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Email is rather amazing, I think. It is such a quick and effortless way to communicate, and yet it almost lets us fully communicate ideas to other people. The three biggest drawbacks of email, I think, is that (one), it is difficult to convey emotion/body language, which is so vital to true communication. I mean, some people try to use those damn emoticons (you know, those annoying ;-)'s, :('s and =O's at the end of sentences), but it's just not the same. I've seen quite a few flame wars start on listservs over the most simple and stupid misunderstandings.
The second major drawback is, (two) since email is so easy to use, quick and informal, people seem to type out whatever they are trying to say as fast as they possibly can, any way they can, with total disregard for the welfare of the person reading it and complete lack of observance of any common-sense conventions involved with writing. I mean, you could read a hand-written letter from ten different people, and I think they would all pretty much look alike. However, you get ten email messages from different people, and you will probably get ten distinctly different styles. Below are some of the different styles I've seen lately:
- SOME PEOPLE TYPE LIKE THIS, WICH REALLY GETS ON MY NERVES. WHEN I SEE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, IT MAKES ME THINK THEY ARE SHOUTING AT ME.
- some people type like this with no punctuation at all i find this annoying too because sometimes punctuation makes all the difference at least it often helps youll see
- sum peeps type uzin slang or da fonetical spellins ov everythin. while this ken b neet 4 a little while, it ken alsa b annoyin. k?
- soem epole, liekme, just cant; type for cra p . althoough it's usually decipherable ,. it alsoboth ersmealo t.. .
Finally, the third problem with email is that, also since it's so easy to use, people seriously over-use it, generating tons of crap message that do nothing but waste time and resources. Most people don't realize it, but this is, in fact, a form of computer virus. I received the message below recently, and though it was worth displaying here:
This should be required reading to get an e-mail account. Whoever decided to create this note and forward it on should receive some type of Humanitarian Award. It would be hopeful, yet doubtful, that this will clean up some of the junk that comes across the net. Think about it...
- Big companies don't do business via chain letter. Bill Gates is not giving you $1000, and Disney is not giving you a free vacation. There is no baby food company issuing class-action checks. MTV will not give you backstage passes if you forward something to the most people.
You can relax; there is no need to pass it on "just in case it's true".
Furthermore, just because someone said in the message, four generations back, that "we checked it out and it's legit", does not actually make it true. Even if it's somebody's uncle or a person from a respectable organization.
- There is no kidney theft ring in New Orleans. No one is waking up in a bathtub full of ice, even if a friend of a friend swears it happened to his or her cousin. If you are hell-bent on believing the kidney-theft ring stories, please see: http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/library/weekly/aa062997.htm
And I quote: "The National Kidney Foundation has repeatedly issued requests for actual victims of organ thieves to come forward and tell their stories. None have. That's "none" as in "zero". Not even your friend's cousin.
- Neiman Marcus doesn't really sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even if they did, we all have it. And even if you don't, you can get a copy at: http://bl.net/forwards/cookie.html. Then, if you make the recipe, decide the cookies are that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe on (without the fake story please).
- If the latest NASA rocket disaster(s) DID contain plutonium that went to particulate over the eastern seaboard, do you REALLY think this information would reach the public via an AOL chain letter?
- There is no "Good Times" virus. In fact, you should never, ever, ever forward any email containing any virus warning unless you first confirm it through an actual site of an actual company that actually deals with viruses. Try: http://www.norton.com
And you cannot get a virus from a flashing IM or email; you have to download it, like a FILE!
- Nothing will "pop up on your screen after you send this to five people," no matter how neat the person who sent it to you says "it" is. I promise.
- Craig Shergold (or Sherwood, or Sherman, etc.) in England is no longer dying of cancer or anything else at this time and would like everyone to stop sending him their business cards. He apparently is also no longer a little boy either.
- The "Make a Wish" foundation is a real organization doing fine work, but they have had to establish a special toll free hot line in response to the large number of Internet hoaxes using their good name and reputation. It is distracting them from the important work they do.
- If you are one of those insufferable idiots who forwards anything that promises "something bad will happen if you don't", too late... you're a lost cause already!
- The CEO Proctor & Gamble has NEVER been a guest on any of the TV talk shows to proclaim P&G's allegiance to Satan...even Sally Jesse's (see for yourself at: http://www.sallyjr.com
All the disclaimers to this fact are posted on the various shows web sites. This is one of the longest running hoaxes anywhere... way before email was ever known by most people. (For a complete list of the info, ref: http://www.pg.com/rumor)
P&G is NOT a satanic organization, although I'm sure Satan sure is smiling over all the prolific emails that says it is and probably says thanks to all the 'lost souls' who pass this garbage on!
- I am not even gonna touch the red spiders in the commode, the hypodermic needles in the theater seats, the car headlights/gang hoax, etc,etc, etc.....
- You can read about most of these at the following web-site: http://www.snopes.com/info/current.htm
Bottom Line... composing e-mail or posting something on the Net is as easy as writing on the walls of a public restroom. Don't automatically believe it until it's proven false...ASSUME it's false, unless there is proof that it's true. Got it? Good!
I don't know what I really want to achieve with this particular little rant, except to ask everyone to be a bit more responsible with your emailing.
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