When I type in e-mail, AIM and blogs, I try my best to use proper grammar. I also try my best to be delightful. As a result, laughter ensues. Trouble arises, though, because conveying laughter in the typewritten media is a tricky proposition. I myself prefer to shy away from the AIMspeak of LOL or ROFL or LMAO. It's a personal choice. For example, I prefer Coke to Pepsi and attractive women to ugly ones. So, when I try to demonstrate to someone with whom I converse that I found his or her comment amusing, I elect to go with some number of "ha"s. And, if you choose to employ AIMspeak for this, please don't think I'm trying to be offensive by comparing LOL vs. ha to Pepsi vs. Coke. I'm comparing ha vs. LOL with hot vs. gnarly.
For reasons I can't explain, mostly lingual purity and not wanting to sound like a 13 year old girl, I can't stand those abbreviations. I don't use any of them, unless I'm trying to go for an attention grabbing title for a blog entry on the subject. But then it's a literary device. I have a hierarchy of "ha"s. It's hard to say what separates one ha from two, or two from three and so on. But there's a difference, oh is there ever.
I also don't like the use of smileys. I don't know why that is either. I think no straight man should ever use an emoticon in any context. Girls get a pass, they can smiley all they want. But I will say this: chances are, you're not getting many "ha"s if you use an emoticon in a message to me. Is that clear? :P
