“There is absolutely no exclamation point shortage on Facebook,” a spokesperson for the social networking giant said. “The rumors are unfounded and completely false.”

Facebook says that despite the rapid growth in users over the previous year, all users should be able to update their status as excitedly as they wish.

“Exclamation points are a personal choice. Facebook won’t infringe on the rights of our users. Our track record speaks for itself.”

Beverly Hills based MySpace is asking users to conserve exclamation points, offering a number of solutions including limiting the number of exclamations to three per post and twenty-one per day. In a statement released earlier this week, MySpace suggested replacing exclamation points with asterisks or dollar signs. “Who doesn’t like money symbols?” the statement read. The statement also said that users who exceed more than 50 exclamation points per day will have their accounts suspended indefinitely.

The move is seen as largely symbolic as no one actually uses MySpace anymore.

Many wonder if the MySpace policy shift is a sign of things to come for Facebook. Preemptive rallies have sprung up around the country in protest of the yet-to-be-imposed limits. Protesters gathered at local wifi hotspots to update their status in unison. Many users have updated their status to read, “Facebook can take away our exclamation points, but they can never take the exclamation out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Others read, “What the?!?!? FACEBOOK is trying to ruin my life!!!!” One more contemplative user is pondering life with fewer exclamation points. “I find it amazing that Facebook thinks one exclamation point will express my excitement about pizza. I just had pizza for dinner! Are you kidding?!?!?! This sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

While other social networks struggle with a shortage, Twitter is cashing in on a surplus. They are currently in talks with MySpace to supply the company with some of their extra punctuation. Industry experts spokesperson suggested that the 140 character limit for messages helped curb overuse.

“Most tweeple can keep their exclamation point usage to at least seven or eight per message,” said Stanford University social media professor Ed Itor. “Twitter has plenty to go around.”

Officials at the United States Letters and Punctuation Bureau say they have been monitoring the situation closely and will step in if necessary. “After the L shortage in 2007, we put an emergency preparedness plan in place for just this type of thing. Thankfully, the economy has far fewer people laughing out loud. We’re hopeful it will have the same effect on the Christmas exclamation points. The Twitter surplus will help, but we’re concerned that certain users will quickly sap the extra resources.”

The USLPB encourages everyone to do their part by limiting exclamation points to normal, grammatically prescribed standards. But they are ready to step in if necessary.

“If we have to visit Serena Williams and Perry Noble and every overly excited teenager in the country and show them photos of homeless puppies, that’s something we’re prepared to do.”