I can’t take credit for this one, but Matt Olsen has written a quite entertaining screed about modern online writing, called How to Write Like A Wanker. There’s lots of strong language, but it’s worth reading anyway. He’s rather spot on the mark, in my opinion.

I’ll just quote the beginning to whet your appetite:

No matter what Flash-blinded web monkeys would have us believe, the Internet is a text-based medium: especially its major discussion forums (IRC and Usenet) where people from all over the world can interact and share information. A popular misconception about text messages on the Internet is that, to be an effective communicator and earn the respect and admiration of your peers, you must be able to write lucid prose; that your messages, articles, posts and pages must be easy to understand and pleasant to read.

Nothing could be further from the truth.