Lern 2 rite

I received the following message via the hotboots website:

how many pairs of boots do u onw, i own about 7, i wonder if u can send me some pics of ur favs to my email?

How did I respond?

There were a variety of things that went through my head, but I remained courteous with this reply:

Hello, thank you for your message. All of my boots are shown on my website, as well as the answer to your question on how many pairs of boots I own.

http://www.bootedman.com

Cheers,

BHD

What I really wanted to say is how annoyed I get with text-messaging communications. The word "you" is "you" not a single letter "u". The noun "I" is always capitalized. The word "your" is "your" not "ur."

And send pictures of my "favs" to his email? Heck, that's what my website is for. If you want to see my boot collection, check out the cowboy boots or my motorcycle boots or my work boots. They are all there.

I don't have time to send photos via email. Just visit the website. And while you are at it, learn how to write with full words in complete sentences. I know that I sound intolerant of text-speech, but that is who I am -- an old codger who does not communicate by texting. Yep, I block texting and do not send text messages, so I do not favor the short-hand abbreviations that frequent texters use.

Imagine... if this dude were to communicate that way in a professional setting?

Which brings me to a lesson that a recent young job applicant learned. He had applied for a job with my company, and I participated in his interview. He showed up on time (good), was dressed casually but in clean clothes (well, okay), but he could not articulate a single sentence. That is, his method of communication was as abbreviated has he has trained himself to communicate via text.

What really frosted the interview team was that his smart phone chirped during the interview and he had nerve enough to pull it out, read the message and send a reply -- all while pretending that he was paying attention to us and that we didn't see what he was doing.

Needless to say, this kid didn't get a second look. Turned down flat. I'm all for giving opportunities to the younger generation, but there are some rules of decorum that should be followed. Arrive on time, dress appropriately, and turn off that damn smart phone during the interview! Then, if you really want to impress the interview team, after the interview is over, send a hand-written thank-you note using complete words and full sentences -- in the mail, using a stamp! That would blow people away.

Meanwhile, think about how your way of communicating comes off to others. If the others are your seniors, then consider that they may not appreciate short-form text-speak.

Life is short: spell your words out and write coherently.