A comment or two will be greeted with warm hands.

19 March 2008

Annoying Text Style in Blogs

Time loss can never be recovered. This is what makes Time valuable to each of us.
The speed at which you do things decide how much time you'll waste.

I draft all my post in txt file before uploading them to my blog. When I read my post on txt file, I feel normal. But when I read the same post on my blog, I tend to read at a faster pace. I'm suspecting that the blog template has something to do with my behavior. [Dear readers, have you experienced something like this before?]

Reading speed does change reading experience. Certain articles are meant to be read with a faster pace where as some are meant to be read at a slower pace. Generally, a faster reading speed is more desirable as Time is money.

Examples that may slow down reading speed.
1) Trailing wordsssssss and dotsssss.........
2) CAPITALISE LETTERS
3) RaNdOm CaPiTalIZe LetTeRs
4) Alternate Use of font style
5) Similiar background text colour / Bright coloured words
6) Really Small Fonts
7) Abysmal coupled with complicated bombastic elected choice of phraseology / Bad English
8) L33t languag3 / 3xtr3m3 µ$3 0ƒ £337 £4|\|9µ493

[Take out your stopwatch and start to time yourself as you read the paragraph below]
Letssss COMBINE ALL THE ABOVE ELEMENT and maKe a paRagRaPh thAt InVokes FruStration to AnYoNe RaEaDinG ThIs... CAPITALIZE LETTERS and AlTerNaTe CaPiTaliZe is bearable. What ticks me off is that I have to scringe my eyes at certain text colours. [Warning: Read with patience after this line] Terybal Spaeling and sms lgng isnt a gd thng eit3. Its equally deplorable with complicated English word as it plummets comprehension celerity. If you think that was bad, read the next sentence. Nothing is more frustrating than L33t languag3, 3sp3c14lly, wh3n 1t$ $0 Ð4mn ƒr34|{1n9 1n73n$3 £1k3 th3 n3x7 £1n3. 1ƒ ¥0µ (4|\| Ð3(1p|-|3® 7|-|1$ £1|\|3, £34\/3 |\/|3 4 |\/|3$$493. ¥0µ'\/3 34®|\| |\/|¥ ®3$p3(7!
(especially when its so damn freaking intense like this line, If you can decipher thus line, leave me a message. You've earn my respect)


Did you manage to finish the paragraph above? Is your stopwatch still running?
Yea, I figured you won't finish the paragraph above. Its not easy making sense of what I wrote in the last sentence.

So then, do you hate blogs with all these annoying elements?
If you do, then perhaps its time you convince them to stop writing like that.

Update:
1) Don't boycott bloggers who write like that. Though it slows down reading speed, it not always a bad thing.
2) About the l33t Language. I used Leet Translator.
3) Kudos to Pinksterisme, Aronil, Hauyon and chingy who manage to finish the paragraph.
4) Chelsea uses a good mix of colour in her blog.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

True enough.
and i hope my blog wont annoying u at all....haha

During blog hopping, the example 1,5 & 6 is quite common, the rest rarely & it seem just like a secret codes...lolz.

pinksterz said...

I EARN YOUR RESPECT!!!!

haha i made through it less than 30 secs! am i great or am i? :P

but really i hate those blogs with super colorful text in one post only except for a particular one because hers (serpentinegal.blogspot.com) is not annoying at all! :D

and those who spell like i am happyzzzzzzz......

at last i also zzzzzzz when i read their blogs :P

Anonymous said...

Yay!I seriously don't understand why does people type like that.Words are meant to be read!

Pink Leo said...

Although I do feel frustrated when I came across those fonts you mentioned, however I believe in freedom of 'speech'. The blogger can write whatever they want in whichever font they want.

At most, I get tu lan and I don't visit the blog anymore.

Heeee..

-popjammerz- said...

hey very true...
but sometimes i thought
words colored will be more attractive and catches the eye..especially when it comes to important stuffs or things u awnna emphasize..

but u really got ur point there! :)
deng..i hope mine does not makes u read slow..

-popjammerz- said...

hey very true...
but sometimes i thought
words colored will be more attractive and catches the eye..especially when it comes to important stuffs or things u awnna emphasize..

but u really got ur point there! :)
deng..i hope mine does not makes u read slow..

Angie said...

I can't finish the last part. What is this?:

Nothing is more frustrating than L33t languag3, 3sp3c14lly, wh3n 1t$ $0 Ð4mn ƒr34|{1n9 1n73n$3 £1k3 th3 n3x7 £1n3. 1ƒ ¥0µ (4|\| Ð3(1p|-|3® 7|-|1$ £1|\|3, £34\/3 |\/|3 4 |\/|3$$493. ¥0µ'\/3 34®|\| |\/|¥ ®3$p3(7!

and you're right. Sms language sucks. I don't even use it when I send sms. I love dictionary.

Linora 'Aronil' Low said...

BALKLLLRRDDYYYYYY HELLLL!!! hahahhahaa
you should've seen me read it !! :P
Leeeeeet language, especially when itsssss ssssso damn freeeeeeakinggg intense liiiike the next la..lee.. line. if you ge.... can decipher this line leave me a message you've earn my respect...

