• Onno (VK6FLAB)
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    1 month ago

    What about learning these phrases instead:

    • I believe
    • I seem to recall
    • As I understand it
    • It seems to me that
    • In my experience

    In other words, make it clear to the reader what your level of skill or knowledge is.

    Whilst chewing on that, consider adding a source if you have one (or six).

    Source: I’ve been here a while and it’s stood me in good stead during online (and offline) conversation over the decades.

    • ComradePlatypus [fae/faer]
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      1 month ago

      Me: My understanding is [nuanced take on subject I do know about] but that’s just what I read in [multiple good sources]

      • @MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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        91 month ago

        If you’re actually informed, couching your opinion like this dulls its impact for no good reason. It’s good to speak/write confidently when you have cause to be confident.

        Hedging is great for situations where you aren’t confident, but should otherwise be used sparingly.

        • ComradePlatypus [fae/faer]
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          101 month ago

          Thanks, it’s my understanding, that it’s quite likely that I’ll probably keep posting this way due to the whole bundle of neuroses, anxiety and imposter syndrome that makes up my psyche. But that’s just what I’ve heard.

    • ButtBidet [he/him]OP
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      131 month ago

      I fully support this, and I do this too. It saves me from looking like a dickhead. Honestly I won’t drop one of the “I believe” modifiers until after 10+ hours (usually 30+ hours) of not social media reading on a topic.