The @ Sign

[Lintasare]

People are inappropriately putting it in front of people's names on FACEBOOK - not Twitter, when some people don't even have a Twitter page. Plus Twitter is Twitter and Facebook is Facebook.

Or they are using a mobile app that posts to both Twitter and Facebook at the same time.

And even if they are not...who cares?

 

[Crystal0608]

I use it a lot, but for approx.

 

[Imzadi]

On Facebook though, you can "tag" people in your posts. If I type "@Husband Name" Facebook auto-formats it to appear as just "Husband Name" with a link to his profile. If I want to do this but I'm sloppy about it, I might type "@Hubby" instead of his full name, and then Facebook doesn't know who I am talking about and does not auto-format, so it appears in the post as "@Hubby."

Are they? Or do they have their tweets automatically posting to their facebook feed?

Or they are using a mobile app that posts to both Twitter and Facebook at the same time.

I don't do Facebook or have a mobile apps. That makes more sense as to why they would use it on Facebook if it does that.

I have also never heard that @ means "about" until mentioned above and in reference to Facebook.

And even if they are not...who cares?

Obviously people care to make sense out of what they are reading. If @ IS being used inappropriately in OTHER places, people are trying to figure out what it all means. Communication is a TWO-way process. It is not enough to simply write garbly-gook: "dfkirud fghsg awpah" with only the Sender knowing what he is saying. Communication is about the recipient being able to understand what one intended. When people are using language/symbols inappropriately and out of correct context, it is confusing to the other side.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I thought for sure this was going to be a conversation on how people can't handwrite an @ symbol. I do a lot with online banking at my job and you wouldn't believe the paperwork that comes across my desk.

People fill out a form that requires an email address and I've seen the most bizarre symbols in place of the @ sign. It drives me nuts!

 

[ShesAPirate]

Who knew there would be such a long Wiki article on @
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/@

As far as I'm concerned, it means "at". Always has and always will. End of story