I NEVER USE ALL CAPPS. IT IS JUST PLAIN RUDE.

What's the DIFFERENCE? She wanted to make a statement? It's the context that counts, not the UPPER/lower case.

Who makes up these rules? Personally, I don't find caps annoying.. They are actually easier to read.. COME ON... RECONSTRUCT YOUR BRAIN AND FIND SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT TO UPSET YOU..!!!!

HEY TERRYFIO...................I 100% AGREE WITH YOU.......I DON'T SEE THAT WELL NOW AT AGE 66 AND IT HELPS ME FIGURE OUT WHAT SOME JERK IS TRYING TO MAKE HIM/HERSELF CONTROLLER OF THE
E-MAIL SERVICE .......I THOUGHT IT WAS DAN QUAIL
OPPS I'M SORRY IT WAS THE "JERK"........DAN

HEY TERRYFIO...................I 100% AGREE WITH YOU.......I DON'T SEE THAT WELL NOW AT AGE 66 AND IT HELPS ME FIGURE OUT WHAT SOME JERK IS TRYING TO MAKE HIM/HERSELF CONTROLLER OF THE
E-MAIL SERVICE .......I THOUGHT IT WAS DAN QUAIL
OPPS I'M SORRY IT WAS THE "JERK"........DAN

All caps? While annoying, has its place in expessing a point...could be over-the-top in a work related e-mail though. Should one be fired? no.

It's important to realize that in all stories there is always more than we read, pretty sure there was more going on with the boss than an "annoyed-by-the-caps" situation.

Who made up these rules? I have been a business educator for over 35 years and studied in Ireland and in a Business College in England. Emphasis here appears to be misplaced. The focus should be on basic English, i.e., comprehension and spelling and not on "all caps".

This is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard! To be fired over nothing! This boss has way to much time on his hands, or is just a vindictive bastard. Unfortunately people like him exist in our world. People have enough to deal with in the workplace, all the stress, the economy, hoping to not loose your job, etc. To fire someone over this, it's not even a workplace infraction. This is the first time i have ever heard of anyone being fired over sending and email in all CAPS, and without notice. I hope this woman was actually awarded the amount the courts said that she deserved. I would have that man himself fired without notice. Your fired just because your a moron, and he will never be able to work in that town again! Have a nice day.

First, I agree there was probably more going on behind the scenes that the story doesn't cover. This was probably the last in a long string of incidents. Maybe she's consistently confrontational, and this was the last straw.
However, as technology changes, so does ettiquete. In general, all caps suggests yelling. You wouldn't walk around your office screaming at the top of your lungs "HEY EVERYBODY, WE HAVE A MEETING AT 10:00 TODAY! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!" It's not professional, and typing in all caps is not professional, just like you don't add smiley faces like :) or :P to professional emails.
Perhaps this woman was unaware and should have been told that typing in all caps is the computer version of yelling in someone's face, but again we don't know what else was going on.

I don't find them annoying either.

Do find them easy to read and WHO THE HECK made up this STUPID RULE back in the dark ages of beginning emails.

In our world those who know how to write, print or verbally communicate are in a very small, select minority. There are more than 200 languages and almost 8 Billion people occupying this planet. Computer literacy is rare. Tolerance for anyone, anywhere is the point. None of us have the right to condemn others for our own idea of what is appropriate, acceptable, politically correct. Those who force the superior, egotistical expression of their own concept of what must be done, should be removed and told to go back under a small slimy rock and leave the rest of us alone.

ARE YOU PEOPLE FOR REAL?? I SHALL TYPE ALL WORK ON MY COMPUTER, AT WORK AND AT HOME IN CAPITAL LETTERS FROM NOW ON. I WAS UNAWARE THAT THE PRINTED OR WITTEN WORD HAD THE ABILITY OF TALKING IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER; I WONDER IF WORDS HAVE THE ABILITY TO EAT, SLEEP, OR DRINK? I MEAN, IF THEY CAN MANAGE SPEECH, WHY NOT? RIGHT???????

i agree, who makes this stuff up! I am not offended either. Get a life!!!! Itis easier to read when u get old. SHE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN FIRED...

