About eight months ago I posted a version of what you can see below, itself largely a repeat of earlier posts.
Since then there appear to have been even more "text speak" and other abbreviated language in posts. Please avoid this so that others can read your contributions more readily.
Many people suffering from thyroid issues struggle enough reading properly written replies without struggling to interpret lots of shortened "words". Shortened forms which make perfect sense to you, the poster, at the time, might make little sense to someone else, whose first language possibly isn't English, and who might be feeling awful and brain-fogged.
In order to give an example of the difficulty of understanding slang/text speak, I have converted the above into a form of text speak:
ther sEmz 2 hav Bin a lot mo "text speak" & othR abbreviated lngwij n posts recntly. pls avoid DIS so dat others cn rED yor contributions mo readily.
mNE ppl suffering frm thyroid isUz struggle Enuf reading properly RitN replies w/o struggling 2 interpret lots of shortnD "words". shortnD forms whch mAk perfect senS 2 you, d poster, @ d time, mite mAk ltl senS 2 SOME1 else, whuz 1st lngwij possibly isn't English, & hu mite b fEln awful & brain-fogged.
The use of sentences with full stops, appropriate use of capital letters, and paragraphs nicely spaced out, are all appreciated.
Thank you
Written by
helvella
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We all of us glide past the odd mistake - I know full well that when I go back to my ancient posts/responses, they have many typos and other less-than-perfect features.
I know text speak is irritating but that may be the level of literacy of some of the people on here. Do you want to exclude people that maybe cannot get to the level of literacy this board seems to require? Seems horribly elitist and a tad sneery.
There was a girl on my old board whose spelling and grammer was terrible but her contributions were always worth reading and we bloomin' loved her. Wasn't her fault.
Sometimes I'm so tired I just grunt. What if abbreviated language is all a person is fit for on that day?
There are some regular posters who put in some effort to communicate and do not get pulled up for the quality of their typing, grammar, spelling, and so on. All I am hoping is that those who post think about those who read and do as much as they can.
And I'm saying what if that is their level of literacy?
Would you prefer them to go away?
Or should we be kind, non-judgemental to our fellow sufferers who may have literacy problems who may not be able to do "The use of sentences with full stops, appropriate use of capital letters, and paragraphs nicely spaced out" and hope they get the best help available to them from us regardless?
It could seem to be obscenely patronising to add a rider "Or as well as you are able."
On previous occasions that I have posted similarly, I think I have detected a pulling up of socks.
If you can word a request politely, which tries to encourage those who can do better actually to do so, but those who cannot do not feel hounded or got at, please do. I would be delighted if someone else can do better than I did.
Bombus, It's a bit of a catch twenty-two situation. Level of literacy works both ways - in the writing, and in the reading.
And at any one time, many members here are likely to be suffering from the dreaded 'thyroid brain fog', which often prevents them from being able to decipher posts written in text speak.
So if we want members to answer our questions, or offer their help, we all need to make our best effort to communicate as clearly as possible.
I would have thought, Bombus - and it's just my personnel opinion - that it takes more effort to write in textspeak than it does in normal English. After all, you've got to know the word before you can abbreviate it, no? And I'm sure they didn't learn textspeak in school! So, I don't see what it's got to do with literacy. It's a choice.
Some people are very invested in this kind of thing (commas, acronyms etc) and others are not. Horses for courses. If you find this personally annoying that's a different matter, we all have stuff that grinds our gears, but feel free to say that rather than identify this as an objective problem.
I think if there are posts which irritate or confuse it would be best to address the poster directly. We are all able to do that.
If I find an abbreviation or acronym I don't understand I google it. We're all able to do that too.
Like others here my health and cognition have been compromised by my thyroid problems and I've never had a moment's trouble understanding anyone here due to spelling or abbreviation. I've never seen a post remotely resembling the 'txtspk' in the op. Occasionally people write w insufficient detail, disjointed thinking, oversights etc but that's the nature of casual online interaction.
In a forum such as this there where there is a gathering of like minds common language (ie shorthand and jargon) is empowering, bonding and reassuring.
Language changes; there is no way to stop it.
I express myself as I choose - it is all we have - and if anyone has any questions or concerns I expect them to either click off the page or take it up with me.
As we're on the subject I find posts like these tremendously irritating. Can we please stop posting them? Jk. I think we should all say more or less what we like here in whatever way we choose as long as we respect each other, are (largely) kind and gentle and keep it clean.
We can all learn to embrace new forms of expression. I am a belatedly enthusiastic emoticon user after coming to the realisation that if you address people on the internet as if you're writing a letter to your bank manager it makes you look like a curmudgeon and an old goat. (I'm not yet an emoji fan but I'm sure I'll get there, prob 10yrs late as usual.) And I don't really mind if they make me look a bit gormless. Which I'm sure they do.
"I've never seen a post remotely resembling the 'txtspk' in the op."
I did not mean to suggest that we have had anything that bad. It was intended to illustrate by exaggerated example how bad txtspk can become. By so doing, I hoped it would hit home to those who might not have realised how difficult it can be to read. For some of us.
I find myself getting the reading equivalent of a stutter. As I try to interpret the contractions, I go back and forward repeatedly, until I feel sure I have acquired the intended meaning.
I am fortunate to have had a good education and be good at spelling and grammar.
I belong to this forum and another unrelated to health issues. On both I encounter messages which are not grammatically brilliant. However I am happy to cope with any posts on the grounds that not everyone has had the same educational advantages as myself but has the same interests or problems. I am tolerant of our differences, and others should be too. And there is always google for backup :).
Paragraphs! If I see large chunks of text then I don't bother reading.
I was told by a friend that it is difficult/impossible to read big blocks of text if you have dyslexia. I sometimes find it difficult as I cannot concentrate long enough to keep my place in the paragraph.
I think there is an enormous difference between poor writing - which may be down to laziness, haste or indeed literacy issues - quite a different issue - and textspeak. (Txtspk...sorry.)
I entirely agree will all who support Helvella's plea to minimise the use of txtspk in this forum. It is a pity if there really are a handful of users who cannot write in full words - irrespective of spelling and punctuation which Helvella and other supporters were not really criticising. A pity for them as that would seem to be quite a limitation. However, those who struggle to process information presented as abbreviations are in the majority here (and elsewhere I would imagine).
God forbid we get to the point where words with vowels and the use of a couple of full-stops are considered elitist or snobby. Until the written word is obsolete let's observe a few basics.
As an aside, I have a perfectly literate uncle who emails in BLOCK CAPITALS. I have an aunt who finishes every sentence with endless exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!! No really she does!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! Not thinking of the other - the recipients- is probably at the root of it. They're just too busy expressing themselves!!!!!!!
I'm sorry, but if I come across a post comprised of txtspk my eyes glaze over and I'm on to the next post. I just cannot be asked to spend time deciphering what someone is trying to say, just to find I don't have an answer for them anyway... but that also precludes my answering those I might be able to help.
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Jk. I think we should all say more or less what we like here in whatever way we choose as long as we respect each other, are (largely) kind and gentle and keep it clean. 
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