Sunday, June 20, 2010

"What to Say"

I noticed someone who I think is pretty smart sometimes writes in "netspeak" and asked a mutal friend what the deal is with that? They didn't seem to think it's a problem. I agree, "to each his own," but doesn't it send a bad signal?

Well, the evidence is in and its clear: "netspeak = fail"

Other not so shocking findings:

1. Don't be shallow (e.g. focus on her appearence)

2. Mention some specific (mutual?) interest

3. Show you read her profile

The one finding that contradicts the conventional wisdom is that it's good for guys to be self-effacing. I think this makes sense if you consider the forum. Confidence is a good thing, but it's conveyed by posture and tone. If you try to say or write the same message it's understood as arrogance. That theory doesn't have much explanatory power for this case though.

Note: I used feminine pronouns based on an assumption based on no evidence whatsoever that men, by tradition, send most of the messages. It's probably false.

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