AT SEVENTY ONE YEARS OF AGE,IT IS A LOT EASIER TO SEE ALL CAPS! THANK YOU.

WTF.......there's a war going on or did we all forget THAT!!!!!!!

NO COMIC BOOK, NEWSPAPER, ENGINEERING DRAWING OR HOUSE PLAN HAS EVER OFFENDED ME OR ANY ONE ELSE, AND WE HAVE BEEN READING THEM FOR YEARS AND YEARS. SHOULD WE GO BACK AND CHANGE ALL THES DOCUMENTS TO LOWER CASE SO AS NOT TO OFFEND THE INTERNET HALL MONITORS.

One thing to keep in mind: most spell checking programs don't work for any word typed in capital letters. They only alert the article/document/comment composer of a misspelling if lowercase, or a mixture of upper and lowercase letters are used.

personally, i like all caps. I don't have very good vision, and it helps me see better. But, since i see it is offensive to most everyone, I will type in small letters and continue to use my magnifying glass.

I AM 85 YEARS OLD AND. LARGE PRINT IS IMPORTANT
TO ME. IF THERE WERE LARGER CAPS AVAILABLE, I WOULD USE THEM.

Using all caps in an email message is the same as shouting at someone...most of the time shouting at co-workers generically is not acceptable (BTW some deserve shouting). For those persons who have difficulty reading words in lower case...it is a simple matter to increase the font size.

All caps in an email come are getting more childiesh as we grow with the economy. Words are words no matter how you see them. Did she use foul lanugage in there. If she would have written and email in lower letters and use such foul words would that been ok? If you take offense to emails or text messages then you dont need to have either of them. Next time Girl curse him out face to face to so he'll know the difference.

I hate that she lost her job. I prefer all caps because of vision sake. I have never heard of so many rules and regulations for simply trying to get your message across. Who all of sudden decided that it was rude to use all caps when upset or not? Please help me understand.

WHAT PICAYUNE NONSENSE. IT MUCH EASIER TO READ IN ALL CAPS.

WHY WOULD ANYONE CONDEMN ANOTHER FOR NOT USING LOWER CASE LETTERS? JUST AS SOME OTHERS, I, TOO, AM OVER 65, HAVE POOR VISION AND APPRECIATE LEGIBILITY AS AN ASSET INSTEAD OF A LIABILITY.

THIS LOW-CASE MANIA HAS TAKEN A STEP TOO FAR. IS THERE AN ALL-CAPS MINORITY WITH WHICH I'D BE ABLE TO SIGN UP?

ANY OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT POOR USE OF SYNTAX SHOULD ALMOST BE EQUALLY DISMISSED. IT'S THE GIST OR HEART OF THE PERSON'S STATEMENT WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED OF THE MOST VALUE.

Some people need to get a life, to fire someone over using CAPS only is totally lame, her boss as others have said should be fired without notice!!!! While protocol is CAPS equate to yelling at some it is possible the lady in question did not know that, her former boss needs to get a life, as others have also said he had most likely other issues with her, did he like her and she said NO, did the poor babies feelings get hurt?

The company needs to create a policy about how they want emails and other correspondance handled, before firing someone out of the blue like that. They can create whatever company culture or enviornment they want, as long as they give employees fair notice and warnings.

Perhaps some one should read the whole article. She wrote in several colors and caps (which can be hard to see) and she got her reward. I do believe if you work for someone and take their money for this service you should do things the way they require.

I like all the responses to the employer should have HIS butt sacked and what a moron HE is. Nowhere in the story does it refer to the employer/boss as of male gender. How ever the person who thought the email was confrontational might have been a female. Who really cares.

All caps mean yelling, work or not they are not cool. I would say they were fired for more than ALL CAPS which means yelling

I USE CAPS ALL THE TIME!!!! WHO SAY'S IT'S THE LAW NOT TO???? TO THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE IT,OH WELL LIFE GOES ON GET OVER IT!
TO THE LADY WHO GOT FIRED, SUE THE BASTERDS! I'M SURE YOU WILL WIN.GOOD LUCK, WISH YOU ALL THE BEST!

