No more "chuckling" please
For some reason when I see something like "*laugh*" or "*chuckle*" in someone's e-mail or forum post, it really grates on me. Not sure why; I don't mind "emoticons", but in-line "emotes" or whatever you call them just seem so very lame. Well, maybe not all of them. "*smile*" seems innocuous enough, for instance. But "*chuckle*"...ack!
So, if you're doing it: stop. If you're not, don't start.
That is all.
So, if you're doing it: stop. If you're not, don't start.
That is all.
Labels: internet
2 Comments:
Well, I hear ya ... but I have to disagree. And here's why:
For many of my years in the IT industry, I've been the "field tech" in a team of IT support, and must rely on e-mail for a great deal of my communication. Over time, I've come to realize that my "in-person" good-natured sarcastic tone doesn't translate well into e-mail. If I'm on the phone and make a smart-alec comment, with a chuckle in my voice, my coworkers get my humor and all is well. But I can't tell you how many times I've been chewed out for pissing people off by e-mail, where they can't hear my chuckle! So after a while I started including some "*smile*" and "*chuckle*" comments in my e-mails, to keep my coworkers in tune with my tone of voice. Since then, I've had much closer (though long-distance) friends among my coworkers, and have had much less trouble unintentionally angering people.
Sorry if it grates on you, but I think, given the huge shift toward written communication, that it's actually a good thing. At least IMHO. *grin*
--
Dugald, the Expressive Lexicographer
I've of the mind that we shouldn't necessarily need "emotion tags" or "emoticons" in our written correspondence, but that's a discussion for another time.
In any case, I don't really care that much if people do use those tags and symbols. It's just those two specific ones I have issue with :) Not sure why; "*smile*" is fine, "*grin*" is OK...
Despite my dislike for those particular "expressions", they're still preferable to "l33tspeak". Or people who refuse to properly capitalize or can't be bothered to write out the full words "you", "are", etc. (text-messaging is one thing; e-mail, forums, and blogs are another).
I mean, c'mon people - let's be civilized here!
;)
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