No LOLing in ur Messages PLZ!!
By Katie Earley, Copywriter
I’ve discussed before the importance of grammar and spelling while on the job, but today let’s talk about abbreviations and casual messaging. After reading this AdAge article on the subject, and after realizing that I’m not the only one disturbed by a certain famous perfectionist’s barely legible tweets, I decided maybe it was time to set some parameters.
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Do
- Do use punctuation. At least enough to separate your thoughts.
- Do use abbreviations, but properly. You might be in a hurry or working under a character limit, so it’s okay to use well-known abbreviations with corresponding symbols (if applicable) to show you’re putting care into the message. Example: “I’ll be there w/the report ASAP.”
- Unless you’re exercising artistic license, do capitalize appropriately.
Don’t
- Don’t forget u’s good friends y and o. (This is my husband’s saying. It’s too cute and excellent advice.)
- Don’t 4get *cringe* that numberals aren’t words, even if it’s a serious Twitter word-count problem. (I guess if you’re in a Twitter word crunch it might be acceptable, but I will still judge you.)
We have a lot more ways to communicate with each other than we used to, and a lot of those methods can happen in a matter of seconds. It can be a hassle to take the time to dot all your i’s and cross your t’s (Or I guess now it’s more of a matter of putting punctuation at the end of a sentence and not using numberals for words.), but when you’re communicating with someone who is paying you or you would like to pay you, it’s pretty important. Anything less makes you look sloppy and careless. It also can make your message difficult to understand, and clarity is key.