Oh Please, give me a break. We type in all caps in what ever we do at our office and it would really be a pain to switch back and forth to not "offend anyone." Who decided that all Caps was confrontational,yelling,rude, or what ever.I didn't realize there was a internet GOD making the rules for the rest of us.

I used to type in all caps all the time. It is easier to read and takes less time. No shifting between the two and I used to get flack about it.
It amazes me that some person started this dumb idea that caps was yelling and like sheep we all follow without ever questioning why we have decided this to be gospel and yet these same people who will act like using a capital letter instead of a small letter is breaking one the ten commandmants will go around breaking as many of the real commandments as possible and would most likely be the ones in an ofice that have their thong poking out and a bone in their nose.

People that get annoyed by all caps are freaks, I mean Big Effin Deal (or do you also get annoyed at people spelling out the "eff" sound?) You people need to get a real life, put down the latte, close your laptop and leave starbucks immediately

IF A PERSONS IS SO STUPID TO THINK THAT A PERSON THAT USES ALL CAPITAL CHARACTERS IS BEING RUDE --- THEN HE OR SHE NEEDS TO HAVE THEIR HEAD EXAMINED. IF YOU JUDGE A PERSON BY THAT YOU ARE LACKING AN ADEQUATE IQ. ALSO, IT WOULD BE APPARENT TO ME THAT YOU ARE SELF CENTERED AND THINK THE WORRLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU. FIND SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT TO BITCH ABOUT.
IT MAY BE ANNOYING, BUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE MORE ANNOYING. I WOULD NOT WANT YOU AS A FRIEND.
ALSO , I WOULD CLASS YOU AS A NIT-PICKING MORON.
Believe it or not some peple have a difficult time seeing small print.
Would it satisfy you if an apology preceeded the email message.
"Im soory, but please forgive me for using all caps - I am not trying to be rude or get into your face, I just cant see very well."

There are all kinds of ass-holes in the world and one who objects to all caps are BRASS PLATED ASS- HOLES.

Reject my comment - I do not give a hoot.

redonkulous, an employer should be able to hire and fire as he sees fit. If the BOSS say's your fired,go get another job. sue happy bellends!

Maybe we should have been able to read the context of the email. That might have explained thing a little more about whether the caps were intended for malice or just plain uppercase email. Uppercase is a social norm for expressing anger or "hollering" so to speak. But, never should it be deemed as that in every situation. On occation, I TOO LIKE TO TYPE IN CAPS. IT DOES NOT MEAN I AM ANGRY OR HOLLERING. Let's all redirect our attention to more important matters. Such as our families!!!!

I AM SO SORRY THAT FOLKS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF US ONLY TYPE ON A MILL TYPEWRITTER AND JUST FEEL THAT CAPS ARE CAPS AND EASIER TO READ

I myself OFTEN use caps for EMPHASIS if italics are not available, AS OPPOSED TO shouting. Now if somebody is speaking in all caps and **** makes up most of what he is saying? Sure, firing that sort of an email off to the boss should get him fired. If he is saying EXCUSE ME, BUT I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD REMOVE THE ROTTEN SANDWICH FROM YOUR DESK then the odds are his Caps Lock key is broken. Now my personal standards may differ (I consider it disrespectful to intentionally misspell) but I for one would not fire anybody over it and it is my opinion that anybody who does so should be suspended from work w/o pay so that he can understand what it feels like to be fired over one mistake.

P.S. @ Equal Opportunity Terminator: I do not apologize for using "he" constantly . . . If gender is unknown the accepted standard is to act as if the subject is male. Not everybody who uses the word "he" is a male chauvinist pig.

Firing someone for using all caps in an e-mail
is pretty darn petty, especially if the content
was ordinary and not attacking in any way.

I hope this woman gets a really nice settlement!

