to have feelings about @?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

The little curly critter seems to be creeping its way into conversations on here.

I'm not sure whether anti-snail evolution is required, or whether shrugs and an acceptance of evolution of language is the way forward?

It just doesn't seem to scan right, or even really make sense to me but perhaps I am just a poster of little brain.

AIBU to ponder?

Ah... thanks Blather, I get the first usage, but still not sure about the second. So if I were to use it to sum up a post in the same way, I would look like a twat do something along these lines? #baffled and old

Does that mean it creates a link of some kind? Or not?

I don't see the point of it on here: if you want to address your post to someone in particular, why not just put their name at the start. No need for the @. And it does seem a bit rude to say something 'at' someone rather than to them!

No idea about Twitter, have never used it and don't entirely understand it...

creates a clickable link within Twitter. So if I Tweet 'What a lot of faff on @mumsnetowers about @ #boringtopic'

Twitter will link to Mumsnet Tower's Twitter Feed and create a clickable subject link out of #boringtopic. You can then click on #boringtopic and see if anyone else has tagged their Tweets as boring.

I've noticed it, I don't like it. It seems vaguely twitterish to me (I don't use twitter) and we have perfectly adequate ways i.e. bold to draw someone's attention to a specific reply to them if needed. Please stop all who do this.

Right. Got it. Sort of. But actually not really. #Luddite

Oh God.
I cant stand it but just realised I am guilty of using it to tell people I am laughing about something that somebody said.
@ chaos
Like that
I am so ashamed of myself

It doesn't make much sense to this of us who do not use twitter.

If you want to make your posts less accessible to a proportion of MNetters, then no-one's going to stop you. But it seems silly and self-defeating to me.

I do not use twitter also. I also dont tend to use text speak. I think the @ thing has just caught me off guard. But I dont use it on the general boards, just on the thread I most frequent.
I will try to stop doing it from now on though. :)

"Right. Got it. Sort of. But actually not really. #Luddite" - Perfect. You'd fit right in on Twitter tethers

I thought for a moment that you had feelings for @, that you were in love with the little bugger or something! :o

That was, indeed, a perfect Tweet, tethers!

And it's not Txt Spk. It's Twitter code that Facebook then stole to be more like Twitter.

And I, personally, never use it anywhere but Twitter or FB. MN absolutely does not need it!

Still not sure it needed a thread though, chaos.

::flees::

Since when has Chaos needed a reason to start a thread?

A very good point Al0uiseG! [wunk]

I'm with EdithWeston. It's self-defeating if your intended audience are oblivious to it, or indeed rather repelled by it.

I quite like it

Its widely used on the internet ,not just on twitter

Maryz...not so inner.

And I would never use @ in a sentence or & in writing (except where appropriate such as: This post was written by Tee & TeeJr and TeeSr, where Tee & TeeJr are a writing team).

usual I may be wrong, but I think Twitter started it's widespread use.

May it started on twitter then ,but I've seen it on other forums

But, and I know this is not a popular suggestion ,if MN had a quote poster facility the @ wouldn't be needed so much

Maybe*

It needed a thread Tee.

Can you not see the pervasion of our pure place of sanctuary and properly typoed posts?

Trills, I have a small warm place for the atmark, but it sure @in't here.

Well, as I bow down to your superior typo ability, Chaos, I will bow down to you in this as well!

::bows::

I was in Bristol recently and their science-museum-and-stuff are is called not @Bristol but "at in a circle" Bristol.

The @ has an A and a T in it (in lowercase).

Very interesting history of the '@'

Apparently Monks created it to save their hands. Maybe.

And the US adopted it for email addresses and the rest is history!