gal, lol, rotfl, lmao, fmdidgad and damhikt are acronyms;

,

, :P,

, :-8 and :-! are emoticons. If you want to know what these and the many other alphabet-soup concoctions frequently used in chats, message boards and emails stand for, go to
http://www.pcworld.com/features/arti...86,pg,1,00.asp
There are links at the end of the referenced article that lead to even more complete listings of acronyms and shorthand. One of the most complete is NetLingo