By: Ashley Giandomenio
Posted In: Entertainment
communicate with family, friends and classmates or coworkers at any practicable time.
College students would be no where without the availability of Instant
Messenger (IM). The service takes a few minutes to download and saves enormous
amounts of precious time. Here is an ABC guide of the uses AIM to today’s
college students
A: After party. It is Saturday night and somehow, you have found your way back
to your room, though in the process, you have misplaced your bag, your phone
and your friends. Not to worry, AIM is at your fingertips to contact people
and find out where the late night parties are being held, as well as
information as to where you have left your gear.
B: Boyfriend troubles. Do you have suspicion that your boyfriend is cyber
flirting with a “cute n curly11” or a “Krazygurl323”? Find out by signing on by
way of a code name and see if he is secretly cheating, online style.
C: Confrontation. Online you can start a fight with anyone and be clear of
getting punch, kicked or hair pulled. It’s the best type of defense
mechanism.
D: Disclosure. It is so much easier to tell a secret online, then, you’re
not lying when you say that you didn’t say it.
E: Empty. The feeling you get when you don’t have any messages and have been
out all day.
F: Faking. Are you talking to someone who just keeps trying to use those
“funny” jokes but your really not laughing, one bit. Not to worry. AIM
invented lol (laugh out loud). This little character says to the bad joke
maker that you are so entertained by the conversation and are therefore
laughing hysterically. Then, you can sign off immediately to prevent any
further lame communication
G: Girlfriend troubles. (See letter B but substitute “cute n curly11” and
“Krazygurl323” with “Joecool2122” and “Racer220.”)
H: Hello. Do you find yourself wanting to talk to a certain boy/girl? Find
the screen name (which is a simple task) and send a simple hey, hello or what
up and immediately press enter without thinking about what you’re doing. If
there is no reply, it is much easier to suffer rejection online then face to
face. On the other hand, if there is a reply, you can show your excitement by
screaming and jumping up and down and no one will ever find out.
I: I love you, I miss you, I’m thinking about you. Being at college you
are away from your family and high school friends. A little sentimental IM
message goes a long way to let someone know you care.
J: JK. (Just kidding) the stupidest, most overused and idiotic contraction
created ever. But, it’s genius!
K: Knock, Knock, who’s there? Where is your roommate, where is your
boy/girlfriend, where are all your other friends. With AIM away messages, that
problem is solved. With one click you can find out where everyone is and what
they are doing.
L: Lost. The feeling you experience when the internet is down.
M: Money. Need some? A quick IM to mom or dad and it’s in the bank,
hopefully.
N: Necessity = AIM.
O: Originality. You can even display your personality on AIM. First of all,
your screen name says something about you. Secondly, AIM provides a space for a
profile where you can put your information, quotes or shout outs to your
friends. Also, you can put personalized icons on your IMs. This service gives
others a flavor of who you are.
P: Poor. Most college students are living on limited funds, which is why AIM service is a more popular way to communicate on campus because the cost of the service is free as well as the time allotted to talk. No one goes over their minutes on AIM.
Q: Quiet. Sharing your room is difficult. With AIM service roommates can be
undisruptive to each other as they are quiet while talking to friends on AIM as
opposed to a conversation on a cell phone.
R: Respectful. If someone sends a message but you do not have that person on
your buddy list, AIM is so polite and respectful that it will ask you if you
would like to accept the anonymous message before displaying it on your screen.
S: Sorry. For those who cringe when having to admit they’re wrong, typing out
a simple sorry is much easier than having to do it face to face. Also, you never
have to hear the dreaded words; “I told you so.”
T: Tonight. Find out what’s going on, where the parties are and what everyone
is doing for the night.
V: Voice. If, for some reason, you were yelling and screaming too much the
night before and lost your voice the next morning, not to worry, Aim allows for
conversation to continue even with your handicap.
U: Ugh. If someone you don’t want to talk to keeps trying to get in touch
with you — good news, you can block them!
W: Wasting time. The beauty of AIM is that you can multitask. Get your school
work done and chat, talk with several people at once, even getting dressed for
the day is easier without a phone on your shoulder.
X: _______. There is no good word that starts with X so moving on.
Y: Yell. You can get into your conversations online too. Yelling at the
computer screen, laughing at the monitor in the silence of your room or making
comments such as “No way,” or “She did not!” to what appears as no one, is a
common occurrence when chatting online.
Z: (see letter X).
And there it is. The ABC guide of the uses AIM provides us. We should all be
so thankful for this genius invention. Thank you, AIM, for providing us with a
convenient, affordable and simple service.
