...

[Tim Exile]

Why has this become so all-pervasive? It's the new catch-all punctuation mark...

...bring back the old-skool colon, semi-colon, full stop and comma...

...

[Spandex]

I love it... it's an ellipsis. I think it's really useful in online conversations... somewhere in between written word and spoken word. They convey phrasing nicely and let me write pretty much the same way that I'd speak... i.e. I don't have to waste time trying to craft a perfect sentence... I just type.

[Tim Exile]

Yeah think you're right... I suppose when you're typing it's a physical representation of pauses you use in vocal conversations. Typing the dot dot dot is a thinking action and it conveys it quite nicely in text.

[Loz]

I bastardise it further by most of the time ending sentences with just two dots..

not sure if it's individualism or laziness. Probably the latter.

The old AmigaOS WorkBench 'talk' application used to speak ellipsis by saying "and so on", so if you typed 'ginger... and cheese' you'd get "ginger and so on and cheese"

a phrase/word I use far too much in instant messaging conversations is 'heh' a sort of half laugh/breathe noise

It's great, since it shows that you're paying attention, but it's non-committal. And it's shorter to type than 'uh-huh'

[Tim Exile]

ya, yup, aye, mmm, haha, hehe, ;), :) etc etc etc

[Tec]

Originally posted by Spandex
I love it... it's an ellipsis. I think it's really useful in online conversations... somewhere in between written word and spoken word. They convey phrasing nicely and let me write pretty much the same way that I'd speak... i.e. I don't have to waste time trying to craft a perfect sentence... I just type.

I have to admit, i use...quite alot, and its solely because i am trying to sound more human i s'pose rather than a speaking clock, or a book.

Totally agree with your comments there Spandex. Bang on.

[Loz]

I never use 'lol' or anything like that. It's not only less pretentious, but easier just to write 'haha' or something.

and if I find it really funny, I'll capitalise it, or add more 'haha's on the end, or if I think it's really worthy, both.

[thembuzz]

i'm with you, tim. the ... gets wheeled out far too often in electronic communication these days

i mostly use it to convey a drifting-off at the end of my sentence, or perhaps a hanging-in-the-air. it also looks quite good after a subtle witticism of some description, i reckon

i refuse to end this post with a ...

[Loz]

... is a great thing to use in the place of stunned silence, though

since silence in written communications never comes over as well as you'd like

[grobelaar]

I use it all the time... i think... it does represent those little, perhaps not gaps in conversations... but when you fill your buffer up with the next bit that you are about to type... But if you spoke it, it'd all come out in one big unbroken speil...

I think...

...

...

[WON'T DO IT]

I am very guilty of it, i think i've used in every single post on this forum. But with this post i've really made an effort to cut it out just to see how it feels and it doesn't feel like me.
aaah, thats better....

[V Knid esq]

The ellipsis is like stroking your chin or looking into the middle distance for inspiration in mid conversation... I guess it therefore can be a shorthand for... oh I don't know... something like "I am a thoughtful person" if you are trying to put over an image of yourself. But on the other hand, it can make typed conversation more... well... conversational, I suppose - which can be a good thing as it helps people open up etc...

[penciLneck]

I like it. it represents a pause to me and perhaps a pause in my own thoughts. it can also represent a question without a questionmark which is nice, multipurpose punctuation.

CAPS are underused, think its the shouting taboo. I notice thembuzz uses italics quite a bit, which is good for emphasis. but at the end of the day not many people can be bothered to all out format a post so ... will just have to do... instead.

[V Knid esq]

CAPS online just say FUCKING PSYCHO to me.

[gypsy_cream]

YEH LIKE IF YOU TYPE LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME IT INSTANTLY MAKES YOU LOOK BATTY

HELLO HOW ARE YOU

[penciLneck]

lol pongoid didn't use caps did he?

[Loz]

The Worst Are People Who Capitalise The Beginning Of Every Word. This Happens Surprisingly Often And Is Not Only Quite Difficult To Read But Really Fucking Annoying.

[V Knid esq]

Originally posted by penciLneck
lol pongoid didn't use caps did he?

LEAVE IT!

[guignol dangereux]

...
it's all about louis-ferdinand céline...

