As I read many posts, especially those asking for advice on something, I notice they many users post with internet slang such as "u" in place of "you".

That's just one example, rather than typing out "although" sometimes I see "all tho" and over variations. There's also the "y" replacement for "why".

To me, I'm very surprised at that, even more so when they have a link to their web hosting business in their signature. I would consider this a representation of their services and the quality I'd expect. Of course there will be exceptions, but I'm looking at this issue as a whole.

What do I do when I post something or send an email? I always read over what I typed one time or even two times to make sure it makes sense, which also helps me improve on my grammar skills.

Also, I can guarantee you my posts will have mistakes from time to time, however I try to avoid them by proofreading.

Its true that you should always try and post with professionalism, but sometimes your running a bit late and short forms work.

I personally dont use them all that often, but it doesnt 100% that the company is unprofessional.

Its more or less HOW you post, not what short forms you use.

- Eddy

I would not look down upon someone for using "internet slang", mostly because this is the Internet and I expect it. Now if they sent me an email trying to do business or had posted an advertisement with service I was looking for I may think twice before doing business with them. But I'm not going to make a big deal about it. I have great business relationships with people that don't write or speak English well. They never complain that I don't speak/write (insert language here) well.

I have dyslexia myself so I spell check everything in order to make sure people know what I'm talking about.

This is a forum, not a business communication. I personally think there is better communication of ideas and opinion if internet "slang" is not used however I would rather see responses than none at all. Many of the people here are busy running businesses and have little time for posting to fora.
The other consideration is that although the forum is restricted to English there are many users for whom English is a second language.
I personally have more of a problem with the incorrect use of words rather than the internet short-form. "Your" for "you are" is much more annoying than "FWIW", "thx", and so on.
As long as we all understand each other I'm not sure that the form matters that much.

Since I represent my business on this forum, I try to post in as professional a manner as possible.

Then again, you need to look at who each host is targeting. Is a host targeting 1337 skript kiddies to host their sites, or is the host targeting large and small businesses?

When you deal with customers from all backgrounds some of their distateful habits dribble down into your writing. It's nothing to be ashamed of unless it becomes such a problem that people cannot understand what you're trying to say. I agree that professionalism is key, but this is a forum and like others have said, a mistake here and there certainly won't kill you.

using short forms is a little better than hosts that tell customers to "get a life" and "lolz".. :)

IMHO I feel this is a forum, not a business communication email. There should be some flexibility. Using of slang in a business communication email may not be "professional". But I feel that in WHT, it is more like a second home, where there are lots of friends exchanging views, info and experiences. Shouldn't be too rigid.

I have to admit that when I see deliberate shorthand as opposed to misspelling (u and y, etc), I tend to wonder about the age, maturity and even skill level of the poster. Granted, this is a forum and more casual than business correspondence, but it gets me to wondering.
I have members of my board that write as if they were e.e. cummings using AIM, so it can get pretty hard to follow at times.

What about the people who are always right? Every time someone asks for help because they jumped in too fast or were unsure of what they were doing the answer is always based on "my setup" because "mine is right." I saw a thread not too long ago where someone was told their business plan should be at least fifty pages, and if it wasn't it wouldn't be good enough.

People are different, situations are different. What works one way doesn't work another. I can confidently say that if I publicized the overall way my business was run most people here would go nuts. But, five years of making money tells me something is going right.

Another thing that drives me crazy is the web templates/design forum. Ever notice that every post is titled "Professional" or "Proffesionnal"? Someone who steals Photoshop and can't spell professional is now a designer.

Just today I got an email spamming site promotion. "we can help u get ur sight to top." No joke.

Is rambling about nothing a lack of professionalism too?

And here's the top post translated for the kiddies:

TAHTS JUST ON3 EXMPLE RATHAR THAN TYPNG OUT ALTHOUGH SOMETIEMS I SE AL THO AND OVAR VARIATIONS!11!1!!1 OMG THEYRE ALSO TEH Y REPLAECMENT FOR Y!11!!!11 WTF M3 IMM V3RY SURPRIESD AT TAHT EVEN MORE SO WHEN THEY HAEV A LINK 2 THEYRE WEB HOSTNG BUSIENS IN THEYRE SIGNATURA!!11!!!1 OMG I WUD CONSIEDR THIS A REPRASENTATION OF THEYRE SARVIECS AND DA QUALITY ID 3XPECT!1!1!!1 OMG OF COURSE THEIR WIL B 3XC3PTIONS BUT IMM LOKNG AT THIS ISU3 AS A WUT!1!!!! OMG LOL DO I DO WHEN I POST SOMETHNG OR S3ND AN 3MALE?!!?!???? OMG LOL I ALWAYS R3AD OVER WUT I TYPED ON3 TIEM OR EVAN TWO TIEMS 2 MAEK SURE IT MAEKS SANSA WHICH ALSO HELPS M3 IMPROVE ON MAH GRMMAR SKILS1!!1!1 OMG LOL

Okay, here's a totally unrelated post but right after I posted the above I went to another forum and got:

reguarding the firmwares version which is the easiet one to have/work wit?cause i know they have diff ones n im wondering if thats cool or there's easier ones to work wit or its jus if i know wat im doin, also planning on gettin t.f. card n reader ne suggestions on which brands to get? should i only deal wit motorola direct on they products? dont want them f*#kers to say o u didnt get stuff from us so we cant help u...ne help would be appreciated

I personally use very few of these, sometimes I use 'tho' in place of 'though'. I don't think that's much a big deal, tho. I believe 'y' in place of 'why', 'u' in place of you, and 'wut' in place of 'what' are much more annoying than 'tho'. When speaking with my own customer I don't use any of this slang.

