Poll: Writing on the internet

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Jacob.A.

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Dec 17, 2009
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After painfully decoding some post on threads I thought it would be a good time to bring this up. Just because you?re not writing something for a class assignment doesn?t mean you can abbreviate, shorten, not use grammar/punctuation, misuse grammar/punctuation and/or repeatedly use the same argument worded slightly differently so that you end up with a cycling argument to arbitrarily pull defense to once someone pokes holes in it. Post everything clearly defined, in a grand cycling argument that has multiple strong points that support each other, mainly your first and last argument, with no abbreviation/text-language and you and the rest of the world will begin to become superb and affluent writers that stop saying/text/post/write crap like sup.
 

Jacob.A.

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Dec 17, 2009
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No my sentence structure is set up as if I was debating, meaning I can use a more relaxed written punctuation.
 

Raven's Nest

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Feb 19, 2009
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No, I'm saying some of your sentences are too long. I was losing my breath reading in my head lol.
 

PsychedelicDiamond

Wild at Heart and weird on top
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Jan 30, 2011
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I have an excuse, i'm foreign. Don't get me wrong, i try to write proper english but i think it's still pretty apparent that it's not my first language.
 

Rawne1980

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Jul 29, 2011
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I honestly could not give a toss about spelling or punctuation.

My only dislike is "text talk".

Anyone attempts to communicate with me using it then I ignore them. And it's the main reason I stopped talking to family and friends on MSN.

Some of us are old. We didn't have mobile phones growing up so "text" isn't a second language for us.

I don't want to have to spend precious minutes of my rapidly declining life span cracking the code and trying to work out what some fool has said to me.

I also want to hunt down and beat the tool who thought "plox" was a good enough replacement for "please". Plz was bad enough.

If someone can't be arsed to communicate properly then I can't be arsed replying.
 

ReservoirAngel

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Nov 6, 2010
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I'll agree. The whole abbreviated text-talking stuff really gets on my nerves. Maybe I'm just kind of a language snob, I don't know. I don't think I am, but it always just bugs me. Sure I don't always type in perfect English, but I still try to.
 

Raven's Nest

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Feb 19, 2009
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PsychedelicDiamond said:
I have an excuse, i'm foreign. Don't get me wrong, i try to write proper english but i think it's still pretty apparent that it's not my first language.
I never would have guessed. Your written English is very good. Just need to shorten the sentences a bit ;)

OT: I'm a fan of writing correctly on the Internet, in emails, in texts and instant messages. I'm not a grammar nazi and will let a lot of things slide if they look like honest spelling mistakes, not everyone has the same standard of English no matter how much you yell at them. But for a thread complaining about bad grammar I couldn't not point that out.
 

Esotera

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May 5, 2011
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To a certain degree yes. If you're writing on the internet & other people are going to read your work, it should be easy to read & not too verbose (which is where most grammar nazis, in my experience, fail). Then again, it's unreasonable to expect literary genius in everything you read.

?There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.?
 

DoPo

"You're not cleared for that."
Jan 30, 2012
8,665
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5 Internet Life Lessons Parents Need to Start Teaching Kids: #5. Don't Look Like an Idiot When Communicating Via Text [http://www.cracked.com/article_18861_5-internet-life-lessons-parents-need-to-start-teaching-kids.html]

There you go, John Cheese said it very well there.

Remember that text is going to be how you make your first impression over the internet; if every third word you type is misspelled, people will automatically assume that you're a moron. Even if the public school system fails you, there are browsers that come with spellcheck built-in.
Also, keep texting shortcuts confined to your cell phone. Everybody understands when you use "2" instead of "too" because you were typing with your thumbs on a number pad. But you cannot let that habit sneak into your work or school emails or even message boards. And there's no reason for it, you have all the time in the world to construct and proofread your message. If you are so pressed for time that you can't spend the extra quarter of a second to type out the full word, you need to get up right away and finish your responsibilities. Don't even worry about closing the window - that would take almost a full second.
I myself am not too worried about messages, I mainly want them to be consistent and legible.
 

Zack Alklazaris

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Oct 6, 2011
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It really doesn't matter how long a thread is as long as it isn't one giant block. Also it should be done well enough where I'm not pausing every other word. You should also show your work whenever you bring up statistics.
 

The Night Angel

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Dec 30, 2011
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I agree, I hate when I'm reading a post on the internet and then someone goes and mangles the English language. It interrupts my train of thought, and I usually don't bother continuing to read the post.
DoPo said:
There you go, John Cheese said it very good there.
I myself am not too worried about messages, I mainly want them to be consistent and legible.
I hate to do this, but that should say 'well', not 'good'. Good article though, gave me a laugh. You should read this one, it's very good too.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
 

DoPo

"You're not cleared for that."
Jan 30, 2012
8,665
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Pinkie-Pie-Party said:
DoPo said:
There you go, John Cheese said it very good there.
I myself am not too worried about messages, I mainly want them to be consistent and legible.
I hate to do this, but that should say 'well', not 'good'. Good article though, gave me a laugh. You should read this one, it's very good too.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
Ah, sorry about that. I'll edit it right away. And I know alot already, I don't need to read the article.

P.S. Check out the Oatmeal's grammar comics [http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar].

CAPTCHA: bigger in texas
Oh, OK.
 

