In an email or on a web page, capitalized letters are characterized as SHOUTING! And well they should be.
When we capitalize, bold, italicize, or underline something in a sentence, we do it for emphasis. We want people who are reading to “hear” some words with more emphasis or volume, just as if we were speaking.
Therefore, when you capitalize an entire paragraph – or an entire MLS description – it’s as if you were shouting the entire message. It’s considered rude and annoying by most, but some folks do it anyway, citing their eyesight.
That’s a poor reason, for the simple fact that studies have proven that all caps are harder to read.
One reason why they’re harder to read is that all caps remove our ability to see ahead to the end of a sentence. Looking at an entire paragraph of capital letters is like looking at a solid wall of print. There’s nothing to break it up. Even as we read we have to consciously look for the period at the end of a sentence in order to know when to make a mental pause, so we can make sense of the narrative.
The problem is compounded in MLS entries, because most systems don’t allow for paragraph breaks. (Why??)
Be kind to your readers – don’t use all caps.
