I think all of us should spend an hour in the chatterbox

[ButtBurgers 2k15]

I have tried it, it is simply complete genocide of the entire English language.

It makes me sad ;-;  

[[Mammon]]

Fuku Taichou

Everyone takes their grammar differently. I personally don't go around trying to correct everyone I meet because I do feel accepting of the way others choose to type online. Sure, some things really bother me, but I'm sure I do things that other people find annoying as well.

I'll admit that at the end of the day a lot of what we do does come off as pedantic, but I think that what really underlies our sometimes harsh adherence to the rules of grammar is simply a desire for clear communication.

Going around correcting people's grammar or spelling is something I avoid if I can since it makes me feel too much like I'm editing and not enough like I'm enjoying; however, if I come across something that is unclear to me I have no problem asking for clarification, and I'll ask again and again until what is trying to be said is clear. The problem I have with text talk is that it lacks a structure that allows thoughts to be laid out with precision and clarity. If someone was talking to you and you couldn't understand what they were saying, wouldn't you feel justified in asking them to repeat what they'd just said? If what they said to you was unclear, wouldn't you ask them to clarify it? If someone was talking to you and they were using words incorrectly or pronouncing them improperly isn't it okay to offer them helpful corrections? Why should it be any less acceptable with written communication?

Does the fact that you might do things that annoy other people mean that you can't address people when they're doing things that annoy you? I might do things that annoy other people, but if I'm in a theatre and people are talking that doesn't meant I don't have the right to ask them to be quiet. Rather, my knowledge of the fact that I might be doing things that could annoy other people only means that I would fully expect them to ask me to modify my behaviour when I'm around them.

Fuku Taichou

It also depends on how we all treat others. Honestly, I'd prefer to befriend a nice person who talks "lyke this" than a jerk who types with perfect grammar. As long as we don't go around degrading others, I don't think it's really a problem. I don't look down upon people with bad spelling and grammar unless their personality gives me a reason to.

I have trouble imagining any situation in which someone would want to befriend a jerk over a nice person... Unless the jerk was a perfect, donor match and I needed a kidney. Then again, I also have trouble imagining a nice person who would have so little respect for you that they refused to speak to you in the same manner you spoke to them.

I agree, degrading or disrespecting people without good reason is a bad thing; but I have trouble seeing how correcting people either degrades or disrespects them.

While looking down on someone solely because of bad spelling or grammar might be presumptuous, assuming that someone's stubborn refusal to spell-check or proofread their writing doesn't tell you something about their character is just as ill advised.  

[Yutaka Miko]

I don't like to be thought as a cocky person, but I really dislike it when people do txt-tlk...
When I was younger (around 11 to 12 years old), I love doing this txt-tlk on MSN with my friends. But as I grow older, and I look back, I think it was stupid and I also realized that the reason for me to do txt-tlk was to follow the trend.
And I hate to admit it, but I do think that person is an IMMATURE person when they are doing this txt-tlking thing. I've seen a LOT of my sister's friends (who are already around the age of 20's) typing like this. And a lot of my friends still do this, in fact almost ALL of them in my class. There was once I asked one of my girl friends why do they leave out all the vowels and she told me that: "Because it looks cute! You shouldn't be so uptight about spellings! You are so old!" stare  

[starblazer66]

xMiko_Lovelessx

I don't like to be thought as a cocky person, but I really dislike it when people do txt-tlk...
When I was younger (around 11 to 12 years old), I love doing this txt-tlk on MSN with my friends. But as I grow older, and I look back, I think it was stupid and I also realized that the reason for me to do txt-tlk was to follow the trend.
And I hate to admit it, but I do think that person is an IMMATURE person when they are doing this txt-tlking thing. I've seen a LOT of my sister's friends (who are already around the age of 20's) typing like this. And a lot of my friends still do this, in fact almost ALL of them in my class. There was once I asked one of my girl friends why do they leave out all the vowels and she told me that: "Because it looks cute! You shouldn't be so uptight about spellings! You are so old!" stare

You probably should relax a little. Pet peeves are not worth the wrinkles, not matter how annoying. stare  

[sirioneowyn]

Rawr.
I already do spend time in the chatterbox and use their txt tlk when talking to people who use it. I don't seem to have been completely turned by their improper grammar yet. It would be a good idea to get used to it, since txt tlk is around and doesn't look to be going away anytime soon.

I remember reading the home page of this guild and seeing something that went along the lines of 'No, we are not Grammar Nazis...' but now that I've read just what was on the first page of this topic and the thing that popped into my mind was 'I thought there weren't any Nazis!'.

Not that I don't appreciate the literate and understandable conversation once in a while. But there's just a line that you cross when you say that the people who type like that are unintelligent. It seems to be a common thing around here though and I find it distressing. I'm not saying everyone should just start typing like that, gods no, but try to be a bit more tolerant at least. It's just part of the culture right now.

I know, it looks like I'm on some kind of crusade when other people have said as much as I have and with a lot less words...  

[l3viathan]

I've been in the Chatterbox quite a few times since 2004. I know what it's like, and I cannot stand it. I personally prefer to be away from it and its people.  

[Niccea Majeare]

In my 4 years on Gaia, I can honestly say that I have only been to one Chatterbox thread, but it was my friend's. They also didn't allow chat speak in there.  

[TeeJaye]

When in casual conversation with friends via instant messaging I may pepper my speech with an an occasional "AFK" or "LOL", when it gets down to serious things (or even when I seriously role-play) I swap to a sort of hybrid that I learned in an IRC channel over a decade ago.