Vision is poor, nothing rude about all caps. My clients want to hear from me so this IS WHAT THEY GET NOT RUDE, JUST CONSIDERATE.

GAY

What difference does it makes if you use caps or not.It does not hurt your eyes or mean one is yelling. Yelling is indicated with and exlamation point people.Give me a break if you can't handle reading something in uppercase you have the problem!

I hate all-caps, and find it rude and much harder to read. If I want to read it, I copy it to Word and use the change-case function.

And to those who say they're easier to read because of the size...adjust your screen if necessary! Just turning the mouse wheel does it.

Someone of another board said

"It is interesting how quickly people are prepared to leap to judgement with one side of a story and very few facts. For example she did accounting work, but is not a qualified accountant. I know someone who works there so took the trouble to find out. It seems the woman was a bully and many staff avoided having anything to do with her. Some were so upset with how she treated them that they threatened to leave. The Company even got in an Independant Mediator who was there for a week and trying to sort things out. When she left the staff had a celebration champagne breakfast the next morning.If the company was guilty of anything, it seems it was not firing this woman before she created such a pervasive toxic environment."

WTF - THIS IS REDICULOUS - I TOO WILL USE ALL CAPS FROM NOW ON - GET A LIFE!!!!

I should have said, turn the mouse wheel while holding down the control key to adjust size.

in response to deedee's post at 11:21. If this woman had created as hostile an environment as you have stated then she should have been terminated for a reason other than "all caps" emails. Perhaps insubordination or any of a number of HR issues. BUT "ALL CAPS" EMAILS? THEY COULD HAVE DONE BETTER!!

I agree, Joe.
But at the same time, if she continued sending all caps mail after being told all those other people hated it, then she should have at least some punishment.

I believe that all caps should be used at the employers discression.But if she was not told in writing then her employer man or woman had absolutly no right to fire her.She should have had a couple write ups on the subject before she should have been fired.Plus I do believe there are two sides to every story.Lets here from the company or her ex-boss.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE "NO CAPS" BUTTON, BUT I AM HAVING TROUBLE FINDING IT. CAN ANYONE HELP?

YOU KNOW I USE ALL CAPS SO THAT I CAN SEE WHAT I AM WRITING BUT WHAT ANNOYS ME IS THAT ANY MORON CAN TAKE OFFENSE TO BIG LETTERS.....ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME!!!

Styles 1005, since you felt it was necessary to correct another poster - unfortunately incorrectly, I feel it is necessary to correct you. You are incorrect with your "P.S." to Equal Opportunity Terminator. Your statement may have been correct 20 years ago; but, if you choose to correct another individual, please make sure your information is up-to-date or you end up sounding like a jackask(k=s). Try getting yourself a new grammar book -- preferably one that is not out of print.

I must be tone deaf because I don't hear a thing from capital letters.
Perhaps I better take advantage of the free hearing aid sessions in town.

I must be tone deaf because I don't hear a thing from capital letters.
Perhaps I better take advantage of the free hearing aid sessions in town.

In world of email using all capital letters is considered to be like yelling at people. It is rude. However, on engineering design drawings it is normal to use all capital letters. I think that the offender should have been corrected but no fired.

In world of email using all capital letters is considered to be like yelling at people. It is rude. However, on engineering design drawings it is normal to use all capital letters. I think that the offender should have been corrected but not fired.

I guess she didn't work in an architecture firm? (their print appears to be "all caps)

whell i have been working in the BPO industry fpr last five years. and now i have a new manager who is harrissing all the time trying to check on me and keep ragiing on what i do it is annoying whe one rags you mistakes are boun to nappin since Four yrs no one has ever bordered me and since this year as my new boss came in it has been hell he suspended me last fifteen days back for a week fo a Faital since i did not read the dessclamer properly. then today he calls me and he said that i had kept the costemer on hpld for five minuts. i informed him that the cx wanted to speak wit a supervisor and since the supervisor was bussy on a nother call informed the customer and for that he sacke me on the spot.after working for Five yrs this is what i get. please help me.as i have not signed any thin yet.