Frustrations are ever so present these days ( Archived) (47)

I find it virtually impossible to communicate via printed words whether in emails, on forums, or in IMs. I'm always misunderstood in print.

All of the women that I've met via the Internet were willing to take it to the telephone immediately. If it wasn't for that we would have never met. I've never succeeded in getting to know a woman via emails alone. They always jump to conclusions that I never intended. Then I find myself trying to explain away their misunderstands which is never good because that sounds defensive and once you're on the defensive forget it.

That never happens to me in person or on the telephone. Not to imply I'm never misunderstood in live conversations, but when you are misunderstood live it's instantaneous. You can quickly say, "Oh that's not what I meant", and then explain yourself immediately which is not at all the same as being defensive in an email.

You see the difference is that if the other person misunderstands something in an email they continue to read the rest of the email under the bad impression of that misunderstanding. That distorts the whole email. Once a person gets a bad impression then tend to build on it which makes any further misunderstandings tilt toward the negative.

"Give my live conversation or give me death" - Henry Patrick

My favorite quote, although I'm not sure who Henry Patrick is!