Thanks,

Another thing you've got to remember is that allot of members here are just kids (kids meaning teens - early 20's) trying to make it big with a couple reseller accounts.

This is true about the kids. Plus they are used to writing in that form (u, tho, etc). I have to agree with boonchuan, this is a forum and not a place to conduct business. True, it does reflect on your business.

And I have even had people email or call me about some companies that I recommend because their posts are less than professional. But once I remind them that this is a forum and nothing more, that seems to relax them some more.

And unprofessionalism - just not on here but most message boards. We are always looking for shortcuts and we tend to take them whenever we can.

And as boonchuan mentioned, this is a public forum so a lot of people (and they do seem to be their early twenties or late teens) that tend to come in here when they do not get their way. Yes, it is frustrating but that is life.

This is an informal setting, a forum, not an online business conference. I see no problems with persons using 'net lingo' here.

most 14 year olds think "LOL" and little smiley faces are normal to communication.

Not my style, just seems to take some away from the author and the content.

I guess everything is in the eye of the beholder. :)

I don't write with "u" and "wat" because I don't feel that represents who I am. Also, I'm not a native English speaker, so I like to use my posts to slowly refine my English skills.

I do tend to use smilies and I know that some might find that unprofessional. Unfortunately I can't help myself. I portray my facial expressions because I feel they're a part of who I am. :)

Originally posted by bear
I tend to wonder about the age, maturity and even skill level of the poster.
Bingo, that's what I think about as well. I usually think about the maturity of those posting, some posts are like this is an AOL chat room or something.

Originally posted by serverunion
most 14 year olds think "LOL" and little smiley faces are normal to communication.


That is where you have to consider where you are.

Smiley's and other items like "LOL" have been around for years, in fact I recall seeing Smiley's on BBS (pre WWW for those who don't know)
They were frequently used on sign offs. The primary difference is that with html the ascii representation gets turned graphical. I use them often ;) and I haven't been my son's age for some time.

@ anyrate, I think the usefulness of this topic is just about spent

[he primary difference is that with html ]

Actually it's more script than html but you get my point

the difference is the title of the section "Running a Web Hosting Business " not "LOL, I have some money from my mom :P , I should start a company LOL"

I will admit, I use LOL and :) from time to time, but only to make sure the asker or anyone else knows I am joking. Typing this, you might not know exactly how to take it. On the phone or in person, you can listen to the way the person says it or body language to know more meaning....

I feel it is a mistake to lump Net slang and emoticons together.
The whole point of posting anything is communication.
I find some posts, which are more like reading txt messages on the cellphone, hard to read so usually don't bother. However, the inclusions of some, well-known short-cuts neither detracts from the message nor makes me think people are being unprofessional (it would in business correspondence though).

Emoticons, on the other hand, are tools which can enhance communication online because the one thing which is missing online is the ability to tell how a person means their comments to be read.
What seems obvious humour to me, in my culture and language, is not necessarily being read by someone with that same understanding.
A wink or a smile, or even writing <grin> can do a lot to enhance understanding of what it is you are trying to convey.

Originally posted by Corey Bryant
I will admit, I use LOL and :) from time to time, but only to make sure the asker or anyone else knows I am joking. Typing this, you might not know exactly how to take it. On the phone or in person, you can listen to the way the person says it or body language to know more meaning....

Oh, no, that's definitely fine and should be used IMO. I guess I'm just thinking about posts where I see no capital letters, no commas/periods/etc., and very few words from a dictionary :P

I would see forum as a platform for communication, and would think that the key to effective communication is to be easily understood. To be easily understood, I would employ as little as possible (without disrupting too distinctively the informal atmosphere) chat or internet lingo that may not necessarily be familiar to all.

On the question of professionalism ... yes, I would say one's manner of posting does affect the audience's impression of the poster. In this, I could identify with the way Staedtler and bear feel. And if I were considering hosting with that poster, I would probably think twice. What was that said about the sales rep being the ambassador of the company?

Emoticons, IMHO ;) , have a crucial role, especially, in written communication between people who may not be very well acquainted with one another. These are useful in communicating the actual intended tone in the absence of body language and audio expression. In fact, they could help to prevent misunderstanding, particularly, where the exchanges had become too emotional or tense.