Is it just me?

morningstar

morningstar

Cathlete
So often I have trouble understanding people's posts because of punctuation issues. Perhaps it is a sign I am getting old; I find that I really don't understand the way that people post nowadays. Basic punctuation seems to go by completely new rules and I have to read posts a few times before I can figure out what someone is talking about. People seem to post almost as a stream of consciousness rather than trying to communicate a coherent idea or concept. When I see a post like this, I tend to just ignore it and assume that the person posting is not very intelligent. This is, of course, my prejudice, and I am probably missing out on some excellent conversations. Maybe this is the coming trend, this "shorthand" that seems to leave out the niceties of the written word, such as periods, commas and apostrophes.
 
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Nope, not just you but I do think it is a generation thing.

We grew up usually correct punctuation and not really abbreviating anything. With this generation of texting on cell phones - "are" is "r" and "you" is "u." So people that have gotten used to that kind of communication are the ones to use it and understand it best.

Even though those abbreviations save time when texting, I still can't do it. All my cell phone messages have correction capitalization, punctuation, etc.

My older kids get a kick out of it. I guess I have become just as nerdy and prehistoric to them as my Mother was to me!
 
For what it's worth....

...correct spelling, punctuation & good grammar are NEVER out of date. Just my opinion. I DO get it for texting, but for emails & such, not so much.
 
I am not sure it is a generation thing. I am in the techy generation but don't text at all. :eek: I get frustrated with some posts that seem to be just ramblings and several thoughts merged together in one long run on sentence. I too have to read and re-read some posts several times trying out different variations on where I think the correct punctuation should go. Maybe it is because of my 8th grade English teacher that refused to give up on making us learn correct grammar and punctuation but I cannot get past checking (and rechecking) my posts for grammatical errors before submitting.

I also don't understand all of the abbreviations used. It took me a very long time to figure out that IMO meant "in my opinion" and HTH meant "hope that helps". I still don't know what ITA means. I just wish there was a translation source somewhere!
 
It's not just you.

I haven't noticed a lot of posts like this, but when I come accross one (no capitalization or all capitalization, no punctuation---or if there is any, it's just one long sentence broken by possibly misplaced commas, etc.) I tend to either not want to read it, or not want to respond even if I do read it.

I've always been happy that VF is mostly a forum where people write in actual words and sentences (even the use of "U" for you--saving 2 measly letters?--is annoying to me).


From reading student papers--and our college newspaper-- I've come to the conclusion that many people nowdays don't write with the goal of being clear, but with the idea that if the reader understands (which takes some reading between the lines or filling in the blanks) then they can just approximate their meaning and don't have to put in more effort than that.

;)
 
jldx2in2000 said:
I still don't know what ITA means.
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ITA = I totally agree
TIA = Thanks in advance


Those few abbreviations I actually like and find useful. I see them more as abbreviations for standard greetings/closings, and they do save some time.

Perhaps some of the other abbreviations people are using (the horrid "u" for "you") are because they are posting from a cell phone?
 
I can't stand the "u" for "you"... I absolutely refuse to use most of the "text speak" when communicating, regardless of modality. Maybe I'm old-fashioned. It just annoys me. I agree that some of it is useful and saves time. But honestly (like Kathryn said), does typing "u" instead of "you" save that much time?
 
morningstar said:
So often I have trouble understanding people's posts because of punctuation issues. Perhaps it is a sign I am getting old; I find that I really don't understand the way that people post nowadays; basic punctuation seems to go by completely new rules and I have to read posts a few times before I can figure out what someone is talking about. People seem to post almost as a stream of consciousness rather than trying to communicate a coherent idea or concept. When I see a post like this, I tend to just ignore it and assume that the person posting is not very intelligent. This is, of course, my prejudice, and I am probably missing out on some excellent conversations. Maybe this is the coming trend, this "shorthand" that seems to leave out the niceties of the written word, such as periods, commas and apostrophes.
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You're right. Punctuation exists to serve a purpose.

