Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (45303)	7/13/1999 12:56:00 AM
From: jpmac	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

I'd like to read that. Context is very important and the two can over-lap. In the way I'm thinking of context (or one of them) I would consider that to have more to do with understanding each other when we speak or read each other's words. I'll look up the book. For a crash course in tone, have a formidable Texas mother stop you in your tracks with a most chilling tone and say, "don't take that tone with me, young lady (or man)" as you are saying the right words with a flippant or sarcastic edge. Can't get a thing by 'em. Then there was the fourth-grade teacher, Miss Betty Jones, who wouldn't let me go to the restroom till I said "Ma'am" without a trace of the irritation I was most definitely feeling. But I got the only straight A's of my life for that woman. She had a huge nose that turned bright red when she laughed. Very appealing to a kid who liked to make her laugh.. but I digress.. <g> Thanks for the reminder on communicating. I was in need of it.

To: greenspirit who wrote (45303)	7/13/1999 7:51:00 AM
From: Ilaine	Respond to of 108807

I agree with JP that context and tone are different aspects of communication, but it's interesting that it's so hard to gauge tone in written communication without knowing the context. Which is why people resort to emoticons, to show tone. My grandmother used to say that people had a hard time telling when she was joking because of her delivery (she didn't use the word delivery, I think we get that from professional comedians, maybe. "Here's your delivery - one joke, just as you ordered it!"). She had a dead-pan expression sometimes when she was joking, and people didn't know whether she was joking unless she said something really outrageous. I have the same problem. And now, on the Internet, no one can see my expression. It's all dead-pan, unless one dresses up one's posts with emoticons. ;^) :-) <:) :-P Which are pretty silly things for grown-ups to do, but other grown-ups (some, maybe most?) can't tell if you're joking or being rude without them. A couple of people I really like get offended if I don't put a smiley face at the end of a post to show I was joking. Others seem to be able to tell without smiley faces, although we've never hashed it out, so maybe I'm wrong. Of course, the best amusing writers, say Mark Twain or Dave Barry, can express humor without smiley faces. And smiley faces don't make something funny if they aren't, I think it was Joan who said that.