Some people are cheery and informal face to face, but they write like a lawyer through emails.

Others are cold and stoic in real life, but they cover every message with smilies and exclamation points.

And still others are cordial in person or on the phone, but they suddenly get the courage to be direct and/or disrespectful when they get behind a screen.

It’s all confusing and ineffective.

I’m of the opinion that we should be one congruent person when we communicate, regardless of the medium.

Sure, we can cut out the filler words and improper grammar that naturally creeps into our everyday conversation, but the tone should feel the same. We shouldn’t use four-syllable words in writing if we don’t when we talk. And we shouldn’t be afraid to let our personality show through texts and emails.

Maybe in the past there was something sacred about the written word, but that’s gone now. The internet has changed the way we communicate.

I should sound like me, regardless of where you happen to catch me.

-Brandon