ROMEO CAYABYAB

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Why I don’t write online in all capital letters

Posted on June 8, 2017 ·

One very important rule of writing online which has not changed over the last two decades is to never use all capital letters.

This applies in forums, text messages, or these days even in social media, whether as a timeline update or comments.

Writing online in all caps was, and still is, considered like shouting.

Try writing in all caps in a forum and you’ll be told to stop shouting or you’d even be kicked out.

When writing online, you should use all caps sparingly, and with caution.

When to Write in All Caps

If your reason for using all caps is for emphasis, then writing in all caps is not the solution. You can put emphasis on one word or a phrase, but when you use all caps in your entire text, then the question is: Where is the emphasis? That’s when you look like you’re angry and would yell those same words in person. Then and only then is it acceptable to use all uppercase letters. That is, assuming that getting angry and shouting in public is acceptable!

Consider too that text in all uppercase is significantly more difficult to read than lower and mixed case text.

It’s best to write online in sentence case or mixed case, with proper nouns capitalized as well as the first letter of the first word. That is how people are used to reading printed material.

Writing in all caps is best used for short strings of words (example, title or labels) rather than full sentences. You could choose instead to use italics or bold to set off text for emphasis.

If your reason for typing in all caps is that you find it faster and more convenient, then why not use lowercase only. This may probably irritate some people, but in the internet, all lowercase seems more widely accepted than all caps.

Filed Under: Asides, Social Media

Safer Internet Day quiz – a learning tool for everyone

Posted on February 6, 2013 ·

Yesterday’s Safer Internet Day (SID) was the campaign’s tenth year. From what we gathered, it is celebrated in nearly 100 countries. In Europe alone, there are a total of 30 countries that mark the day with support from the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme.

I am happy to note that one of our websites, The Filipino Australian, is one of Philippine-related websites that supported the international campaign for safer internet usage. In fact, as of this morning it was indexed topmost at Google when using search terms “Safer Internet Day filipinos philippines”.

Although the main focus of this year’s SID campaign is on children with the slogan “Connect with Respect”, everyone regardless of age can play a role in helping to make the internet a safe place.

The organisers of the worldwide SID said that the key is “to look after yourself and look out for others when you are online.” In line with that objective, UK Safer Internet Centre has developed a quiz to test our knowledge of internet safety. The quiz is actually more of a teaching tool.

There are four sections to the quiz, namely: social networking and instant messaging, enjoying content online, gaming, and mobiles.

Yes, I did take the test. My score? I failed in gaming, as I anticipated. On the three other areas, there is no question that I probably know as much as others who have been in the business for years.

But I must admit, there are always new things that we appreciate are brought to our attention to enrich our knowledge.

Why not try the quiz and test your knowledge of internet safety?

The quiz is fun and educational. It will display what you scored after answering a set of basic questions on online safety.

As a learning tool, it provides handy tips on areas where you can improve.

Why not click here to take the quiz, and then come back to this page and we can exchange notes. (From here, the quiz will open in a new window.)

Filed Under: Blog, Social Media

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ROMEO (ROMY) CAYABYAB - Web Publisher, Editor, Founder of Emanila Websites. Member, Australian Press Council. Learn more...

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