I think they are very handy for IM and SMS, I use them commonly in both. I try not to use them so much in my writing on the forum, or anywhere that I feel I have the time to write in full for that matter. I really do prefer reading peoples posts in full, but if they don't it's no big deal. So whilst I feel abbreviations can be a pain in the ass, they are also extremely handy and ideal for certain situations.
Nation_1ne Reviewed by Nation_1ne on . Join the Society of Stoners Against Abbreviators Does all of this constant abbreviation bother the shit out of you? It does me, and it is right up there with saying "like" every other word. Sorry, I am a curmudgeon. It is bad enough that people communicate in shorthand, but now we have to hear it out loud too on these cellular phone commercials for text messaging. IDK what is with this bullshit--Dunno (I know that is not a word, but it looks like one at least) worked just fine in my day. And I am not LOL. In my day we just wrote HA! Rating: 5