Google: What Are You Searching For? Series

GOOGLE: What Are You Searching For?

Page 4: IM Solutions

For Most American’s the internet has become a Way of Life. Whether its for finding information or services they need, communicating with friends or clients, or just socializing, getting online is as natural today as going to the Mall or Library was 30 years ago.

How many of you IM? Use Yahoo, MSN, or AOL? Around the office – ICQ?

How many here have NO IDEA What I’m talking about?

Well for those of you that have ever PEEKED over the shoulder of your Teenage as they are “CHATTING” or IMing their friends, you’ve probably wondered – “What language are they speaking?” Like a new form of Short Hand to increase speed.

With the help of a family @ PCC and their 14 yr old daughter – demo a short IM example:

[IM Message Challenge: This was done as an audience participation. We put IM’s on the screen and had parents try to interpret them.]

IM Message from a typical teenager:

hay im bac I wuz just idk confused 2 day because imo guys act rily weird around grls they act lyk they lyk you then they are lyk jk and they lol and its lyk wth and im lyk plz dnt talk to me again and their lyk l8er and im lyk s^

idk – “I don’t know” / imo – “in my opinion” / jk – “just kidding” / l8er – later / s^ - shut up / lol – [RANT]

14 year old Transliteration:

hey im back I was just I don’t know confused today because in my opinion guys act really weird they act like they like you then they are like just kidding and laugh and its like what they heck and I will be like please don’t talk to me and they are like see you later and im like shut up

The translation is below but doesn’t make too much sense either!! What this means in english:

I find it confusing when guys pretend to be interested in me, but then say they were just kidding. So, I just tell them not to communicate with me at all.

Original text message #2:

mi rents r strict I dnt do nethang and they tell me im guhrounded wth it makes me so errrrrrrrr I jst wana tell them to lma and I rily hope I neva have to culater

Teenager Translation:

My parents are strict I don’t even do anything and they tell me I’m grounded what the heck it makes me so mad I just want to tell them to leave me alone and I really hope I never have to see culater

What this means in English - to a parent:

Even though my parents are warm, wonderful, caring people, I have lost the power to think rationally on a consistent basis because something weird is going on with hormones in my body. This causes me to occasionally forget the most basic of rules, resulting in punishment. Though the punishment is fair, my parents are merciful, and loss of privileges is what I richly deserve for my misdeeds. My anger is often misplaced and I fail to realize that I am the sole reason for my troubles. This results in me not wanting to talk to my parents and lose the ability even to think, speak and write coherently as evidenced by the nonsensical ending to the message.

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Welcome to part 4 of our Series GOOGLE: What are You searching For?

Series we’ve design to help us Answer some of Life’s Most Basic Questions: Who Supports Me? Where – find Answers to Life? Significance? Focus?

Today – IM Solutions!

All of our Lives communicate SOMETHING!! What does YOURS? We all Communicate by the way we Live – what’s Important / Value / Love!

NOT just Word - but what we DO! Say “I love you”, BUt how can they Know – unless they SEE it?

YET, so MUCH Communication is happening over INTERNET - people DON’T SEE Each Other

SO - IS OUR COMMUNICATION CLEAR? Personally, I’ve found Email & IM – WORST way to communicate because it doesn’t convey my heart or emotions!

New study - University of Chicago confirms / When reading e-mails only 56%people understood the intent VS 75% listening to a voice recording of the same message.

Both cases readers & listeners THOUGHT - understood the message 90% of time. Oops.

OBVIOUS that much of Our Communication isn’t CLEAR – Bcuz not PERSONAL!

CHURCH HAS THE SAME PROPLEM!! We have - Greatest Message in the WORLD, But It’s NOT CLEAR!! OR WE’RE NOT TELLING IT!!

If you are a CHRIST FOLLOWER – Think of This: Where would you be without GOD?

Isn’t Christ – coming into Your Life the Most Incredible Thing that’s Ever Happened to You?