shush now’s Neighborhood

Thanks so very much for the feedback on the previous Netiquette post, as well as the cell phone etiquette post.  I remembered, however, that there were additional points that I did not touch upon yet.  Quite a few are just general rules of writing, especially when communicating to international audiences.  Some more observations I have made in various communications on the Internet are as follows:

Textspeak, Chatspeak, 1337-speak, etc.

•  While these may be appropriate for texting, instant messaging, and other various forms of chat, they do not fit well for e-mails, forums, and written offline communication.  While it may be considered cool or trendy, most of the time, using them likely make you appear like a kidiot ("kid idiot").  It looks exceptionally unlearned and unprofessional on e-mails to present or potential employers, and academic papers (term papers, homework, and so on).
• It may be difficult for non-native speakers to understand such.  Trust me, this is NOT limited to the English-speaking world!  The Spanish-speaking folks I chat with from time to time use odd abbreviations (oye hispanohablantes, asi que me entienden, cuando no usan "que" sino k" a veces me pone confundido y es dificil a entenderles) and I am told that French speakers have their own chatspeak, too.
• Some abbreviations are abused to the point that they lose their meaning.  Most teens and adults I talk to that use "lol" a lot will freely admit they really aren't Laughing Out Loud.  Often times, they aren't even chuckling.  How is that communication?  "Heh" or "hehe" aren't that much longer.  But... as if laziness was contagious, the kids have started using "L." now.  More often than not, it looks incredibly superfluous after a while.  One forum community I'm with uses "tbh" (to be honest) to the point that it would look unnecessary spelled out.  This is true of some other abbreviations, such as IMO (in my opinion) and IMHO (in my honest opinion).  Your mileage may vary.

Speaking of language barriers...

Spelling and grammar really ARE important.

• Punctuation really does clarify your thoughts.  Now I know Spanish-speakers will roll their eyes on this one, because lack of punctuation is perfectly acceptable in informal communication.  But I'll tell you, sentences that run on for a paragraph or more make it rather difficult for non-native Spanish speakers like myself to understand.  And how would that be any different the other way around, when non-native English speakers are trying to read a sentence that runs on and on in English?  Oh, and read aloud those sorts of sentences.  Punctuation dictates pauses, and the type of punctuation dictates the length of the pause.  You may claim that you are prone to rambling, but can you read that run-on sentence in one breath, because there are no punctuation marks to dictate otherwise?  No... you DO have to pause to take a break every now and then!  Put in punctuation marks where you have to take a breath AND where it makes sense.  Even if you don't get it quite correct, it should be easier to read and understand.
  
• Not everyone understands the lingo, local slang, etc.  I remember an interesting conversation with a Brit where I was asking what "take the piss" meant.  Imagine my surprise when she explained it with another slang-- "take the mick" and "take the mickey".  Okay, so we have Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary for online references, and I eventually had to consult them to get the meaning.  But you can't always expect everyone to understand your local vernacular; be prepared to explain in way they can understand too.
• Sometimes typos and misspellings really CAN lead to a misunderstanding.  Those who are fluent in the language may be able to figure out your meaning regardless, but sometimes they will misunderstand, too.  You can't always assume that people will understand your mistakes!  When you can get some help, such as with a spellchecker, I think it's a good idea to use it.

Oh, and don't abuse exclamation points.

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 916, security = public, mask = 0.

When you hire someone to read a book on CD you should make sure they are literate.  Make sure they can pronounce words properly.

So I'm reading "New Moon", book two in Stephenie Meyer's vampire series.  It's pretty good, but it could have used a better editor.  She uses the word 'familiar' WAY TOO MUCH!  (and by way too much I mean at least 6 times on a page sometimes)  How is it that I am so aware of this?  Because the stupid moron who's reading the book cannot pronounce the word 'familiar' correctly.  So every few sentences I hear 'fermillier'.  Yes. 

BAD ENGLISH! BAD BAD!

Fahmilliar...not fermillier.

Its not that hard.

(every time she says it, and it is a lot due to Ms. Meyer's negligent editor, I just want to bang my head against the steering wheel)

How long do you take in the shower?
Submitted by Strive2Be.

It depends on what ends I am showering for; as I am swimming a lot lately and sometimes all I need to do is rinse out a suit and rinse off the pool chlorine.

It also depends on how dirty I am and how good I wish to smell, or how thorough I figure I need to be.

That is all the details, I am sure, that you are interested to know.

Dewdlol

*disclaimer* No kittehs were harmed during the creation of this lolcat.

G

Leonardo_da_vinci_parody_002

wow even Leo knew.

(Popeye, my higher power)

Popeyespinach

Show us two things that should never be together.

3 years

Devilbitch hs photo

Me and my ex.  Now, of course, she'll probably get pissed that I used her high school yearbook photo.

How long do you take in the shower?
Submitted by Strive2Be.

As long as I feel like taking...

Magicwand

While we were in Tampa last month, we had a bad experience at PF Changs. It seemed they had reduced portion size while keeping prices the same. Like I've said before, I'm fine with paying more at this point. I expect it. However I'm not happy when I order what I think is enough food to feed my family, only to come up short. So Steve e-mailed them, pretty much saying the same thing in a nice manner. Today, a gift card for $40 came in the mail from PF Changs. Woohoo!

In other news, after last week's horrendous accidental chicken jerky, I've decided to make my version of Alice Springs Chicken for "TV Thursday" dinner. I've yet to mess this one up. I'm also making olive oil, parmesan and roasted garlic potatoes and some mukimame. I can't wait.

I've started to read Wicked. It wasn't exactly what I expected. Definetely not for the kiddies, but good. I also picked up the new David Sedaris book. I'm reading a bit here and there when I need a good laugh, savoring it like a fine wine. Oh, and I bought Wuthering Heights out of curiousity thanks to Twilight. I finished The Host. Very, very good. I highly recommend it. Meanwhile, War and Peace is peacefully sitting on my bookshelf gathering dust. The "peace" parts were good, but I was having a hard time getting into the "war".

Last night, Steve and I went into Georgetown. I ended up with new shoes and got to eat at La Madeleine. We've also had Thai food and cheesesteaks this week. And I wonder why I've gained 3 pounds since coming back from Tampa.

I am bummed however that Children of Men came in the mail from Netflix instead of Redneck Zombies. Seriously. I was really looking forward to watching it this weekend. It was filmed in Delmar, MD on a video camera. All the reviews said it was wonderfully bad. Oh well.

Better hop off here. I've got about 2 hours before Rob, Kirsten (formerly known at "the new girl"), and Gary arrive.