My daughter and I do a mommy-daughter trip most every year. Several years ago, our sojourn was to London. On these excursions, we try to take in the city both as a tourist and a local - dining and shopping at the trendy tourist traps and the backroads homespun spots as well.
One day, we flipped on the radio and the jocks on a morning show were mocking an American tourist they'd met on the Underground (subway). Just as many of us (American folk) are wayyy off the mark when trying to speak with a Brit's accent, these guys noted that the American approached them, wooing for a job I suppose, by saying "Ammmm a maaa'dul". Translated, "I'm a model". Their playful joking, in the theatre of our minds, made the woman appear to be a hillbilly golddigger. I had to remind myself and my daughter that perhaps that was not WHO she was at all.
My question is "who mocks YOU, online". What is your web accent? Our writing and online presence certainly has one. My keyboard accent often relies on the shift key when accenting words like "you" two sentences ago. I also use quotation marks quite a bit and often end statements and comments with the meaningless I'm just SAYIN'. It's meaningless because 'I just did'.
We also have accent identity in the fonts we choose, the pictures we post, and the colors we decide on. My company website looks and feels a lot like parts of my home, and my blogs speak to another side of my personality.
Also, our verbiage and word choices certainly speak volumes, and - while I'm writing this, please allow me to release a BIG pet peeve. How many third grade teachers took 'off' the day the lessons were taught on YOU, YOU'RE and YOUR? Some of the brightest (I thought) people I know, somehow missed that lesson. Please trackback and pick it up!!!!!
I enjoy reading, writing and sharing every day with literally thousands of people online. You're doing yourself and your 'friends' a disservice when you don't make sure that you're allowing your online accent to represent you in your best light. I'm just SAYIN'. (smiling BIG) LC
