"Also, someone mentioned the ellipse (or it it "ellipsis?")"

Yes, Genie..'twas I. And I use it both correctly and incorrectly. It has become sort of an identifying aspect of my posts.

Extra dots, used incorrectly, are my way of 'suggesting' that there was more to say, or that there was a pause in my thoughts as I was typing. I use any number of such things, including HTML bold, italics, underlining, asterisks, etc., to try to make typing 'sound' like speaking. It is an exercise in attempting to add flavor to dull sentences and avoid some of the misunderstandings that can arise.

Just a 'literary device' like ee cummings used.

This medium is only a few years old now, and it definitely has its flaws. I will NOT give in and resort to txt mssg format.