LOL confusion

Considering the way that new words and phrases are circulated within our language ("TWILF" among the most recent) got me thinking about an acronym that is relatively old now--more than a couple of years--and that is apparently still causing some problems for people. That acronym is LOL. Usually the misuse of a word or phrase creates confusion, a slightly awkward situation, and a potential for embarassment. This particular misuse has had more serious and dryly comic effects. A friend told me a story about a condolence note sent after a funeral that the author signed with "LOL." The enraged phone call that followed from the grieving family came as a shock. She had thought that it meant lots of love. A similar event occurred recently to a friend of mine, after the birth of baby named Gabriel, and it was publicized on Facebook. While Sarah was in labor at a hospital in Winston-Salem, her grandmother posted on the father-to-be's wall: "So happy Gabriel will be our 6th Greatgrand child! 4 boys 2 girls. Tell Sarah I am with her in Spirit. lol." Rather than reading this as a subtle post-Woolfian statement that all suffering is undergone in solitude, I would instead point to this as one more instance of a broader LOL misunderstanding. Is it time for a public service announcement? Perhaps instead a streaming message that occasionally pops up in news feeds: "LOL= laughing out loud."