QotM that fits the coming week...

[Lissa]

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax."
--Albert Einstein

Considering April 15th is exactly a week away... ;-)

[WarBlade]

I like that.

Forum users can be another fun source of the bizarre written word. I two enjoyable statements in quick succession a couple of weeks back . . .

What kinda speakers were they compared to what he had supposible bought?

:blink: American English seems to have taken a brief nose-dive there I think. Fortunately it proved to be short-lived.

And the second was a demand directed at me:

Try not to sound so smug or intellectually superior.

:laugh:

*Giggles* Ok. ^_^ Now I just have to figure out how to alter the way people percieve my posts and learn to write them in AOLish. ^_^

[Nystul]

Now I just have to figure out how to alter the way people percieve my posts and learn to write them in AOLish.

Well, I wouldn't suggest trying to write posts in AOLish. However, you should be aware of how your target audience will perceive your post, and alter your style if necessary. I'm not saying this is the case for any of your posts, but as a general comment I think it is an important thing. For example, an internet forum usually has a much broader audience than a scientific journal. You cannot make the same assumptions about background knowledge and understanding of jargon on a typical internet forum that you could in a scientific journal. As a result, if you make a post on a typical forum which reads like it should be in a scientific journal, you will not be communicating very effectively. Given the choice between an AOLish post I can understand and a post with perfect grammar that is needlessly written beyond my level of comprehension, give m3 teh AOL!

[Pete]

Hi,

"Given the choice between an AOLish post I can understand and a post with perfect grammar that is needlessly written beyond my level of comprehension, give m3 teh AOL!

Got a laugh out of that. Reminded me of:

"If then, said I, the question is put to me would I rather have a miserable ape for a grandfather or a man highly endowed by nature and possessed of great means of influence & yet who employs these faculties & that influence for the mere purpose of introducing ridicule into a grave scientific discussion, I unhesitatingly affirm my preference for the ape." -- T.H. Huxley

--Pete

[WarBlade]

Originally posted by Nystul@Apr 10 2004, 06:23 AM
However, you should be aware of how your target audience will perceive your post, and alter your style if necessary.

Well, to clarify, the "percieve" thing was directed at the assertion that I was sounding smug. I just found it highly amusing at the time that my post was assessed as "sounding smug" even though I was certain all I posted was a matter-of-fact disagreement. I suspect the whole rebuke from this guy was from someone in his early twenties or late teens who I know was used to preaching to a bunch of forteen year olds . . . ^_^