On 9/19/05, Andrew Gray shimgray@gmail.com wrote:
He states that exclamation marks - which he terms "notes of admiration", the term not having then been invented - are superfluous to the language and should be abhorred.
Actually I think this one is a good advise for those writing Wikipedia - usage of exclamation marks often means that you are slipping towards POV. Alford's term "note of admiration" explains that well - we should not be noting that something is admirable, just tell the facts and have the reader decide whether they are admirable or down-to-earth.
Besides, using an exclamation mark in every second line, as some people tend to do, is in my opinion bad style in itself, even outside Wikipedia.
Andre Engels