Can You Hear Me Now?!?!?!

Today, I come to you with the craziness of communication! 

As you may know, this year The Gala that I manage has been re-branded. For me, this means new brochures, new stationary, new job descriptions for committees, new website info, new venue, new list of logistics and a boatload of other things I’m working on.

I love a challenge, and this has certainly been one. One of the stumbling blocks for me has been the adaptation of new punctuation “rules!” Perhaps the biggest adjustment for me has been the placement of only ONE space between sentences. I am a master typist (not bragging) and after 40 plus years of typing, and clicking twice after a sentence, this is really hard for me. However, when I submit things to the various proofreaders at work, these are the primary errors to be corrected…the extra spaces between sentences.

Lots of time has been spent with these projects but it got me thinking about the various grammar gurus and the changes that have been made subtlety over the years.  

Enter the USPS, otherwise known as the Post Office. Okay, so now, there are rules about how labels should read. Did you know that labels are supposed to be in ALL CAPS?   Did you know that there are no commas after the city? If you use the # sign with a number, there must be a space in between (# 72). Words like Apartment, Building, Floor, Suite, etc… are abbreviated and do not have a period next to them, in ALL CAPS of course!  (APT, BLDG, FL, STE). City names should be spelled out, W. Chester should be West Chester. Labels should not have any punctuation at all. It is okay to have two spaces between the state abbreviation and the zip code.

This is fine for labels with automated preparation in an office, but it is an issue when you don’t have all of the correct equipment/data base to make this happen. For me, I think it’s ironic that the Post Office is giving us these mandates when they are going digital themselves…maybe some day there won’t even be a post office. Sometimes, I just have to shake my head!

Then there is the language of text messages…IKR? CU L8R! BRB! POS!  HMU!  HBD!  FOMO!  AF!  WTF?  WTH? And the lists are crazy long!! Just Google “text language” and see what comes up. Whatever happened to OMG?  LOL?  TTFN?? Fortunately, most of my texting friends take the time to spell things out, but I’m preparing for the day when I’ll need a translator to help me read text messages! Will my grandson abbreviate everything?

When did texting replace a phone call? Do you have a landline? What will people do when they stop allowing landlines…Oh it’s coming people!  

AHHHHH!! One of my strengths is communication (according to the Strengthfinders Book/Test!). At school, most of our communication is done via email and our school site, called BAND for group communication. We also have a Wednesday email. Statistics show that 20-30% of the communications are opened (we can’t prove if they were read!). Only 20-30%. How are we supposed to communicate with the masses? Most say, “send a text!” 

I don’t know…(or should I say IDK!). I don’t mind a text for a short message but it’s hard to determine the sentiment behind a text and let’s face it, we insert our own emotion when we read it. If there is a lot to say/share, texting with my two thumbs is not what I want to do.

If you have something to say to me, feel free to call. If you don’t want to interrupt me, feel free to text first. If I can’t take your call, please leave a message. No message, no return call!   That’s how I roll! 

I know we live in a digital world that includes email/texting/Instagram/SnapChat/Twitter and Lord knows what other methods are out there. But please, let’s keep talking!!  

In the words of Pat Benatar, call me on the line you can call me call me call me anytime!!!   XOXOXXO