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@names & # in emails, letters, word documents - what's your opinion ?

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    @names & # in emails, letters, word documents - what's your opinion ?

    Here's another trend or gimmick which seems to be taking the business
    world by storm and that's the use of @names and #names.

    I assume this is all a carry on from email addresses eg [email protected]

    For example:

    @name, @department, @hmrc,

    This year I've seen loads of emails, using the @ symbol or the # symbol.
    For example . . . . . .

    @Peter Perfect, Alan Taylor

    Please, give us your approval
    UNIX1 will be down from Saturday 12:00 am till midnight as already agreed with the client.

    @Steve Rogers

    Please let us know what time starting from Friday night we can start the PUR1 after closing all applications.

    @Systems Engineering

    Please confirm progress of cabling in Data Hall 12

    What's your opinion of the above and as a Contractor would you
    prefer to go around with the @ symbol before your name and
    even on your CV.
    Or is all the above - another abuse of the English language by
    making it geeky or techie ??
    Last edited by Tightfit; 22 August 2014, 17:20.

    #2
    Originally posted by Tightfit View Post
    Here's another trend or gimmick which seems to be taking the business
    world by storm and that's the use of @names and #names.

    I assume this is all a carry on from email addresses eg [email protected]

    For example:

    @name, @department, @hmrc,

    This year I've seen loads of emails, using the @ symbol or the # symbol.
    For example . . . . . .

    @Peter Perfect, Alan Taylor

    Please, give us your approval
    UNIX1 will be down from Saturday 12:00 am till midnight as already agreed with the client.

    @Steve Rogers

    Please let us know what time starting from Friday night we can start the PUR1 after closing all applications.

    @Systems Engineering

    Please confirm progress of cabling in Data Hall 12

    What's your opinion of the above and as a Contractor would you
    prefer to go around with the @ symbol before your name and
    even on your CV.
    Or is all the above - another abuse of the English language by
    making it geeky or techie ??
    Isn't it just a way of separating out a list of tasks fperson by person...

    @dave

    can you ensure x is order.

    @jon
    y needs to be finished by tuesday.

    Its just a way of sending an email with everyone kept in the loop
    merely at clientco for the entertainment

    Comment


      #3
      They come from Twitter, though they weren't invented by Twitter - both were conventions adopted by Twitter users, and then support for them was added to Twitter, and now people use them everywhere.

      I used to work with the chap who first used the @username (without a space between @ and username) convention in 2006, @NeilCrosby. @ChrisMessina came up with the #topic convention in 2007.

      More: The first-ever hashtag, @-reply and retweet, as Twitter users invented them – Quartz
      Last edited by NickFitz; 22 August 2014, 17:42. Reason: Dumb typo :-/

      Comment


        #4
        I've always used @ when writing an email or something to multiple people. I.e. @ == 'at' like in an email address

        So..


        Blah blah blah

        @Steve (i.e. I'm addressing Steve)
        you should do this.

        Blah blah blah


        Seen it on linked in discussions for years.


        Makes sense to me. It's just like a kind of markup to add meaning to what would otherwise be just text.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by SpontaneousOrder View Post
          I've always used @ when writing an email or something to multiple people. I.e. @ == 'at' like in an email address

          So..


          Blah blah blah

          @Steve (i.e. I'm addressing Steve)
          you should do this.

          Blah blah blah


          Seen it on linked in discussions for years.


          Makes sense to me. It's just like a kind of markup to add meaning to what would otherwise be just text.
          Personally I think it's yet another decline in standards ( as we
          shouldn't hold up twitter and facebook as being an example of
          anything but a peddler of shortcut English and SMS expressions
          eg I'm off 2 work now, c u later )

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by SpontaneousOrder View Post
            I've always used @ when writing an email or something to multiple people. I.e. @ == 'at' like in an email address

            @Steve (i.e. I'm addressing Steve)

            Makes sense to me. It's just like a kind of markup to add meaning to what would otherwise be just text.
            Yes.


            Originally posted by Tightfit View Post
            Personally I think it's yet another decline in standards
            No.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Tightfit View Post
              Personally I think it's yet another decline in standards ( as we
              shouldn't hold up twitter and facebook as being an example of
              anything but a peddler of shortcut English and SMS expressions
              eg I'm off 2 work now, c u later )
              I always put something like "To the illustrious Stephen: Be it hereby known that the completion of this Herculean challenge by your unstinting efforts is a consummation devoutly to be wished. Given this day under my hand and seal…"

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Tightfit View Post
                c u later )
                Thanks to the bank holiday, I took a childish delight in ending an email this evening with 'See you next Tuesday'.

                Little things....

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Tightfit View Post
                  Personally I think it's yet another decline in standards ( as we
                  shouldn't hold up twitter and facebook as being an example of
                  anything but a peddler of shortcut English and SMS expressions
                  eg I'm off 2 work now, c u later )
                  Lots of issue trackers let you reply by email and will automatically detect @ and # and either notify the relevant person or tag the issue respectively. Source control commits too.

                  In wider life it's just short-hand. You might as well say it's a decline in standards to start an email re: ...
                  Originally posted by MaryPoppins
                  I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
                  Originally posted by vetran
                  Urine is quite nourishing

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by NickFitz View Post
                    I always put something like "To the illustrious Stephen: Be it hereby known that the completion of this Herculean challenge by your unstinting efforts is a consummation devoutly to be wished. Given this day under my hand and seal…"
                    Which I also do, since I have as little to do with the Twitfacesphere as I can, although it will be shortened to :

                    Steve - blah blah...

                    Worked for the last 18 years, ain't about to change it now.
                    Blog? What blog...?

                    Comment

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