New Year's Resolutions: 3

[CajunCenturion]

Anyone have an IT Related New Year's Resolutions that you wish to share?

One of mine is the convert the home PC from Windows to Linux.

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[CajunCenturion]

stella740pl - I respect that you've acknowledged that to be your belief and opinion, and you may very well be right. In my experience, as a general rule, those who scream when offended are those who have taken up a cause and looking for reasons to take their place in the pulpit. When you truly offend someone, they don't respond. They simply walk away, with a very long memory. Often the ones you hurt the most, say the least.

A good IT Resolution for me to adopt is not assume that just because the user's are quiet, that they are satisfied. Not to assume that just because they aren't saying anything, means they don't have something to say.

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[johnherman]

As you will see by my ending quote, I have sometimes have reservations about switching jobs. Next year I will definitely switch jobs. Here's hoping I don't find too much manure on the other side.....Happy and Prosperus 2004 to All!

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because there is more manure there - original.

 

[rosieb]

Are emoticons unprofessional, per se? I, personally, rarely use them. I tend to assume people know what I mean.

BUT it’s easy for me to assume that my “throw away” remarks will be taken in the spirit they are intended, (however, I’ve just discovered that I’ve really offended someone, totally unintentionally and, fortunately, I have been challenged, so hopefully any offence has genuinely been mitigated).

There is a danger that the “two nations divided by a single language” will cause problems on a forum such as this. It’s very easy to assume that remarks which would be regarded as totally unexceptional in the UK, will be treated similarly here – and they are often not.

So, in my view, there is a place for emoticons, even in a professional environment, especially in an international environment – properly used, they add to the posts and confirm the tone intended.

As for resolutions, do it better (and insist on PROPER specifications - well, I can dream).

 

[dilettante]

I hope to improve my written communication skills in the coming year. One of the main reasons why smileys and such continue to be necessary is as a shortcut to that goal. Maybe by improving my skills I won't need those sorts of crutches as much.

Typically our text-dominated rapid communication tools such as chat, IM, email, and forums or newsgroups are not handled the same way we might approach more conventional written business communication. There is a natural tendency to bang out something more akin to telephone or face-to-face conversational English rather than standard written English.

This is a well-worn subject, so I'll try to refrain from belaboring the point. Suffice it to say that such artifices as smileys do indeed serve a purpose even though they are imperfect, even more so when they are bits of arcana to important members of the audience. Their main purpose is to substitute for things like facial expressions or body language in general and tone of voice. In this way they can help soften what might otherwise seem a harsh statement, help indicate sarcasm, and so on.

The graphic smileys can facilitate this process by making it a little bit easier for the bulk of us to interpret them.

"You think Microsoft's marketing is predatory? Please explain."

"Don't accidentally format your boot drive! ;-) "

"Well, you are entitled to your opinion. "

"Sorry, I can be such a stuffed shirt at times. "

Actually about the only one I ever use myself is a basic ;-) as an indicator of mild sarcasm or humor or to show that I don't mean my words to be taken as flatly as they might appear.


Oops! I see I already failed at one of my own goals right here in this response. ;-)

Sorry to run on so.

 

[MikeBronner]

In the spirit of things, I wish everyone a happy new year and hope that everyone will achieve what they set out for!
May the coming year be better than the last!

See you all in 2004! **Cheers!**

Take Care,
Mike