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7 Reasons Why Skype Channels Can Be Such a HUGE Waste of Time
by Gary ~ April 19th, 2012
What on earth did we do before Skype came along? How did we communicate? Huh?
Skype has pretty much become an essential way of staying in contact with people but…
… there are massive drawbacks to using it. So, what are they?
Well, first up – if you are in as many Skype “rooms” (as most people like to call them) as I am then every morning when you wake up you could have anything from 50 to 600 lines of text to scan through. Multiply that by a dozen or so Skype rooms and there goes your first hour in the morning. This in itself will ensure that you start your day well behind where you intended or SHOULD be!
Then there are comments that you might wish to reply to so, you make a comment and that can invoke a fresh feverish flurry of more texts – especially if there are a lot of people awake and active. (As opposed to active but not awake - sorry, a small joke... ah, don't worry about it.)
Herein lies another interesting quirk:
Not EVERYONE is going to agree with everyone else. In fact, hardly anyone agrees with anyone on anything, which can, and often does, lead to…
SKYPE WARS!
How often have we seen two or three of four or more people start to have a go at each other hammer and tong? And often these all-out verbal brawls end up with the usual insults, name-calling, sarcasm and sniping. Often, sides will get taken as individuals seek to PM (Private Message) others to ramp up support for their own benefit or point of view. And little cliques are formed.
And what is the end result? Where does it get everyone?
It’s just an IDIOTIC waste of time.
More often than not the issues that people are arguing about are so bloody p155ant that they don’t even warrant wasting ANY time on. Who REALLY cares? As I often say, you can line up 100 economists ask them all the same question, get 100 different answers and each of them will believe they are correct. Same on Skype. This leads to:
1 – Quasi “Experts”:
These are people who have a small amount of knowledge in something (often pretty dubious) who now believe that they are the doyens of ALL knowledge. Dare I even say the next thing? Dang it! I will. These are often pretty young people who believe that they are experts that clearly they are not. Two of the most argued about subjects are copywriting (see my manual over there on the right) and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
While I was walking through a shopping center a few weeks ago I had a laugh at a slogan on a t-shirt worn by a middle aged guy. It read: “I’m Not Young Enough to Know EVERYTHING!” Gee that was funny. Well, I thought so anyway!
2 - Foul Mouthed Cretins:
Seriously, there is absolutely NO need or reason to use the f-word or the c-word in a Skype channel. It’s disgusting. And yet so many legends-in-their-own-lunchbox think they can use this kind of language and people will respect them for it. Uh-uh!
If you do that then most people will consider you a douchebag with no decorum. Hey! I swear. I'm no bloody (LOL) saint! Most people do but... time, place and circumstance rules.
3 - Slanderous Comments:
Why do so many people also feel the need to accuse others in a public forum of unsubstantiated allegations – most often with a liberal spray of insults and four-letter words?
Let me tell you this: IF you accuse somebody of something then make 100% SURE that:
a) It is true and
b) You have undeniable PROOF that what you say is 100% true.
Because if you don’t and you hurt or destroy somebody else’s reputation then you had better have all your assets squirreled away in lock-down mode. And this leads me to…
4 - Inexperience:
Again this is pretty much the trap of the young. Lack of life-experience is so evident that, in most cases, you can read a comment and fairly accurately predict the age of the person who wrote it. However, even older people – who you would think should have a LOT more sense – also display their inexperience and ignorance through WHAT they say and HOW they say it.
Common-sense is very UNcommon. In fact, is is now an oxymoron.
5 - International Inconsistencies:
In different countries different words mean different things. Often they mean VASTLY different things. For example, the word “fanny” means backside in the US. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Great Britain that word means something else entirely.
Obviously, you cannot be a nuance expert on all words but… if you use a word that somebody else objects to then maybe you need to understand why and not repeat it again. Or apologise if it was taken out of context with your intended use. Which leads me to:
6 - Precious People:
There are some people on Skype (and everywhere else for that matter) who actively look for perceived infractions of “political correctness,” racism, sexism and every other “ism” they can find. Some of these people will find fault and hurt and criticism even in a simple quote or even a joke. Yes, they are out there!
Just be aware that there are people who will take offence at virtually ANYTHING that anybody says. Don’t engage them. These people have nothing better to do and you don’t need to waste your time becoming involved in their psychoses. Stupidly, many of these people will take a GENERAL comment or quote or joke and PERSONALISE it. Then they believe that somebody has had a crack at them specifically. How dumb is that? But it happens on Twitter and Facebook and elsewhere too. People are people.
In closing, I will make the following comment which I believe is the NUMBER ONE cause of all misunderstandings on Skype:
7 – Text Is Completely Impersonal:
Here is something that I think everybody really needs to think about…
Text is massively impersonal. When you talk to somebody face-to-face or even over a telephone line it is VERY easy to detect warmth and intention (ie inflexion and nuance within their voice). In text this is impossible. Yes, there are emoticons that can be used to indicate a vast range of emotions but even they can be either ignored, mis-used or even used sarcastically to create deliberate animosity.
Adding to this and all of the above, we can readily see why Skype is so imperfect in a group (channel or room) situation. Also, when so many people are texting furiously and the “chat” is moving very fast then, by the time you look up and see where the chat is, your comment can easily be taken out of context or thought to be a reply about something else entirely.
Here's a good rule of thumb: IF you wouldn't say someting to somebody face-to-face then WHY would you say that thing from across the oceans? Especially if it is hurtful or angry or simply designed to damage somebody that you quite probably don't even know?
Well, that will do for now. I have many other comments I can make about the positive and negatives of Skype “rooms.” But I will leave that for now and possibly write more later if it warrants.
Please tell me your thoughts and experiences in public Skype channels/rooms.
Feel free to comment or ask questions ...
PS1: While you are here you might as well take a look around or bookmark my blog for later. There is a mountain of information here and a lot of it is free.
PS2: I try to answer all thoughtful or decent comments but, sometimes, I cannot do this. If, however, you just want to write some garbage comment then don't bother. I'll probably still publish it though - unless you swear or become too abusive or are just too silly. Anyway, give me your comments - feel free to agree or disagree. Your call.
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************************************************************************************
PS1: While you are here you might as well take a look around or bookmark my blog for later. There is a mountain of information here and a lot of it is free.
PS2: I try to answer all thoughtful or decent comments but, sometimes, I cannot do this. If, however, you just want to write some garbage comment then don't bother. I'll probably still publish it though - unless you swear or become too abusive or are just too silly. Anyway, give me your comments - feel free to agree or disagree. Your call.
"You cannot teach a person anything, you can only help them find it within themself." - Galileo (1564-1642).
Your JOURNEY to now has created the LIFE you are living.
Improving yourself will enable you to fulfill your DESTINY.
************************************************************************************
