Jim Perrin jperrin@gmail.com wrote:
Let's not forget your mispelling of 'etiquette'
I majored in engineering for a reason. ;->
, use of acronyms,
Which I reguarly define/expand, but people seem to miss if I don't re-define them at every part of a post, or within the last day. ;->
diet,
I'm verbose in e-mail. That's the side effect of being a writer -- both technical and non-technical (although that's not under my real name). Especially the non-technical composition, which preaches colorful use of verbs, indirect phrases, etc... There's nothing wrong with direct statements.
At the same time, there is something to be said for someone who details something from start-to-finish -- answering just about any question anyone might have. I do it for the original poster, maybe 1-2 other people at the most -- which means the overwhelming majority of the list doesn't appreciate it, and many find it "insulting" like I'm "talking down to them." That's the difference between knowing a group in e-mail and knowing someone in-person -- in-person, you can quickly gage what the level of familiarity of the person you are conversing with. Even for groups, you know the audience of the group -- whereas a list is all over the place (especially for a single list).
Also, this list is archived, and it shows up in Google -- and I get those thanks almost daily. ;->
generally cordial demeanor in email, blog, etc.
Of course, I'm the dude with the 'tude in e-mail, blog, etc... I write e-mail/blog entries at 45 wpm (I literally pumped out a 7,000 word in under 3 hours).
If you want professional writing, then you'll find my "net 5 wpm" in CMP Media and MacMillan publications. I'm sure my writing style even in technical publications, a by-product of non-technical composition education, effects my clarity when I'm cranking out 45 wpm like here.
Always willing to throw gas on the man with the lit match
At 45 wpm, you get the raw BS, without the benefit of body language, tone, etc... that often results in things being taken the wrong way and quite as unintented. But yes, I need to work on making sure I don't do that in e-mail.
Here's to joking and hoping that Bryan doesn't own firearms.....
In know it was a joke, but seriously, why would I pull a gun or do anything to you off-list?
Despite the fact that many people have taken things outside the lists in my time, I've always been there to help people in-person -- even those people who hate me and use every avenue to discredit me. My absolute all-time biggest critic has been a person I've saved regularly over many, many years in his in-person, professional life. But eventually I realized, as others did, that the more you help him, the more he feels the need to discredit you in public to save his own face.
-- Bryan "Yeah, I just added more BS to this YAET" Smith