Forum etiquette across the internet
Posted: March 18, 2007, 3:04 pm
Not trying to offend anybody on here at all, nor am I trying to single anyone out, just more thinking out loud of things I've learned and seen over the years on the internet.
Posting in all Caps.
Posting in all Caps.
- A lot of people don't seem to realize it especially if they're not online all that much, but if you post, email, or even chat in ALL CAPS it is considered very rude, as well as considered yelling. The difference between this paragraph, and one say, that looks like this:
HEY! I REALLY WANT TO BE HEARD! CAN YOU GUYS SEE ME! I'M TRYING TO TALK HERE! SERIOUSLY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!! CMON GUYS LOOK AT ME!
is a big one. People will read what you post without having to have it all in caps, and there is no need to type in caps simply to make sure you're seen.
- This one is another problem, much like typing all in caps. It makes for very hard to read posts, to the point where a lot of people will just give up trying to read, and move on to the next post.
An example:
I'm trying to explain my point here and I'm really excitedabout it and I really really want you guys to know about this really cool thing I heard the other day about this guy that talked REALLY freakin fast and he had so much to say but no one could actually understand himbecause he was talking so fast that we finally had to holdhim down and yell at him to slow downcus he was talkingsofasthisheadfinallyexploded!!
Now if you take an entire POST all in one sentence, with no punctuation, no breaks, it really does make your head explode trying to keep up after a while
- This ties in with the other two, but have you ever noticed how hard it is to read someones post that doesnt take the time to check their spelling or grammar or even proofread it? You get something like this:
IMREALLYEXCITED!!!!!!!!11!LAST TIME i talked to THiS guyhe saidhehd a 66f100 4 sel nd it wus onlee #100 bucxs!!Heevensed hewud delivver it tome 2!
Ok my head just exploded yet again just trying to type that one out.
I know we can't all have perfect spelling or grammar, and learning to read through typos is a necessary skill required to be on the internet for any length of time, (I know I make more than my fair share
) but taking a moment to proofread your posts before clicking submit will make a big difference.
- This one's important.
A few days ago, I had to rebuild my carburetor before I made a trip up to get an engine. I couldnt figure out what model it was however, the stores were closing soon, I had no time, I had plans for the next 5 days and only a few hours to do this in. I needed to find out ASAP which model my carb was so I could get a rebuild kit for it. Yeah I was in a hurry, yeah I was impatient. But I still had to force myself to be patient, and look up as much info myself as possible.
People on here, or any other forum, aren't usually sitting at their computers just waiting for someone to post a question like some 24 hour customer help service. We all have lives, and it usually takes several hours to get a reply. Getting impatient or angry if someone doesnt reply right away won't help anything, and will usually just make you look silly for getting mad.
If you need the info right away, my advice is to post the question, then go googling and searching as much as you can to try and find it yourself. Check back ocasionally to see if anyone's replied, but realize that just because its an emergency to you, doesnt mean it is to anyone else.
