extra money and make a novella.

well the only one that I can add is TTYL = Talk To You Later

I don't really like to use them but I do understand them!

There's also this one, which makes me thiink of English ladies for some reasoon: TTFN

"Ta Ta For Now!" :P

As someone who constantly uses text/IM jargon i will say my primary reason for doing so is to cut back on the length of my text messages and type time in IM conversations. But the ones you put are the major ones and in my country since we have a dialect we've come up with some of our own. I too will admit some of them are really confusing and mostly teenagers use those but the standard ones (as i call them) are pretty much used by everyone i know - including my mother who never even wanted us to speak our countries dialect growing up. I say stick with the basics and you'll be fine :)
L8R - Later!

IDK - I don't know

UGH! I never ever use text talk. I once had to call my sister to get her to clarify a text she had sent me because I just could not understand it. Infact, if you send me a text I am more likely to just call you and talk to you about it. I just really hate texting. Sorry I can't be more useful in helping you decipher this new fangled language.

Hmm. Its like my German, I can read it but dont write it.

BTW - By The Way - is another one I see used quite a bit.

LM, I am also one to put in punctuation in my texts. I think the only ones that I will use is LOL and sometimes BTW that is about it.

I can understand it mostly, but don't like to read it or use it at all.

Texting is overrated as you only get half the message also it can be weird. One of my friends used to text cum = come and I cringed inwardly every time I read it.
Sorry to lower the standard! Anyway I think you are pretty much covered!! xoxo em

I email text talk all the time to my friends while at work to
a. reduce chances of being caught mid in-depth long email conversation and

b. just pure laziness! it saves so much time 2 tpy sntc lyk ths and since we have been doing it so long (im starting to get embarassed) it is second nature to me now - such as using capitals only for official things.

Hey LM!!!

interesting post, and most of the time, i think in the world of twitter, sms, IM (instant messaging), email, etc, we all use these methods to save time, but in reality i think we are just wasting more time trying to abbreviate than actualy care about gramma, spelling and punctuation in our text messages. i'm all for the long messages with a few abbreviationg (omg, wtf, u, r, etc) but some really blow me away. here are a few ive learnt from the twitter world:

smh: shaking my head
ftl: for the loss
ily: i love you
rly: really
noob: newbie

i think thats all for now....

but im with you on this one.... all the abbreviations is making all of us go crazy!!!

btw (by the way): on today tonight they abbreviated former (when talking to a past tennis player) as fmr.... smh!!!!

xo

Hey Lady Melbourne. I read your blog from time to time because I really love how you speak your mind even though its brief and your fashion sense never ceases to amazes me. You got me looking for a nude pair of heels when I'm the kind of person that only goes for dark colour. Bless!

Here's some more short forms for you

OTP - on the phone
OTW - on the way
FML - f*ck my life
OMFG - oh my f*cking life
A.S.A.P - as soon as possible
A/S/L or ASL = age, sex, location
BB - baby or bye bye
CU - see you
BBQ - barbecue
BF - boyfriend
GF - girlfriend
BFF - best friend forever
IMY - i miss you
x - hug
o - kiss

That's all I got. All the words depends on what context its used. Hope I helped cause I'm very confused with these short forms myself :)

and check out:

http://computersavvy.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/text-message-and-chat-room-short-form-dictionary-letters-a-z-ver-2-0/.

TC - take care

<3 = ♥ = heart

xoxo

I hear you loudLY and completeLY about being 2 seconds behind in "text speak"!!

I always thought that it was a GenX thing & perhaps it is, but I think also it's one's influence - my mother, too, has a teaching background; I went to a very "English" girls private school & lastly & most preciously for me, is that I LOVE the English language far too much to make ugly knife-holes in it! LOL
I, too, write FULL text messages:)
PS: I must admit, in my ignorance of the FULL-blanket of aforementioned "text speak" & hence my utter "mind blank" at most TS "Acronyms", I bring out my mini rebel and just MAKE up m OWN!!! My first & most smug-loved [!]....drum roll.....LMSSSO & translation folks....drum roll....Laughing my seamed-suspender-stockings off!!! LOL

music & magic
Liesl aka lulubrownskin

OH! & that is "...my OWN!!!" & NOT "...m OWN!!!" LMSSSO! Oh, the copywriter in me is fierce [& more so, when a wee error has been let out into the big ol' online world!!!]

smiles

music & magic
Liesl aka lulubrownskin

hi, hope this helps too

tmr/tml - tomorrow
dp - display picture
sry - sorry
smthg - something
alr - already
fb - facebook
thr - there
tks - thanks
gtg - got to go
cya - see ya

then there are emoticons like
(Y) - thumbs up
(L) - heart
(I) - lightbulb

goodness, reading everyone's contributions - i never realised how far 'text speak' goes. I hate it and find most of it hard to understand. I do use lol, btw, imho (in my humble opinion) and fb on twitter.

I might be making myself out to be a snob here, but I would rather spend the extra minute or so on a text message or email rather than risk the person I'm talking to think "what the hell is she going on about?"
That said, I'm shocking with capitals when I type, I hardly ever use them.

I've noticed it also depends on the person I am texting to as to whether I will use 'text speak' or not. I'll use more of it with certain friends than with others, and not usually at all if I'm texting a colleague.

Although 'text speak' seems to be a new thing, as someone who works in the airline industry, we've had our own form of 'short speak' since the 1930's... example...

"Did you see if that u/s PBE in the aft dogbox has a CCL entry or do I need to fill out one so the F/O can get the MEL done by ETD"

(translation: There's a broken piece of equipment in a compartment at the back & if it hasn't been reported already, I need to write it up so the first officer can get permission to fly without it before departure time)