What is the point of the whisper text feature?

I use it to show an aside, something that isn’t quite appropriate for parentheses. Or for saying something on a tangent that isn’t related to the thread, thus reducing the risk of derailing the thread.

It’s good for slightly unrelated chatter between folks who have no wish to derail/interrupt the flow of a thread, kind of a private chat…only not private, if ya catch ma drift.

I use it when commenting to another thread participant regarding something that is somewhat off-topic, to distinguish it from a regular answer to the question. I will also use when adding an aside within parentheses.

It’s just one of many format options here to help add the emphasis and intonation to our comments that are more difficult to convey in written form, since they lack the prosodic aspects of speech that help us convey our meaning. I wish this system were available everywhere on the web.

It can be useful for asides, jokes or any comments that aren’t really part of your serious answer.

I don’t think it’s rude in this context. Everyone can hear see what you’re whispering, so it’s not like you’re trying to keep a secret from anyone.

I love to whisper.

“Wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean?”

eeh, look at the dust in here, gimme that polish quick.

Psst, secrets don’t make friends.

Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids.

What is the point of strike out?

It denotes a response intended for sarcasm you fucking smartarsed git! :)

@ucme is a total bastard utter wanker really great guy.

@Seek_Kolinahr Sucks dick for dinner money…no, wait!

Well, that went south quickly. Like @ucme in a bathhouse.

She knows i’m only kidding, she does it for food stamps…in her pj’s.

Only when I’m looking for crablegs Cheetos.

Talking of strikeouts, I believe fluther has the baseball theory of 3 strikes & you’re out…how the fuck am I still here then!

I use them as an afterthought or sort of aside. I get to comment on my own comment.

It adds character to posts. Especially if you’re trying to talk tongue-in-cheek.

Why this font is necessary I haven’t a clue.

So much formatting!

You probably didn’t know about this.

^did that link work for anyone? It seems to be working for me.

@PhiNotPi It sends me a link to e-mail phinotpi_was_here@example.com

I don’t really know. But, that does not stop me from using it

Wait!!!
How do you strike out?? I want to be able to employ sarcasm!!

@rojo To use strikeout, put a – on either side of the word. Like this: – word – (but remove the spaces). word. Here’s the whole list.

Thanks for that index shortcut, @augustlan, but it’s not a complete list and I always wonder why. Don’t forget @ code @ formatting, which
looks like this, when there are no spaces between the ampersands and the first/last character.

The whisper lets me say in sotto voce that “it must be a conspiracy.”

Thanks @augustlan.

Of course it’s a conspiracy @CWOTUS (If that is your real name, now). They are trying to get us all to conform in some kind of Socialist Wonderland

This contains every single type of formatting.

@CWOTUS Oops, you’re right. The list isn’t complete! I don’t know why, either. <conspiracy theory> But those are not ampersands. This is: &

CWOTUS I was going to correct you but bit my tongue. ”” can be called an ampersat, if that’s what you were thinking of.

OH, COME ON, HOW COULD YOU EVEN ASK !?!

Ah, back to normal now.

and just between the two of us, digressing from the main thread, I think the whisper is great for an aside

&testing testing& perhaps I misread or misunderstood instructions

No, I used a wrong word. It’s not “ampersand” (&) it’s an “ampersat” (@) – a word I didn’t even know until earlier today.

So code formatting looks like this.
@ So code formatting looks like this. @ (When there are extra spaces added at beginning and end.)

I wonder why formatting doesn’t work between the two “ampersats”:
<strong><del><em>Isn’t this weird?</em></del></strong>

testing testing thanks for putting me right @CWOTUS : ^) I’m using voice activation and the command for the @ is “at sign”.

I can never tell when someone is whispering. I have a minimum font size set on my browser, so it’s all the same.

These little style flourishes bring dull old text a little closer to actual speech. It’s a way of making up for the lack of facial expression, tone, and emphasis in our typing.

I don’t know specifically . . .

. . . but it lett’s me get by with a lot of shit.