How to explain the use of all caps?

[TootsNYC]

Unfortunately, none of the client complaints have been in writing.  My next goal is to try to get one in writing to pass along.  Since posting this, I've talked with a couple of the other associates who have the same issue and they're going to try to get something in writing as well.  If we go to the partners with enough, maybe one of them will lay down the law.

I also like the idea of simply rejecting any e-mail that is in all caps.

I have flat out told her not to do it.  Unfortunately, the inusbordination issue here is huge and I'm more or less stuck with it.  The partners somehow think that she's irreplaceable and the only associates she seems to have a problem with are the females.

The passive aggressive evil me wants to start sending all of my messages to her in all caps.

You  mean the partners won't believe you when you say, "Client A and client Z both told me they found it offputting"? It has to be in writing? 

But I understand about the "preponderance of evidence" bit.


The really snarky approach would be for everyone who objects to her practice to simply adopt it, and send every e-mail to the partners in all-caps.

[Mikayla]

Even if she doesn't buy that it's like yelling, might she stop doing it because it's really hard on the eyes to read entire messages in all caps?  What if you pointed that out to her?

This is the side that rarely gets mentioned, in addition to the rude yelling.

If a genie gave me 3 questions that I would want answered, one of them would be why people still type in all caps!  It boggles my mind, and whoever is typing that way loses all cred with me.  I'd almost rather see a long string of typos. 

To OP, I think it's bizarre that her communications are allowed to go out this way. 

[ShadesOfGrey]

I think you need to tell the clients to pass their complaints on to the partners in writing. every time.

And if this isnt their hill to die on, I wouldnt make it mine either. 

[Calypso]

Here's an argument that might mean something to her: as an editor, when I get a submission in all-caps (and once in a while I do) I make knee-jerk assumptions about the submitter's competence and intelligence. Not fair, I know, and I make myself stop and read the thing (as annoying as it is to read) for the content rather than the format...but you might want to tell her that people *will* judge how it looks before they dive into what it says, when she uses all caps.

[TootsNYC]

What if everybody in your office sent all their emails to HER in all caps.

[Solanna Dryden]

^^ She might see it as them finally accepting her method and adopting it as the standard. That's the only problem with that.

[kglory]

Even if she doesn't buy that it's like yelling, might she stop doing it because it's really hard on the eyes to read entire messages in all caps?  What if you pointed that out to her?

This is the side that rarely gets mentioned, in addition to the rude yelling.

If a genie gave me 3 questions that I would want answered, one of them would be why people still type in all caps!  It boggles my mind, and whoever is typing that way loses all cred with me.  I'd almost rather see a long string of typos. 

To OP, I think it's bizarre that her communications are allowed to go out this way. 

My thought is that, for someone who is not a strong typist, it's easier to type in all caps.  You don't have to pause to capitalize words, hit "shift" and then release, or even think about whether or not grammar calls for the word to be capitalized in the first place.  Now for me, I'm a very strong "QWERTY trained" typist, so it's not an issue.  But I see it as more of a sign of someone who is new with the keyboard - I guess much like a 4 year old is new at printing letters, so he prints only in all caps.

My thought was the same as Toots's - send her a long email with detailed instructions in all caps. At the end of the time frame (buried somewhere in the all caps email), see if she has completed all the instructions and done them correctly. If not.....time to ask if there was anything that prevented her from realizing what needed to be done.

[aiki]

My thought is that, for someone who is not a strong typist, it's easier to type in all caps.  You don't have to pause to capitalize words, hit "shift" and then release, or even think about whether or not grammar calls for the word to be capitalized in the first place.  Now for me, I'm a very strong "QWERTY trained" typist, so it's not an issue.  But I see it as more of a sign of someone who is new with the keyboard - I guess much like a 4 year old is new at printing letters, so he prints only in all caps.

No-one, in this day and age, trained or untrained, is that unfamiliar with a keyboard.

[TootsNYC]

Yes, but not everyone *drills* in typing, do they?

It was taught as an office class when I was in school.

I know my kids have learned it almost the way they are learning handwriting, but it's actually pretty cursory. They spend more time on handwriting.

[aiki]

Toots, allowing for their ages/educational level, do your kids mostly manage to get their capitalisation and punctuation in the right places in their formal writing, despite their cursory training?

I'm untrained in typing, and I manage because I don't want to look like an idiot.

[TootsNYC]

Oh, I'm not saying that it's *RIGHT*--I'm simply agreeing that one reason people use all caps may be that they aren't particularly skilled touch typists.

My kids get it right. And they slow WAY down for capital letters. I don't, bcs I drilled in touch typing.
(125 wpm as my best speed, post college; 90 was my base speed in high school)

[MissRose]

I would be telling her use of all caps is equal to shouting and is very rude, and in a private setting.

I have a co-worker notorious for sending instant messages and emails often full of capitalization.  Unfortunately, he's not toned it down all that much but still its better than the past where communications were all CAPS!

[Diane AKA Traska]

I have a different perspective.

Does she possibly have any kind of visual disability that would make it difficult to read normal text?  I ask this, because I was once a "community volunteer" for an online service, and one thing that we had drilled into us is that even though Netiquette states that ALL CAPS is wrong, some people have difficulty reading it otherwise.

If that doesn't apply, then all bets are off, of course.

[Nurvingiel]

1/16". That is the distance one has to move one's pinky in order to not to sound like an idiot. I try not to be judgemental generally speaking, but if you email me in all caps I will think you are stupid. Turn off that caps lock, and suddenly you will rise a great deal in my esteem.

I wouldn't even read someone's email written to me in all caps, on the basis that I have never seen anything written in all caps that was worth reading, back when I would actually read text written by troglodytes. I no longer waste my time.

I know this sounds harsh, but there is no excuse for writing in all caps. None. Ever. If one can't use the shift key (and it's possible that someone could find themselves in this situation) then type in all lower case. I have zero problem with an all lower case email. I will read it, and not think the sender is dumb at all.

Previous posters have given you great links for giving her information. I wanted to post because your employee (you are her boss, I gather) makes herself and everyone she represents look like morons. Yes, it is a big deal. Who knows how many recipients of her emails feel as I do?

[RegionMom]

THIS IS JUST AN EXPERIMENT.  DO NOT BE ALARMED.  I AM TESTING OUT THE ALL CAPS. 

(yikes--not a good idea to write in all caps.)

this is just an experiment.  do not be alarmed.  i am testing out all lowercase.

(ok, I can deal with this one!)