...

[thembuzz]

caps are alright, if it's just the odd word every now and again. those that overuse them do so because they're fucking WANKERS, who think that their opinions are SO important they must be IMPRINTED into the FACE of anyone who takes the time to read their posts

[V Knid esq]

Originally posted by guignol dangereux
...
it's all about louis-ferdinand céline...

...

...and Samuel Beckett...

...



.


.
.
.





Silence...

...


....


...


....

[Daddys Girl]

I can't snap out of the habit of using it - quite often in emails I do it - and I have ended posts with it

[kams]

nice alternate use of the hyphen there Daddys Girl...

[Daddys Girl]

can ya see what I did there? ;)

[V Knid esq]

Whence the (often useful) brackets, then?

[Loz]

I am one of the few people I have seen today who use semi-colons in lists

[Tim Exile]

I think there needs to be an expressitext font... for use with velocity sensitive computer keyboards with XY pads for extra expression

[Hagbard]

I used to be really bad with it... like really bad... but I think I got better...

at least I use the return key now...

It's the meta-conversational style innit... yeah that's it...

[Ali]

I used to be far too ellipsis-heavy when typing emails. Now I make myself take two thirds of them out before sending stuff. Very handy if you're trying to be diplomatic though, or slightly ambiguous about finer points... (shit, there I go again)

[Lady E]

for about two years on this board my posts were peppered so liberally with the ellipsis, they were more dots than actual letters. i have trained myself to stop it now and only use it where absolutely essential.

it's useful but be sparing, ellipsis fans.

[Hagbard]

Listen up new breed... don't let the victorians grind you down... resist...

[May Kasahara]

Originally posted by Loz
The Worst Are People Who Capitalise The Beginning Of Every Word. This Happens Surprisingly Often And Is Not Only Quite Difficult To Read But Really Fucking Annoying.

It also must be incredibly time-consuming. Why do they bother? It's uncomfortable to read and to write.

[TEC-HO]

Because I suffer from dyslexia and am a bit of a spag with spelling and punctuation, I find it easier to structure sentences with the… … technique.

[bitch one]

... is the sign of powerful brooding intelligence

!!! is the sign of being a complete dumbo who snds in txts to big brother saying jason you're so cute LOL !!!!

[kams]

WOT R U ON. U AINT GOT NO RYTE SAYIN DEM FINGZ BIG BRO IZ WIKID SEEN?

[cut out]

.. - .. ... .- .-.. .-.. .- .-.. --- .- -.. --- ..-. -... --- .-.. .-.. --- -.-. -.- ...

[Orang Utan]

I'm a big fan of the dash - maybe I should alternate it with the ellipsis...nah, I prefer the dash - the dash seems to connect things that follow on from each other, yet the ellipsis, to me seems to indicate something you've missed out.

Not a fan of not using capitals at all, especially when using names (even more especially 'i's) and I can see how it might look better from a purely aesthetic point of view, but it's WRONG!

[Lady E]

Originally posted by Orang Utan

Not a fan of not using capitals at all, especially when using names (even more especially 'i's) and I can see how it might look better from a purely aesthetic point of view, but it's WRONG!

im a terrible one for no capitals. ive got used to it now and am scared ill never get the caps back! at first it was something i put down to a love of ee cummings. but now it is just laziness. help me!

[Tim Exile]

There's something oh so cool about not using caps. I feel a bit regency for using them but I can;t escape. It gives me a greatly needed sense of being better than people lol

[gypsy_cream]

AYE RIGHT YA RADGE

[Phil]

i type quick and without looking so sometimes it comes ouyt like im on acid just lazy cunt mee

[gypsy_cream]

i type like you when i'm pissed, cos i cant be arsed correctin it

[Orang Utan]

I'm too uptight to let a mistake go uncorrected, even when I'm pissed.

[Phil]

some peopkle are well werird about syntax, who giveas a miunkets.

[Basic 2: The Revenge]

I'm definitely a fan...use them all the time.

[thembuzz]

forums - no caps. email - caps

that's my rule

[Loz]

I have no real rule whether I use caps or not. And most of the time I fail to end lines and posts in full stops

no hope for me at all