ESL Lesson Plan

...them?

Would we even agree with the guidelines or general principles?

Here's an article with some examples of both the recommended usages and the logic behind them - http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/02/lol-and-or-lol-the-internet-has-a-style-guide-now/283596/.

The internet, like any other human landscape, generates its own rules and its own justification for following (or developing exceptions) to them.

Here's an extended quote from the article;
"Follow them to the letter; ignore them; do what's in your heart, because that is what the Internet ultimately asks of us all. There are, it's worth noting, a couple instances in which Buzzfeed's guide lists exceptions to its own rules. And when are those to be deployed? In those cases, the document says, when following the original rule just "looks weird." "

Many symbols, characters and terms do in fact "look weird", but it's a principle as reliable as the "sounds right" rule in standard English.

As always, send us any new words or phrases (or even pictures) that baffle you and be sure to let us know what it is about English and language learning that you find confounding, infuriating or endlessly intriguing.

My best to you as you make your way through this intriguing , constantly shifting linguistic landscape.

Morf