FREE Bonus Tokens, Promotions, Amazing Minis, Sweepstakes & more!
Hats, mugs or t-shirts and more at the 
Dear Ms. Netiquette,
Is there a polite way to ask someone you’re chatting with not to use ‘netspeak’ in a private conversation? Honestly, it drives me crazy, it’s hard to read, and my brain just doesn’t process it! Since there’s no restrictive text limits, I don’t understand why people can’t type ‘you’ instead of ‘u’ and ‘any’ instead of ‘ne’. I think it looks silly and I feel like I’m talking to a teenager! It’s especially annoying that people will type out long words and then abbreviate ‘you’! Maybe I’m being a bit picky, but it really bugs me!
Please sign me,
Ms. Proper English
| Dear Ms. Proper English,Well, I must admit that like you, I am not a big fan of ‘netspeak.’ However, I have learned over the years that it’s not going away and I can either get into a huff over it, or just get over it and accept the fact that the Internet has provided us all with an entirely new way to communicate, including a new vocabulary. Do I worry that too many people will begin to adopt this style of writing and that it will ultimately degrade the English language? A little bit. Does it keep me up at night? No. The English language is beautiful and flexible, and there are already so many strange quirks and exceptions to rules that a little ‘netspeak’ thrown in there really won’t make much of a difference. So what can you do? You can certainly ask your chat partner if he or she wouldn’t mind speaking proper English, as you have difficulty understanding ‘netspeak.’ However, your chat partner may have difficulty obliging your request and you may soon find yourself with one less chat partner. Many people who chat a lot on the Internet have adopted ‘netspeak’ to speed their chat along, and at this point it is probably so ingrained within them that to stop it is nearly impossible. Here’s a little shocking advice. You might find that ‘netspeak’ annoys you less if you spend some time engaging in it. Yes, U read me right. Find a close friend or family member and tell them that you’re attempting to release yourself from your annoyance over netspeak and that you want to have a conversation riddled with it. The act of partaking in it may help you understand it better and you may find it easier to stomach in the future. Once you’re done with this exercise, you can go back to communicating in complete words. Then again, who knows? U may find U don’t h8 it ne more! |
Ms. Netiquette,
I am an adult and know the uncensored rooms can get pretty wild but are you allow to violate the TOS in uncensored rooms by telling racist jokes? I know I can mute the chat or change rooms but I just wanted to know if you have any rules for those rooms? I wouldn’t want to break any rules and can’t seem to find an answer on your site.
Yours from Playing by the Rules
| Dear Playing by the Rules,Racist jokes are considered hate speech. Hate speech is a violation of our Terms of Service and whether it takes place in a regular chat room or an uncensored chat room, it is grounds for an immediate account closure. The only difference between a regular chat room and an uncensored chat room is that in an uncensored room it is accepted that one might see some “salty” language. However, all the other rules still apply. |
Hello Ms. Netiquette,
I don’t normally care about this sort of stuff, but I’m getting more and more frustrated playing rated games of QWERTY. Occasionally, I’ll be winning a game against a player of a higher rank, and he or she will make a comment akin to, “These letters are awful” or “I’m not getting any letters.” To me, the implication of that comment is, “Well, the only plausible explanation that you’re beating me is because you’re getting lucky,” completely discrediting any skill I might have in winning the game. We have all had the experience of having two “Qu”s, an “X” and a “J” in our rack, hopelessly unable to make a word worth more than 40 points. It happens – there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
I feel like it’s been getting worse, too – the comments are being made more frequently and commonly as a player exits a table, such that there is no chance for a reply. I’m taken aback by the lack of maturity of grown adults, and this phenomenon is making the whole game-playing experience much less enjoyable. I wish some folks on here would get a grip. Graciousness in defeat is an enduring quality.
Just had to get that off my chest.
Sincerely,
Mike
| Dear Mike,I understand your frustration. It is certainly rude if your opponents are actually quitting the game immediately after saying “I’ve got lousy letters,” but if they are merely stating the unhappiness they feel over the state of their letters, then you may just have to accept the fact that they perceive their letters to be lousy. My guess is that the message they want to communicate isn’t so much that they think they are better players than you, but that they would be playing better if they had an improved selection of letters. In other words, maybe you’re seeing bravado when it might actually be embarrassment. Online game play has it’s challenges. One of them is the fact that for many of us we don’t know our opponent. We simply jump into a game and hope for the best. This is great for quick games when you are on your break at work, or have a limited amount of time to play. But if you are sitting down to play for an evening or afternoon, then it can become rather annoying to constantly play against people who drift from game to game. While it does take some commitment and some gumption, I do recommend that you keep track of the players you meet and enjoy, then seek them out when you want a good game. You may find yourself with a wonderful circle of friends! |
