The Language of the Short Form

No doubt, there is infinite room for formal language in the polluted ocean that is the Internet (formerly known as the Information Superhighway). For example, I just downloaded an application that allows me to store the texts for every Shakespeare play on my iPhone. Before I die, I’ll probably have the Library of Congress at my fingertips. But that is not what online communication is famous for. The fame comes from its acronymic, telegraphic (sometimes telepathic), and emoticonic informality. What too many online writers fail to realize is that there are formal requirements for the most effective, most economical informal style.

Roy Peter Clark schreibt auf Poynter Online über „From Telegraph to Twitter: The Language of the Short Form“ (via)