The Night Angel

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Dec 30, 2011
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DoPo said:
Ah, sorry about that. I'll edit it right away. And I know alot already, I don't need to read the article.

P.S. Check out the Oatmeal's grammar comics [http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar].

CAPTCHA: bigger in texas
Oh, OK.
Ah ha, I see I have found a fellow crusader in the fight against the death of the English language. It is good to know that I don't stand alone. Just read two of them, they are making my day so far.
P.S. Ah, what a joy it is to have the power to edit comments. Now it is a perfectly constructed sentence again :)

Keep up the good fight!!
 

Dtox333

New member
Dec 7, 2011
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Same feelings here, I actually feel ashamed for how I used to write on the internet. My spelling was horrible, my punctuation awful, capitalization non existent, and grammar shot to pieces. I'm still working on run on sentences, as well as going off of tangents and making WALLS of text lol.
 

aba1

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Mar 18, 2010
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I don't mind a few mistakes here and there. I just dislike when someone posts that they cannot understand just because someone forgot a comma or something at that point your just making a ass of yourself.
 

DustyDrB

Made of ticky tacky
Jan 19, 2010
8,365
3
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You can't enforce any uniformity in how people speak on the internet. I try to use good grammar and avoid abbreviations. People do abbreviate things to a ridiculous extent. I've had to Google more than a few of them lately (I think fubar was the last one. One was a humorous "hit and run" insult: "Fuck you, bitch!" And run!). Seriously, you should spell it out if it is more than three words.

If your grammar is notably horrible, then I'll assume you have an issue such as dyslexia. I won't say anything about it, and just try to understand what it is you're saying.
 

Zhadramekel

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Apr 18, 2010
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Bleh, don't get me started.
Back when I was in college I did a 4000 word report on how chatspeak is used in online conversations so I had to count up the amount of abbreviations and emoticons used in three different online conversations.

Fairly needless to say, by the time I finished it I never used chatspeak again. I can't even bear to see or write lol any more (even though I just did).
 

Char-Nobyl

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May 8, 2009
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Well, it's not a full moon, but I find myself transforming into an English teacher. I'll write it off as being a side effect of being raised by one, as opposed to having been bitten by one.

Let's begin, eh?

Jacob.A. said:
After painfully decoding some post on threads I thought it would be a good time to bring this up. Just because you're not writing something for a class assignment doesn't mean you can abbreviate, shorten, not use grammar/punctuation, misuse grammar/punctuation
First off: parallel structure. It's basically the thing that keeps lists uniform. Pick either nouns or verbs and nouns, then stick with them. Don't make a grocery list that says, "Bread, eggs, and purchase milk."

Second: abbreviating is the same thing as shortening, and not using proper grammar is the same thing as misusing it.

Jacob.A. said:
and/or repeatedly use the same argument worded slightly differently so that you end up with a cycling argument to arbitrarily pull defense to once someone pokes holes in it.
That was an oddly specific example, given the previous things you listed, but alright.

Jacob.A. said:
Post everything clearly defined(1), in a grand cycling argument(2) that has multiple strong points(3) that support each other, mainly your first and last argument(4), with no abbreviation/text-language and you(5) and the rest of the world will begin to become superb and affluent(6) writers that stop saying/text/post/write crap like sup.(7)
1. Unnecessarily wordy. Just say 'clearly.'

2. Was the problem you mentioned a few words ago with "cycling argument" that they just weren't "grand" enough?

3. 'Strong' is an objective term, especially in debate. Drop it.

4. It sounds like you're trying to explain the five-paragraph essay format. That's not how you debate, and even if it were, your introduction and conclusion shouldn't argue two different things.

5. You've already used 'you' multiple times in this post. You've also used abbreviations (ie: you're, doesn't).

6. 'Affluent' means wealthy, usually with negative connotations. Given the context, I doubt that's what you're trying to say.

7. Ah. So when you said 'cycling arguments,' you meant 'circular'? Because your argument comes down to "If everyone starts writing with proper grammar, then nobody will write with improper grammar." The second condition is just a different way of phrasing the first condition. There's no cause and effect when they're the same thing.

Also, you're prone to run-on sentences, and coupled with your format choice of "block o' text," your writing is difficult to focus on. Break it apart, distribute periods a bit more liberally, and practice what you preach.

Jacob.A. said:
No my sentence structure is set up as if I was debating, meaning I can use a more relaxed written punctuation.
'More relaxed' usually just translates to formatting, not actual grammar. You can use pronouns like 'I' or 'You,' and you don't need to be as strict when it comes to paragraph formatting. It doesn't excuse you from anything that I mentioned above.

DustyDrB said:
You can't enforce any uniformity in how people speak on the internet. I try to use good grammar and avoid abbreviations. People do abbreviate things to a ridiculous extent. I've had to Google more than a few of them lately (I think fubar was the last one. One was a humorous "hit and run" insult: "Fuck you, bitch!" And run!).
Sorry, but is that what you think FUBAR means? Because that's about as valid an interpretation as claiming the A&P store chain stands for "Ass & Penis." And frankly, even as far as acronym corruption goes, that's a pretty bad one. If you can't use at least the first/first and second letter of each word to make it fit, you're doing it wrong.

Though more to the point, it stands for, "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition."