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Why Hickson types in ALL CAPS


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Why does Hickson ignore one of the most basic rules of netiquette: do not type in all caps. There are many reason one should avoid this;

  1. It is simply harder to read
  2. It is perceived as SCREAMING
  3. It actually trigger many email spam filters
  4. It just turns some people off

The question remains: Is typing in all caps effective?

I'm sure Hickson can tell if it is, but given that he has been doing the entire time he has been posting I suspect it is effective.

The real question then is why it is effective? It is like asking why is Kola Boof effective, despite her unorthodox methods?

I have my theories, but hopefully we will hear from Hickson himself. One clue we can all observe are his post's views counts. They are typically relatively high but i think that has to do with his use of social media.

Boitumelo types in all caps too. In fact, if was because of that reason -- I simply never read any of his (I still think he) posts. One day, I think it was Carey who pointed out the poetry in one of Boitumelo's all cap posts. I said to myself,"well I'll be damned!" I prejudged the fellow simply because his caps lock key is permanently locked.

I was guilty of prejudice. Summarily dismissing his contributions simply because they were written in all caps and did not conform to a standard that I'd been taught.

Now I still would prefer if Hickson and Biotumelo would type in "proper" case. But that is up to them -- either way I'll read their posts. At least Biotumeo's.

Hickson I honestly do not read all of your posts when they are long. The all caps really does make the text more difficult to read -- at least for me. Maybe with your younger demographic this is not an issue.

I trust you magazine is not in all caps ;)

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"YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MEN WITH BIG FEET: BIG FEET, BIG SHOES...." --RUPAUL

WORLDWIDE, I'VE BEEN TYPING IN CAPS WHEN POSTING SINCE SEPTEMBER 2003 & IT WORKS WELL FOR ME, AN INDEPENDENT WHO DOES WHAT'S NECESSARY RIGHTEOUSLY, TO BRING ATTENTION TO MYSELF, MY AUTHORS, GHETTOHEAT®: & THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERACY--KNOWING HOW HARD IT IS TO BE IN THE SAME ARENA AS "THE BIG 6", WHILE HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE CLAWING & BACKBITING OF CERTAIN INSECURE WRITERS & PUBLISHERS; EVEN ONES HAVING A BIGGER FOLLOWING & GREATER COVERAGE THAN MYSELF.

I'M KNOWN TO NEVER FOLLOW THE HERD, THE SHEEP GO LEFT, I GO RIGHT: PURPOSELY! I'VE NEVER BEEN A CONFORMIST NOR WILL I EVER BE: I MARCH TO THE BEAT OF MY OWN DRUM WHILE DRUMMING UP BUSINESS! I CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE, NOR DO I TRY--ATTEMPTED BEFORE IN MY EARLIER DAYS, YET I'M "DAMNED IF I DO, & NOW DAMNED IF I DON'T!" SO I JUST "DO ME, FACE FORWARD, DO ALL THAT I CAN TO WIN RIGHTEOUSLY & WISH FOR THE BEST WHILE SWIMMING TO THE BOAT WHILE OTHERS WAIT FOR IT TO COME IN...I'M HERE TO WIN: WHILE PLAYING FAIR!

I DON'T SCREAM, NOR HAVE TO SCREAM TO BE HEARD. THERE IS MANY TIMES WHEN I KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT, YET MY ROAR IS HEARD & FELT WORLDWIDE THROUGH MY CONTENT...I'VE DISCOVERED MY POWER & USE IT FOR GOOD, ALWAYS: I THANK GOD (IN JESUS NAME) CONSTANTLY FOR THAT! HAVE I TRIGGERED SPAM FILTERS: OF COURSE! YET, HAVE MY MATERIAL STILL INFILTRATED THROUGH SAID MENTIONED? YES! WHY? BECAUSE I'M MAGNETIC! POSITIVE LIGHT/ENERGY ATTRACTS THE SAME, AND EFFORTLESSLY BEATS DARKNESS.... HAVE I TURNED A FEW OFF: HELL YES, DOES IT MATTER TO ME: HELL NO! WHY? THEY ARE THE FEW THAT DON'T MATTER, NOR ARE THEY A PART OF THE GHETTOHEAT® MOVEMENT! AGAIN, YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE, SO NEVER TRY TO!

WHY WOULD A WRITER/PUBLISHER OR ANYONE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING EVERY WAY AS ALL ELSE? THIS IS WHY MOST URBAN BOOK COVERS LOOK THE SAME: I'VE EXPLORED THAT PREVIOUSLY, ALSO.... ALTHOUGH I'M NOT IN COMPETITION WITH ANYONE BUT MYSELF, THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE FIELD, INDEPENDENTS & MAINSTREAM, WHO I HAVE TO GO AGAINST TO WIN THE SAME DOLLAR. WHY WOULD I USE THE SAME APPROACH THAT ONE USES AGAINST ME TO WIN? WHY WOULD I ALSO WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS ALL ELSE WHO ALSO GETS LOST IN PUBLISHING STEW: ONE THAT GETS VERY THICK: THERE ARE OVER 150,000 BOOKS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY.... SO YES, "ALL CAPS HICKSON" (THAT WAS CUTE, MR. TROY JOHNSON) DOES WHAT'S REQUIRED TO STAND OUT FROM ALL THE REST. EVEN IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH ALL THAT I DO, PRODUCE OR SAY: YOU WON'T FORGET ME.... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT: BUT YOU WON'T CALL ME BROKE! FOLKS SAY WHAT THEY WANT: THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE--THERE WAS A REAL REASON WHY REGIONAL & DISTRICT MANAGERS AT CHAINS STORES MET WITH ME & ALLOWED ME TO HAVE MULTIPLE BOOK EVENTS AT THEIR ENTITIES.

AS FOR WHAT'S PROPER: WHAT'S PROPER FOR SOME ISN'T FOR OTHERS WORLDWIDE, LIKE ME GOING TO EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME DISCOVERING THAT MANY DOEN'T WEAR DEODORANT YET I DO: & THICK! WHO AM I TO SAY "IT'S NOT PPOPER" NOT TO WEAR DEODORANT? CATCH MY DRIFT? AT THE END OF THE DAY, I'M NOT HARMING ANYONE, I'M JUST ON MY CRUSADE TO GET MORE FOLKS, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE INNER CITY TO READ MORE, EARN AN HONEST LIVING WITHOUT WORKING FOR "THE MAN", CONTINUE BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR (I HAVEN'T HAD A REAL 9-T0-5 JOB SINCE 1992), MAKE MY MARK, & HAVE MY LEGACY CARRIED ON BY THOSE WHO FULLY APPRECIATE MYSELF, MY AUTHORS & GHETTOHEAT®!

AS FOR MR. TROY JOHNSON, MY PRIOR BUSINESS PROPOSALS ALSO WEREN'T TYPED IN ALL CAPS, THOSE WERE AS YOU LABEL IT, WERE "PROPER", IGNORED: BUT NOT TAKEN PERSONALLY & LOVE IS LOVE ALWAYS--YOU WERE THE FIRST TO FEATURE ME IN THIS GAME IN 2003 & CAME TO MY FIRST POETRY READING IN 2003 AT HARLEMADE, SO LOVE TO YOU ALWAYS, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE BUSTING MY CHOPS, PLAYFULLY....

THE GHETTOHEAT® MAGAZINE WILL ADDRESS MUCH: EVEN WHAT OTHERS IN THE GAME ARE AFRAID TO SAY. I DON'T FEAR ANYTHING OR ANYONE BUT GOD: I'VE LONG BEEN BLACKLISTED BY MANY WHO FEAR ME & MY POTENTIAL IN THIS GAME: THAT IS THEIR ISSUE, NOT MINE! I HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO & MUCH OF IT! SO, WE CAN ALL AGREE TO DISAGREE, YET, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS ALWAYS BEING RESPECTFUL IN THE PROCESS, & TO HAVE COMMON GROUND & SIGHT OF THE REAL ISSUE: THE INDUSTRY IS IN TURMOIL....

"THIS TOWN NEEDS AN ENEMA!" --JACK NICHOLSON, BATMAN

HICKSON: CEO of GHETTOHEAT®

Publisher of GHETTOHEAT®, CONVICT’S CANDY, HARDER, AND GOD CREATED WOMAN, LONDON REIGN, SONZ OF DARKNESS, TANTRUM, LOVE DON'T LOVE NOBODY, THICKNESS, GHOST TOWN HUSTLERS, TRUALITY, DIRRRTY, CLUB AVENUE, TOUGH, UGLY/BEAUTIFUL: ME, SOME SEXY, & SKATE ON!

GHETTOHEAT® | P.O. BOX 2746 | NEW YORK, NY 10027 | GHETTOHEAT.COM | @GHETTOHEAT | @HICKSONHOTNESS

GHETTOHEAT®: THE HOTNESS IN THE STREETS!!!™

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All caps hurts my eyes & I can only read so much of that type of formatting. For example, in the above post, I skimmed the first sentences of each paragraph and that was about all my eyes could take.

I think GHETTOHEAT® stands out because it is catchy and HICKSON posts often enough that the name has become familiar, not necessarily because of the ALL CAPS.

So to answer the question: ALL CAPS is not effective if you want as many people as possible to read what's in your post. This is especially true if you're trying to get new readers to pay attention to the details of the post.

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What I find rather interesting is that when Hickson made reverence to his sexual orientation, it confirmed rather than surprised what I had always suspected because, to me, his comments had a gay vibe, and were rife with attitude and flair. I think the utilization of all caps is a manifestation of his "inner diva" flaming. ;)

My only problem with HIckson's approach is that it overwhelms you. To promote your product is one thing; to blitz your audience is another. Rather than peruse Hickson's plugs, over time my tendency has been to skim over them because they were so predictable. The "Ghetto Heat" buzz word spoke for itself, actually. All of the redundant hype that included an all-caps font could be a turn-off. Furthermore, if street lit is your cup of tea, then seeing that 2-word logo is really all it takes to generate sales. ^_^

Bottom line, you can't argue with success. :unsure:

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No you can't argue with success Cynique.

Hickson I think your success is the result of other factors; namely hard work, persistence, dedication and commitment. Brains and a business sense are key too. Your success is despite your using all caps here (or anywhere else). I believe you would attract even more folks if you used posted your messages in a conventional fashion.

I read the entire message this time 'cause I wanted to understand your motivation perhaps get some insight on how the all caps thing is working out for you -- shoot I might have even started using all caps myself.

Hickson this is the 2nd time you mentioned me ignoring your business proposal. I don't ignore anyone, deliberately. I may be slow to respond at times, but I eventually follow up. If I did not respond to you it is simply because I missed the email or did not recognize it as something that I needed to respond to. Just reply here with the info or mail it to me again at troy@aalbc.com. I'll look out for it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

HI, EVERYONE.

I HAVE MISSED SEEING THE PERSONALITIES DISCUSS THINGS HERE, AS I HAVE MISSED DISCUSSING THINGS WITH THE PERSONALITIES HERE.

I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE A WHOLE NEW SUBJECT TO SAY THAT, SO I JUST SAID IT IN HERE. I AM SO GLAD TO BE OUT OF THAT WORKSHOP. (I THINK MANY OF THEM ARE CONDUCTED JUST TO SHOW US HOW GOOD WE ACTUALLY HAVE IT WITH OUR NORMAL SCHEDULES.) NOW I HAVE AN HOUR LEFT TO SEE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN UP TO. :-)

NOW LET ME READ WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SAYING IN HERE.

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