Why is this "Letter Format" a Trend?

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#1

I read dozens and dozens of posts everyday. Every time I start looking at posts, however, there’s always at least one topic or reply that uses a letter format, and I don’t really know why this is something a lot of users do.

When I say “letter format”, I mean something like this:

Hello, fellow developers!

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Regards, Insert username or alias here.

Once again, I have no clue why people do this. I find it a bit time consuming to write this for every post, and very repeated throughout the forum. It would be a simple way of starting and ending a post, but in my opinion, not a very good way, as it’s extremely overused, and frankly, a cheap way to get a post going.

Edit: To clarify, I do not mean to be negative to users who do this. I am just trying to be constructive.

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#2

This is frequently used by people who overthink their formality on DevForum. There is no actual convention on DevForum to be formal. This trend is not a negative thing, it just exists.

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#3

I honestly don’t like it just for the reason that people used to use that as a way to extend their posts beyond 30 characters. At least they seem to not do it anymore…

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#4

I can see people doing this in a message, but in a reply to a thread it’s not necessary.

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#5

I do it because I was taught when I was young to write letters, not emails. For me, it is a force of habit for longer communiques. Normally I just include the “Happy Trails” cause I consider it my signature.

I think it’s done for that reason. It’s a signature that people can identify.

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#6

This letter format is mostly seen when people reply/post from a personal area such as personal experience, opinions etc.

I’d also say that it’s not a trend because a very small portion of the community really ever uses it. And as others have mentioned, it’s not necessary in anyway, it’s just a way of writing.

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#7

Similar thread: Why do users sign off replies and topics like a letter - why do you do this?

It kind of gets on my nerves too. They probably because they

  • are trying to bypass the 30 char limit
  • are being overly formal for no reason
  • believe they are anonymous and feel the need to sign their posts
    • on a related note, they probably are trying to watermark their posts (tbh this is a joke)

I really can’t think of another reason, it’s redundant :\

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#8

But why does it get on your nerves? It’s their choice to do it, and it has no effect on you. I see this as more of a curiosity that is interesting, but not frustrating or annoying in any way.

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#9

Hello,

This was written mostly to meme you, but also to relay my personal opinion.

I only do this for posts I make. The intent is to give the impression of structure, and professionalism. Though you may not have serious intents within the Roblox platform (and all it’s domains). Many others do, it’s just an unspoken cultural preference really.

I also believe it’s dramatically easier to read a well structured post over a singular paragraph (or many paragraphs clumped together). Less of a rant, more of a message.

Deepest condolences,
Memegod

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#10

Because there is no reason to need to sign your posts. You don’t introduce yourself to your friend every time you talk to them, and you don’t end off with “Best regards, [your name]” because it’s redundant. Your friends already know who you are. In this case, your username is up here.

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Heck, even the discourse faq doesn’t want you signing your posts.

  • Don’t sign your posts — every post has your profile information attached to it.
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#11

But again I ask, how does it affect you? It doesn’t. If people want to do it, let them do it in peace.

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#12

As much as this may seem like a joke, I did see people ripping off literal portfolios 1:1. It’s sad but unfortunately true T-T

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#13

It’s also @incapaxx‘s opinion that it bothers him. It’s also reasonable that it would bother some users because of the redundancy. (It’s a psychological thing)

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#14

He, and everyone else, is entitled to their opinion. No one opinion is wrong. My point is, it doesn’t really affect anyone in the same way poor post quality in the recruitment category does. This is purely aesthetical, it doesn’t add or detract from a post. It’s at most three words that otherwise don’t matter to anyone reading. It matters to the person posting, and it’s not our place to judge them for that.

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#15

We didn’t mention that we would be stopping people from doing this, or changing anyone’s views/opinions. Try not to put words in my mouth.

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#16

Did I say you were saying that you were going to stop people from doing something? Not in any explicit or non-explicit terms. If it is otherwise then I apologize.

I did direct message him about how I felt he came off very aggressive and we talked that out, ending in mutual respect.

I feel this is a non-issue and shouldn’t really be a topic of debate. People wanna do it, let them do it in peace.

#17

I mean anyone can do what they want to do with their posts. Honestly, I got nothing against you signing your posts as long as you’re not doing what people used to do with it which is:

Hi
Thank you for your help!
Yours truly,
XYZ, builder

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#18

What I’m trying to say is if that’s the way he feels about it, then that’s his own view on the letter format.

I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Since you kept mentioning this, it seemed as if you’re saying my intention is to manipulate others’ view on the format.

Yes, I agree this is not an issue. It’s just a matter of personal preference. We have our own take on the matter.

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#19

Perhaps it’s a point of personal philosophy in this. It’s my belief that there is no “neutral” stance, so I believe the point of discussion is to convince one side or another(or “manipulate” as you say) into seeing your view. Hence my reaction. I apologize for putting you off in that manner.

So long as we’re all agreed that we can do whatever we want in regards to the OP, I’m fine.

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#20

The way people introduce themselves and interject their ideas into a place of public discussion can tell you a lot about their nature. It’s not really about tradition, or saving keystrokes, it’s more about tone.

Brevity and slang can give your sentiment more social lubricant, at the cost of sincerity. Our ways of speaking greatly affect how our words are interpreted.

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