The shy/thinkers club:)

hi Mife-san! its not just you! i'd have double my post count if i didn't hesitate so much and posted everything i thought ... sometimes i have to think carefully about the replies, and i take too long and the topic of conversation has already moved on to something else >_<

ack i didnt realised i was a page behind dang these time zones and all the activity that happens when im asleep

i agree with everyone, reading a post on the forum doesnt express the tone-of-voice that the post is intended, im quite a sarcastic person sometimes but if i type what i say, without the dry tone, it sounds mean or rude when its usually spoken in a joking manner and meant to be laughed at >_< thats why i use the fill set of emoticons to make sure that people know its meant to be funny

Yes, I probably use way too many emoticons in the hopes that I "lighten the tone" of my post I've also seen sarcasm (luckily not mine) taken the wrong way, which led to disastrous results (and a member feeling quite alienated for trying to be funny, which I thought he was). Often I find myself thinking "Ehh, nope, written format just isn't working for this sentence." The worst is when I'm writing email to a friend of mine who doesn't use emoticons I don't want to seem childish by using them, but how else can I express sarcasm or teasing?

I have never been comfortable using emoticons...but my writing style comes across as serious sometimes when I am kidding. I should get in the habit of using them.

The emoticons are quite handy, but they don't always work (just had this problem last week in this forum >.<)
Wasn't there this reading mark, a deformed "!" that expressed irony? I still haven't encountered that one anywhere though

there used to be this --> (!) placed at the end of a sentence which meant for it to be sarcastic, but i never saw it used in online, only in some books and papers >_> so i didnt use it incase people who didnt know it took it the sentence at face value and with emphasis, which makes it even worse >_<

I use a lot of emoticons, often after writing a text I go over it again and delete some, they seem too much for my taste. (<--- see, did it again, lol)

first..lent!!!I didn't expect to see you here at all

makiyuki is right it is normal..tho until now I didn't really think about saying something because someone might laugh at me..when I first joined I had a thread asking what all the older people thought about the new people joining and starting threads..I got good feed back so I ran with it ran a little to much I think alot of what we are talking about here we've talked about in threads and thats kinda cool
some of you know about my feelings about some people and not knowing if they are being serious or not..tho I think I've got it down now so I wont worry esp since I asked said person and someone else...like I said I'm not so shy..more worried about things..I guess..but now that this is here I can ask and see if my ideas are good or not..and even if some people don't like them I know most of you will

and thats also for anyone else who feels shy/worried about thread ideas

The only thread I have started was a contest one...and I was anxious about that. I suppose it is like all things the more times you do something the easier it becomes.

Hi, guys!! I am shy in some ways I am not afraid to say "hello" or voice my opinion, although I used to be. But being in grad school and having to speak up when I had a differing opinion has taught me to be more assertive ... though never to the point of self-righteousness.

Here on aarin, I am not shy to start threads or join in discussions, but I am very shy about meeting new people and wondering what they think of me! I worry all the time: they must think I'm annoying / loud-mouthed / stupid / narrow-minded, etc. I think these are things we all worry about, no?

What keeps me from replying or responding to a post the most is this great fear I always have of offending or hurting someone. So, in the forums, you will see me a lot trying to break up arguments ... and then of course as soon as I do that, I think to myself, "Are they thinking, my goodness, that Artemis, such a busy body, thinks she's such a peacemaker!"

*covers face with hands* Ahh

hahaha wish you were around to break up the little "fight" I had b4 aarin went down..I worry cause I was actually told I was those things so I'm keeping my threads in my head for awhile..ya I'm not shy in real life..you can't be if you want to work with famous people tho I do have to hold myself back sometimes..I'm so loud..sigh