# Proposed rule: No textspeak; capitals are mandatory **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 30, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293 "2012-03-30T16:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/41 "2012-03-30T22:55:23Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Agreed. I came in here to mention TWoP’s rule. It’s just so satisfying to see the banhammer get dropped on some dumbass who posts in all-lowercase because he thinks The Man can’t tell him how to punctuate, or whatever. > > . You do make a good case. If \*that \*board’s staff is against this, then likely we should not be. Pretty much the SDMB is the complete opposite to that board . I change my vote. hell let us never use caps or punct again ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/42 "2012-03-30T23:26:03Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > It seems to me that very few people come here and communicate in poor English _on purpose_. When one comes along, he’s asked to knock it off, and the folks who are worth keeping are usually happy to comply. Those who don’t want to change their posting style tend to be those who will ignore other board rules, written or unwritten, and usually find the door hitting them on the way out. There’s no need to make “proper language” an official rule. Exactly. While I admit that personally I think habitual textspeak might merit an instaban, I don’t think a formal rule is necessary. Few if any posters who write that way last very long around here. They either violate other rules and get banned, change their behavior, or lose interest and wander away. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/43 "2012-03-30T23:43:48Z")
The OP made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! While you’re at it, **Rhythmdvl** , why not ask to ban all forms of slang, abbreviations, acronyms and typos? IANAL but ISTM that yer idea is teh stoopid. IMO yer trying to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist. \ Wait! I got it! Maybe we could require all posters to show an ID before they post, too! Surely a SDMB Poster ID rule would solve some sort of problem, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/44 "2012-03-30T23:45:09Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > We don’t need administrative sanction. > We can mock, ostracize and shame people all on our own. There are a bunch of new posters boasting about their unusual life choices, who are brazen and seemingly revel in being mocked. Text speak annoys the hell out of me. lower case for some reason doesn’t. But lack of paragraphs and the inability to delete non relevant parts of quotes are likewise infuriating. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/45 "2012-03-30T23:51:04Z")
If y’all want to pay me $50/hour to edit posts, I’ll be happy to do so. As long as I’m functioning as a volunteer, hell to the no. **twickster** , MPSIMS and Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/46 "2012-03-31T00:14:55Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > IMO yer trying to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist. No matter what rules and standards we have or don’t have, some posters will find special ways to annoy the crap out of people. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/47 "2012-03-31T00:19:49Z")
I agree, I do think it should be a rule. Capitalization and no text speak. It’s not that hard to follow. The internets are veritably brimming with places for that kind of nonsense, I think we should choose to be otherwise. Too hard for the mods to enforce? Really? Because it happens that often? Not seeing it, truly. They have no problems with you can say _this_ word but not _that_ word, in this forum but not that forum, but this is too difficult? I’d much rather they ended text speak and no capitalization, and let everyone swear instead! But I’m sure they won’t do it. Why bother? If it drives people away, their job gets easier. And I’m pretty sure it will, in fact, drive people away. I wouldn’t have stayed if I’d seen text speak, when I came here, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/48 "2012-03-31T00:28:20Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > But I’m sure they won’t do it. Why bother? If it drives people away, their job gets easier. Darn, you’ve figured out our secret plot to drive people away from a message board we hang out at so we won’t have to do a job we volunteered to do. > [@](#): > > And I’m pretty sure it will, in fact, drive people away. Maintaining the policy we’ve always had is going to drive people away? How do you figure? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/49 "2012-03-31T00:34:29Z")
I support the new rule. Textspeak when not texting is annoying. We should strive to be better than that. (I use full words and sentences on those few occasions when I text.) ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/50 "2012-03-31T01:19:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You do make a good case. If \*that \*board’s staff is against this, then likely we should not be. Pretty much the SDMB is the complete opposite to that board . Get banned, did you? No, in seriousness, I don’t post over there because the moderation style makes me want to burn things. But that one rule, I do like. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/51 "2012-03-31T01:20:58Z")
I blame the phenomenon of Textspeak on the end of teaching cursive in school. It’s a slippery slope. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/52 "2012-03-31T01:27:34Z")
I’m a member of a forum that filters text speak into self-abuse. For instance, if I were to write LOL on there, it would automatically convert it into ‘I smell of spunk’. Works surprisingly well. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/53 "2012-03-31T01:28:57Z")
I agree 100% with the OP, but I don’t see how those rules would be enforced. The sad fact is that text-style posts are going to become more common as more people access the board via mobile devices. I fear we’re already on slippery slope. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/54 "2012-03-31T01:53:57Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Get banned, did you? > > No, in seriousness, I don’t post over there because the moderation style makes me want to burn things. But that one rule, I do like. Nope. I got warned. For calling a re-capper a 'reviewer". :rolleyes: But my buddy got banned, just for disagreeing with a “re-capper”. Seriously, he showed me his post and the insta-ban that resulted from it. :eek: “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/55 "2012-03-31T02:37:23Z")
I support the OP, provided the mods find it helpful. > [@Colibri](#): > > Exactly. While I admit that personally I think habitual textspeak might merit an instaban, I don’t think a formal rule is necessary. Few if any posters who write that way last very long around here. They either violate other rules and get banned, change their behavior, or lose interest and wander away. Oh. I thought the rule might represent a convenient shortcut. Has there ever been a effective fighter of ignorance who first posted in leetspeak, only to later reform? Would the rule have a downside that we can document?\* > [@Antigen](#): > > I love a good shunning. Very effective. Not always. One guy a couple of months back consistently evaded capitalization. It took months to get rid of him, before his kinda sorta trollishness crossed a line. But then again, if the mods don’t think this is a big problem, then I defer. I conceive the OP’s proposal as a labor saving scheme. - Well there are always downsides. Specification is one of them: how much textspeak is excessive? Plus any new rule creates drama. Maybe we could merely reach a rough board consensus that -hypothetically- if a moderator imposed standard capitalization on certain snowflakes, that the consternation would be limited and the rejoicing nontrivial. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/56 "2012-03-31T02:40:42Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > No matter what rules and standards we have or don’t have, some posters will find special ways to annoy the crap out of people. And some people will be annoyed by totally innocuous things that others do, like the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/57 "2012-03-31T02:49:26Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > And some people will be annoyed by totally innocuous things that others do, like the OP. If it’s annoying, then it’s not innocuous. And it is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/58 "2012-03-31T02:51:03Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > And some people will be annoyed by totally innocuous things that others do, like the OP. That does happen sometimes. On the other hand, when a poster does something that annoys a bunch of people and insists on doing it, it shows kind of a lack in sensibility and comes off as less innocuous. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/59 "2012-03-31T02:54:46Z")
**TL:DR** I’m not sure what to make of the **OP**. The medium is Internet, Internet has it’s own lingo. **YMMV**. Are we getting rid of **abbrv.** as well? **What’s** next, do we get rid of contractions as well? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-rule-no-textspeak-capitals-are-mandatory/617293/60 "2012-03-31T03:17:37Z")
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