Dude!! I respect u for writing that crap ahaha

Anonymous said...

and i wonder...how much of extra time u spend on to write the post with these kinda dumbass l33t languag3, not only these kinda ppl are l33t$, but they are also colorblind O_O

and..i din even continue to read the last sentence! haha

Jillian said...

My time comes at a discount rate, so bad text and English annoy me half as much.

I agree though, especially with the font color and L33t speak.

Nice.

buta chan said...

hey kif! ha ha very true, although the only one that makes it truely annoying for me is the leet lang thingey. it's not even CONVENIENT to type that way so i don't understand why pple wanna use that.

anyway, just to pose an interesting fact.. not sure if you've read it before... did you know the human brain is so powerful that even if someone has terrible spelling, as long the first and last letters of the word are in the right place, the brain will automatically process the word, although the rest of the letters are completely jumbled up?

ha ha.

Pam Song said...

HAHAHAHAHA. Damn funny lah that paragraph. Haha. Laughed my head off. How long did that take you, wei. HAHA. That's a keeper.

curryegg said...

Lol.. I'm a kind of person who's really sensitive to the whole.. not the part of it..
The whole: The overall look of something.
The part: The small area/part of something.

I will use color to highlight the important stuff and match it with the background, the space and etc...

Somehow, everyone has different point of view and different way of expressing themselves.. Hope that mind won't cause any problem to you and my visitors... ;)

Anonymous said...

Lol dam true xD! =P

Unknown said...

LOL i earned your respect. I got it on the first go. Too used to my mom's scribblings la probably. You must've took hours to write that haha.

Nux V said...

i dun like such characters too...it made the whole sentence so difficult to read and eventually turn off my interest to even finish a word...
i could hardly understand these creative people.

xniquet said...

i should learn to blog like that ..i like to annoy ppl :D

3POINT8 said...

[Amei79]
Your blog is alrite. Don't worry

[pinksterz]
Respect respect! I put up ur link up in my post as a token of my respect

[Evolna]

Some people write to express their creativity and feelings. They do it as long as they feel that it represents them, even though no one can read em.

[PinkLeo]
Agreed. Bloggers are free to write what they want. Some can do it beautifully where as some are just annoying. I'm still learning how to do it 'beautifully'.

3POINT8 said...

[Popjammerz]

Yea. If used properly, coloured words can make the whole post more attractive. Then again, not a lot of people knows how to do it properly.

[Angie]
I only use sms language if there is some sort of character limit. But yea...Its best to use proper english whenever possible.
Btw, it says:
NOthing is more frustrating than Leet Language, especially when its so d4mn freaking intense like the next line. If you can decipher this line, leave me a message. You've earned my respect.
Aronil managed to decode it.

[Aronil]
LOL!!! You really went and decode the few sentence. Respect respect. I put up your link to my post as a token of my respect.
Btw, I used a leet translator. I can't write leet.

[yipguseng]
LOL.. I'm sure most reader didn't bother to read that last sentence. Anyway, I used a leet translator. I can't write leet.

3POINT8 said...

[Jillian]
Erm, I sure hope that you are not gonna charge me for your time. :P

[buta chan]
I guess people use leet to make a point that they are unique people who can read and write a high tech language.
I've heard of that fact before. It was widely circulated in the net, yes? Anyway, thanks for the fact. you just gave me inspiration to draft a post on it.

[pamsong]
Took me a few seconds only. I used a leet translator in the web to translate normal text into leet language. I can't write leet. Besides, I'm not that mou liou.

[curryegg]
Proper use of different colour does highlight certain part of the blog. It also slows down reading speed. As I said, Slow reading speed isn't a bad thing. Sometimes, something is meant to be read slowly....like a main point.
Anyway, I love how you use colours to make your blog post stand up. Expecially that purple highlight of main points. (Actually, I'm starting to copy your style. Notice how i use purple in my latest tag)

3POINT8 said...

[yimhao]
Oh...you can relate to this?

[HauYon]
wha...you mom writes leet. Scary~~~
Btw, I used a leet translator.

[NUx V]
Yea. I understand how you feel. I get turned off too it if takes effort to read something. I rather skip to the next blog.

[x]
Yes. You should! At least i got an excuse to annoy you back! Ehehehe

Julie S said...

Yikes, that's quite a scary paragraph to try to read. I'm not a fan of that either, I too like to be able to read a blog as quickly as possible, with few funky colors or text effects, just regular typed letters.

Anonymous said...

I got lost around --->>>Ð4mn ƒr34|{1n9 1n73n$3 £1k3 th3 n3x7 £1n3.

DaMn HarD 2 533 LaH! HAHAHAHA VERY FUNNY.

Chee Ching said...

L33t languag3, 3sp3c14lly, wh3n 1t$ $0 Ð4mn ƒr34|{1n9 1n73n$3 £1k3 th3 n3x7 £1n3. 1ƒ ¥0µ (4|\| Ð3(1p|-|3® 7|-|1$ £1|\|3, £34\/3 |\/|3 4 |\/|3$$493. ¥0µ'\/3 34®|\| |\/|¥ ®3$p3(7!

