Ooozing sarcasm

and getting personal

[jo1ene]

[snip]

I just read this and became very annoyed. This is not the first time that I've seen very negative sarcasm in the threads. The thing that really bothers me is that it's very personal. Some people may have been unhappy with my posts but I try to target the issue at hand and not criticize the person. The post that this comment was replying to was a brief, harmless, enthusiastic comment praising Google.

I have a hard time determining if people are trying to be funny or if they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Sometimes I can tell because there's a smiley or something. Perhaps I am seeing a cultural difference being a Yankee and all.

I don't mean to rat out the poster. In fact I've already forgotten who it was. I wanted to suggest that this type of comment be "not encouraged".

What do all the mods think of this kind of post?

[edited by: Hawkgirl at 1:38 pm (utc) on July 3, 2004]
[edit reason] removed specific quote [/edit]

[Hawkgirl]

Short answer: We want to see helpful, insighful, friendly posts at WebmasterWorld.

Longer answer: I think everyone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed every once in a while ... and that, plus the lack of nonverbal communication (facial expressions, tone of voice, etc.) means that folks may post things that sound not-so-nice ... either on purpose or accidentally.

There are a few things we can all do to keep this kind of stuff to a minimum:

• try to keep discussions civil, even when you're feeling hot under the collar
  
• before you hit 'submit,' re-read what you wrote and make sure the meaning of your post is clear (and delete anything that you're pretty sure is inappropriate)
  
• if you see a post that seems rude or jerky, don't rise to the bait, don't get into name-calling ... just ignore the post and get back on topic
  
• if there is something inappropriate in a thread, let a mod or admin know so they can take care of it

Thanks for being concerned about this kind of thing ... and for helping to keep WebmasterWorld a place where quality discussions are the norm, rather than the exception. :)

[vkaryl]

Y'know, just adding a smiley doesn't necessarily obviate the sarcasm perceived in a post - whether it was intended or not.

I'd personally find it almost impossible to determine from blank text in a post herein that sarcasm was intended. Factor in the fact that many of the regulars here do not speak/write English as their first language, and you have a practically guaranteed "blow-up" situation if you're sensitive....

[I don't even "see" smileys. They're puerile and silly, mean nothing and add nothing to the point of any post. Many many times they're simply "cloaking". I prefer to add "injections" using *laughing* or *shrug* or something similar, though of course those are no more literal for many people than are smileys. While I can say with truth that what you get here from me in posts, "injections" included, IS the bottom-line me, I'm not sure that others are like that. I just don't see any need to be anyone BUT me.... Anonymity may appeal to some people, but not to me. A blank shield is basically "zero", yes?]

[Mardi_Gras]

>>Y'know, just adding a smiley doesn't necessarily obviate the sarcasm perceived in a post - whether it was intended or not.

It is very difficult sometimes in written conversation to convey the clues one gives in spoken conversation - a wink, a smile, a laugh. Smilies serve to help add those clues.

So - I respectfully disagree :)

[vkaryl]

Mardi_Gras: my point is that just because joe schmuck puts a smilie at the end of his post (which sounds SERIOUSLY nasty about someone else's post or whatever) does NOT mean joe schmuck was kidding! In point of fact, the smilie simply means that joe schmuck thinks by adding it to his fairly nasty post, he won't get dinged by an admin....

*shrug* Each to hisser own. Smilies add nothing to reasoned discourse. They simply try to obfuscate the already foggy atmosphere....

[lawman]

I've tried the rcjordan "School of No Smileys" on occasion hoping everyone could perceive the wit and humor of my post. The last time I did it, the intended good nature was lost on the target. When I stickied to apologize, he told me I shoulda used a smiley. :)

lawman

[sidyadav]

<woops, sorry for putting an old thread back alive but I couldn't resist it./>

I use smilies and winkies all the time and I find it they've always worked (for me).

I've learned this from a few foo-professionals:

---

Say something funny and wink ;)

---

If I'm joking, I usually wink, if I'm happy, I usually smile, and if I'm sad, I usually do-the-bad-face ;) (see, you understood that was supposed to be funny didn't you?)

Sid

[Robert Charlton]

see, you understood that was supposed to be funny didn't you?

sid - ROFL ;)