OK, I’ve been an A Type personality my whole life. I don’t even feel bad when people call me anal retentive. It’s served me well over my lifetime and I don’t really believe that people can change all that much.
Part of my personality is that I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. Who am I kidding…you can’t be a bit of a perfectionist, it has to be the whole enchilada or nothing at all. Thankfully, I’m not one of those perfectionist’s that expect everyone else to be one as well.
Now, enter Rich into the shortcut world of digital media. Let’s take texting for example. I’m a constant source of amusement to my three kids and younger clients when I text. I actually try and use correct grammar and punctuation. I took enough rulers across the knuckles from grammar school nuns to change, even now.
They think it’s hilarious when I use an apostrophe (‘) or a question mark (?) in a text message. Even periods (.) aren’t necessary…who knew? UR for (you are) just doesn’t make it in my digital world. I’ll concede to ROTFLMAO, but that’s it.
Active Rain posts are just fine because they aren’t really short cut messages. Your post can be as long as you want, not limited to 140 characters, like Twitter. Actually, there are a couple of grammar and spelling police on AR, who come out every once in a while to scold the most egregious abusers of the English language. Be careful because they get a lot of comments too.
I’ve joined Twitter. I’m following people and they’re following me, and I still don’t know why. I know I'm missing the big picture. I wonder if Twitterers care about punctuation?
Anyway, at least my anal retentive texting has given my kids something else to chuckle about besides me calling my jeans, dungarees.
cul8r
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @twitter.com/riarossi
Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
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Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
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Rich Iarossi is a full time licensed REALTOR®, working in Crofton, MD. My coverage areas are: Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Howard, Calvert, Queen Anne, and Baltimore City and County. I specialize in residential real estate, working with both buyers and sellers. Use the registration free search on my website at www.RichSellsHomes.com. If you’re not already working with a REALTOR®...I can help. Call me at 443-995-9595 (Cell) or 410-451-6255 (Office).
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Richard, ah! The nuns! They did not teach me to think, but they sure taught me grammar!
Isn't it fun to be an adult in a changing world, I am enjoying the new fangled electronic avenues we are experiencing daily!
Thank you Richard for admitting you don't know what you're doing on Twitter! I don't either, I keep getting messages that people are following me and I look around my office, wondering where they're following me to.
Now my kids and text messaging- same story. They think we're living in the stone age because we don't text them. I don't know what rotflmao means!
ttyl!
Patricia, They always picked on the boys. I still have nightmares :)
Caren, There's so much out there it's a lot to absorb, but definately worth the effort.
Linda, ROTFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my ass off. Ttyl to you.
Richard: Thank goodness for our children, we can always count on them to keep us in line! Who knows where we would be without them!
Rich...
Odd you mentioned this. When I text, I do not use abbreviations, and I fully punctuate. I just think it looks better. I guess we are just a couple of old geezers! lol
LOL!
People on twitter do not care, they just want to get their messages across!
Merry Christmas, your friend in Charlottesville!
Thank you, Richard.. You are truly part of my family now. I've been playing the game, Free Rice, that the UN sponsors for the past two days off and on. One game is grammar, the other vocabulary. It has been so much fun for me.
I put in periods and apostrophes in my text messages, too. I love dungarees and sneakers, too. Other people in my family prefer jeans and tennis shoes. (Do they play tennis? No.)
Great fun! Thanks again.
You are right, that is how the kids nowadays are. As long as the receiver of their message understands them, grammar and spelling are out of the window. Boy I wish I had spell check when I was in school.
Richard, I'm with you. On Twitter, especially. I'm on there. I am following people, they are following me, but I never seem to be on when they are on and what difference does it make when they make a comment 4 hours ago and I respond but they don't read it until tomorrow?? I just don't get it. I keep trying, for C Tann Starr, but I just don't get it.
I can sooooo relate! I bet that excessive use of "o's" is just killing you, right? Hee hee. Thanks for the post!
I have 3 daughters, two do the text abbreviations, one absolutely refuses. Don't know why/where. If they really wanted to abbreviate, they could go with Q signals. I used to be a licensed Amatuer Radio Operator (Ham) and was quite proficient in morse code. In order to communicate quickly but in recognized codes, the QSL system was established. Sort of like police "10" codes. 10-4, 10-20, etc.
Funny, Ham radio operators never created a Q code that was the equivalent to BBFL. :-)
Valerie, My kids do keep me grounded.
Richard, Some habits die hard my friend.
Charles, Thanks. I'm still wondering why I need to know when someone I'm following is going out to buy toilet paper.
Suzanne, Thanks. I'm encouraged, someone else who knows what dungarees are, I'm not alone.
Michael, My spell check in school was at the end of the Nun's ruler.
Susan, Two smart people like us, we'll figure it out.
Kristin, Stickey keyboard I guess. Thanks.
Mike, The acronym dictionary has four definitions for BBFL. I'm going to take a guess that you didn't mean the "Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum."
Richard, I love that you are an early adopter. Twitter I still don't get unless you like being connected that tightly to others. I don't. But I see you are a rulebreaker yourself without the short cuts in texting. Might have to do that with the 140 character limitation. Don't stress yourself too much with that perfection stuff, but rather aim for excellence. I am so far from perfection this will never be a problem for me.
Gary, Perfectionists keep trying but they know the goal is unattainable. Excellence is a great waystation though.
Richard - we are following you on twitter now. Still trying to figure the best use of it though. For now happy just to follow (and be followed) along... One of the best places for twitter advice I have found is from twitip.com - so helpful. ~Rita
Rita, Thanks for the Twitter follow and the Twitip lead. When I traveled a lot in another job I always liked Colorado as one of the more scenic States in the lower 48.
Wow. Except for the texting part and the Twitter part, I could have written that. My friends who know me well call me ART. It stands for Anal Retentive Tracking. I love to track things, like how many comments I've left in blog prior to this one (12), so this will be my 13, and I'll keep going until I run out of things to comment on.