To LOL, or Not LOL? That Is the Question

There was a time when LOL -- "laughing out loud" -- was so simple.

If you thought something in a casual online conversation was funny, you just typed that. Same thing if you wanted to let someone know you were kidding in an e-mail or an instant message.

You might've even felt a little cool, using inside lingo that, at one time, was exclusive to the online world.