[quote name='greenbags125']Nephilim, are you seriously telling me that if I type u instead of you, you would be unable to comprehend the meaning of his sentence? It's not like people speak correctly anyways, much less type in shorthand. (ie I hafta go to the mall, I can't go till five, etc.) The whole point of an informal post on a message board is to get your idea across in as little time as possible. Now, I usually don't use shorthand but I don't denigrate others for using it unless it becomes utterly incomprehensible. Don't sweat the small things.
PS If you seriously cannot understand a sentence because u is used instead of you, you have serious reading problems and this message board is not your solution.[/QUOTE]
For what it's worth, I hate the shorthand also. I perceive it (whether true or not) as laziness. It also takes me a lot longer to read through all the U's, 2's, B's, etc because my brain just isn't wired for shorthand. It's like listening to someone speaking English but throwing in French and Spanish from time to time.
You mentioned that most people don't "speak properly" either. However, bad English is different from using a different form altogether. A good analogy would be talking to someone and having them say "I'm going to g h a t a n (go home and take a nap)." You'd be like "Dude, I know it's a tiny bit slower, but just say you're going home to take a nap so I don't have to stop and decode all that."
Also, the shorthand just comes across as childish. I have no logical reason, I just picture a 12-year-old with his peanut butter sandwich next to the keyboard every time I read the shorthand. It's like hearing someone say "Me go to store today!" You'd be like "what are you, a toddler?"
I don't really want to join the flame wars, but I did want to give an even-tempered reasoning as to why some of "us" don't like the shorthand.