Attention everyone sending me emails today:

[pen_grunt]

To all my co-workers sending me emails today:

Three question marks are not better than one. Nor do I think you're more curious/in need of an answer when you have 3 question marks.

Additionally, 11 ellipses are not necessary when 3 can do the job just fine.

Exclamation points make you sound like you're gratuitously excited about things you shouldn't be excited about. Calm down. Seriously.

I.e.:

Product Brochure???

Hey Missy........

We need an update on our [software] product brochure!!

I've attached the PDF of our current brochure..........it only includes [product with features missing]!!

Do you think you have time to do this???

Thanks!

[Co-worker]

Comments

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

How many of them you think actually know what "ellipses" are???!!!...........

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

The tone I read from all that punctuation is the wheedling, pleading tone of someone who knows they're asking you to do something aggravating/on an impossible timing/that isn't your problem. Am I on or off?

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Spot on. I can tell you're accustomed to such emails? (Though--to be fair--I received multiple emails like this from different people, so I'm guessing that it also has SOMETHING to do with a lack of punctuation savvy).

Aggravating? Mostly because they're just rifling through old stuff that we haven't used in forever for something to do.

Impossible timing? By Friday? Puh-leeze people. Not when I technically don't work for your company anymore as of last Monday. Good luck getting me to do anything quickly.

Isn't my problem? Well, in that case, it kinda is. I'm the one with the original, editable copy, and I sense that any interception of the document would result in a lot of unnecessary punctuation.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Well, probably one or two.

To be fair, when I write an email I'll often overuse ellipses in particular...

...because my thoughts tend to ramble and it's informal writing.

But are the multiple question marks really necessary??? It makes all the difference between a polite request and a perceived "why haven't you done this already!!!!"

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

totally understand, just sayin' . . . ;p