wsmac wrote:
Joking around is often mistaken on the internet as being serious and I've seen some harsh words typed because of this misunderstanding.
I think the smilies help a bit, though.
Sometimes I think it's got to be intentional. When I read posts—unless the person's grammar is atrocious—I rarely have much trouble understanding the meaning and when the author intends to make a joke or not (not that I always find the joke funny). Certain sites, WrongPlanet.net and Slashdot to name two, are notorious for this; it must be the autistic mindset (funny that I don't suffer from this).
On the other hand, offline I don't so much misinterpret what people mean to say, but I grossly misjudge what people probably already know, what their opinion might be, etc.