Jean in Newcastle Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Abbreviations are not childish or unintelligent. They can be expedient when both parties know what they mean. If one of the parties doesn’t know what they mean then of course they aren’t expedient anymore. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I asked the boys (19 and 22) about terminal periods last night. They both got the "well, duh, Mom" look and then said (summarizing): Yeah, everybody our age knows that. But nobody cares. Especially when texting with an older person. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I'm pretty sure I'm older than all of you (I know for a fact I'm old enough to be mother to some of you) and naturally I learned to put two spaces after a period. I learned to type on a manual typewriter. I also learned why it's not only unnecessary anymore but also wrong. And I've been able to change to one space. If this old lady can do it... http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/two-spaces-after-period/ https://problogservice.com/2010/02/04/why-you-should-put-one-space-after-a-period-not-two/ Now I just need to stop putting a period at the end of my texts. :) I learned to type in the late 1970's on manual typewriters. One of the reasons we were taught to use two spaces between periods was so we'd have extra room if we left out a letter in a word and needed to go back and squeeze it in. Fun times. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 I'm not sure what makes it wrong to use two spaces on a web forum or when answering customer service enquiries? I seem to be communicating clearly enough. If I were writing in a formal register (or a more casual register, if I texted or something), I'd adjust accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 (edited) The texts that I typically write are full sentences. I use punctuation of all sorts. (e.g., ! ? , . ) The texts my kids write are single words or letter groupings. Correct spelling is optional. ;) What is there to punctuate? In this case, a period would like kind of weird and stand out. Perhaps people consider this rude? Edited January 7, 2018 by wintermom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 My 5 year old thinks you need 36 emojis per text, he is partial to the flags. It also must be sent with effects, especially if he finds out Dad is sitting in a meeting. He painstakingly picks out every single emoji, but I am certain the recipients never notice anything other than how many there are. Both of my girls do this. They think it is absolutely hilarious to send dad a text of dozens of emojis. They carefully pick out the right ones and to them it means something. They'll ask later if he noticed the monkey doing something or other. But of course he just glances at it and doesn't notice each individual emoji. The natural use of emojis must come from growing up in the tech generation. I do try to use emojis here and there in texting, I think it can help to convey your tone. But I have to think about it and sometimes I'm not sure if it's saying what I want it to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 As long as I'm not texting anyone 20+ years my junior (my own kids excluded) it shouldn't make a difference. People are so wound up about everything it makes my head spin. Period. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 As long as I'm not texting anyone 20+ years my junior (my own kids excluded) it shouldn't make a difference. People are so wound up about everything it makes my head spin. Period. FWIW, I haven't had a chance to talk with "random" schoolkids about this yet, but the kids I have talked with said it really doesn't matter to them. I'm wondering if it only matters to those who write articles about it. Not terribly long ago there was a letter to the editor in our newspaper from a lady who was very upset that drivers ignore the law and puposely let others cut in line ahead of them on the road. Apparently, the "law" says those drivers waiting need to wait until the road is clear, then they can join in. In some places this could take until the end of rush hour, so literally every driver I know lets folks cut in when they are waiting from a business or side road or whatever (generally one car per driver). Now we do it knowing and being in awe that this lady is upset about it. Just because she is doesn't mean the whole driving population is. I'm sure she's not alone, but I doubt she's in the majority with her feelings. I'm getting the same vibe with texting. Some folks have apparently set laws and get miffed when they're broken, but I don't think they're in the majority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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