This thread was started in another post, but it became a discussion about Net Etiquette so it was moved here.

Rebecca has written that using ALL CAPS in a message indicates that you are yelling or angry. She didn't make up the rules, she's just informing our community what they are.

We won't delete any posts that have ALL CAPS, but we just want posters to know that if you use this method of typing, your message may be recieved in a different way than it was meant.

The following messages continue this thread...

Rebecca,
With all due respect, the size of the letter does not make the statement. The words do. Let each of us decide how to interpret the words. This is the basis of reading and LEARNING. "I LOVE YOU" according to your definition can be defined as angry. "i hate you" should be considered nice. The inspirational thoughts previous to this contain "CAPITAL LETTERS" Please give the readers and forum some credit. Thank you and THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I don't think anything , is wrong with capitalize all the words and it is not anger , it's learning experience give your readers due respect. and dont judge.

The issue of capitalization is about Internet Etiquette.

If you use all capitals, it is seen as yelling, whether you mean it that way or not. All Rebecca is saying is that in the future, to make sure that your message is received in the way that you intend, don't use them unless you really are mad.

Think of it this way: If a tourist is nude-sunbathing on Frenchman's Beach, you would probably take offense. But the tourist doesn't mean to offend. So you go over to them and explain that its in bad taste to take your clothes off in public. Then the tourist puts the clothes on and goes back to enjoying their stay.

Eric you crack me up.....someone taking their clothes off at Frenchman's beach....hee hee hee

When I posted on here in capitals a couple of months ago, the same thing was mentioned and I didn't take the comment as being disrespectful just as something to learn about internet etiquette..being fairly new to it..it was just something I didn't know.At the time I was quite shocked because I never like to offend and I only yell at my husband!!!!! Once in a while!!
Hope you are all doing ok over there in TB..keep up the excellent work.Glad to know the donations are helping everyone who need them.See you in January
One love

again, you have judged. A naked sunbather to my understanding is tolerated although not encouraged in Treasure Beach. Those who travel to this area are aware or will "feel" aware of the proper protocol. If not it is always accepted with respect. Bad taste is in the mouth of the beholder. Those who correct it, spit it out. There is worst bad taste than sunbathing nude...sometimes by the locals themselves. Be nice. Words are powerful, be it small or large. And I "will not think of it this way" I enjoy all the forums and think my own way...

Hi Rebecca, If writing words in capital letters means the writer is angry, what does it means if all the words were in common letters? You tell me. The writer just wans you to get the meaning behind this message. Read the last sentence in the message. "Refain from making judgement, and this is exactly what you are doing, making judgement because of the size of the letters that was used. Love you still girl.

HI REBECCA THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE BUT MY WORDS ARE WORDS FROM THE WISE AND FOOD FOR THOUGHT, NOT ANGER. THANKS FOR YOUR RESPOND,

I thought Rebecca says please do not type in CAPS.
hit the Cap lock button to ensure the light is off.

Your words are welcome Lola, I was simply making a suggestion, however, we welcome your words no matter how they are given as they are not given in anger.

Rebecca anger is within, not in captilization, should not judge a book by its cover, read and discover. LOVE YOU.

I think you are all plowing this out of proportion, instead of throwing all this anger out why don't we just stop for a moment and read the word from Matthew 7 verse 1 and we could just read the whole chapter. We are living in a world that we should just live as one, we are entitled to make suggestions at times, nothing is wrong with that, so why can't we just live in harmony.

God loves all of us no matter if we are black, white, blue, purple, so we should all love each other no matter what, we are all blessed, and we should just give God the glory, he just spared our lives from a very terrible huricane, that is even more to thank him for.

I love you all, have a blessed day now.

Let us get off this writing in capital letters and concentrate on serious matters. We all should be happy we had someone like Rebecca to help us in time of need.If it wasn't for her God knows what information we would have gotten after the hurricane when we were all so worried wanted to hear from our loved ones and she is still going out of her way to do for the people of TB and their familes abroad still giving out the best information when asked.
I think after all this, everyone living abroad and those living in and around Treasure Beach should start taking up a collection for a party for Rebecca,Erick and all the people that really worked hard to visit and deliver what was needed in those desparate times.

Come on stop writing in capital letters, get your finger off the "Cap key" and no more about this.
Let us all look forward to a Happy Christmas and this time visit some of the older folks and give them a big Hug.
God bless you all.
Love you Rebecca.

whats the difference with with "CAP KEY" AND "NUM'KEY, we all know Rebecca is doing a good job, but she is judging, and words are powerful, and somethings, are better unsaid. does it matter if you are short and the other is tall. bad taste.

Rebecca anger is within, not in captilization, should not judge a book by its cover, read and discover. LOVE YOU.

To TBnet.
there is worst taste than sunbathing nude, words are powerful and so is knowledge. your description was in bad taste. CAPTILIZATION is not in bad taste, you should not judged. sunbathing nude can be fun, as long as you dont hurt anyone.

Oh, my goodness, please understand that Rebecca was not judging anyone. It's a common rule of net writing that writing in all caps is bad form. Sometimes it can be viewed as yelling or anger on the part of the writer. But mainly it is just hard to read. Don't shoot the messenger.

