Well of course they only pulled it because it was hurting business. They also only originally supported it because they thought it would help their business.
I think that it is very important to both understand basic rules of grammar and be able to spell properly if you want to be taken seriously as a professional (or even just as a reliable source of information).
For instance, if Mike's posts here were full of grammatical errors and shoddy spelling, I most likely would not frequent this site as I do; proper spelling and grammar make you a more effective communicator, as well as being a courtesy to your audience. Abbreviated txt-speak has its place - in SMS, for instance, or Twitter, where space is limited. There's no reason to type like that in a blog entry or long-form reply such as this one, and doing so immediately makes you appear ignorant or discourteous (regardless of whether or not you truly are).
I will often slack off with capitalization in instant messaging sessions, but I tend to be rather uptight about proper use of the English language whenever I have the opportunity to do so. And just for full disclosure: I'm a 20-something who grew up using BBS and spends far too much time on his computer. This has only served to reinforce my opinion on the subject, rather than weaken it.
So, to sum up: txt-speak has its place, but please, leave it there.
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Re:
Well of course they only pulled it because it was hurting business. They also only originally supported it because they thought it would help their business.
That's how businesses work.
Context Matters
I think that it is very important to both understand basic rules of grammar and be able to spell properly if you want to be taken seriously as a professional (or even just as a reliable source of information).
For instance, if Mike's posts here were full of grammatical errors and shoddy spelling, I most likely would not frequent this site as I do; proper spelling and grammar make you a more effective communicator, as well as being a courtesy to your audience. Abbreviated txt-speak has its place - in SMS, for instance, or Twitter, where space is limited. There's no reason to type like that in a blog entry or long-form reply such as this one, and doing so immediately makes you appear ignorant or discourteous (regardless of whether or not you truly are).
I will often slack off with capitalization in instant messaging sessions, but I tend to be rather uptight about proper use of the English language whenever I have the opportunity to do so. And just for full disclosure: I'm a 20-something who grew up using BBS and spends far too much time on his computer. This has only served to reinforce my opinion on the subject, rather than weaken it.
So, to sum up: txt-speak has its place, but please, leave it there.