My problem with this usage is that it is VERY difficult to figure out from context when given only a single instance of it. Witness the above.
When seeing things like "j/k" or even "lol" the letters have a meaning which can be parsed by somebody who's not familiar with those usages, if given a little thought. And mid-text insertions like !thing or =/= can be readily assumed to mean something significant, and figured from there.
But a tilde slapped at the very end of a line gives no inherent clue that it's not a typo. The line makes sense without it. There is no way for somebody who does not already know to realize the meaning. And since the line does make sense without it, the line is thus interpreted without it. And given that the difference between saying something seriously and saying it as a joke CAN be a very vital difference, I really just don't like using something that ambiguous to signal that difference.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-08-18 04:19 am (UTC)When seeing things like "j/k" or even "lol" the letters have a meaning which can be parsed by somebody who's not familiar with those usages, if given a little thought. And mid-text insertions like !thing or =/= can be readily assumed to mean something significant, and figured from there.
But a tilde slapped at the very end of a line gives no inherent clue that it's not a typo. The line makes sense without it. There is no way for somebody who does not already know to realize the meaning. And since the line does make sense without it, the line is thus interpreted without it. And given that the difference between saying something seriously and saying it as a joke CAN be a very vital difference, I really just don't like using something that ambiguous to signal that difference.