Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Here is an e-mail that came to my business mail address:

r u around this wknd?

No greeting, no salutation, no details and no etiquette. (or petiquette, if you are a puppy:-).

I assume this person sent me a text message.  I know I sound like an uncool techno nerd, but what is happening to our language?  Will we soon be seeing a Motorola sponsored Shakespear series: 2 b or not 2 b?

Honestly, if you are sending a note to someone`s business and want to be taken seriously, don`t you think we should use proper grammar and complete sentences in an e-mail.

Am I alone on this? or du u agree?

No you are not, I get those all the time.
or try this one. This came in as a support ticket last week.
I`m hvn prblms w/ ma wb srvr. pls chk 2 C if its OK.

I guess what he was trying to tell me was, I am having problems with my web server. please check to see if its O.K. I had to actually call the customer and ask him to explain himself.

Or the one that I hate the most is when it`s a technical support issue and they quote "LOL" first of all what is so funny or why are they laughing out loud if they are having issues with the servers? I would be devasted.

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

Hi Nue...

I receive the type of messages that your mention all the time...ugh.  To clarify, the person who sent this note is someone I`ve done business with.  In fact, she is an editor of a very popular dog magazine!  Can you imagine?

Oiy!

Where is Richard @....I was certain that he would have a point of view about this.:-)

I must be getting really old.  Or someone really does need to write a new book about etiquette in the 21st century electronic world!  At least if I knew the rules, I wouldn`t sound like such a baby...

http://suchshakespearestuff.blogspot.com/2005/11/beep-its-fr om-hamlet-2b-nt2b-yahoo.html

Yes. :)  I love a good opportunity to pull in a Shakespeare reference.

Or, this one: 
http://www.morinfamily.com:8888/blog/2004/12/12/110285719200 0.html

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Personal: http://www.morinfamily.com/blog
Geeky: http://duanesbrain.blogspot.com
Shakespeare: http://suchshakespearestuff.blogspot.com

I don`t know about anybody else, but it takes me longer to think about the shortcuts than it does to just type a message. My young adult daughter thinks I`m un-cool. So be it. I told her to use actual words if she`s emailing a business.

There are a few I don`t mind, like BTW and LOL - used appropriately, of course. And Richard`s favorite, IMHO. (I had to look that one up the first time he used it.)

I like the idea of new ettiquete book. There`s an idea for an entrepreneur out there!

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VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com

Speaking about young kids and the english language! It`s pathetic to see a kid spell these days.... Some can`t spell or perhaps put a complete sentence together. Another issue that I been seeing is their penmanship, they write like a 7 year old. I would assume that by the time you are in high school I would be able to read at least a sentence. But anyways, back to the subject. Another shortcut that I find anoying is ttyl.... (talk to you later) .. I think this whole shortening of the english language came to exsistence when AOL came out with the first chat window.

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

I understand the dynamics around text messaging shortcuts, but I don`t think it`s appropriate to start a business discussion in this manner.

btw, what is IMHO?-

Oh Bard,  I knew you were going to chime in if I used the Shakespeare reference.

Have you ever felt your hackles stand on end while watching a teen give change?  They can`t do it....lol

IMHO is "In My Humble Opinion." I found my typing it into Google. There`s a site that gives you a whole list of abbreviations. Sorry, I don`t remember the link.

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VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com

Kim, I saw an article just this morning that recommended writing a sonnet to Mom for Mother`s Day.  I clicked over, fully prepared to destroy the poor writer who was, I`m sure, about to tell me that a sonnet is nothing more than 14 lines of iambic pentameter.  The writer was Garrison Keillor, he of "A Praire Home Companion" and "Lake Wobegon Days", who knows just a little bit more about writing than I do :)  (and who did not, in the course of his article, butcher the definition of a sonnet, thank goodness).

IMHO is sometimes "honest" opinion as well, depending on where and when you come from.  Sometimes you`ll see IMNSHO for not-so-humble, too.  LOL is well known, but then there`s always ROFLMAO  (rolling  on floor laughing my butt off).  Stick around the online world long enough and part of the game become creating abbreviations that you`ve probably never seen before and have to guess at.

One of my favorite bumper stickers ever has to be WWJD? JWRTFM. 

What Would Jesus Do?  Jesus Would Read The Fine Manual.

D



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Personal: http://www.morinfamily.com/blog
Geeky: http://duanesbrain.blogspot.com
Shakespeare: http://suchshakespearestuff.blogspot.com