"Lomg, i h8 mbff!!!! lol, brb pir." Literal Translation: "Like ‘oh my gosh,' I hate my best friend forever! Laugh out loud, I'll be right back; parents are in the room." There is a misconstrued belief held by many scholars, professionals in a variety of fields, parents, and generally "adults," that children who write online, or use instant messaging, or "IM," as it is more commonly known, converse strictly in a Morse-code-like abbreviated language that degrades and corrupts the English language; not to mention that it seems to prove the increasing idiocy of the current generation. This is a view that most definitely has a point, but there is a side to writing online that is not always considered.

According to the article "Language Development Via the Internet," on the Science Daily website, "Professor Crystal [internationally renowned language expert] tells the Annual Conference of the AAAS that this is the greatest opportunity for the development of the English language since the advent of the printing press in the Middle Ages. The variety of applications of new technology leads to new stylistic forms and increases the expressive range of a language, especially at the informal end of the spectrum. Indeed not so long ago, people were getting ready to mourn the passing of the diary as a literary form, when hey presto! we see a renaissance in the form of the on-line diary, web log or 'blog'."

While speed is generally more desired than accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and spelling by "IMers," the ability to speak freely and personally in online forums, blogs, and even articles, balances out the corruptive influence of typing too quickly and/or inaccurately. Professor Crystal elaborates: "'The prophets of doom emerge every time a new technology influences language, of course - they gathered when printing was introduced, in the 15th century, as well as when the telephone was introduced in the 19th, and when broadcasting came along in the 20th; and they gathered again when it was noticed that Internet writing broke several of the rules of formal standard English - in such areas as punctuation, capitalization, and spelling,' says Crystal. ‘All that has happened, in fact, is that the language's resources for the expression of informality in writing have hugely increased - something which has not been seen in English since the Middle Ages, and which was largely lost when Standard English came to be established in the 18th century. Rather than condemning it, therefore, we should be exulting in the fact that the Internet is allowing us to once more explore the power of the written language in a creative way.'"

The article "Webspeak: The Secret Language of Teens" by Ann Phleshette Murphy and Jennifer Allen says: ""The use of language in a new way is really a good thing,' said Deborah Tannen, Ph.D., linguistics professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and author of ‘YOU'RE WEARING THAT? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.'

‘It means you're adapting. And we often find that young people are at the forefront of language change.' Webspeak reflects a versatility that may actually be a strength, as long as the new language is used appropriately, according to Tannen. ‘You need to use language that's appropriate to the context, just as you need to dress in a way that's appropriate to the context,' Tannen says. ‘Adults look silly when they try to dress like kids. They might sound a little silly trying to talk like kids.'"

While "webspeak" is a dominating and present force in the linguistics of the current generation of writers, it is not the only force. There is a website called HubPages.com that provides a place for amateur writers to practice writing informative articles, and even earn a little money. The higher the accuracy and quality of one's writing, the better the "HubScore;" the better the HubScore, the more "hits" one gets; the more hits one gets, the more money one makes. Tricking people into using English in a professional manner the good ol' American way: dangle profit in front of their keyboards like the proverbial carrot in front of the mule; it's enough to make anyone start moving. Or typing.

Due to the fact that anyone can join HubPages, there are bound to be varying degrees of professionalism. There are articles entitled "How To Get The Girl," and there are articles entitled "Hyperinflation in Post World War I Germany." A tricky aspect the HubPages creators snuck into their website is that the more one comments on other people's "hubs," the higher one's HubScore goes. It pays to read, and it pays to read diversely and thoroughly; featured topics include How To, Finance, Business, Love, and Politics, as well as others, and under these main titles are three options: the "hottest" articles, the "best" articles, and the "latest" articles.

The HubPages staff also gives some tips on how to attract more readers (and therefore make more money): "...your content must be original and useful. A lot of high HubScore Hubs will lead to a higher Status. And if you have a high Status, HubPages will help drive more traffic to your site. High-Status Hubbers bring great value to the Internet community. They reflect well on HubPages, and will be rewarded for their efforts."

So there you have it: capitalism and education all wrapped into one. While there is nothing stopping a hubber from writing badly, having punctuation errors or spelling mistakes, or incorrectly using grammar, there is a reward for highly-professional writing. I wrote an article entitled "Scholarship Tips for High School Seniors" in which I outlined five resources for finding scholarships that fit individuals. My best friend, Kirsten Landis, read it and later told me that she thought I had copied-and-pasted it from an educational site. I took this as a sign that my online writing was just as professional as my academic writing.

HubPages is not the only site that offers amateur writers a place to start. But it is a good example of the "other side" of online writing, the side that encourages accuracy, creativity, originality, and competency in writing. Yes, there is a "Dark Side" to the internet - although professionals would argue that what would appear to be to parents and teachers something "bad" is simply, and perhaps excitingly, the next step in the evolution of language - but Hubpages is one of the many Luke Skywalkers out there defending the Force (the internet), and its many "good" possibilities. Whichever way you look at it - the bane of webspeak, the next step for language - things are definitely changing, and it is this generation, my generation, that is changing it.

Works Cited

"HubPages FAQ." HubPages. 2007. 16 Jan. 2008 <http://hubpages.com/faq/>.

Murphy, Ann P., and Jennifer Allen. "Webspeak: the Secret Language of Teens." ABC News 25 Jan. 2007. 16 Jan. 2008 <http://www.netlingo.com/news/ABC_Webspeak.pdf>.

University Of Wales - Bangor. "Language Development Via The Internet." ScienceDaily 28 February 2005. 16 January 2008 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2005/02/050223145155.htm>.