Quote:
Originally Posted by gmcneill
The written word often fails to accurately convey intonation and connation of the writer. Consequently, a reader may easily wrongly infer or interpret a writer's message.
Forums, given the prevalence of the informal writing style and the anonimity of the writers who employ that style, provide an environment in which reader's inferences clash with writer's implications, often culminating in heated confrontations and personal insults.
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I have found that sarcasm and satire do not translate well to message boards. I have been taken wrong on a few occaisions when I attempted to inject my rather sarcastic sense of humor on various message boards, including this one. Just last week I upset Pturner, who is one of my favorites, when I tried to be "funny", and did not intend to imply anything hurtful or insulting. Usually, when you use that form of give and take with people you know, they understand where it is coming from and enjoy it. People that don't appreciate it, or who you are unsure would appreciate it--- you don't use it with them. On a message board you will invariably have both kinds, and it is often hard to interpret the context. BTW, Skyguy is a good poster and mostly a funny and wise contributor.