Have you ever seen videos of Victor Borge doing his act on verbal punctuation? Essentially, his joke was that we can't even understand each other when we speak, so we should therefore make sounds and hand signals while we talk to indicate the punctation marks. :D
 
:eek: i friend of mine just emailed me back and asked if I had a problem with caps. (hehe)and punctuation. i guess I"ll have to do better. :eek::D
 
No, it's not just you. And, as a middle-school writing teacher, I appreciate your excellent use of the semicolon, a highly underused punctuation mark! :D
 
I find reading posts without any capitalization hard to read. Even with punctuation, in my head it reads as a big run on sentence. I use some of the common abbreviations, but there are so many I just don't know. It would actually take me longer to type "u" instead of "you", because I have to think out the abbreviations in my head before I type. I can type pretty fast, so I too feel there is no time savings on using "u' or "4", I think once in a while i try it on work IMs (we use it all the time), but it feels odd.
 
After reading this, I couldn't help but think you were referring to my reply to your post. If so, when I said "2yo" I was referring to my 2-year-old. I am also from the generation that does not abbreviate. Honestly, I think after texting and internet forums it has become a habit. :eek: I'm sorry if I confused you!
 
I actually specifically posted this as a stand-alone thread, rather than in response to a particular post, to ensure that I wasn't criticizing someone specifically, but rather, starting a discussion on the changing way people communicate over the internet. The thought came to me after reading a post on the forum (not you!) but I did not respond to that post complaining about their grammar and punctuation. I am not intending to attack anyone, just perhaps make some people aware that their posts may not be understandable to everyone if they don't bother with correct punctuation and grammar.
 
This is a symptom of Facebook and the 140 character limits! Because of the limits, people leave out punctuation, conjunctions, etc., anything to allow them more space to get their point across. Unfortunately, I think this habit is being carried over to every other form of written communication!

I'm pretty old school, too! I like punctuation!
 
Jane A said:
Have you ever seen videos of Victor Borge doing his act on verbal punctuation? Essentially, his joke was that we can't even understand each other when we speak, so we should therefore make sounds and hand signals while we talk to indicate the punctation marks. :D
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I remember seeing him on TV doing it.
 
I also like paragraphing (and paragraphs on online posts are supposed to be shorter, for legibility). When I see a huge block of text in a post, I'm apt to not even read it, because my eyes get bleary and I can even feel like I'm getting a headache.
 
Not just you. I generally grasp what people are saying, but it bugs me not to see things written correctly. Heck I will even edit my posts to correct spelling, and punctuation errors. I will use things like TTFN and TIA, but I just can't bring myself do things like "r u going?" It's a totally foreign concept to me. Even on facebook if I have a post that's too long, I'll just do a second post to finish my thought. I don't have a cell phone to text, which is good because I'd probably drive myself nuts typing complete sentences.
 
Being a teacher I go crazy having to read student essays. The grammar is abysmal and the punctuation is lacking. Our student newspaper drives me crazy with the amount of errors in it.

I do notice that I cannot spell the word "the" correctly anymore when typing. It always auto-corrects in Word and so I have to go back and fix it in any emails or posts I send.

What does TTFN stand for? I didn't know what DOMS stood for for the longest time but was able to figure out that is meant soreness of some sort by using context clues.
 
Guilty!

I tend to post in long, run on sentences. Not on purpose, it's just how I think. One idea just runs into the next. If I am writing a formal letter or email, I can rein it in, and do it right. If I'm posting on a message board, the thoughts just flow, and sometimes my fingers can't keep up. I also talk with my hands, so sometimes I have a hard time writing what I want to say, because I can't use the gestures. I also talk on the phone all day, and talk with my hands when I'm on the phone :p See, there I go, all sideways again!

Also, because I am on the phone all day at work, and type when I talk, we use industry and other abbreviations, and some of that carries over into everyday life. If you're trying to catch what someone's saying, abbreviating is faster. Our computer system at work also won't take apostrophes. Don't know why, I didn't write the programming. After using that system for more than 2 years, I have to consciously switch back to using them.

Texting lingo on the other hand drives me batty!!

Nan
 
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