An Explanation Of Exclamations

Suggestion by Jenylu

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila." -Mitch Ratcliffe

Some of those errors are minor, like launching a nuclear missile assault at France. Others though can be major, like upsetting a Texan with a misunderstood joke. Luckily for us we have a means to avoid that. Punctuation and Smiley's.

Let me give you an example.

WRONG: "Jacob, you're dumber than a cheap cattle prod."
Clearly Jacob will be offended by this, no matter what you felt while typing it. As soon as he reads this he's going to go to the web and look up 'cattle prod'. He will then start loading up the rifle. You don't want to offend a Texan with a rifle, because they tend to have excellent aim. (You're allowed to shoot anyone you want to in Texas as long as you shout 'Remember The Alamo' right beforehand)

So then let's look at a better approach.

RIGHT: "Jacob, you're dumber than a cheap cattle prod!! :)"
Jacob will now believe you both are just having a 'good time'. He might still look up 'cattle prod' and he might still shoot you, but at least you will both know the other was just 'kidding around'.

The freedom gained from exclamation points and smiley's is two-fold. One being that you can now clearly get your meaning across to anyone via the computer and they will know if you like them or hate them. Here are a few quick text smiley's and their obvious meanings.

: ) - happy
: ( - sad
; ) - I think you're cute
>: )- I think you're the devil
/:{> - I think you're from France,
and we've launched a nuclear missile assault!
The second freedom is the newfound ability to say whatever you really want, and then dismiss the comment with an exclamation!

"Your new shoes make your hair look stupid! :)"
Cool huh?! Get it off your chest, and then blame them if they get mad. "Sheesh! You have no sense of humor! :)"

So there it is. Have fun, and enjoy the freedoms that emotional communication can bring!