AOL is taking the “best of” approach in 2011 to a whole new level this year. While the rest of the Internet (including ourselves) is focusing on “newsworthy” events like Kim Kardashian’s 72 day fake marriage to Kris Dumpfries and the perfect storm that was Rebecca Black, AOL has honed in on celebrating and remembering the loudest 11 days that took place in 2011. Generating their entire list based on readers’ comments, shares and tweets, they have compiled the most sought after news that Americans searched for in the past 365 days.

See the 11 Biggest Days of 2011 right here and then share your thoughts and opinions below. Do you agree with their list? Did they miss anything? Can you believe how much has happening this yera?

"Dear Prof: I'm totes writing you in my undies."

Texting and chatting online has surely affected the way we communicate. If a friend doesn’t respond to a text within 10 minutes of me sending it, I immediately assume he/she has gone Amish. What did people do when there were no cellphones or AOL chat? Communicating must have been exhausting. You mean you had to wait at home to receive a phone call from your boyfriend in hopes your father wouldn’t answer?

Beyond waiting for the phone call, texting and chatting online has surely affected what we say. The term OMG wasn’t created from sending letters through the Pony Express; it was most likely created in the depths of an AOL chat room BSBLuvr who found it exceedingly difficult to express her love for ‘Shape of My Heart’ over and over again. Since then, abbreviating words (AKA ‘chatspeak’) has made communication easier for all of us. But apparently some people can’t seem to understand when this language is approp (in a drunk text to a friend) and it’s inapprop (in an email to a professor).

Yeah, it may seem totes obvi to you, but it seems that many students are taking their AIM lingo to class and their professors aren’t LOLing. In fact, they’re getting pretty pissed. And who wouldn’t when students are starting their emails off with, “Yo, teach”? (For realz.)

OMG. WTF? Didn’t college learn you better than that?

It’s time for a chatspeak intervention, people. Below is a handy little guide to help you determine what is appropriate and inappropriate when it comes to professional correspondence. Professors, thank us later….with an A.

Inappropriate: Yo, teach
Appropriate: Dear Professor __________

Inappropriate: My comp. crashed and I lost my whole pape. FML.
Appropriate: Due to technological issues, I lost the entire rough draft of my essay. Would it be possible to get an extension?

Inappropriate: OMG my alarm didn’t go off this morning Can you fwd me the notes?
Appropriate: I was unable to make it to lecture this morning; is there any way I can get the class notes so I can catch up on what I missed?

Inappropriate: I will BRB from vaca nxt wk.
Appropriate: Although I understand the importance of attending lecture, I will be out of town next week with my family. I don’t want this obstacle to hinder me in this class and I was hoping you might be able to share the lecture slides with me in advance so I can stay on top of everything while I am away.

Inappropriate: Sup homie. Wut was the homework for 2day?
Appropriate: Good Evening. I was distracted at the end of class today and somehow missed the reading assignment for Wednesday. Can you please remind me what it is so I make sure not to fall behind?

Innappropriate: Where’s your office @?
Appropriate: I’d like to set up a time to speak with you during office hours. Please let me know where and when works best for you.

- Reruns of Home Improvement took me back to the days when it was the only show my mom would let me stay up to watch because of my borderline unhealthy crush on JTT.
- My mom sent me some old family photos, including one of me donning a skort. When it was cool.
- And my roommate reminding me of the days when you had to hear that obnoxious dial-up tone just to get some awesome IM chat time on AOL.

Ahhh…the good ol’ days.

Now are the days of so-called “adulthood,” when mom no longer is in charge of selecting and purchasing your wardrobe (the purchasing part I didn’t mind so much…) and you are now responsible for updating your wardrobe with the latest trends every season by yourself.  The internet is now available everywhere (well, mostly) without that obnoxious dial-up tone, so that’s cool, but unless you are lucky enough win one, you have to actually purchase your own computer? What the eff?

And what’s this I hear about books being old news?

And don’t even get me started on the guy front. Who woulda thunk we’d actually be turning to guys for love advice? I mean, what happened to the days of sleepovers and gushing over some stupid note your crush passed you? Now, we are bombarded with where to meet guys, how to meet guys, wah wah wah. Between the dating scene and what alcoholic beverage I should down first, being grown up is exhausting!

Ugh. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m totes missing the days of math homework and skorts.

OMG. How many times have you seen this in your life? There should be a law against moms using IMs. Or any technology for that matter.

]]> http://collegecandy.com/2009/08/09/and-this-is-why-moms-should-not-use-the-internet/feed/ 18 ccandystaff wtf mom emoticons http://collegecandy.com/2009/01/27/aol-screenname-memories/ http://collegecandy.com/2009/01/27/aol-screenname-memories/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:39:19 +0000 Noa - CU Boulder http://www.collegecandy.com/haha/16361 I remember when I got America Online for the first time. I was in second grade and acquired the coveted CD Rom disk from my best friend’s dad. We were the first two kids in school who had it. This was before AOL was called AOL, before it offered unlimited use, before cable modems, hell, it was before Buddy Lists existed!