Leet language, especially when its so damn freaking intense like the next line. If you can decipher this line, leave me a message. You've earn my respect.

YAY! I did it! XD

Pam Song said...

Haha. How I know you not so mou liu? All you students all memang very free wat. =p

3POINT8 said...

[Julie]
Same here. I would rather visit blogs that goes easy on my eye.

[Michelle]
Haha. Its alrite. Most people stop reading the paragraph when they reach that part.

[chingy]
Respect respect! Your blog link will be permanently be in this blog post as a token of my respect.

[pamsong]
Well... the way you put it is partially accurate. I am free, but I'm not as mou liu as mou liu people.

curryegg said...

Wow... really? I didn't notice your change.. Wonder if you believe about this research? MOst Males are colour blind so they rarely like colourful stuff? Haha... What's your opinion?

P/s: Something striking will catch more attention... ;)

3POINT8 said...

[curryegg]
Haha... While trying to copy your style, I found out a cool fact in the net. Purple gives out a mysterious feeling. So, purple makes people curious. (Maybe thats one of the reason how you manage to attract so many readers to your blog)

Most males are colourblind?
I'm not sure about that but you gave me an idea that i should really use colour to target all my female readers.

About colourful stuff, I learnt this from nippon:
Colours can change a person's mood. And I'm learning how to make good use of colour to instill loyalty to people who read my blog.
:P

Anonymous said...

Point number [1], [3], [5], [7], and [8] is things that I cannot tolerate.
I WILL and HAD boycott those people with the elements mentioned above. LOL! They deserve to be boycotted!

Anonymous said...

[yung]
I used all 8 in a one blogpost. What more, its in 1 paragraph some more.
you are not going to boycott me, rite?

curryegg said...

Lol... Did purple really shows such a mysterious meaning? Glad to hear that... ;)
Haha.. true true.. let's learn from nippon... Colour do change a person mood.. and create mood..
Since your blog background is in black, it does bring out your mysterious side.. and keep on driving me into your blog. Lol... congratulation...
:D

Jen said...

guilty as charged i suppose ;)

3POINT8 said...

[Curryegg]
I was about to change my template colour to a lighter one. Since it keeps driving you back here, I'll just leave it as it is for the time being. Thanks for the template comment ya, kelly.

[jen]
Jen, your style of colour text is pretty good. The colours you use are pretty distinct and its readable. Do maintain your style of writing ya. Coz not many people can pull this off as nicely as how you did it.

curryegg said...

thank you... :)
Luckily I commented on your template before you change. Somehow, if you wanna change, it's ok.. Give a fresh look to 4-4-4-4.blogspot.com..
^_^

Linora 'Aronil' Low said...

hahah so funny and even better know that you've admitted to a leet translator haha. thanks for the link :)

Anonymous said...

*sakit kepala* I'm gonna leave the reading and timing to people who unlike me, have ADD. Haha! Uhh.. *points at sky*

Reading that isn't what amazes me, it's WRITING like that that leaves me in awe. How freaking long did it take you? LOL! And how do people tYpE lIKe tHis all the time? Susah tau!!

It already takes me hours just to complete ONE post, 'decorating' it like this will take me FOREVER!!

BYE!

chelsea said...

hmmph.. colours, huh? i hope this post was not inspired by seamumbles.blogspot.com ;)

Anonymous said...

1 ƒ1|\|1$|-|3Ð 7|-|3 £4$7 £1|\|3 0ƒ ¥0µ® p0$7

3POINT8 said...

[curryegg]
I'm still thinking of colour to use as my background. I was thinking of something light, something that makes people relax. Any idea?

[Aronil]
Sure. I try my best to give credit to those contributed in my blogpost.

[usws]
Got people read the L33t sentence. Other than pinksterz, I don't think anyone timed their reading.

[Chelsea]
Oh...Do you want me to put your link up there? I can if you want to.
Dont worry, your colors are ok to me. If not, I wouldn't have leave a comment in your blog.

[blog]
You finished the last line? Congrats! (Took me quite a while to figure what you wrote there)

curryegg said...

Em.... What kind of colour do you like?

chelsea said...

..... :) my pleasure with the links!
As long as it appears fine to all, I am glad... wouldn't want it to annoy anybody and cause unhappiness around :) thanks tho!

Mrs Chong said...

aiya, the tiny words too tiny. Want to read also cannot. Hopefully it's not my eyes la. If it is, die liao. Mata rosak again. I can't read the last part though. With all the //(( )), I don't even know what I'm reading

3POINT8 said...

[curryegg]
Light colours. Colours that is soothing. Any idea?

[chelsea]
oh..ok ok...

[ping ping]
Haha... Ya, its best that you don't stress your eye reading what you know you can't read.

Anonymous said...

The overly coloured ones annoy me the most.
By the way, for those who want to cheat at your challenge, there's a site that will translate from Leet to English :)

3POINT8 said...

[Julian]
Julian, you are thet best! I'm actually looking for a Leet2Eng translator! Thanks for the link.