If you are not laughing out loud, do not type LOL

I don't usually blog about the internet (so meta!) but I think it's high time to comment on the use of "LOL." My basic comment is that you should stop using it if you misuse it. You know who you are. And if you don't, please, allow me to tell you.

First of all, it bothers me that people use "lol" as a synonym for "ha ha" or "I was being funny" (or more accurately "I think this is funny"). Wrong! It stands for "laughing out loud." It began in the early days of internet use to actually convey a message to someone: "What you just said was funny enough to make me laugh out loud, even though my conversation is silent, taking place over a computer network." It was never meant to be used in reference to your own things you are saying - it is about the other guy!

Secondly, it is overused. Third, it is inaccurate. Are people really laughing out loud when they type it? I think not! Fourth, would you do that in a real conversation? Every time you said something (you thought was) funny, would you alert everyone to that fact? Not unless you are really annoying you wouldn't. God, I want people to stop with the "lol."