Yes, I realize I’m totally dating myself here.

Anyways, AOL was the coolest thing ever back then and your …

I remember when I got America Online for the first time. I was in second grade and acquired the coveted CD Rom disk from my best friend’s dad. We were the first two kids in school who had it. This was before AOL was called AOL, before it offered unlimited use, before cable modems, hell, it was before Buddy Lists existed!

Yes, I realize I’m totally dating myself here.

Anyways, AOL was the coolest thing ever back then and your screenname said a lot about you. Especially to all those random “friends” you made in the AOL chatrooms. You know you joined me in “I Love Nickelodeon 65″; don’t lie.

I changed my screenname more often than I changed my clothes (I was a little tom boyish back then…and changing my SN wasn’t a big deal when I had 2 friends online). First it was SpiceGrl321, then Whateva321, then DiamondBaby. Then I had TenTap for awhile. It was a combination of my favorite pastimes – tennis and tap – as well as an online best friend necklace with my two besties who had TenDan (tennis and dance), and TenAno (tennis and piano). We were so cool.

In highschool – when my BFFs became BFNs (best friends for never) – I switched it up to something a little more mature that I knew I could hold onto for awhile. Because, you know, BeanieBaby1000 would be a little embarassing for anyone over the age of 12.

I’ve been talking to some friends lately and reminiscing on our old AOL days and everyone has the same story as me. Embarassing screennames, family screennames (remember when you had to share with your parents and the name was some weird combo of all your initials?), and the constantly evolving screenname.

I just want to know: what were your old school, embarassing AOL names?

Do you still use the same one?

Has your BSB4Ever@AOL.com email address hindered your job hunt?

Share it all in the comments below.

]]>

If there is one thing I love, it’s nostalgia. There is nothing better than sitting around with your friends looking at photos of those awful bangs, horrible stirrup leggings and puff painted sweatshirts and reminiching about the days of yore.  So for this week’s LOVE List I thought I would delve back into those scrapbooks and bring you my top 5 childhood LOVES. It’s hard to narrow down to five so let us know what you loved back then too!

1. Platform Jump Shoes. This must-have trend (from Vagabonds to Rebels to Sketchers) were the  gym shoe in my middle school. Obviously worn with your Paris Blues or your ribbed light purple Hard Tails. I thought I was too cool for school in my black and white “gym shoes” (which is ironic since they  were unacceptable for gym class).

2. Beanie Babies. I have a TRUNK of these bad boys sitting in basement because TY had me convinced that my discontinued Garcia Bear would be worth thousands by now. Too bad they are selling on ebay for $5.00. Not only does my lunch costs more than that, it’s less than their original $6.00 price tag. But at the time, Beanie babies were like a hot pair of Manolos on major sale: sold out in stores everywhere,  causing fights by pushy mothers nationwide. For a good two years, there was not a holiday or birthday that went by that someone did not give me a Beanie Baby.

3. JTT. Seriously, there was nothing more exciting than spending my lunch hour trading tear out posters from Teen Beat and Bop magazine. JTT, or for those of you who lived under a rock back in the 90s, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, was just a whole other level. He (and maybe Andrew Keegan) was the ONE and only… until Leonardo Dicaprio went down with the ship, that is.

4. Chupa Chups. I associate Chupa Chups with the Spice Girls and Hanson. Which also brings me back to traumatic memories of a boy haircut and bright purple and teal alternating braces. True story. But those choloate vanilla swirls became the obsession of middle school.

5. The sound of the dial up modem. Don’t get me wrong: I love my fast internet. But there was something about coming home from school, turning on TRL to see the Backstreet Boys and Britney, while that noise (you know EXACTLY what im talking about) dialed up your AOL so you could go into random chatrooms and get in online fights with your friends. (Oh the drama).

I’ve written about my various issues with Facebook before, but the improper use of the Facebook status now tops my list of things that drive me crazy.I don’t believe in Facebook statuses (stati?). I find 93% of them unnecessary and the other 7% contradictory. What am I supposed to think when someone’s Facebook status says they’re doing work ALL night, their away message says they’re wasted, and their Gmail status says they love the new Beyonce song? Where do I even try to start a conversation? Should I meet them in the library at 4 a.m with a tray of shots and the lyrics to “If I Were a Boy”?

But that’s not even my biggest concern with the Facebook Status. My issue is the “IS.” Over a year ago Facebook removed the obligatory “IS” from the status. But every day (Ok, 3 times a day) I sign on and people are not only still using the “IS,” but they are using it incorrectly:

Gena is CoUlD iT bE aNy CoLdeR?

Mallory is LOST MY PHONE. LOL.

