Please, please, I beg of you, do not flame me! The recent spurt of extremely unprofessional posts is beginning to annoy me.
We ask to be treated like 'professionals', but some of us seem to communicate in a text-messaging style, or simply without regard to our audience. I don't expect perfection, but something better than 2nd grade level would be appreciated.
If you are unsure about spelling, at least be consistent. If you spell 'diarrhea' 3 different ways in one post I will wonder if you are even a health professional.
If you don't know how and when to use an apostrophe, find a basic punctuation guide, or google the info you need. In general, plural words DO NOT have an apostrophe. I never see anyone use an apostrophe with the word dogs, why do I see it with doctor's as in multiple doctors, or other simple words?
I know that sometimes we post after a long shift, or while in an acute emotional state, and certainly we can all understand some errors made in haste, but that is not what I am referring to.
Many of us remember when computers took up entire rooms, and seemed so futuristic; and no one had even heard of cell phones! Only the most elite had pagers years ago - we actually had to page on the overhead P.A. system! And paper charting was the norm!
Please have pity on those of us for whom texting is still a foreign language!
Thank you all for letting me vent about this! Best wishes for everyone during the spring holidays!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
if these boards are considered informal conversation then can someone pls tell me what is considered formal conversation.
tks
if i understand you correctly, you're saying that these boards ought not to be considered informal conversation -- yet you cannot be bothered to spell out whatever "pls" stands for.
i've been on the boards a good long time, and the "text message speak" in some of our posts still bothers me. it makes me think the poster doesn't respect us enough to both to spell words out, use punctuation or capitalization and generally present their best effort. or it makes me wonder about how professional they are at work when their posts here are such a disaster. i'm sure i'm about to get flamed . . .
lol ,nbd, i won't flame u...
i am more than capable of using proper grammar and such..but i do notice that many nurses are almost proud of being technologically challeged. i don't think that's something to be proud of frankly. especially when the rest of us have to pick up the slack and do the work you can't do(we have computer charting in the or and many times i'm late getting out because one of the "old timers" is taking over, and they're freaking out because they are afraid of the computer).
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Or one can just type their comments on Word, spell and grammar check it, and then copy and paste it here.
The weird thing is, I had zero problem reading the above paragraph.
I wish they would add an instant messaging option to Allnurses. Sometimes I want communicate to someone that is currently online, but I have no way of doing it unless I go through the whole process of sending an email and waiting for a reply. We need to get with the program.....quick...fast...and effortless communication is the new norm. Learn the language and deal with it..TTYL
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
The weird thing is, I had zero problem reading the above paragraph.
I didn't either. I think it's because full words were used though and not text speak. I like texting for quick things, but if it's long stuff I rather call. I have a touch phone and I hate that I will hit a wrong letter and not catch the auto predicted word it stuck in. It won't just use the dictionary it will use my address book too, so I have had a lot of names thrown in. Totally embarrassing. I was sick the other day in bed with a migraine, I was emailing my teacher from my phone to schedule the make up exam. It was hard enough to look at the screen but I didn't catch an auto predict and I thought I typed, "just let me know" but it somehow said "just let kelly know" My teacher replied, OK, who's kelly? I was so embarrassed!
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I wish they would add an instant messaging option to Allnurses. Sometimes I want communicate to someone that is currently online, but I have no way of doing it unless I go through the whole process of sending an email and waiting for a reply. We need to get with the program.....quick...fast...and effortless communication is the new norm. Learn the language and deal with it..TTYL
What about private messaging? Still a process, but usually if the person is online at the time you send it they will get notice right away, to where they might not check email.
I have IM disabled on my FB, seems like everyone always messages me at times I don't want to stay and chat, I usually have like 30 windows open on my computer at a time and can never stay on one page
What about private messaging? Still a process, but usually if the person is online at the time you send it they will get notice right away, to where they might not check email.
I have IM disabled on my FB, seems like everyone always messages me at times I don't want to stay and chat, I usually have like 30 windows open on my computer at a time and can never stay on one page
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I didn't either. I think it's because full words were used though and not text speak. I like texting for quick things, but if it's long stuff I rather call. I have a touch phone and I hate that I will hit a wrong letter and not catch the auto predicted word it stuck in. It won't just use the dictionary it will use my address book too, so I have had a lot of names thrown in. Totally embarrassing. I was sick the other day in bed with a migraine, I was emailing my teacher from my phone to schedule the make up exam. It was hard enough to look at the screen but I didn't catch an auto predict and I thought I typed, "just let me know" but it somehow said "just let kelly know" My teacher replied, OK, who's kelly? I was so embarrassed!
Oh, I hate that!! I have the same problem, only it's not migraines, it's NOT wearing my glasses when I text. I don't know exactly why I think I can get away with it, but sometimes when I'm just too lazy to find them I'll attempt a short text. So what I write will sometimes come out like the following:
"U kibr toi Vrm" instead of "I love you Ben (my youngest son)"
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Oh, I hate that!! I have the same problem, only it's not migraines, it's NOT wearing my glasses when I text. I don't know exactly why I think I can get away with it, but sometimes when I'm just too lazy to find them I'll attempt a short text. So what I write will sometimes come out like the following:
"U kibr toi Vrm" instead of "I love you Ben (my youngest son)"
I didn't have my glasses on either, so that probably contributed. But I have done it quiet a few times without even noticing it. Of course it's usually not even in the same realm as what I meant to say because of the words my phone things I am wanting to say. I have done it when updating my FB status from my phone too. One time I was texting my husband and I think saying I love you or something but I did something wrong and it added a mans in it to, I think it was someone in my contact list. Yeah that was an "oh crap" moment. I have texted the wrong people a few times to hitting the wrong thing in my list. That's always fun.
I have to admit that I too am a bit of a "grammar snob". When I come to a post full of poor spelling and grammatical errors I tend to lower my opinion as to the validity of the poster's thoughts. I realize this is often not correct, but it is the effect the errors have on me.
One major exception to this is posting by someone who is obviously not a native English speaker. With those posts I will take the time to muddle through, especially since even with a language dictionary at my side I doubt I would ever be able to create a coherent post in any other language.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
lol ,nbd, i won't flame u...
i am more than capable of using proper grammar and such..but i do notice that many nurses are almost proud of being technologically challeged. i don't think that's something to be proud of frankly. especially when the rest of us have to pick up the slack and do the work you can't do(we have computer charting in the or and many times i'm late getting out because one of the "old timers" is taking over, and they're freaking out because they are afraid of the computer).
i think i'm probably one of the "old timers" on this board, and i'm quite conversant with computers, thank you. but this thread isn't about us "old timers" being afraid to use the computer and shunting our work off on others. or whether or not that actually happens. it's about respecting our fellow professionals enough to spell out words . . . .
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Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
if i understand you correctly, you're saying that these boards ought not to be considered informal conversation -- yet you cannot be bothered to spell out whatever "pls" stands for.