CENSORSHIP, CeNsOrShIp, censorship, Wow, keep it up and soon ther will be no READERSHIP.

an indian child was speaking to his grandfather after a horrible raid that had killed many of his tribe and destroyed much property. the child asked his grandfather, a wise leader, how he was feeling. the grandfather replied"i feel as if their are 2 wolves struggling within me--one wants to forgive and rebuild, the other is angry and wants to destroy" Which wolf will win, grandfather? the child asked. The wolf that i feed, replied the wise man. i pray we will all strive to feed the right wolf.

Obviously there is no censorship going on in this website. Every time I log into it, there is more and more sillyness over CAPS or no caps.

Get a life and get off this writing in capital bit.You should all be so lucky you had good people looking out for you in times of Ivan and still is doing so.

Send money. Go down and help clean the beaches.
Help the little kids that have no uniforms for school.Send some of your kids toys for the kids in TB.Put some smile on their little faces..

Here is my capital sentence.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH>GET A LIFE> NO MORE CAPITAL>

Oh my.

I don't know any of you, but I love your village and everyone I've met there. This whole thread is a GREAT example of how the internet is capable of stripping nuance from communication and allowing readers to accidentally misinterpret the simplest note and to mistakenly project outward whatever the reader wishes. Inference and implication are very difficult here.

As an outsider without an ax to grind, I'd simply point you here:

<http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/0963702513p61.html>

to the chapter on internet writing style. The way I read Rebecca's post, that is all that she was trying to say. I do not read it as a judgement, but merely as an attempt to pass along her knowledge of this internet convention.

For most of us ordinary folks, conveying nuance in your writing IS very difficult, and so writing in all caps became a way to express anger without saying first, "I am writing the following in a very angry tone of voice," or even, "The following may seem very angry but it is not intended in this way." Still, sometimes I find it necessary to say both just to make sure I am not misunderstood.

Likewise, I think TBNet was just trying to use the Jamaican cultural prohibition against nude sunbathing as an example of a local custom that someone from outside TB might not know until they were politely told by a local that it might be appropriate to act in a different manner. I personally don't have a problem with it, and as an individual you may not either, but I've been told, and have read in numerous places, that this is not a culturally accepted behavior in most of Jamaica. Just as the person writing in all caps might not know that others would think that s/he was shouting until someone politely told them about this widely held convention, someone from the French Riviera, where nude bathing happens all the time, might not understand this until they were told differently. I read it simply as an analogy, not an indictment or judgement.

Typing in all caps is not offensive, nor in bad taste, but in most parts of the Internet, people will read it as if you are yelling.

There are some really great parts of this guide that have nothing to do with caps

<http://www.albion.com/netiquette/>

I think this one is great, and applies both on- and off-line.

----------

The Core Rules of Netiquette

Rule 1: Remember the human

The golden rule your parents and your kindergarten teacher taught you was pretty simple: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. Imagine how you'd feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Stand up for yourself, but try not to hurt people's feelings.

In cyberspace, we state this in an even more basic manner:

"Remember the human."

When you communicate electronically, all you see is a computer screen. You don't have the opportunity to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate your meaning; words -- lonely written words -- are all you've got. And that goes for your correspondent as well.

When you're holding a conversation online -- whether it's an email exchange or a response to a discussion group posting -- it's easy to misinterpret your correspondent's meaning. And it's frighteningly easy to forget that your correspondent is a person with feelings more or less like your own.

------------

Sorry to be so long-winded.
Peace and be good to each other. We're all we have.
See you all in January.

Wow. As much attention to caps as Ivan! I will use exclamation marks !! for now on instead of caps when I am happy, excited. I will write BIG UP big up!
So big up everyone!

I am quite surprised by the number of response's that this thread has brought,but astonished by some of the remarks.
Like Rebecca I was taught that Capital Letter's expressed, what was written/read as Shouting.
So many people have taken offence to a "Internet Courtesy" that was not Invented by Rebecca.
Considering what TB/Jamaica has just gone through with Ivan, doesn't this seem very petty to be argueing about?
Look how much work Rebecca, with the help of many community member's has done in assisting resident's back to some normality.

This is an enviroment that value's it's Tourisim Industry very highly,yet people without thought,start thread's that request 4yr accomodation as a Joke,tell them off about that,that has a direct reflection on our livelihood.

A lot has been said on this subject, many view points have been aired.

What we would like to ask is that everyone leave this alone for a while, and let emotions cool down.

Thank you for treating this message board with respect.

-TBNet

Oh gosh...

I think I may have started this. Sorry. A few months ago someone responded to something I wrote all in bold and caps, and I asked Rebecca to let people know in general that messages all in caps mean "shouting" in the e-mail and internet world. That is all. No harm was meant. Lord have mercy, poor Rebecca. It was just something I was taught in the corporate world as an exec. asst. to a CEO, that I passed on to her.

Humble apologies to all if this is what really triggered this whole thread.

Hi Mandeville Girl,

Worry about this issue no more. Don't sweat the small stuff. There is a positive side to all of this. The fact that so many readers had something to say, is a good sign that this website is being utilized. We only have to try to help our readers and contributors share their views on issues that are inspiring, encouraging, and upbuilding.
ONE LOVE