Sharon is HAHA Beverly Hills chihuahua was soooo funny.

Yes, I am kinda a grammar snob, but come on people! The problem is so easy to fix:

1. If you just love the “IS” so much that you can’t live without it, then add a few more words.

Gena is curious to know if it could be any colder

2. Delete the “IS”

Mallory lost her phone. LOL.

3. Reconsider posting a status that reflects badly on yourself

Sharon has no status.

Even though I will never like the Facebook status, I will always appreciate a grammatically correct one. Bonus points if it’s funny.

Join CollegeCandy’s Facebook group. We promise that all of our status messages are error free!

Forget the girl with her heart on her sleeve; wear your uterus on your undies?

Some men are really, really desperate.

Katie Perry eats it on national TV.

Now everyone can look like Heidi Klum. Well, sorta.

Joe the Plumber and Joe Six Pack chat it up.

The greatest college pranks…ever.

Columbia gets erotic.

Travis Barker is out of the hospital!

The most delicious iPhone.

Professor trading cards? It’s real!

I talk to my friends online. I shop online. I work online. I date online. I stalk online.

My life revolves around the computer and it’s starting to show.

Since I started using AOL in second grade, my social life has moved from the actual world into the World Wide Web. The internet makes it all so easy! Like talking to my friends in other countries or, more central to my life, confronting people and bitching them out when they piss me off.

You know you’ve been there; you have so many things you want to say to someone (like, I don’t know…an ex?) but pussy out when you try to talk to them in person. So, you bring it all up on AIM. And the shit starts flying. You lay it all on the table, turn away from the screen as you click “send” and wait for AIM to tell you if they are typing a response. (Bonus points if you also tune into some really awesome angry/tear jerker songs to set the mood.)

I know I’m not alone. We all do it because it is just so easy; so perfect. Why do it in person when you can say anything you want without having to see the other person’s face?

Unfortunately, having grown up with this alternate form of communication, I have come to depend on it. It has gotten so bad that the other day I started to yell at my friend, stopped, left, and IMed her when I got back to my apartment. Now that is pathetic. My quest for a man is even worse. I can barely flirt in person anymore; if it doesn’t involve emoticons, I’m not doing it.

I am no longer capable of normal human contact.

I never really noticed how bad things had gotten until last week. I decided it was time to quit my job, but when my brother told me I couldn’t do it over the office instant messenger program, I freaked out. How the hell was I going to do this in person!?

After many sleepless nights trying to come up with the right words, I did eventually tell my bosses that I was leaving….staring at the floor/sweating the entire time. And then I signed into Gmail and announced the news to all of my friends.

Help.

The weird thing is that while I have absolutely no problem standing my ground and being a total bitch in certain situations, I am actually petrified of confrontation. Even in the most minor of cases. Like when I was at American Apparel the other day; I tried on fifteen things and decided I didn’t want any of them. But instead of telling the hipster sales dude that, I told him I would have to run to my car to grab my wallet. And I never returned.

If I can’t even give the dude at American Apparel “bad news,” imagine how bad I am with things that really matter. Like breaking things off with people.

If I hookup/go on a date with someone and don’t really feel anything (like, I don’t know…an orgasm?) I ignore their calls and emails until they get the point. If I’m feeling guilty or the guy is just not getting the hints, I will break the news in a text or email.

I know this is horrible and unfair – I used to complain about it all the time when guys did it to me – but I am just so bad at actually saying something. I get all tense and end up saying really stupid things. I have even been known to make myself feel bad enough that I end up going on another date and having a terrible time yet again.

And if it is something more serious – like an actual relationship – forget about it. The thought of ending things makes me ill. The thought of doing it face to face is giving me hives. Maybe it is because I am a baby, or maybe it is because I am a product of the AOL generation, but I am just better at dealing with the confrontation when I don’t actually have to see it. And I never have to change out of my sweats/get out of bed to do it. Unfortunately, breaking up with someone via a text message (“We R Thru”) is really frowned upon. As are emails, IMs and, thanks to Sex and the City, Post Its.

With all of those handy options off the table, what is a confrontation-aphobe supposed to do? Thanks to the wonderful World Wide Web, I found my answer. In a book. Called Dis-Missals.

No, ladies, this is no self-help book (because, frankly, there is no helping me); this is a lovely little collection of post cards that will say all those things you never could. Things like, “You know how when a fly lands on your arm and it feels kind of good, but then you realize it’s gross and slap it away? That’s kinda what you’re like.” All you have to do is fill in the “To” and the “From” and your work is done. Your message is sent. You are single.

Everyone loves getting mail, so it’s basically a win/win.

How perfect is that?

I just wonder if this book has a “Thank you for your help, but your shirts are cut much smaller than their size and are a bit overpriced for simple long sleeved tee” card to hand to that dude the other night. That would have made things so much easier for both of us.

Mostly me.