OT: Rant & Thoughts - Chats and Emails

[Erax]

I definitely use a different style to speak Online, for reasons beyond my control.

One - the written word is more formal than the spoken word, especially if, like me, you choose to write in English and not in some kind of net slang.

Two - lack of nonverbal cues (such as tone of voice) means I have to make an extra effort to make myself clear, which means I end up using more words than I would offline.

Three - My offline conversations are in Portuguese, but most of what I write Online is in English, and that has an effect. Portuguese, especially our variety of it, has (for lack of a better word) a much 'friendlier' tone than English.

I try to balance my Online and offline lives, but Online relationships are always accessible - you connect and there you are - while my offline friends for the most part live some distance away and have busy schedules of their own. I don't really have much in common with the people in my immediate area, so after I get home from work (and before my wife arrives - her schedule doesn't match mine either) if I want to talk to someone it has to be Online.

That being said, I don't do chat. I stick to Yahoo Groups/Intel Forums/e-mail.

[Phoenix-D]

"its not just an Online phenominon. if you take a step back and look at it, its all really quite absurd."

Hardly absurd. It can be taken to absurd lengths, sure, but in its most basic form its a defense mechanism. The larger the crowd, the more likely it is you don't know everyone well. Treating strangers differently from friends is a good thing; they're not known quanities and you don't know how they'd react.

And Fyron, I had to say it eventually: I just ignore your smilies, because you use them so much and I can't tell what you're using them for.

[PvK]

Chats, Boards, and emails offer many types of communication that can't easily be achieved in other ways.

There are some negative aspects, such as miscommunication, twits, lack of face-to-face interaction, and so on.

Those negative aspects don't make computer communications bad; they are just things to be aware of, and good reasons not to use them for communication that can be easily done in person.

In-person communication is much better for most things, but incovenient or impossible for some things (e.g., discussing rare issues with niche fans from around the world, such as this forum).

Don't let computers suck you away from in-person communication. But also, don't be afraid to use computers in moderation, as long as you're not losing control. I guess it's a better thing to be hooked on than mind-altering substances, or TV.

PvK

[Taera]

i would like to add a bit to the discussion here, what do you think people, why is there such a difference between e-mail and snail mail between people? (not business) because i can surely say there is, and dont know anyone who wouldn't agree, but i cant put a finger on it.

[Cipher7071]

I've heard it said that more than half of all communication is non-verbal. Emoticons are better than nothing, I suppose, but there is really no substitute for being able to sit in the same room as the people with whom you are trying to communicate.

On the other hand, seeing as how I too live in a remote area, I would not be communicating with anyone who frequents these Boards by any other means. I'd actually rather be in a tavern somewhere, but that can get expensive, not to mention hard on the liver.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Taera:
i would like to add a bit to the discussion here, what do you think people, why is there such a difference between e-mail and snail mail between people? (not business) because i can surely say there is, and dont know anyone who wouldn't agree, but i cant put a finger on it.

I would disagree. It is all about how you treat them. It is quite easy to treat electronic mails identically to snail mails. You just have a false romantic sense (in a loose definition of the word) from the time it takes for snail mail to travel and the fact that it is a physical object, so it seems like they are more meaningful. But the fact is, they are not. They can have the exact same meaning. Also, the hand written as opposed to typed nature contributes, as it gives a sense of it being more personal. If this is important, go get a scanner (they are cheap these days), write your letters on paper, scan them, and then email them. Have your correspondants do the same. This will eliminate all differences save the time delay. You can get around that simply by agreeing to wait a bit to send off or write the letter.

[Taera]

romantic sense? perharps but fyron, i did not mean "myself" though, i know a lot of people and not a single one who doesnt see things in the same way i do.