Explaining a PM to a Customer - Ivan Seeking's Fear

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the humorous challenges and misunderstandings related to communication terminology, particularly the use of "PM" (private message) versus "email." Participants share personal anecdotes about their experiences with miscommunication and the quirks of naming conventions in both professional and casual contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses fear of mistakenly introducing themselves as "Ivan Seeking," highlighting the awkwardness of online identities.
  • Another participant shares a humorous anecdote about mispronouncing "Skype" as "skippy," leading to confusion within their organization.
  • Several participants mention their tendency to confuse "PM" with "email," with one noting they rarely use email.
  • A participant humorously refers to themselves as "Danger" in real life, prompting curiosity from others about the name's origin.
  • Another participant recounts a past experience with an MMORPG, where they mistakenly used game currency terminology in a real-life conversation.
  • One participant mentions the challenges of using a currency called the "Loonie," drawing a parallel to the confusion over communication terms.
  • There are multiple references to the humorous nature of the thread, with participants enjoying the light-hearted exchanges.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a light-hearted agreement on the humorous aspects of miscommunication, but there is no consensus on the seriousness or impact of these misunderstandings.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express varying degrees of confusion regarding online communication terms, indicating a lack of familiarity with certain terminology. The discussion does not resolve the underlying issues of communication preferences or naming conventions.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in communication dynamics, online identity, and the humorous aspects of language use in digital interactions may find this discussion engaging.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,252
Reaction score
2,665
Me: I sent you a PM about it
Customer: A what?
Me: A PM.
Customer: What is a PM; the opposite of an AM?
Me: Uh... I meant an email

My biggest fear: A couple of time I have come close to introducing myself as Ivan Seeking.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I introduced skype into our orgranisation a few years ago and in a moment of pre-morning-coffee whimsy pronounced it skippy (as in the famous kangeroo)

Now everyone in the company talks earnestly about how skippy is making a great saving in our international business communications - which is driving me crazy and confusing any foreign dealers/customers that they try and persuade to use it!
 
:smile:
I constantly find myself referring to e-mails as PM's, possibly because I almost never use e-mail.
At least I don't have your name problem, because I'm known as Danger in my real life.
 
Danger said:
:smile:
I constantly find myself referring to e-mails as PM's, possibly because I almost never use e-mail.
At least I don't have your name problem, because I'm known as Danger in my real life.

Dear Hubby would like to know why you are called "danger" just to calm his nerves a little. You know. Please PM me that? Thank you Ivan. Have you found it yet? You can PM me that as well? :biggrin:
 
Lacy33 said:
Dear Hubby would like to know why you are called "danger" just to calm his nerves a little. You know. Please PM me that?

I will do so soon. In the meantime, please be assured that it is nothing sinister. It has something to do with my sense of humour.
 
LOL!

I sometimes cannot access my university's account, and always took me a few moments before I realized it's the name I typed wrong, drizzle. :redface:

Also my family are calling me driz now. :biggrin:

But in all seriousness, what powers do PF have to influence my life like that?
 
I have the same problem. In my case it has become quite severe.
 
Jimmy Snyder said:
I have the same problem. In my case it has become quite severe.

I frequently introduce myself as Jimmy Snyder, but only when planning a crime.
 
This reminds me of a time when I was addicted to an MMORPG called EverQuest (circa 2001). I was talking via instant messaging to a friend about a new pair of shoes I bought. She asked how much they cost, and I responded 40pp.

The monetary unit in EverQuest is the platinum piece, or pp for short...
 
  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
I frequently introduce myself as Jimmy Snyder, but only when planning a crime.
Jimmy is a nice name!
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
I frequently introduce myself as Jimmy Snyder, but only when planning a crime.

How are you spelling that exactly please? Any middle name? :smile:
 
  • #12
turbo-1 said:
Jimmy is a nice name!

Sure, but if I'm planning a crime, I don't want to use MY name. Jeez!

:biggrin:
 
  • #13
Oh, you mean the name 'Ivan' is too bad for a criminal!

:biggrin:
 
  • #14
Me: Are you online?
Her: I'm on a bed.
 
  • #15
:smile: this thread is funny lol
 
  • #16
Jack21222 said:
The monetary unit in EverQuest is the platinum piece, or pp for short...

Try living in a place whose official unit of currency is called the "Loonie"... :rolleyes:
 
  • #17
Ivan Seeking said:
Me: I sent you a PM about it
Customer: A what?
I read that far, and thought to myself, " Poor 'Customer' doesn't use the internet, or they would surely know what a PM is."

I had to read to the end to figure out the real problem.
Me: A PM.
Customer: What is a PM; the opposite of an AM?
Me: Uh... I meant an email.
 

Similar threads

Undergrad Optimization problem: Error mitigation while using trigonometry
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
4K
Stargazing Join the occult (Dec. 7th/8th, Moon will occult Mars.)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
What's the most likely cause for this carbon seal crack?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Very strange copy-paste bug in PDF document
  • · Replies 36 ·
2
Replies
36
Views
5K
MHB How Can One Demonstrate the Ratio Between the Hypotenuses of Two Triangles?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Engineering calculations as a deliverable: standards and references
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Stationary points classification using definiteness of the Lagrangian
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad Angle of Sun by date and zip code?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Graduate Hints for lepton flavor violation in B-hadron decays
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Undergrad Linear fit on the difference of data points
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
3K