Lost in Translation

It's true that over IM and e-mail you are more likely to be looked at as a witty conversationalist, because you can edit what you say. You have more time to think about your responses. My sister once told me that her friend told her she was a witty conversationalist on AIM. She asked, and in person? Silence. Of course he was joking, but there is a definite difference in having a conversation through cyberspace vs. in person.
So, the thing about e-mail, and really all forms of written communication, is that in some uses it's the chicken's way out (two thumbs pointed at me). You're less likely to be caught off guard. And if you are you have more time to respond. I have made the mistake of having more personal conversations, usually conflicts, through email-not once but over and over and over again. All have backfired. Let me describe what I'm talking about with a little example. Right after we graduated from high school my best friend and I were angry with each other. I emailed an apology, and she took it the complete opposite way. It was a disaster. Needless to say, we spoke a few times after that, and now I don't even know if she's still alive. I won't describe other examples, too embarassing, but i will say that touchy subjects should not be left to the written word. How many times have you written an e-mail, read over it, sent it, and then read over it again only to find that one sentence had multiple meanings. In fact, not just that one sentence, more than one sentence. Now you're stressing. Which meaning will they take? You can't email again, because then it's just obsessive. What do you do? You learn from it and not do it again, right? Unfortunately, I do not. So, I'm writing this blog in hopes that it will be a reminder in the future to just pick up the phone and make the call or leave it be. The result can't be worse than never talking to that person again. At least this way you have a chance of resolving the situation to the point where you keep enough contact with them to know if he or she is still alive in 5 years.