For emotes, instead of strange acronyms or indecipherable smilies, you enclosed your emote in a pair of colons. :: demonstrates ::

It sets your text apart from your actions in a role-playing environment, and still retains a bit of the "cute" factor (Girls like me can make the colons a different color and/or bold). :: demonstrates again ::

I don't know if a "lead by example" tactic will work in General Discussion or Chatterbox, but if you are brave enough to go there, maybe its worth a try.  

[Starry Phoenix]

I tried it once. I came out wanting to cry a few minutes later. crying  

[Kali Eyad]

Typing in any post in any forum is when I'm most grammatically correct, or as it usually sounds, it is when I am most pompous. In casual conversations with friends, or even when typing in the chat for one of the minigames on Gaia, I have a much more laid back way of typing. Mostly I skimp on capitalization, maybe some punctuation.

I honestly just cannot read some "txt tlk."I often have to ask people what the abbreviation they just used meant. Things that are just missing vowels I can usually follow well enough. I've actually told friends that "txt tlk" hurts my soul. Their reaction is usually to try and speak to me in it. After a few messages they realize I have no idea what is being said and quit.

I definitely look down somewhat on people who use too many abbreviations and miscellaneous short cuts when typing online. I understand it being used in texts because there is a character limit; however, I believe people should take the few extra moments to type something out fully when speaking to others on the internet.

I think I could make it an hour in chatterbox. I have been in there a few times, but mostly I avoid it.

Sorry, I think I may have been ranting, rambling, or some combination of the two. sweatdrop  

[turtles rock]

[Mammon]

Is it actually a tolerance for 'txt tlk' that you're looking to build up, JUST INspire me? It sounds more like what you want to do is build up a tolerance for the people who use it.

If you're looking to give people the benefit of the doubt, to expand your experiences to the point where you aren't thinking "illiterate idiot" every time you see someone using 'txt tlk', then I definitely don't think you'll want to spend time in the Chatterbox. I think that spending time in the Chatterbox will only reinforce your current opinions and not lead you to form new ones.

The problem I see with going to the Chatterbox is that, in order to overcome your preconceptions, you'd need to be exposed to someone who is not an idiot and yet still uses 'txt tlk'. Now I know many people who are both intelligent and who use 'txt tlk'; however, these people are unlikely, in the extreme, to use Internet abbreviations when engaging in serious discourse.

Why don't they? Because they realize that if you want to show that you are taking a discussion seriously, then you should also want to show that you are putting time and consideration into your responses. Using 'txt tlk', given that it came into use to speed up written real-time conversations that were taking place on-line or via phone, hardly shows that time or consideration are going into your responses. In fact, even an intelligent response, if written in text-talk, will seem hurried and unconsidered - often coming off as though the author is just regurgitating things they've heard elsewhere instead of formulating their own opinions.

Are we uptight? Of course we are. Anyone who holds tightly to any belief is going to seem uptight to people who either don't hold the same beliefs or who harbour a more moderate view on the issue. I'm willing to allow a certain amount of text-talk in specific situations, especially if time is a factor in responding to what people are saying (IM sessions, cell phone text messages), but I definitely do not believe that it deserves a place on Gaia. If that makes me uptight, so be it. Then again, I'm probably uptight about a lot of things: my views on rape, child molestation, my belief that kittens are the best snack food ever.

Tolerating people is one thing; tolerating people while they're doing something I disagree with or believe to be wrong, that's something else all together.

Salutations on a well spoken point.
I completely agree with you. I, myself, have been prone to use "txt tlk" when holding casual conversation, but it does not make me and "illiterate idiot."  

[-x x kyoxtohru x x-]

Hero - Haru ni saku hana ya
Max - Natsu no sanahama
Uknow - Aki no tasogare ya
Micky - Fuyu no nukumori

I'm going to go try. If I don't respond later, you'll know I died from lack of literacy.
::Gulp:: I'm going in.

Hero - When the rain is pouring,
Max - I'll be your umbrella,
Uknow - when the wind is blowing,
Micky - I'll be your wall.

 

[Kira84]

I can tolerate text talk, but that's about it. I go to the chatterbox every now and then to post for gold, but not very often.

A wall of text written in text talk is unreadable. I don't know about everyone else here, but text talk actually takes me longer to read, partially because it just does not seem to flow as well as normal language.

Text talk is based largely on shortening words--'know' to 'no,' for example. In normal writing, if you see it spelled that way, it's because it's a misspelling, and generally speaking the reaction is something along the lines of "my gosh, how do you manage to spell that wrong?" Personally, that's still my gut reaction to text talk even if I know intellectually that the person really does know how to spell the word know. So that's how I explain my aversion to text talk anyway....  

[-x x kyoxtohru x x-]

It depends what kind of text talk it is for me. Some I can read really well (1337 ; leet) and others I can't. It just comes from playing about 2 years of RuneScape.

 

[khloeDISKOnnected]

JUST INspire Me

To build up our tolerance for 'txt tlk'. Honestly, I think most of us here sound a little up tight. Especially me.
The first thing that goes through my mind when I read 'txt tlk' is, 'illiterate idiot'. I can tolerate it, and I won't admit to the person that they're typing skills make me think of them as stupid, and a bit lazy, but I mean, jeezus.
I don't mind it as much with younger kids, but when a 13, 14, 15, etc year old, or even an ADULT comes online, and speaks like 25% of their keys on the keyboard aren't working, or like they didn't pass the first grade, I go crazy.
I think I can do it. I think I NEED to do it.
Do you?

I agree, but I must make a correction in your post.

You wrote "they're" when it should have been written "their" in the third sentence.

[I just found it a little humorous and slightly ironic.]