Acronyms Upgrade

May 26, 2006 — by Per Christensson

A little more than three months ago, I released a new chat acronyms database. This was a substantial improvement (at least in my opinion) to the old list-them-all-on-one-page method. The database allowed me to develop a search box, which made it easier than ever to look up the meanings of acronyms used in online chat, text messaging, and e-mail.

However, the individual acronym pages were a bit bland. Part of the problem was that they just didn't have a whole lot of information. So, to remedy this problem, I added several new fields to each entry in the acronyms database. The redesigned acronym pages now include the meaning, type (acronym or abbreviation), usage (online only or general purpose), popularity of the acronym, and additional comments.

My favorite addition is the popularity ranking, which indicates if the acronym is used often, occasionally, or rarely. This should help you learn which acronyms are good to know and which ones aren't worth the effort of memorizing. With so many acronyms out there, it's important to draw the line somewhere!

I've also added a Chat Acronyms FAQ with answers to common questions about acronyms. I hope you find these new updates useful!