I’m trying not to feel like too much of a jerk right now, as none of it was intended, but still. Writing has always been problematic. What words to use? How to use them? What do they mean? Do they mean the same thing to you? Culture, language, personality, and worst of all, emotion have a huge impact on how words are written and read.

I made an post asking for input on a certain topic, and I got some responses that came off to me as dismissive and weren’t even from the group I was addressing, so I responded back in a way that came off as ragingly rude although my intent was to show that I wasn’t angry, just eager not to see my idea scrapped so quickly. It only took a quick IM to sort out that we’d both stepped on each others’ toes completely unintentionally. I failed to read playful sarcasm and instead saw an attack on my ideas and so responded in a way that just sent us on another Merry-Go-Round of unnecessary misunderstanding.

When personal computers started getting big, I kept hearing older people say that the art of writing would soon die. I disagree. I think that since hypertext stinks so much at conveying tone of voice, emotion, and sarcasm, good writing is becoming more important than ever. So are thick skins, short memory spans, and quick apologies.

In the meantime, though, I’m just trying not to feel like such a dunderhead . . .