(cindy, THANK YOU!!)

I missed the pink! So sad.

Did I miss total Pinkification?

Thank you, Kat. I saw. (Hec always makes me cry.)

He mad me cry nice tears today, too (Hec)

You missed the part where I imposed my will on Hecubus.

Ha! Making girls cry and submitting to Dana's will since 1999.

You beat me to it, Ita! I too have blurred vision, but mostly from reading 500+ posts... And after doing so I have come to two conclusions. One, everyone needs a nap and their wooby. And two, reading an internet debate is akin to sticking one's head into a hornet's nest...

Re: Tone.
This bugs me. Divining tone from written media where no action/feeling has been implied is almost pronostication. Hell, even in a F2F can anyone truly be certain of a person's tone? Most of the time, sure, but not all of the time.
And herein lies the rub(e), we, as 'words in a box' (thanks Mecha!), are subject to no body language, no facial expression, and often, no *action/emotional* preface. Gotta tell ya, makes it damn hard for a person to divine tone. I would suggest that anyone that thinks they know another person's thoughts via the computer get themselves a 1-900 psychic hotline.

And if you disagree, ask yourself, is he sitting there with a stupid grin on his face? Or is he waving his fist at the monitor? Or is he indifferent to the whole thing?

And if you disagree, ask yourself, is he sitting there with a stupid grin on his face? Or is he waving his fist at the monitor? Or is he indifferent to the whole thing?

In which choice is the wooby present? That's the one I'm going with.

Cheekyness as(s)ide, I completely agree. Until today I'd have suggested that the only foolproof way to avoid misinterpretation of tone is to define it explicitly before beginning. However, as we've seen today, even going to that length is not sufficient to avoid problems.

I would suggest that anyone that thinks they know another person's thoughts via the computer get themselves a 1-900 psychic hotline.

I'd say that about anyone who knew my thoughts from talking to me in person too.

But that's an important distinction in interaction with new people. I know (fairly well) what a sarcastic Kat writes like. A sarcastic NewBuffista? Dunno. Dunno what NewBuffista sounds like sincere, or flippant -- I'd just be guessing.

Which is why, as a new person, I assume people can't read between my lines, and hope that as time passes, they do. If, as time passes, it's worth staying around. I felt the TT Buffy thread was pretty cold, but interesting enough to keep throwing my two cents in every now and again. God blinked, and then I was one of the most active posters there.

Other threads/boards never held my attention long enough for a potential mind-meld to happen. And if someone had suggested, in the wake of my departure, that things be changed so that I'd have stayed -- I'd probably not have stayed anyway.

I'm happy for people to have board I don't participate in. It's my luck and privilege that has me here now.

Which is why, as a new person, I assume people can't read between my lines, and hope that as time passes, they do.

Sure. And I would also hope that the people who are reading the posts are doing me the courtesy of also assuming that they can't read between my lines. It's a two way street.

In which choice is the wooby present? That's the one I'm going with.

The wooby is always present!

...I felt the TT Buffy thread was pretty cold, but interesting enough to keep throwing my two cents in every now and again. God blinked, and then I was one of the most active posters there.

I am not an active poster, but I genuinely love when a topic, and the subsequent discussion of, attracts my interest. What I hate is when that all ends. Change is bad. Static is good. ;)

And I would also hope that the people who are reading the posts are doing me the courtesy of also assuming that they can't read between my lines.

Are you talking about new people, or all people? Because I was only talking about the new. Knowledge of personality gained from more interaction with a person can't help but add subtext, and I'd wager it's most often correct and un-noted colour.

However, as a NewPoster on any board, I don't much consider it a two way street. It's my job to learn and to earn, and their job to ... well, not do that much, really. Not treat me badly as a newbie, but they can't create a relationship out of thin air just because I registered, and what are we if not relationships and the discussions between?

Change is bad Static is good. ;)

except where diapers and electricity are concerned...

/natter.

And I would also hope that the people who are reading the posts are doing me the courtesy of also assuming that they can't read between my lines.

'Zactly. Assuming one can divine tone leads to more problems online than nearly anything else. Derails a lot of constructive discussion too.

Newbie or long-termer, reasoned debate can be followed without the need for tone.

And when does a newbie become a 'normal'? 1 week? A month? 4 months? 2 years? Just wondering.