Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
the reality is that writing changes dramatically depending on forum.
Of course it does, to a point; an excellent example is the one you gave about personal letters vs. business letters.
"Changes" that render a sentence or paragraph incomprehensible are another matter. When someone mistakes "loose" for "lose" or "their" for "there", misspells several words in one sentence, or writes a run-on sentence with no punctuation or upper-case letters, they run the risk of not being understood. And then what's the point of writing?
When I'm playing an MMO I'll usually spout off something like: "omg did u see that mob?!! it was tottally killing our tank?!!!11"
It's all about context.
Some people consider forums like I consider MMOs; not dictated by rules of grammar.
However I do appreciate someone's opinion more if they do take the time to spell things correctly or use the proper grammar. In this day and age, there's almost no excuse not to do these sorts of things. There's auto-correct for almost everything now.
Writing is writing. It should be correct and concise, no matter the medium.
The goal of writing is to get your point across. If -- after slogging through misspellings, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation and lazy capitalization in one post -- I give up and move on to the next post, the author of the first post has failed.
That's not for you to decide is it?
People may use IM speak on AIM, uncapitalized sentences on Facebook and proper language when email communicating with their boss (though I've had bosses send quick emails/texts without having everything correct).
Judging someone's teaching capability based on a mere "loose" vs "lose" error on a public forum is overkill.
Writing is writing. It should be correct and concise, no matter the medium.
The goal of writing is to get your point across. If -- after slogging through misspellings, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation and lazy capitalization in one post -- I give up and move on to the next post, the author of the first post has failed.
Actually the purpose of writing is communication. Not all communication needs to be clear or concise (songs, poetry, prose, etc.) but it all needs to be written with its target audience in mind. Perhaps those of us with sub-perfect grammar or spelling are not interested in targeting people who would discount others ideas just because of their method of delivery.
I recently had the change to work with some scientists from the South. Being from the NE I have always held the stereotypical belief that a "drawl" sounds less intelligent. I now know how much more important it is to listen to what people say instead of how they say it.
Finally, for those for whom grammar and spelling are not their forte, Firefox has a built in spell checker.
I usually chalk up mistakes here due to typing issues vs lack of knowledge issues. I also don't see it as a reflection on our educational system of a math teacher, for example, misspells a word on a chat board. Now, if we had math teachers that can't add 2+2, THAT would be an issue.
I usually chalk up mistakes here due to typing issues vs lack of knowledge issues. I also don't see it as a reflection on our educational system of a math teacher, for example, misspells a word on a chat board. Now, if we had math teachers that can't add 2+2, THAT would be an issue.
That reminds me of an old incident where my physics teacher wrote on the board that the square root of 4 is 4. You can imagine the class reaction...
Actually, it is. If you're trying to communicate with me via the written word and I can't comprehend what you've written, you have failed in your attempt at written communication.
yeahtecheers shuld no how to spel doesnt mater iftheirmath teechers or kinnygarden techrs or fissiks teechrs they awl went to kolege, dint they
Writing is writing. It should be correct and concise, no matter the medium.
The goal of writing is to get your point across. If -- after slogging through misspellings, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation and lazy capitalization in one post -- I give up and move on to the next post, the author of the first post has failed.
People speak differently at times depending on their sorroundings. English is my second language and I do try to speak it and write it as correctly as I can. However, I do agree with others that in this environment people may be rushing when they are writing a message. When I write my messages I do try to find and correct my mistakes. However, there are times when I do not edit my messages and as soon as I post it I realize I made a few. At times I may edit my message but at times I do not.
You may not agree with me but the intent in communication is to convey a message so the recipient gets it. Well, people do communicate everyday using incorrect writing and speech. Along the way people do stumble and often communication breakdowns do occur. Even in the legal system that is supposed to be so clear so there is no missunderstanding does occur and the courts are filled with cases interpreting a legal document. You give up when you face bad writing? In this case you may focus to much on the grammar than the point in discussion. I do try hard to see what the writer is trying to tell me even at the expense of some extra energy to sift through his/her grammar. Granted that there are times that the grammar is so poor the message is very unclear then I may request clarification. The recipient is responsible to ask for clarification as the sender is responsible to write as clearly as possible. Now, hopefully you did not get turned off by my Spanglish, take care.
You give up when you face bad writing? In this case you may focus to much on the grammar than the point in discussion. I do try hard to see what the writer is trying to tell me even at the expense of some extra energy to sift through his/her grammar.
If the writer does not care enough to make sure that his/her writing is comprehensible, then I don't care enough to read what he/she has written.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone makes typos. Neither the occasional mistake or typo is a big deal (unless you're asking for a job or for money!). But what the OP is talking about goes beyond an occasional mistake or typos.
If the writer does not care enough to make sure that his/her writing is comprehensible, then I don't care enough to read what he/she has written.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone makes typos. Neither the occasional mistake or typo is a big deal (unless you're asking for a job or for money!). But what the OP is talking about goes beyond an occasional mistake or typos.
I said the same thing you said in my own style also, take care.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
