Terms Of Endearment

[Jeanway 0]

In college I had a class on International Etiquette. In different countries some things are viewed as either being too personal, intimate or familiar. I have some things that have bothered me lately with some PM's I've received from people from different countries. These people, I do consider to be my new friends but I feel using the terms, ' Honey', ' Sweetie ', or ' Babe ' to me is a little too personal for this venue. I just thought I'd mention this. And if there is anyone else whose had this happening to them please reply. Gentlemen from all countries, please pay attention.

[fenriz275 0]

I've noticed that some people are looser with language and etiquette online than they would be in person, who hasn't had an email or a PM from someone saying something they'd never say to someone in person. Maybe it has something to do with a certain sense of anonymity people feel they have when they're online. You miss seeing a person's body language and hearing the "tone" of their voice online, that can really alter what they're saying to you. Like if they're being sarcastic or not. This is a very interesting topic, I'm really curious to see what everyone else thinks. <_<

Edited June 3, 2004 by fenriz275

[Red Shirt Volunteer 0]

I agree that there's no place for that here, though I'm thinking about the message board itself more than PMs. At times, people seem to have a very false sense of familiarity with each other considering they've never met. These terms come across as extremely condescending at times and I cringe not just when they're used in reference to me, but when they're used in reference to other people. What people seem to fail to understand is that intimate terms are meant for intimate situations where they won't be overheard, or in this case read, by others. With that said, I've also noticed that a lot of people who use such words here tend to be younger and perhaps still learning about the boundaries of appropriate communication.