An observation ....

[spylaw4]

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.... about the current furore.

 

It is all too easy to post a quick email comment that can come over as terse and abrupt, when one does not mean to be so. This I find especially so when people are used to working with email a lot in their employment and are used to having limited time so go for the essential words only. I"ve also found that irony frequently does not translate to email well.

 

It behoves us all in this place to consider our phrasing carefully when posting - use the preview button and read your words before you commit to the ether - what impression do you get on reading the post? Helps with correcting the spelling as well! (There are some posters where this would be of great advantage !)

 

One must also make some allowance for those who do not have English (of whatever continent ) as their first language or are not fluent in it who may use not quite the right word in the context.

 

I'm not suggesting a "Thumper" approach, just a little advance thought. One can disagree vehemently but still be 'polite' about it - and it sometimes has a lot more effect!

[earleygallery]

Brian,

 

I both agree and disagree with you.

 

I definately have learnt to use a different - i.e. much more formal - writing style on internet forums precisely due to the global readership and generally avoid slang. I also try to adopt the approach of 'would I be happy to say this to their face' if responding directly to someone.

 

That said, we don't want to stifle a good debate for fear of upsetting someone, or deter people from posting in the first place. There are a few members here who post sharp and humourous comments - again some might not understand them but I wouldn't want to exclude them. The forum would become a very dull place.

 

I think it's for fear of upset that most people avoid posting anything other than positive comments on the photo forums - but we would all benefit from honest constructive criticism - but you would get disagreement and no doubt some upset.

 

People have been upset before and there will no doubt be more instances in the future, I think its a fact of (internet) life.

[giordano]

.... about the current furore.

 

It is all too easy to post a quick email comment that can come over as terse and abrupt, when one does not mean to be so. This I find especially so when people are used to working with email a lot in their employment and are used to having limited time so go for the essential words only. I"ve also found that irony frequently does not translate to email well.

 

It behoves us all in this place to consider our phrasing carefully when posting - use the preview button and read your words before you commit to the ether - what impression do you get on reading the post? Helps with correcting the spelling as well! (There are some posters where this would be of great advantage !)

 

One must also make some allowance for those who do not have English (of whatever continent ) as their first language or are not fluent in it who may use not quite the right word in the context.

 

I'm not suggesting a "Thumper" approach, just a little advance thought. One can disagree vehemently but still be 'polite' about it - and it sometimes has a lot more effect!

 

Wise words. We should all behove like this.

[Michael-IIIf]

One of the first words of advice I received when sitting down to write my first letter on behalf of my then employer many moons ago was: approach every word you write imagining how it would sound if ever read out in a Courtroom.

 

That had a sobering affect on me then and remains valuable to me now. I think it is not just the danger of accidently causing offence - God knows it's so easy to cause offence these days - but with the current hyped up M9 hysteria it would be easy to imagine easily overstepping the boundaries of commercial sensitivity.