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I'd like to divert this thread to a different subject, that I think
we will find more suitable to this forum.
Some background. My girlfriend has a 15 year old daughter, and my
best friend has a 17 year old daughter and a 15 year old son.
Every once in a while, I'll get an email or IM from one of them, or
from kids of other friends (I'm working with two teenagers to teach
them how to put up a simple web) and I'm appaled at the lack of
structure, lack of grammar or punctuation, continuity, run-on
sentences, and spelling. Everything is reduced to the minimum number
of characters; ur for your, u for you, etc. I understand the purpose
of shorthand, but for those that are at the stage of learning complex
composition, are they able to keep the two separate?
For all intents and purposes, this generation is the first generation
that is learning to write online. Not having kids, I don't know if
what I'm seeing is typical of the group, yet when they need to, are
able to compose sentences with nouns, verbs, and periods, or if this
is going to become the standard way of communicating once they get
into the workforce. If the later, what is this TW field going to
evolve into?
I'd be interested to hear if this is an actual issue or if I'm just
being "old", from any parents, teachers, or preferably, both, as to
how the two types of writing are kept in their place.
BTW...I was the one that mentioned about the two fast food change
incidents, and honest...I didn't mean to offend anyone. Really.
=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer, in process of looking
for next contract effective 1/1/2001.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master."
-Abraham Lincoln mailto:john -at- tdandw -dot- com, 732-259-2874
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