"Shortcuts"

[sm4hg]

I've just read (better: tried to read) a story where a lot of those awful and annoying shortcuts are used. Now I come here to find TRACER69 story with a & in it. Well, the stroy IS readable! But to substitute the word "and" with "&" is not only stupid it breaks the rhythm of reading if there appears a sign or number every few words.
Of course it's stupid to substitute "and" by "&". to write the word "and" you need three (3) taps on the keyboard. to make the sign "&" you have to make two (2) taps. so all you spared is one single tap.
So you put off the reader for one single saved tap on the keyboard! u c (:)) it's not worth it. Not at all!!
So PLEASE all writers here do NOT use this shortcuts for the sake of us readers!
Thank you!

[Curtis]

I've a notion to second that motion, but I have to ask : Did you include that criticism in your review? (And, if not, shame on you!)

[BDSM_Tourguide]

This complaint is well-documented elsewhere on these forums, too.

In this case, I would have to agree that a negative review would have been in the offering.

[sm4hg]

Of course I did review the story and I mentioned my annoyance. I really do hope this "style" doesn't spread too much.

It seems to have something to do with youth and/or lack of education.

Sorry if I brought up somethin mentioned before. I didn't scan all the threads. I was inspired by a story that showed up lately and felt the urge to say something about it.

[Cleo671]

shortcuts are annoying..
also the use of the slashing with lower and upper case is annoying, breaks the flow. Yes I can appreciate 'why' this may be used but for the purpose of reading flow it's plain annoying to see S/she, H/he (I don't even think I pulled this off correctly right now)..
and spelling errors..

yes spellcheck exists. Use it.

[Mobius]

Originally posted by Cleo671
shortcuts are annoying..
also the use of the slashing with lower and upper case is annoying, breaks the flow. Yes I can appreciate 'why' this may be used but for the purpose of reading flow it's plain annoying to see S/she, H/he (I don't even think I pulled this off correctly right now)..
and spelling errors..

yes spellcheck exists. Use it.

What is the purpose of it. I have not seen to much of it other than users complaining about it.

[Finding_Fantasy]

It is used when refering to both a dominant and a submissive. The upper case S refers to the Dominant and the lower case s refers to the submissive. There are a variety of different combinations. S/she, H/he, T/they, U/us and so on. Also it sort of encompasses the submissive using the lower case i or puttin ghte first letter of their name in lowercase to "show" their status, wether they be submissive of dominant.

Personally, I think it is a waste of my time, especially since I do a lot of writing. I used to use lowercase letter when refering to myself, but I found that it started messing up the writing that I do for personal and professional reasons.

[Neopadinski]

I hate them all... "lol", "rofl", all that bullshit...kids in school are writing essays and such with that crap in them. Which, I might add, will not look good on someone's resume later on, I wouldn't think...

[Finding_Fantasy]

I am guilty of the "lol"s and such but I don't use them nearly as much as I used to. It was a novelty that wore off once I got more accustomed to chatting online. I do try to stay away from them when I am writing but sometimes I just forget not to.. Old habits die hard I guess.

[Neopadinski]

Well, I suppose I should I should specify: I don't mind it when it's used online and such, however, it irritates me to see it in stories and just plain annoys the hell out of me to see people use it in real life (like I said before, in a resume or something of the like).

[Finding_Fantasy]

I think I understand what you mean.

You don't like using it in an acedemic sense. That I can completely agree with. When I write stories and letters, I do not use internet grammer.

[sm4hg]

I guess there is a great difference between "normal" life and "online" life. In a chat or forum I'd accept almost anything. Wrong spelling, shortcuts, wrong grammar, wrong words.... Especially because there are people with a different mother-tongue.
But concerning "normal" life (school, business...) I can't stand such expressions. And I paticularly loath them in stories. Although I try to be patient with grammar or not quite fitting words. I tend to have those problems myself, since I'm not a native speaker. :(
Also I disagree with Mobius. The use of a spell-checker is sometimes not the worst option. It helps me, for instance, to improve my English and to avoid the most popular mistakes.

[Jones, Nikka]

Originally posted by sm4hg
I guess there is a great difference between "normal" life and "online" life. In a chat or forum I'd accept almost anything. Wrong spelling, shortcuts, wrong grammar, wrong words.... Especially because there are people with a different mother-tongue. But concerning "normal" life (school, business...) I can't stand such expressions. And I paticularly loath them in stories. Although I try to be patient with grammar or not quite fitting words. I tend to have those problems myself, since I'm not a native speaker.

I fully agree with sm4hg. People should realize that online jargon should stay online. I grew up speaking two languages, moved to Canada and learned two more and it just annoys me to try to read messages or stories by native english speakers that have not been proof read for spelling. It can be so confusing for those of us still trying to improve the way we express ourselves.

[Warrior]

Does anyone approve of using shortcuts in stories? I certainly don't. Especially when the story is so full of errors that it makes it difficult to read.

[misskitty1337]

Not *every* student uses jargon in their writing. I know I don't. I am somewhat of a spelling/grammar nazi when it comes to papers. Writing is a way of capturing your thoughts, and a poorly written paper/story littered with jargon and mistakes reflect badly on one's ability to communicate and overall form of thought.