In reading the posts on all nurses over a decade since I've been a member I've noticed that there are distinct styles. Some have posts or questions which are short, sweet, and to the point. These types of posters use paragraphs with a cadence which is easily read. Others will type long run on sentences using no commas paragraphs or other types of pauses and it's almost like what we in psych call push of speech where an extremely long statement is made in one breath like they're hyperverbal and loquacious and I guess it's because they're trying to type as fast as they have thoughts but I really don't know I can only surmise which means guess you know? Some posters find it necessary (and I am guilty of the same thing) of using parentheses instead of adjectives to (aforementionly) describe the thing (or situation or person or whatever). I can understand the use of parentheses (sometimes), however I believe (and this is only MHO) parentheses should be used sparingly like the first time I type Wrongway Regional Medical Center, I will thereafter just type (WRMC) without the parentheses except right after I type Wrongway Regional Medical Center (WRMC) < like that. Speaking of parentheses (and I know this is a long post, so please excuse me), sometimes posters will give a nurse or a patient or a nurse, doctor, ect. (not electroconvulsive therapy but Latin for "and so on") and then say right after they give the name (not their real name) like we're some sort of HIPAA Head Hunters and we're going to track down that patient, nurse or doctor ect. and say, "This member who's name I really don't know, but goes by Davey Do said your name on a post and I think that that's a HIPAA violation so I think he should get in trouble, don't you?" And what's this thing about asking questions? Why can't members just answer the OP on the information given instead of being like some sort of interrogator and drill (or grill, I get those two mixed up, like the Aztec's and the Inca's) them for the answers. It's like their not expecting some sort of Spanish Inquisition (I know- no one expects a Spanish Inquisition) and being run over by a bus, or thrown under a bus like some of my coworkers have done to me! And I'm not being a victim here even though everyone bullies me and I try my best not to wear my Little Lamb Perfume Scent #5 when I go to work on the Pack of Wolves unit (that's what we call the unit where all the older nurses work). Does anybody else have this problem?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
#biglongnoparagraghpostsmakemenuts. That said, I use semi-colons where I should not. I like my long sentences peppered with semi-colons; it's just my style, IYKWIM.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
mmmm-kay I haven't read everybody else's responses so if somebody else already said this I obviously don't care. But by all means correct me if I'm wrong. Or go look it up yourself.
I find the above type of thing irritating. I admit sometimes I will quote a wall of text in the editor and add the paragraph breaks myself, so I can read it. It all depends on my snap judgement as to how close to the edge the member seems to be at that moment.
Those are few and far between.
I put too many paragraph breaks in my posts.
I go off on tangents and forget to close the loops.
To the admins, I do understand the "clean and professional" look, but damn, I really miss the days when you could pick your font, it's size, and it's color! Any other old-timers remember the blue and the green large Comic Sans??? The nutty emoticon that whacked itself on the head over and over?
I'm artistic. I liked my posts to resemble vinyl record covers.
Specializes in Programming / Strategist for allnurses.
11 hours ago, nursel56 said:
To the admins, I do understand the "clean and professional" look, but damn, I really miss the days when you could pick your font, it's size, and it's color! Any other old-timers remember the blue and the green large Comic Sans??? The nutty emoticon that whacked itself on the head over and over?
Similar to not using paragraphs... It wasn't user friendly. More and more readers hated them because they were getting overused. We were seeing members using LARGE fonts, others using very small sizes, bright colors on everything. The more people used them the more wanted to do the same. It got out of hand. This doesn't work so well on smaller devices.
We needed a balance that would work for all our readers. If your vision is not as strong as it use to be we want to make sure you can read. If you are colorblind we want to make sure you can read. If you are on a mobile device we want to make sure you can read.
Currently, our mobile usage is at 70%. I think we made the right decision. ?
11 hours ago, nursel56 said:
I'm artistic. I liked my posts to resemble vinyl record covers.
I'm an artist and I can tell you these decisions are not easy. We have to weigh the CONS and the PROS on everything ... to do what's best for the community.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
10 minutes ago, Joe V said:
We have to weigh the CONS and the PROS on everything ... to do what's best for the community.
Or as Josh Falsey and Joshua Brand, the creators of St. Elsewhere and Northern Exposure, among others, said, "If you go to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one".
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
#biglongnoparagraghpostsmakemenuts. That said, I use semi-colons where I should not. I like my long sentences peppered with semi-colons; it's just my style, IYKWIM.